Looking into starting a 12 gallon self contained reef tank...

Brian Bivens

Brian Bivens

Labeotropheus Trawavasae
Jun 8, 2007
886
0
16
45
Colorado Springs
The store by my house sells one of the self contained 12 gallon saltwater tanks. I was wondering if anyone has one of these, and could list the benefits/drawbacks of using one of these units? How hard are they to maintain, what are stocking suggestions?

Total Saltwater Newbie...
 
Brian Bivens said:
The store by my house sells one of the self contained 12 gallon saltwater tanks. I was wondering if anyone has one of these, and could list the benefits/drawbacks of using one of these units? How hard are they to maintain, what are stocking suggestions?

Total Saltwater Newbie...
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Could you give any details on this particular small system? It almost sounds like one of the Eclipse systems, which work, but need a few modifications. That would be the main drawback. Many of the smaller systems aren't customizable, so you have what you get. They usually come with sub-par equipment or not enough of it and often don't look incredibly good when you have to heavily modify something. I am not saying it isn' possible, but it takes a lot of extra work. Also, don't be drawn in by "self-contained." You will still have regular maintenance tasks, etc. and possibly extra equipment you may have to add.

Other than that, they tend to look nice and sleek. The equipment is hidden from view without any extra work on your part. So aesthetically speaking, they are nice, but many aren't amenable to using better equipment.
 
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