Question on a second tank.

[KingOfFish]

I recently got back into the hobby after many years. I'm happy to say that I am already very comfortable handling my 36 gallon freshwater tank (the things I learned maintaining a 20 gallon with my dad when I was a kid came back to me quickly). My question is this. I will want to do a marine tank at some point. I also don't have a huge amount of money or space for this. Would I be better served getting a 20 gallon and learning how to handle a marine tank and upgrading in the semi-distant future, or just waiting til I can afford and house a 55 gallon? I want to do a coral reef, with a clownfish and maybe a few friends, but I don't want to go with a tank thats too small for the fish. I feel like I can make a 20 gallon tank that is more manageable and easier to stock and aquascape. A 55 or 75 gallon would be far more expensive. Any advice? Maybe some pictures of good looking smaller marine tanks?

[Strider199]

A smaller marine tank is not easier to maintain. Your water chemistry can swing in no time at all. If you can afford it I would say get a 75 gallon. I have a 55 gallon reef and the room under the tank limited my sump options which I discovered too late. Check out the saltwater section for more info. There are a few threads on nano tanks and alot on the larger sizes.
Also once you get started with a saltwater tank you just seem to want to add more of this and more of that. I'm at the point where I'm having a tough time placing any new corals I want and with 5 fish in the tank I think I'm at it's limit.

[Cliff]

As you are asking about a marine tank, I have moved your thread to the SW section of the forum

If possible, I would also suggest a larger tank size for your first aquarium to make things a little easier for you. A 20 gallon is not big enough (at least IMO) for clown fish.

I would suggest taking a look in the SW journals here on the forum to get a few ideas for a marine tank

[Spardas]

As mentioned already, the smaller the tank, the harder it is to maintain the proper water chemistry.

A 55 gallon would still be considered a "nano" reef in my books. It's small enough for a beginner but it does allow room for small errors here and there. What are the dimensions of the space you want to put the tank in? Maybe you can go with a cube design to save space? Or a corner type tank?