Aquarium size

[jayking232003]

Hi all, I am currently running a 37 gallon aquarium. Its 30 inches long, 12 wide and 22 inches high. I have my 30 gallon which is 36 inches long, 16 high and 12 wide. The light I'm running on my 37 is actually for my 30 gallon. I know its 7 gallons less, but its longer. Should I switch it all to the 30 gallon? Would that give my fish more swimming room being longer? And also would it give my aquarium more light? Right now its 24 inches from the bottom of the light to the top of the sand.
Or does longer not matter since its taller?

 

[tank a holic]

I like a longer tank myself, but i guess its your preference.
the 37 will have more swimming room for most fish except bottom dwellers.
depending on your lights you may need to upgrade to stronger ones because of the depth, the deeper the tank the stronger the light has to be to reach the bottom

 

[jayking232003]

Yeah, see, thats what I was thinking. I originally set-up my 37 gallon without a good light. Then my father told me to call my uncle cause he was getting out of the hobby, he gave me this 30 gallon with the light and lots of other stuff. But I'm not sure its worth me switching it over. I feel like I'm gonna eventually have to anyways just to catch this dang Damsel! Just confused on what to do. Not only that, I've got a good amount of live rock in my tank now, but it just doesn't look like it cause my tank is so tall vs. long.
And the only fish that really uses the top four inches of water is the clown.

 

[tank a holic]

for 6 inches or 7 gallons i feel it is totally not worth switching

if you are going to do a tear down and rebuild i personally would go to at least 55
now i understand the 30 was free and a 55 wouldn't be but i wouldnt go through all that hassle for nothing especially for fewer gallons
as for your lights, you should post a thread in the lighting forum and tell them specifically what lights you have, wattage, bulbs and all that and someone with more light experience than me can tell you if your lights will work in the deeper tank

 

[snakeblitz33]

jayking,
Taller tanks are not better then longer tanks. Taller tanks have less surface area that allows gas exchanges to occur. Typically, taller tanks have more problems with maintaining a high pH because of this. I personally do not care for taller tanks that do not have an overflow/sump system.
Longer tanks typically have more room for gas exchange, and if you have any long swimming fish, that is an extra added benefit. Plus, you can reach the bottom of your tank without getting your entire arm wet.
Some fish can be put in either tank, such as damsels, clownfish, gobies and small blennies. This is because they are accustomed to staying in only certain parts of the reef. They will stick to one small spot and stay there for their entire lives.
Some fish on the other hand, like tangs, wrasses, dragonettes, and angels need a lot of grazing room and room to swim. This is why it is recommended to get long tanks (6ft+) to accomidate their adult sizes and special swimming room needs.
IMHO, I think you should switch your tank to a longer version. You already seem to be heading in that direction anyway! Seven gallons of water doesn't matter that much when dealing with 30+ gallons. I think you will also be happier moving over to a different tank.

 

[florida joe]

Dillution dillution dillution . IMO the more you have the more margin for error you have

 

[jayking232003]

Alright, thanks! You know, I didn't think about the gas exchange issue. I do recall reading about that somewhere down the line.
And Yes, your right! My entire arm is basically in the tank when I have to go to the bottom.
So Snake, If I take all my livestock out and empty my water into my jugs.. Take out my live rock.... and then switch over my sand. Switch over my skimmer and bio filter, etc...... Would my tank go through another cycling period? With all the same bacteria it shouldn't right?

 

[jayking232003]

Florida Joe. So If I take out 8 gallons (which is my usual for water changes) and then transfer the rest.. Would that dilute the chemicals enough?

 

[tank a holic]

i still say thats wayyyy too much work to lose 7 gallons of dilution and gain only 6 inches of gas exchange
but its your tank good luck

 

[jayking232003]

I know man. I'm still not certain on what to do! I wish I had a third tank so I could move the fish and sell both of these and get a 55 gallon like everyone says. I sit here in my office and look at this 37, then I see my empty 30 (which has a nice stand lol) and...... I don't know! ADHD

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by jayking232003
http:///forum/post/2956147
Florida Joe. So If I take out 8 gallons (which is my usual for water changes) and then transfer the rest.. Would that dilute the chemicals enough?
I am sorry I don’t really understand your question. I would like to point out that if you have good water surface movement in your tank you should not have a gas exchange problem. My reason for going with the large volume tank is that you will always give yourself a better chance at correcting a problem before it gets catastrophic with more of a dilution factor

 

[tank a holic]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2956181
I am sorry I don’t really understand your question. I would like to point out that if you have good water surface movement in your tank you should not have a gas exchange problem. My reason for going with the large volume tank is that you will always give yourself a better chance at correcting a problem before it gets catastrophic with more of a dilution factor
+1

 

[snakeblitz33]

IMO, I hate 55g tanks. There isn't enough aquascaping room. Too narrow
If you take your rock out of water for any period of time, stir up your sand, then yes, you are going to have a "mini-cycle."
But, I'm pretty sure that it's going to be so small that your damsel won't even notice.
Yes, 7 gallons is 7 gallons. Dilusion is the solution to pollution... But if you keep up with regular water changes, have a low-medium bioload and adequate filtration, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[tank a holic]

so there's more room in a 30 than a 55?
I dont know the dimensions of a 55 i'm just saying if you're going to go to all the trouble of changing tanks go bigger

seems like a waste of time to go from the 37 to the 30
but one thing about it, jayking has heard both sides of the argument from knowledgeable people (snake and joe), so its decision time

i hope in some way we helped and didn't make the situation or decision worse

 

[stanlalee]

I'd switch. I just rather have 6" of length than 7" of height. To me a 30g long just has all around favorable dimensions (besides volume). better light penetration with the shorter height, more room for the fish to swim. the 6" really makes a difference when your talking about 1-2" fish that are typically in this size tank. Dont need to stack as much liverock to fill out since its shallow. I'm also partial since I have a 30g long BUT there is a reason I have a 30g long instead of a 37g. I have a 10g sump to make up the 7g volume difference. Besides tearing down the tank really gives you a chance to rearrange and kill a saturday. I felt the same way when I had the 6ft 100g vs 4ft 110g. compared to a 110g much easier dimensions to work with even though it had 10g less volume. easier light penetration, less rock and kept the tang police from slapping me with a sitation.

 

[vince-1961]

Go ahead and splurge! Reinforce the basement, make it water tight, get some major plumbing, learn to scuba dive and make yourself a 30,000 gallon tank!

 

[tank a holic]

plenty of dilution there i guess

 

[jayking232003]

Hey all. Sorry to bring this back up. But I got a good deal on some live sand... so I think I'm gonna go ahead and build this 30 too.
I already got the water ready.
I'm slowly gonna have to get live rock for it.
Gonna get a new light for my 37 gallon this weekend and put this light with the 30 gallon as it was intend for.
Couple of questions.
Considering my tanks are only 30 gallon and 37 gallon, do you think I could get away with running my Bak-Pac 2r skimmer half the day on both? And if this would be ok... What kind of feeding schedule should I use. Say the skimmer is switched everyday at 7am and 7pm.
Since I'm only gonna be able to afford a little live rock at a time. How much live rock should I have before dropping in the shrimp? Could I start the cycle with only a little bit?
I'm gonna use a penguin bio-wheel 200 on the 30 gallon. That and the Bak-Pac2r (if I can swing it). Would that be enough.?
I'm not adding any fish until I have all the live rock I'm gonna use in there. And I'm going with snails on this tank since I have crabs in my other one.
thanks guys

 

[jayking232003]

anyone?