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Bigger Tank
By GuppyAdict, Section Ask Guppylog Posted on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 12:26:00 PM PST Tags: (all tags)

Hi everyone, My husband has offered to buy me a bigger tank and I have no idea which would be better. I'm thinking about getting a 26-35 gallon tank and wanted to know which way I should go. Is length better then height? I was told that a bigger service area is better and that I should go longer. What is your opinion on this subject? I would like to buy it this weekend before he changes his mind. HELP ME!

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Bigger Tank | 10 comments (10 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

To me, it depends on what I'm keeping... (none / 0) (#4)
by guppygirl on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 04:27:44 AM PST

Hey GA!!!!
Looks like we may go through this new set up thing together!!! I want to see your pictures too.

To me it depends on what I want to keep in the tank, and the location that I have available.

I love my 40 gallon hexagon in the corner of my living room. It is tall, and wide enough to fill the space, yet not look like the new collumnar ones (yuck).

I have chosen fish that like different strattas in the tank. ie. guppies at the top, swordtails and neon tetras like the middle, and my clown loaches are bottom dwellers.

This way, everyone has their own "room" to play in, and I've found they get along better provided there are not too many at any one level.

Now my next tank will be taller than a 10, but much longer. This is primarily due to the location available, but winds up working out great because this will be the tank I will breed and raise my swordtails in.
They don't care about height, but they do like a lot of space to swim in.

So, if I were you, I would think, "Tank location, fish, SHOP!!!!"

Good luck and have a blast!!!

:-)

10 gallon has been a nightmare (none / 0) (#5)
by GuppyAdict on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 05:07:28 AM PST

I was thinking about getting a 20 or 26 gallon tank only because I thought it would be better to get a retangular shape tank, due to the bigger surface area. I would like to get something bigger and taller, but was afraid of the smaller service area.

My main goal is to get something I will be happy with for quite awhile and yet have an easier time cycling my tank. I hate looking at my cloudy water everyday. With me getting a bigger tank, could I still have the same problems?

[ Parent ]

I'm quite happy with my wife's 65. (none / 0) (#1)
by Scott Lockwood on Fri Sep 19, 2003 at 10:58:27 PM PST

It's wide, and tall. :-)

"I love to visit PetSmart's Tropical Fish Dept. to see what new diseases are around today." -- inkmaker

50 gallon tank (none / 0) (#6)
by GuppyAdict on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 05:28:48 AM PST

I have a great opportunity to purchase a 50 gallon elcipse tank, with everything included.

Stand, heater, conditioners, established gravel, decorations, plants, extra filters the whole sha bang for $125.

I think its a pretty good deal that I can't pass up. It is wide and high. Would my guppies and fry survive ok in this? What's the max amount of fish I can put in a 50 gallon.

[ Parent ]

Wouldn't pass THAT up either!!!! (none / 0) (#7)
by guppygirl on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 12:20:42 PM PST

Guppies will do well in almost any tank.
Look for suitable companions for them though,
Mollies, Platty's, etc.
Stay away from fin nippers, like some tetras, ask your LFS, but do a little research too.

Fry need to be "larger than the mouth of any of the other fish",(to quote a VERY reliable source, ;-) ) and for quarantine purposes, I would leave them in the 10 gallon for right now.

With a lower amount of ammonia being produced by them, your water could clear up!!! Don't chuck it just yet.

As far as how many, the "STANDARD" rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon.

Only add three or four fish at a time though, our you could wind up with a real problem on your hands.

I know how hard that can be to do, just remember,
patience pays off sometimes. This is one of those times.

Best of luck, and enjoy!!!
guppygirl
:-)

[ Parent ]

I got the 50 gallon tank (none / 0) (#9)
by GuppyAdict on Sun Sep 21, 2003 at 06:22:24 AM PST

It looks great. Took me 3hours to set it up though. It's pretty big and it looks great. The guy that sold me the tank even threw in some fish. 11 fish to be exact. They are a lot bigger then my guppies. I would like to give some of these away to anyone that wants them.

1 Mollie
2 Kissing fish
2 that are 3 inches long, grey with 2 blk spots
2 that are black, with white speckles on them. very unattractive. I really don't like these.
2 yellow with red spots.
and 2 that look like silver dollars. There grey and flat.

I'm sorry, butI have no idea what kind of fish these are, except for the mollie and the kissing fish.

Does anybody want them? There all free!!

[ Parent ]

I Know what they are now (none / 0) (#10)
by GuppyAdict on Mon Sep 22, 2003 at 03:26:01 PM PST

I found out what those fish are that I have.

I have 2 gold gouramis
2 Neon Blue Dwarfs
2 Black Mollies

[ Parent ]

1" fish per gallon (none / 0) (#8)
by unclescott on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 02:13:27 PM PST

As far as how many, the "STANDARD" rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon. per gallon.

Of course 5 inches of guppy is a whole lot less than 5" of goldfish or chichlet. ;)

[ Parent ]

tank depth (none / 0) (#2)
by unclescott on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 04:14:54 AM PST

If you are interested in plants you might consider what kind of lighting you would want.

The bigger tanks need more light because even in clean water, the strength of light is reduced with depth.

If you are not interested in plants, don't worry about the stuff below. :)

In a 20 gallon tank, it is estimated that when the light from a standard aquarium light gets to the bottom of 15 inches, it is only 1/2 of what it was at the surface.

There are still neat low light plants which wouold do fine there. Rock piles for mbuna or driftwood obviously don't need the light.

Deep tanks, especially for deep bodied fishes like angelfish are really showy. Talk to your LFS dealer.

You also might consult:

http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/
http://www.thekrib
http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/
http://www.adaeurope.com
http://ahsupply.com//

[ Parent ]

Or, do what I do (none / 0) (#3)
by Scott Lockwood on Sat Sep 20, 2003 at 04:17:05 AM PST

Get plants that all float at the top. :-)

"I love to visit PetSmart's Tropical Fish Dept. to see what new diseases are around today." -- inkmaker
[ Parent ]

Bigger Tank | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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