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So I am always a little skeptical when one store tells me I was given bad advice from a competitor. The fact that you walked in looking for a 50+ gallon tank and walked out with a 5 gal is odd as well. A FOWLR tank is probably easier to maintain than most freshwater planted tanks. With that said, you should thank them for letting you jump into this hobby on the cheap. In this hobby, the tank and stand are the cheapest things. The 5 gal is most likely an all in one. Right? One thing that you may want to think about is water changes and top off. Are you proficient in making a .20 or so salinity salt mix on a consistent basis or do you currently buy your wc water? Do you have an RODI system for top off? There will be a huge difference in cost if you plan to purchase wc water for a 50gal. I am positive that the lighting will also be more expensive. You will probably have a sump as well? Skimmer? These will run you more on a larger system. You should thank the first store and be skeptical of those that told you you got a bad shake. Especially if its a competitor. Now if you were trying to start a reef tank, my advice would be the opposite. Once you mentioned fish only, it became a no brainer for me.
Thats good to hear! I run a 10gal reef tank and I have seen some places give people entering the hobby questionable advise at best. They gave you great advice to come here. There is a ton of knowledge. Another silver lining with the small tank is that if you decide to add corals, you can start in the 5 gal.Thanks, yes, the 5 gallon is an all in one and we currently buy our water but I am looking into making my own after I have the test kits. I went in expecting to make a much larger investment than I did, so yes I jumped in on the cheap but would have rather put that money toward a bigger tank. The competition I went to directed me to do my research here as well as other sites, so I do feel they had my intentions in mind. They also don't sell tanks, etc. and have to order most items so they weren't trying to sell me anything either. Thank you so much for your input, I am on the beginning of my journey here