Challenging tank size requirements?!?!?

milwaukeem

milwaukeem

Member
Ok let me put this out there before I get chewed up and spit out, of coarse I am new at this hobby so of coarse I am going to try and think of every question possible! As I am sure we all did... I have looked thoroughly through this site and have not seen a thread to touch on this subject....
Let me and try and explain what I am asking here about tank size requirements... As I am sure we have all seen & know that tanks come in all different shapes, sizes, looks, etc... The other day while - my LFS I was looking at some of the tanks they have for sale... I came across a beautiful 240g tank... As I was looking at it though I noticed that the length of the tank was not much longer than mine (60g) the depth was slighty bigger as well, the only thing that was significantly different was the height! I mean this tank was tall especially when on a stand.... So I started to think to myself from what people have told me the most important part for the fish is the length & depth for ample swimming room. The height is not neatly as important unless of coarse you are doing a reef tank.... So my question is if I buy a 240g tank but the length & depth are not that much different than my 60g where is the benefit for the fish that require a large tank? Most fish that I have seen enjoy swimming back and forth not up and down? I just think this a good question for newbies to know when purchasing a tank, that just because it is large in gallon size it still might not be right for the fish they would like to purchase???? Please all thoughts welcome!
 
happyvac

happyvac

Member
The only benefits that tall tanks bring are:
1. More basic volume.
2. Aesthetic (debatable)
IMO, less surface gas-exchange, poor light penetration and aquascaping difficulty make tall tanks like this an inconvenient choice.
 
phixer

phixer

Active Member
Thats true, ideally you want to have a large surface area for more efficient gas exchange Length and width of the tank are more important than the depth. I still like the way deep tanks look though.
 
milwaukeem

milwaukeem

Member
Right, there will be more overall volume, but not any REAL additonal swimming space for the fish.. I guess what I am trying to figure with this thread is when I decide to purchase a bigger tank what is the most important part of it.... Of coarse the are a lot of decorative tanks out there that are great in size but because of there oddly shape are they going to have the same benefit as a long tank for large fish such as Triggers, some of the larger Angels, etc????
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
The larger tanks give you more room for error(dilution is the solution for polution). However the taller tanks needs a higher wattage MH lighting. Lots of circulation going. It will be more difficult to clean yes, but it gives you more room to stack your rocks, etc. It really comes down to aesthetics what appeals to you. Sure I see most fish swim left and right, but they do go up and down as well. It does give'em more room to roam and with the extra space to stack your rocks, you won't be taking up the room they need to roam compared to a shallower tank of the same length size. One bad thing is water change would be hell!!! :happyfish
 
mr. crabs

mr. crabs

New Member
Tall tanks are a pain in the butt to clean. I have a 75 gallon tall tank, 36x15x30. As mentioned before, tall tanks are difficult to clean. As far as aquascaping it is difficult as well. Just a couple weeks ago I was about to trash the tank and get a shorter one, due to the difficulty of aquascaping. Most of the rocks kept crashing dowm. I finally tore down the enitre tank and carefully placed each rock. Took a couple of hours, but I have only had a couple of rock come dowm. It gets tiresome of continuing to reach all way down to the bottom of the tank to grab or adjust something. If you are going to decide on getting a tall tank, the only thing I would recommend is to make sure the width(depth) of the tank is ample enough that it gives you enough room for error when it comes to aquascaping. Also, like it was mentioned before you would need more light penetration. I was a newbie when I purchased my tank and I thought PC lights would suffice for most corals in my tall tank, big no no. What ever you decide to get, best of luck to you. :happyfish
 
divetroop

divetroop

Member
Tall tanks are a pain in the butt to clean. I have a 75 gallon tall tank, 36x15x30. As mentioned before, tall tanks are difficult to clean. As far as aquascaping it is difficult as well. Just a couple weeks ago I was about to trash the tank and get a shorter one, due to the difficulty of aquascaping. Most of the rocks kept crashing down. I finally tore down the enitre tank and carefully placed each rock. Took a couple of hours, but afterwards I have only had a couple of rocks come down. It gets tiresome of continuing to reach all way down to the bottom of the tank to grab or adjust something. If you are going to decide on getting a tall tank, the only thing I would recommend is to make sure the width (depth) of the tank is ample enough that it gives you enough room for error when it comes to aquascaping. Also, like it was mentioned before you would need more light penetration. I was a newbie when I purchased my tank and I thought PC lights would suffice for most corals in my tall tank, big no no. What ever you decide to get, best of luck to you. :happyfish


 
N

nereef

Guest
nice rock divetroop.
imo, if you have the horizontal space, long and not as deep would be much better.
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by divetroop
Tall tanks are a pain in the butt to clean. I have a 75 gallon tall tank, 36x15x30. As mentioned before, tall tanks are difficult to clean. As far as aquascaping it is difficult as well. Just a couple weeks ago I was about to trash the tank and get a shorter one, due to the difficulty of aquascaping. Most of the rocks kept crashing dowm. I finally tore down the enitre tank and carefully placed each rock. Took a couple of hours, but I have only had a couple of rock come dowm. It gets tiresome of continuing to reach all way down to the bottom of the tank to grab or adjust something. If you are going to decide on getting a tall tank, the only thing I would recommend is to make sure the width(depth) of the tank is ample enough that it gives you enough room for error when it comes to aquascaping. Also, like it was mentioned before you would need more light penetration. I was a newbie when I purchased my tank and I thought PC lights would suffice for most corals in my tall tank, big no no. What ever you decide to get, best of luck to you. :happyfish

Epoxy stick would help with that!!! Very nice aquascaping!!! :happyfish
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
I concur Divedrop, I had a 150g tall, only 48" long. AND WHAT A PAIN IN THE ERSE. Ditched it for a 135g long.
 
phixer

phixer

Active Member
Well thats a nice looking rock formation. Im concerned about the HT also, my new tank will be 36" high. I plan on fixing the rock to PVC posts hidden behind the rock. Might even have to make some custom drilled holes through the rock to run the PVC pipe.
 
stone

stone

Member
Originally Posted by SaltFan
I concur Divedrop, I had a 150g tall, only 48" long. AND WHAT A PAIN IN THE ERSE. Ditched it for a 135g long.


How long was the 135g long? If somone has 48" to work with they go 48". So if they want a bigger tank they go up. Nothing wrong with a tall tank IMO.
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by Stone
How long was the 135g long? If somone has 48" to work with they go 48". So if they want a bigger tank they go up. Nothing wrong with a tall tank IMO.
Long being normal, 72". If you haven't ever owned a tall tank, then you would not know. They are really hard to get into, when you have to do anything. Its like swimming, just when you have to clean the glass.
 
stone

stone

Member
Originally Posted by SaltFan
Long being normal, 72". If you haven't ever owned a tall tank, then you would not know. They are really hard to get into, when you have to do anything. Its like swimming, just when you have to clean the glass.
Ok, im hearing you.
Your saying if someone had 48" to work with you would suggest somthing like a 120 48X24X24 instead of a 150 48X24X30? Its just that with limited space people "me" are allways looking to get a bigger tank.
stone
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Oh don't get me wrong, I hear ya on that side of it. Bigger is much cooler, I was just giving an opinion on the tall 150g, I had one, and I just hated the thing. If its possible for you go with the lenght you want, just kinda get the width out some like you said, it will make life easier for you.
 
maeistero

maeistero

Active Member
:thinking: i see nothing wrong with a 3-4foot tall tank cleaning. then again i have long arms and a foot long foam scraper with a rubber end. i wouldn't get a magnetic one again, they're too strong and will scratch once you do a swipe.
if you choose your fish and clean-up crew right you shouldn't have to go down there. they'll take care of it for you. you'll never have an aggressive tank with that base size though, so think about the future and if you want to. like was mentioned before lighting won't be too strong down low, but there is a lot of stuff you could put down there. in a way that's an advantage as not too many people have a low light/ high light opportunity in one show tank. :notsure:
the real problem comes with catching hitchhikers/fish you need to get out. the way i see is to take out all the lr which should lower the water level enough so you don't take a bath. then you have a stir-up and likely a small spike to watch. otherwise start researching traps.
 
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