who in here has downgraded, were you glad?

[tran]

hi,

I am just curious what is it like when going from a bigger tank to smaller tank.
Pretty much every thread that I've read, people keep talking about upgrade to bigger tank but very few of those that want to downgrade.
I have a 75g tank setup in my living now and I am somewhat happy with what I have.
I just don't feel like I will ever get a nice, full filled with lots of corals, mainly due to the fact I cant afford a new coral head every week. I think I would have a better shot at making the "perfect" tank in a smaller one. Has anyone felt this way and actually gone through with a downgrade in tank size? Were you happy you did? Just curious

thanks

 

[jackd625]

Hey, I went from a 55 gallon down to a 28 nanocube, and so far I'm pretty happy about it. The extra space in the living room is nice, and I just think it looks a bit better all together in the room now.

 

[MikeG]

I went form a 140 to a 40. Never got around to taking the 140 down and they are all tied together. Now I have a 40 and a 140 running

 

[MisFit]

Just let your corals grow. A 75 really isnt that big and can fill in pretty quickly

 

[Mini4x]

Food for thought..

Keep in mind, smaller does not mean less work.

I went form a 140 down to a 30g cube, some stuff is easier, but I have more issues with water chemistry & algae in the 30 than I ever did with the 140. But water changes in the 140 were a 2 hour project, where it's a 10 min project in the 30g.

I am upgrading to a 60g cube now because the 30 just seems too cramped for my fish.

 

[tran]

thanks everyone for sharing the experiences.
As far as the downgrade, let me give some more thoughts into it.

thanks

 

[mordibv]

I went from a 120 to a 70 cube to a 20 nano cube . The 120 was just too old . I did not want to move a 70 cube from NC to Mass . I had planned on bringing it here until the movers broke my custom sumps .
The nano is just a holding tank for corals until the next home move . In a 2nd floor apt . I certainly do not want to move 70 plus gallons of corals and fish in a year old tank . At that time frame the tank is just starting to stabilize/mature and come into it's own . I can tell the nano has a lot of equipment on it but things can still go wrong . A recent trip back to NC proved this .
Buying coral heads isn't always the answer . U can get nice growth in a year with just frags . Better yet you can get at least 2 or 3 frags for the price of a nice head of coral .

 

[SteveDola]

Food for thought..

Keep in mind, smaller does not mean less work.

I went form a 140 down to a 30g cube, some stuff is easier, but I have more issues with water chemistry & algae in the 30 than I ever did with the 140. But water changes in the 140 were a 2 hour project, where it's a 10 min project in the 30g.

I am upgrading to a 60g cube now because the 30 just seems too cramped for my fish.

you said it! smaller means bigger swings in water chemistry. If I had the room I wouldnt go smaller than 90g. In my opinion, its easier to keep bigger water volume than smaller volumes.

what is nice that it costs less. less salt, less additives, less coral/fish all equal less cash out of pocket (keeping all things in constant)

 

[JayM]

I downgraded from a 72 to a 92 to a 120 to an <empty> 165.

The downgrade was in the $ my wallet

 

[Bobbofin]

I have what I consider the perfect size tank now. A 24x24x24" 60 cube, not too big, not too small. I had a 65 downsized to 54 corner, to a 14 Nano-cube, to a 29, to a 16 bow front, 30 cube and now the 60 cube. I'm on my seventh tank since 1990. Considering a 36x18x18" 50 gallon in my den after I do some repairs to my home and not have the tank in the livingroom. THE INSANITY CONTINUES!

 

[ReeferDre]

I downgraded for almost the same reasons. I could t keep up on my 60 which mini4x now has. No water supply where I had to keep it and as much as I spent on coral it always looked empty. So I made DIY AOI 20 l. It seams fuller but everything is still growing. Water change takes 10 minutes and it in my living room so I enjoy it alot more. Best reeding decision I made except for starting my first reef. My next one when this one fills up will probably be a 40 breeder or a custom shallow wide tank .

 

[pech29]

I started with a 12, went to 72, then to a 90. Both upgrades were due to great deals I couldn't pass up. Then I downgraded to a 34 solana because i decided the 90 was just too big in my small condo living room. I now have a house and am upgrading to a 180. The 72 was the best tank out of the 4. The 90 was too big, the 12 and 34 are too small(too hard to keep happy as mentioned above). I can't wait to get the 180 up and running at which point I will be breaking down the 34. Yes it costs more to run and will take some more time for maintenance but I will be a lot happier

 

[gadolinium]

Every tank is going to have a learning curve. I had a 120 and had to sell it when I moved. I downgraded to a 12 gallon and it has been one of my favorite tanks ever. With $200 dollars you can buy 10-15 frags watch them grow and have a full tank within a year. When the tank is full you will need to do a lot of work to prevent overgrowth. Try buying a small used tank from a fellow BRS friend and see if you like it. While your working on the small one your 70 gallon will start to fill out.

 

[Mini4x]

hi,

I just don't feel like I will ever get a nice, full filled with lots of corals, mainly due to the fact I cant afford a new coral head every week. I think I would have a better shot at making the "perfect" tank in a smaller one. Has anyone felt this way and actually gone through with a downgrade in tank size? Were you happy you did? Just curious

thanks

I think you just need to wait it out!.. Corals will grow, fish will grow..

 

[Sean Irwin]

Over the course of the past five years, I went from a 12 gallon nanocube to a 24 Aquapod to a 45ish custom AIO and finally to a 36 gal Elos Midi.

I live in a small apartment so space is a premium and quality is a necessity. The 45 was just too big and required more maintenance then I had time for. You definitely need to be more diligent with small tanks but the amount of energy and money needed to keep one is significantly lower. Having a small tank also means you can spend your money on fewer, higher quality pieces of equipment and livestock.

 

[dcforester1]

Im going from a 75 to a 120, and I cannot wait. I wanted to tell you to hang onto the 75, and buy some stuff from members and get some good deal. I have been at it for about 3 years, and I am upgrading because FINALLY everything is growing and I need more room.

GoodLuck

 

[venom550pm]

i went from a 55 gallon to a 29g biocube HQI when i moved to NH. I didn't want to set up a 55 again (or ever again for a reef), i didn't want to set up a bigger tank, because where i'm living is just temporary so i downsized. I am happier with the depth over the 55. i went from a tank that didn't have enough coral to a tank that looks like it is almost full, the only thing i worry about is that when they grow i will have to trim and frag more often, i won't be able to have the same size colonies, but i do like the tank.

 

[Mr.Rodrigo502]

in my opinion...i dont see my self downgrading...my goal is maybe a 350 to a 500 starfire tank in like 10 years from now........my first tank was n rsm 250 which was was 65 gal cube-like,then upgraded to a 120...fish outgrew that one...now i have the 250 starfire tank which looks like a giant cube.....and i love it.....maintanance is not too bad...a maxijet 1200 does the job quick in water changes....i use very good quality salt to help keep my levels about right....and a calcium reactor.....i also have my father who is as much into the hobby as i am and loves to maintain and feed my fish while im at work......trying to recover from the big expenses i did on my new tank...but its totally worth it.......

the onl downgrade i have is a 3 gal pico tank that i feel that its harder to maintain than a 250 gal tank...as the water evaps quick and levels change radically and so does the temperature ...uhhh its a little pain.......

another downgrade was my bank account! lol


bu hey i say keep ur tank...if u have the room and patience...keep it...corals will grow and so will fish.....
soon ur tank right now will be ur sump one day...lol trust me!

 

[jt628]

I downgraded from a 72 to a 92 to a 120 to an <empty> 165.

The downgrade was in the $ my wallet

I had a Similar downgrade!!!

I downgraded from a 36 to an 80 to a 72 to a 135... All were substantial bank account downgrades! (over the last 12 yrs)

 

[inverted]

I've gone up and down a number of times. Any tank can be fun, I'm not sure I it matters if your okay with having a more limited selection of livestock. That's the biggest problem, we tend to always want more. I like small tanks though, they can be challenging, I've found they are a bit less work overall, but more prone to swings and generally more sensitive. So, that may add work, depends a bit on your luck