Aquariums: Long or Deep ? Fewer big tanks or a bunch of small ones ?

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jennfier

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Aug 22, 2006
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Yesterday, I saw some bigger tanks. 120g, 240g. Now I want one. Someone, stop me ! :eek: My tanks seem so little now. Makes me want to have a couple of bigger tanks than a bunch of small ones.

Anyway, would a long tank be better than a deep tank ? I like the long tanks better; seems like they'll be able to swim further, easier to see the fish and do WC but perhaps fish might prefer a deeper tank so they can swim in all directions instead of back and forth ? The long tanks are at least 18" deep. The deep tanks are about 2-4' deep (not tall but deep), more square than long. I suppose these will be hard to get in the door.

Also, big tanks seem like they might have problems too. If a fish gets sick, that's a lot of water to treat and a lot more fish at risk. I understand about hospital tanks but for some problems, it seems like treating the whole tank is more sensible.

Not that I'm actually going to get one or anything. I'm going to Tanks Anon. This is purely for educational purposes.
 
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Rallysman

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Aug 2, 2006
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It all depends on what fish you want to keep. I have tanks ranging from 10g to 300 gal and each tank is planned around the fish that go in it:D


For example, and arowana will want a longer tank where a discus may prefer a taller on:)
 

Hound

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Feb 20, 2004
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Personally speaking I wouldn't want an aquarium more than about 2' deep (front to back). I figure if I have difficulties cleaning it properly then I probably will end up not cleaning it properly like I should. I can't get to the sides of my aquariums so I'd be reaching from the front only. It does depend upon what you want to have in the aquarium, but even a fully grown angelfish in an aquarium thats 2' deep will have a decent amount of space to swim around.
 

125gJoe

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Jul 6, 2002
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Deeper tanks are harder to clean...

:dive:

:D



_______
 

Grundy

"A Buckeye Behind Enemy Lines"
Jul 9, 2006
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Go with longer - more territories for the fish (or swimming room for schools) and more enjoyment for you.
 

coupedefleur

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Jul 25, 2006
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Like they said, it depends on what you want to do.

If you get interested in breeding fish, a lot of midsize and smaller tanks are best. With livebearers you don't want to mix strains- sometimes fish from a different genus will crossbreed. With many types of cichlids, pairs must be kept in their own tank. With tetras, barbs, etc you possibly want to keep the sexes apart and condition them, then put them together in the breeding/fry raising tank. Lots of really cool fish aren't all that compatible with others- they're barely compatible with themselves!

Maybe the question is: "How many big community tanks do you want?" Think of how hard it is to come up with compatible fish combinations. And just try to catch fish in an 8' long tank without draining it! Then there's the "eggs in one basket" effect- if something goes wrong in that tank you lose a lot of fish.

Is a 24"x24"x96" more interesting to you than two 24"x24"x48" tanks?

One big tank is cool- but you can paint yourself into a corner if you don't have a lot of space and money. You can fill that space with a whole rack of interesting smaller tanks. ... just a different perspective!
 
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