29g Or 125g Help Me Decide Please

[channing]

so heres my problem. we are looking at houses and hopefully we will find one that we like soon and when we move i can get a saltwater tank yeah!!! but i have a 29g with nothing in it, and we are looking at 125g tanks. but hubby only wants one right now. i was thinking that it would be better to set up the 29 first as we have never done saltwater before that way if we deiced down the line this just isn't going to work for what ever reason we wont be out so much cash. i was thinking the 29 would be seahorses and the 125 would be molded around a snowflake eel. but not sure which route to take. would it be better to start out small or no? if we start w the 29 then in a few years we could get the 125 too. want would you do, take the leap or start small?

 

[Ian H]

I've heard/read with marine that bigger is better and easier.

personally i would get the biggest tank i could afford

 

[shibby]

bigger tank easier to control parameters!

i started with a 40g and realllly wish i have enough space for a bigger one! gonna make space for one soon

 

[robbhp]

big for salt water is lots better, i have a 170 gal tank with sump , and the whole thing is very easy to look after. this was also my frist salty tank , but it has been no problems at all.

heres the link to my tank : ) http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=161594

 

[kkyyllee]

do the 29 a 125 will be mroe of haslte than the 29, bigger isnt always better

 

[drag]

the only difference in a 29 gallon and a 125 gallon is initial setup cost. the bigger the tank the better. maintanance is not much different. and having room for small paramiter changes is loads better 4 your fish as you will make some mistakes as a noob.

i started out with a 29 gallon that i still have but am now on the same boat w/ you i just bought a house and i can finally get my 125 gallon .

besides if you get the 29 gallon set up...... i can asure you its just a matter of time till youll want a bigger tank .

 

[rhysiboy]

125 might be a bit overwhelming and if you find you dont like this side of the hobby and youve just spent a bucket on a 125g then youll be really bloody annooohyed. Maybe look at a 55 gallon? good options fish wise and a nice starter size

 

[nanocubeking]

depends are you a beginner

 

[Donya]

29 isn't bad as a starting size if you get cured live rock and whatnot...doesn't seem "small" as a start to me since I've only ever done pico/nano. I think it's out of the nano range (or is >30g out of it? Anyway it's still a decent size). Would you have a sump? Bigger would definitely be easier from a parameters standpoint, but if you're committed to doing your research before buying things and checking everything in the tank regularly then I don't see why the 29 should be a problem if you take it slowly in the setup. For that matter, slowly is the only way to set up any tank regardless of size. So, you said your husband wants stuff "right now"...if he wants insta-fish, that can't happen with any tank regardless of size.

 

[channing]

im a noob to saltwater so probably at least 6 months to a year of study before i jump. but the 29g would be for seahorses and the 125 is being wrapped around a snowflake eel. but i think ill do the 29 first as a nano reef /seahorse tank. then the 125g as a predator tank. does anyone suggest different? oh and any good must have books to read.

 

[Donya]

Have a look through the realm of knowledge sticky for book refs: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=29026
There are some good suggestions in that thread.

 

[kkyyllee]

i wouldnt do a seahorse tank if ur a total noob, i would do it as a regular nanoreef

 

[channing]

i wouldnt do a seahorse tank if ur a total noob, i would do it as a regular nanoreef

i think i could pull it off though as i have found several places to buy captive breed ones that eat frozen foods. it will just take work and lots of research. which is fine by me. any suggestions on a good species? i'm still looking in to that.

 

[Matty P]

125g

 

[rhysiboy]

one hting oyu probably wont be able to do a reef / sea horse tank because reef's ned a lot of flow and sea horses need hardly any. Also there are a lot of things on live rock that will sting them