Pro's And Con's of downsizing

[pugz508]

I was wondering if anyone would mind helping out by posting some positives and negatives when it comes to downsizing. I may be downsizing from a 240 gallon mixed reef to 80 gallon rimless due to cost. I want to know if anyone who has downsized in the past regrets doing so? I appreciate all the help in advanced.

 

[lex_lutha111384]

I downsized from a 90 to a 60 rimless cube and i did like cutting my water changes (water volume) in half. The only thing that sucked for me was the limits i had on fish. If your downsizing to an 80 gallon though, your all set. In most cases. Honestly though, if your were downsizing to a normal non rimless 80 i would say no way but having a rimless tank is sooo awesome. I dont think you'll regret it. It will make your life easier and an 80 rimless will still make any room look unreal. Hope i helped.

 

[nemodan]

That question is very personal and the answers can be diferente depending on each personal situtation. There is no doubt that a 240 G tank kept correctly has to be fantastic. I never had one and probably, for your reasons, costs, I will never had it.

What I can say is that I always had tanks around 12-90 G and I never regret it. All depends on your target, budget and yourself.

I do not regret having my RSM 65 G and keeping it takes a lot of time and $$$.

 

[this is me]

I did the same percent in water volume change but opposite. I upgraded from 55gallon to 200gallon back in August of this year.
So far, I like the broader fish selection and the amount of fish I can put in the tank. However, even if the fish selection is broader, I'm a little limited by the types of coral I'm keeping. For example, I love large angelfish( Emperor, Regal, Majestic, and especially the Queen Angel) but due to their natural behavior of nipping and eating corals, I'm a little hesitant to add them into the tank. But I do like the fact that I can have more fish in the tank.
Coral selection is also broader on a larger tank. You can let them grow out without having to prune more often. Large colony of SPS is always impressive to look at no matter what it is.
Water chemistry is more stable. But this is a double edge sword. It's all good when the parameters is where you wanted. But if one or two of the parameters are off, you'll need a large amount of additive and/or water change. If you have a good water changing system, it's okay. But the labor can take a toll on your if you don't.
Even though with a large display tank, if you're planning on keeping everything under the tank, the stand will only allow you just as big of a sump as a smaller system because of the stand middle column for support.With a smaller system, you don't have this divider and your "support" system(sump/refugium) can be just as big.

I was wondering if anyone would mind helping out by posting some positives and negatives when it comes to downsizing. I may be downsizing from a 240 gallon mixed reef to 80 gallon rimless due to cost. I want to know if anyone who has downsized in the past regrets doing so? I appreciate all the help in advanced.

 

[Overlook reef]

Love the enjoyment to cost ratio of my RSM 130, but always wanted a large system. At this point in my life I can not afford the cost associated with a big system.
My maintanace is about 1/2 hour a week and the rest is enjoyment. Just wish I could have more fish and larger colonies! Someday maybe!

 

[Overlook reef]

That question is very personal and the answers can be diferente depending on each personal situtation. There is no doubt that a 240 G tank kept correctly has to be fantastic. I never had one and probably, for your reasons, costs, I will never had it.

What I can say is that I always had tanks around 12-90 G and I never regret it. All depends on your target, budget and yourself.

I do not regret having my RSM 65 G and keeping it takes a lot of time and $$$.

Gorgeous tank!

 

[pugz508]

Thank you everyone for your insight.

 

[reefstarter]

A larger tank is more stable for sure , the cost of additives is a bit high . I figure about $50 a month for my system which has a total of almost 600 gallons . I am going to try the additives and may switch to a reactor someday . maintenance , with large volumes of water a good sized fuge is needed to help remove nutrients . I am trying a 50 gallon tank right now for this . I figure if I change 5 gallons a day its not so bad takes about 10 minutes . fish choices are def good . I think having the larger system is easier than a smaller one . just my opinion

 

[Overlook reef]

One problem I have in a smaller system is keeping the parameters stable.(although I would not consider 80 Gallons small) Having a lot of corals in a smaller amount of water leaves very little wiggle room. I have to use a doser to keep up with consumption. (I go through a decent amount of Cal and Alk)

 

[dz6t]

Larger volume allows coral grow faster. That is partly due to quorum sensing (QS) from coral-associated bacteria. In plain words, large volume dilute chemical war fare among corals. No, running carbon has little effect on it.

 

[reefkeeper2]

I had the chance to either downsize or replace the 427gal setup I've had for 8 years this spring. I thought a lot about downsizing because the whole process was going to be overwhelming and expensive. One of the things that swayed me was I couldn't bear to think of what coral or fish I would have to part with if I went with a smaller tank. I was just plain spoiled. So I got another 427 gal tank. As it turned out almost every piece of equipment and most of the corals have been replaced or are new. It wasn't by choice but because everything just crapped out all at the same time. I got a lot more trouble than I bargained for but I'm still happy I have my large tank. We shall see how I feel after the electric rates increase 37% next month!