What Is The Best Size Saltwater Aquarium? Go Big or Go Home?
Jason, Josh, and Brian sit down to discuss the important factors that you need to consider when choosing the right size saltwater aquarium. Are nano tanks easier? Is it a go big or go home situation? Will I be disappointed if my tank isn't big enough? Stick around as our team answers these questions to ultimately help you make the best choice when choosing your own saltwater aquarium.
How many gallons in a nano?
While this might be debated among hobbyists, most consider anything from 5 - 40 gallons a "Nano" tank. The smallest aquariums ranging from 1 - 5 gallons get their own designation called "Pico" aquariums and anything beyond 40 gallons, is simply an aquarium.
Are you on a budget?
The bigger the tank, the bigger the investment. It is critical to choose a tank that you can comfortably afford. The tank itself, life support equipment, cost of stocking the tank, and even maintenance materials will get respectively larger as the tank size increases.
Time and effort required for maintenance
While the necessary maintenance tasks remain the same for both nano and large aquariums alike, it's much easier and takes less time to work on a nano tank. Water changes are smaller with nano tanks and take less time to perform. Where you might spend over an hour performing a weekly water change on a 100-gallon aquarium, that same task may only take 20 minutes for a 25-gallon nano. There is less glass to keep clean and scrape. Less filtration media to swap out. It's easier to physically access the display aquarium and you should not have any trouble reaching the bottom of a nano tank.
Livestock limitations
Choose a tank that can safely and ethically house the fish and other animals you wish to keep. A tang doesn't belong in a nano tank so if you are dead set on large fish like a tang, you want to make room for a large aquarium. Do your research, come up with a basic non-negotiable stock list, and choose an aquarium that can achieve those goals. Ultimately, you want to be happy with your aquarium for the long run and the best success will be found when you're not constantly compromising your livestock choices.
Are nano tanks unstable?
Smaller volumes of water will indeed be more volatile in terms of changing water chemistry and larger tanks are much more forgiving in this stability aspect. This is exactly why seasoned hobbyists will often say that nano tanks are much more difficult to keep successfully. Most nano tank owners would agree that there is little room for procrastination and neglect. That said, modern life support equipment is extremely efficient and we have some great technology that helps us monitor the health of our aquariums. Invest in quality gear upfront, learn how to use that gear and you will be able to achieve the same level of long-term success as larger tank owners.
Consider equipment costs and requirements
Larger tanks with a sump allow you to use the most advanced aquarium technology on the market including aquarium controllers, protein skimmers, refugiums, calcium reactors, dosing pumps, and so much more! If building and customizing an aquarium life support system is something that interests you, a larger tank will likely be a more satisfying route.
With nano tank filtration, the best advice is to keep it simple. Nano tanks will not require a protein skimmer or any other advanced filtration techniques; just keep up with a strict weekly water change schedule and don't overstock the aquarium. Simply adjust the amount of water your changing out each week to whatever is required to export necessary nutrients. It is not uncommon for successful nano tank owners to change out 50% of the tank water every week. Not only does this export nutrients, but you are also replenishing the water with the necessary elements for corals.
Community Q & A
Do nano tanks require more frequent water changes?
Water changes are equally as important in any size aquarium because ultimately the livestock requires the same stable environment. That said, with more effective life support equipment enlisted on a larger aquarium, you may be able to perform smaller water changes and the larger water volume is a bit more forgiving in terms of how detrimental it might be to "skip" a water change.
What Is the best size aquarium for a beginner?
Right around 40 gallons seems to be the sweet spot for first-time tank owners. It's large enough to select a variety of different, unique fish, while not being so small that it requires daily attention. That said, upgrade fever is real and once you get your first taste of success, the desire for a larger tank is probably going to hit you.
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