Jeremy0322
Active Member
Been out of the saltwater game for a while since I was in college. Now that I graduated and have a job lined up the girlfriend finally gave me permission to set up a small aquarium (took alot of trips to pet stores and pretty pictures to get her liking the idea). I am not new to the hobby though, been around for about 7 years now and have a BS in Marine Biology, so I have a general idea of whats going on, but this will be my first tank under 30 gallons.
The space I have to work with is about 30 inches side to side and 18 inches front to back. There will be no room for a sump/fuge, at least at the beginning of the build, so it will be a self contained system. I have been looking around for a week or so now and just figured I would get peoples opinions on a few different things.
1: What type of system should I go with? I want something with about 8-10 gallons minimum gallons and could probably go up to 20 MAX, but would be best with around a 15 gallon system. That means, from what I have seen, that I can either go with a custom built tank (I do have experience doing this) or a BC14 which seems like a pretty safe bet honestly if I can get it for the right price.
2: Since I wont be using a sump is it necessary to use a skimmer? I know I will want a reactor of some sort but the idea of a skimmer on a tank this small doesnt seem like the most sensible option to me. I am planning on changing water pretty frequently anyways so I just think the cost/reward ratio isnt adding up to me.
3: Lighting suggestions? If I go with a biocube how bad is that stock light setup. I dont want to grow anything too fancy, some zoas and softies would be perfect, but will they be stressed with the stock lighting on this type of system? If I were to go with a custom build (like a 15 gallon long with a false wall) what system would you all suggest.
***note: I DO NOT want to use MH, just never really liked them.
4: Are there any other AIO's out there that I havent come across yet? I would like to stay relatively inexpensive on this, but I know all to well that is usually unrealistic, im just trying to make sure I dont miss anything before I pull the trigger.
Thank you guys for reading and posting, im sure I will have some more questions in the very near future.
The space I have to work with is about 30 inches side to side and 18 inches front to back. There will be no room for a sump/fuge, at least at the beginning of the build, so it will be a self contained system. I have been looking around for a week or so now and just figured I would get peoples opinions on a few different things.
1: What type of system should I go with? I want something with about 8-10 gallons minimum gallons and could probably go up to 20 MAX, but would be best with around a 15 gallon system. That means, from what I have seen, that I can either go with a custom built tank (I do have experience doing this) or a BC14 which seems like a pretty safe bet honestly if I can get it for the right price.
2: Since I wont be using a sump is it necessary to use a skimmer? I know I will want a reactor of some sort but the idea of a skimmer on a tank this small doesnt seem like the most sensible option to me. I am planning on changing water pretty frequently anyways so I just think the cost/reward ratio isnt adding up to me.
3: Lighting suggestions? If I go with a biocube how bad is that stock light setup. I dont want to grow anything too fancy, some zoas and softies would be perfect, but will they be stressed with the stock lighting on this type of system? If I were to go with a custom build (like a 15 gallon long with a false wall) what system would you all suggest.
***note: I DO NOT want to use MH, just never really liked them.
4: Are there any other AIO's out there that I havent come across yet? I would like to stay relatively inexpensive on this, but I know all to well that is usually unrealistic, im just trying to make sure I dont miss anything before I pull the trigger.
Thank you guys for reading and posting, im sure I will have some more questions in the very near future.
This is going to be a much smaller system than I am used too, so it should be a fun time since its completely new, these are my last 2 systems...
