Hey! New to the hobby, but already hooked!

[kdg]

Just wanted to introduce myself. About 9 months ago, following a few months of deliberation, i purchased a 29g BioCube. I knew the risks: either I would have given up due to constant frustration or, conversely, i would have felt like the 29g was too small. (Un)-fortunately, I'm now as into the hobby as ever, and am eager to either add a tank or transition to a larger one!

In any event, my Cube is home to 5 fish (2 clowns, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Pajama Cardinal, and 1 Yellow Wrasse). There are approximately a dozen pieces of coral of varying types. During the first 4-5 months, I felt like the coral was maladjusted. They weren't growing and several pieces just seemed discolored or otherwise stunted. Things have changed in the past few months. My Hammer, Montipora, Green Star Polyp, and others have noticeably increased in size and appear healthy.

I look forward to learning lots from the fellow enthusiasts here!

 

[crew]

Welcome to the group!

I find that bigger tanks, while more expensive, are easier to work with. Not only do you have more space, but you have more wiggle room for error as well. If you mess up something in a 100g aquarium it won't be as big of a deal as if you made the same error in your 29.

If I were you, I would just get a larger tank vs. getting a 2nd one. There are always used systems going on sale here. Good luck!

 

[ghbrewer]

Welcome to the club, glad to have you!

 

[dball711]

Welcome, you'll be in a bigger tank in no time...

Lets see some pictures!

 

[shrimpy brains]

Welcome! It is an addicting hobby! Get a 2nd tank and a bigger tank...........then a 4th tank.......

 

[kdg]

Thanks for the welcome! Yes, if i had to make a decision now, i would upgrade rather than add a second tank. Nevertheless, i'm extremely happy about my current setup and am content to enjoy it for the foreseeable future. I suppose my impulse for the upgrade stems from the fact that my interests are leaning more towards fish rather than coral.

I'm attaching a (somewhat blurry) pic. You can see the Yellow Wrasse and the two clowns, but the Gramma and Cardinal were hanging out between/behind the rock...their usual spots.

I've been enjoying looking at the pics of other members' tanks for the past hour or so. Wow!!!
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[redstang]

Welcome! I started with a 29gal BC that I kept up for 4 years. Great tank!

 

[rdnelson]

Welcome. The tank looks great. As for upgrade or second tank it comes down to you wants and available time and money. One is easier to maintain than two but if that one is reef you can't have certain fish. I, like most, stated out thinking all about the fish. Then I discovered what a nice reef tank really looks like. I could never do a fish based tank unless I also had a reef tank.

 

[crew]

If you are thinking upgrade, the best place to start is to decide what fish you want to keep. If you want to have anything in the tang family, you need to start looking at tanks at least 48 inches wide, for example.

If you have the storage, you could always start collecting everything for your next tank now and do it slowly over a 2 year timeframe or so. It's less of a financial hit and then you can just migrate your currant tank buddies to the new tank when you are ready.

 

[kdg]

Wow, i really appreciate the welcomes and the suggestions. Budgetary and space restrictions will play a major role in how i decide to move forward. In addition, there is still so much to learn. I'm running my BioCube rather minimally; no sump, no refuge, and no skimmer for the past 2-3 months. For now, routine water changes, frequent cleanings, and conscientious feedings seem to be doing the trick. My hunch is, from what i gather from the general forum, that this minimalist approach would be a recipe for disaster in a tank with more demanding fish than my current inhabitants. Or, does the adage that says smaller tanks are more difficult to maintain mean that this minimalist approach will be just as or even more effective in a larger system?

 

[scramer74]

Welcome! I'm a newbie too, but it looks like you have way more knowledge then I do! I I'm a scuba diver, I grew up in the ocean. My only experience is the live environment. I miss the beach, so I'm trying to build what I've seen diving in my living room.

 

[kdg]

scramer74,

I envy your scuba background. That's way above my risk threshold...i don't even like getting in the pool!

What kind of tank are you starting with? Reef or fish only? How is it going so far?

 

[crew]

KDG;1015437 wrote: Wow, i really appreciate the welcomes and the suggestions. Budgetary and space restrictions will play a major role in how i decide to move forward. In addition, there is still so much to learn. I'm running my BioCube rather minimally; no sump, no refuge, and no skimmer for the past 2-3 months. For now, routine water changes, frequent cleanings, and conscientious feedings seem to be doing the trick. My hunch is, from what i gather from the general forum, that this minimalist approach would be a recipe for disaster in a tank with more demanding fish than my current inhabitants. Or, does the adage that says smaller tanks are more difficult to maintain mean that this minimalist approach will be just as or even more effective in a larger system?

I think larger systems tend to be easier to keep up in terms of margin of error, but they do require more work. You have more glass to clean, larger equipment, larger water changes, etc.

The plus is you have wiggle room for everything. It's much easier to deal with parameter swings in a larger body of water. The way I try and explain it is larger tanks are easier to keep, but involve relatively more work and cost more money.

I don't think the demand from the fish you keep would be any different. If anything, it would be easier because larger tanks are almost always less stressful - they have more room.