JoeSmo

Hey everyone, I wanted to start a small reef tank. My only options are to use a 10 gallon or buy this tank: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...4&pcatid=15494 . What should I do? The 3 gallon pico comes with everything and I have nothing but the tank with the ten gallon. Would the ten be way more expencive? Help me out, I have no saltwater experience. And I can go any bigger than ten or my mom would kill me lol. Thanks.

rileyrk190

I have went the 3 gallon route before, and honestly, it's just as expensive to set up the three gallon as it is the ten gallon, but the ten gallon is less of a headache. The evaporation rate was ridiculous with my 3 gallon pico, but with my ten gallon it only goes down about a 1/4 of an inch every day. Also its easier in a ten gallon to hide all the ugly stuff, such as the heater and power head(s). If you have some DIY skills, its really easy to add an in tank overflow sump which has really stabilized my tank. My 3 gallon tank i tried almost a year ago crashed and burned, so i tried it again with a ten gallon, and its so much easier.

JoeSmo

Ok, but if I wanted to make it a little reef tank how much cash am I looking at for lighting a filter a heater a protien skimmer and whatever else

locoyo386

The lighting and the skimmer would be the only difference in price, you can get the 10 gallon kit for around 40 dollars. The lighting might run you around$100 USD and the skimmer around $50 USD.