Vis Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hi there I've been lurking for a few weeks,trying to educate myself and learn the lingo. I'm really keen to start a reef tank ( had tropical fish for years ) but have lots of questions. I really like the cube tanks and fell in love with the Solana but I'm afraid I'll feel limited as to the kinds of fish I can stock it with.I would love a tang ,2 clowns and maybe 2 of a smaller species. I found a great 50 gallon cube by CAD lights. Lovely but much more expensive than the 34 gallon Solana. My first question is ,how much of a difference will the 50 gallon make in terms of the kinds of fish I can keep in it. If the extra gallons mean just 1 extra fishy it's really not worth the extra money. Also, to any Solana owners out there,were you happy with it the way it came or did you spend a lot on modifications. I don't want to forgo the larger tank because of cost and end up spending the same amount on upgrades. I would greatly appreciate any advice or input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 There is still a nice 65g to check out As for the solana, you might need to upgrade the skimmer and ato, light and add more flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhowe Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 A 34 gal tank is not much bigger than most would consider a nano. If you are starting out new to the hobby, larger volumes of water are easier to maintain correct water parameters. The smaller the volume of water, the easier it is to get water parameters like PH, salinity, temp, etc, out of whack and kill fish and corals. Basically a larger tank is more stable. Hope the build goes well and welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 There is still a nice 65g to check out Grassi- I left you a VM and didn't hear back. I assumed it was taken. You may just tempt me out of my cube obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 A 34 gal tank is not much bigger than most would consider a nano. If you are starting out new to the hobby' date=' larger volumes of water are easier to maintain correct water parameters. The smaller the volume of water, the easier it is to get water parameters like PH, salinity, temp, etc, out of whack and kill fish and corals. Basically a larger tank is more stable. Hope the build goes well and welcome to the forum.[/quote'] Good point! That Solano is so darn cute though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akambience Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Welcome aboard Vis. I concur about going larger with your first tank. I started out with a 50Gallon, had a bit of an emergency forcing me to put all the livestock into a 12 gallon tub/QT for a week, and I had a heck of a time keeping things within limits and happy. That week of 12 gallons, gave me a few gray hairs; and i'm far too young to get grey hairs.(I tell myself) Now, I'm on a 55, with a 18 gallon sump and a 10 gallon refugium. If I had more space and money I would be happy to double all of that. I very well just might pack up and move to the coast where I can pump in sea water.(drooler) This is a wonderful resource with lots of friendly, helpful and knowledgeable people. Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Welcome aboard Vis. I concur about going larger with your first tank. I started out with a 50Gallon, had a bit of an emergency forcing me to put all the livestock into a 12 gallon tub/QT for a week, and I had a heck of a time keeping things within limits and happy. That week of 12 gallons, gave me a few gray hairs; and i'm far too young to get grey hairs.(I tell myself) Now, I'm on a 55, with a 18 gallon sump and a 10 gallon refugium. If I had more space and money I would be happy to double all of that. I very well just might pack up and move to the coast where I can pump in sea water.(drooler) This is a wonderful resource with lots of friendly, helpful and knowledgeable people. Welcome. Thanks for the info.I'm also thinking to go larger but I'll have to put a collection plate by the front door to drum up some funds. This is not a cheap hobby. I think my hubby wishes I would get hooked on scrapbooking instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hozer21 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Thanks for the info.I'm also thinking to go larger but I'll have to put a collection plate by the front door to drum up some funds. This is not a cheap hobby. I think my hubby wishes I would get hooked on scrapbooking instead Yeah but it's a great hobby . I know my wife would rather me do other things than look in to the box in our living room lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Welcome........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Theres a nice 75g cube for sale in the classifieds, its definitely worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 There is still a nice 65g to check out Grassi- I left you a VM and didn't hear back. I assumed it was taken. You may just tempt me out of my cube obsession. Sorry, I probably lost your message :( Tank is still available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Thanks for all the advice .I'm pretty sure I'm going to take the plunge and get a 50 gallon CAD lights cube. I'll keep you all posted as I'll have lots of questions . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Thanks for the info.I'm also thinking to go larger but I'll have to put a collection plate by the front door to drum up some funds. This is not a cheap hobby. I think my hubby wishes I would get hooked on scrapbooking instead Hooked on scrap booking instead-OMG, my wife does scrap booking and I think she has more invested than I- Welcome aboard-bigger is much easier thats for sure-When I got back into it i started with a 24 gallon nano, great set up if you want to keep it VERY simple/basic-2 months later I was into a 75 gallon Enjoy and ask questions-great group around here Hey I'll have a 150 for sale here soon (laugh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 My wife is also a scrapper. Lol. She spends a crap load on that crap. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 I'll be sure to tell my hubby that he's getting off easy then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancymacc Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Welcome to the hobby and this great forum. It is so much fun!! I started my first tank in March, a 15 gal....upped it to a 35 before that was even cycled and then upped that to a 50gal with a 10g sump back in May. (I have a 75gall half round that I found for an awesome price on CL about a week after I set up the 50, it will wait for a while) So in my opinion go as big as you can afford right from the start. Patience is your best virtue here and like many reefers I have learned it the hard way, with mini-crises to take care of on a regular basis. I love the hobby and the tank is a labor of love. My tank has finally stabilized and I am being rewarded for my hard work and persistence with beautiful coral and fish displays every day. I swear I see something new in the tank all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 Welcome to the hobby and this great forum. It is so much fun!! I started my first tank in March' date=' a 15 gal....upped it to a 35 before that was even cycled and then upped that to a 50gal with a 10g sump back in May. (I have a 75gall half round that I found for an awesome price on CL about a week after I set up the 50, it will wait for a while) So in my opinion go as big as you can afford right from the start. Patience is your best virtue here and like many reefers I have learned it the hard way, with mini-crises to take care of on a regular basis. I love the hobby and the tank is a labor of love. My tank has finally stabilized and I am being rewarded for my hard work and persistence with beautiful coral and fish displays every day. I swear I see something new in the tank all the time.[/quote'] That sounds like me.I was tempted to start small with a nano but all the fish I like need a larger tank. I think a 50 gallon is going to have to do though. Bigger seems a bit daunting but who knows. I really appreciate everyone's input and feel like I'll have lots of support when I have questions later.Right now I just have to justify buying the tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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