Buy another tank, or two?

[gpix]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and new to the hobby (I know this isn't the introduction thread, but I had a question as well so I figured I will kill two birds with one stone).

I have already started a saltwater tank; it was started on Sunday, July 14th. I will be starting a tank thread tonight!

Currently, I have reason to believe that my tank has cycled already due to the fact that ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0, and nitrates are at 0-5 ppm I believe. I am not in any hurry to add fish or corals because fortunately I can be patient since I'd rather do it as right as possible the first time. Here are some tank specs so you're all aware:

20 Gallon tank
11 lbs of Live dry rock from LFS
~5 or 6 lbs of live rock from LFS
Live sand from LFS
Marineland 900 powerhead
Aqueon 100w heater
Aquaclear 50 filter
T5 lighting unit (whose brand I cannot remember as I am not at home...)

**Note: given that all live rock that I put into my tank (whether dry or live) was cured, I probably had very little die off, and with live sand, my tank probably went through a shorter cycle with a smaller ammonia spike.**

My question is:
The PetCo around here has a sale going on right now until July 27th where their tanks are $1/gallon (i.e. a 10 gallon tank is $10). With a 20 gallon tank, I probably don't need a sump if I do frequent water changes, but it certainly wouldn't hurt I imagine. Should I go ahead and buy a 10 gallon or 15 gallon tank right now for a sump (or another tank I guess) if I decide to do that? I guess now that I think about it that seems like a no-brainer. YES. However, since I'm just getting into the hobby, I don't have a stand yet, and frankly I haven't designed how I want the sump to be, is it worth my investment to buy a premade tank with the vision that it will be a sump?

Please, any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks, everyone! :Cheers:

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Yes. People tend to start off "simple" and pretty soon they get bored and want to make it more..... Whatever. It helps out alot, i dont know what i would do w/o one, and you can drill that tank out now instead of later when you are established. There are more positives with a sump and a cleaner looking dt.

Welcome aboard

 

[Sakura2282]

I will buy the other tank and probably a 20 ga because maybe within the first year you can want bigger tank and a 20 is a good size for a sump.

 

[over my head]

you may even consider something bigger than a 20 for a sump 30 to 50 gal for a sump or even as your dt when the bug bites you dream of bigger tanks and all the live stock you can put in it

 

[Greenman]

im in a 55g atm.. my dad has a 600+ gallon which got me into the hobby.

 

[gpix]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I will probably go ahead and just purchase the 10 gallon at this point in time given the fact that I am on the second floor of my apartment complex and don't want too much weight in the same spot such as two 20 gallon tanks, and I have a limited amount of space available since I don't have a stand yet. Grrr.. Hopefully going to go look at some tonight. I'm not a woodworker so I can't really feasibly build my own so a cookie-cutter one it is..