Tank Size Question??

[MBfan465]

Well I have read in books and on this site that a tank that is larger is easier to maintain Bio-wise. In other words bacteria develops and stays much easier than a small tank.

What is the smallest tank size that it starts to become easier to maintain. 10 or 15??

P.S. I hope this makes sense.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..I think that question is somewhat subjective and may be difficult to answer. Most people recommend that you buy the largest tank that you can afford and handle because it can be more 'forgiving', eg, overfeeding or a decaying fish or rotting plant material will more rapidly destroy the water quality of a 10 gallon tank versus a 55 gallon tank. A smaller tank may limit the number of fish you can buy etc. As for specific tank sizes, I think most references start describing medium tanks at 29 gallons and maybe 'stability' ranges start here. Look for posts from other forum members here to get their input. Both a 10 and 15 gallon tank are considered small, however, if you really get into this hobby, diligant tank maintenance shouldn't keep you from enjoying a tank of that size. Good luck. SH

 

[The Mohave Kid]

Hello ....

"In other words bacteria develops and stays much easier than a small tank. "

I don't think the bacteria mind much either way ... as long as you have good filtration... I agree with the above ... more water more stability in water chemistry for a given load of fish ... BUT heck a 250 gallon tank filled with green slime gots to be more of a headache then a 20 gallon filled with slime ... although it might take longer to get to that point perhaps ... still a twenty gallon stocked appropiately I would speculate ( that means guess ) is as stable as a larger tank ??

In my own opinion start up cost is the big factor as to what size tank to get ... and for me I have to get around the WIFE !!

It's hard to sneek a 500 gallon display tank into the house !!!!

Good Day ...

 

[a1wonder]

Well here is just an idea of perpective for you I spend perhapes the same amount of time on my 33gal as I spend on my 10 gal. It takes about the same time to vacume and do water changes. I very much perfer to work with the 33 gal as there is more room.

Second reason to get a larger tank is you will have more variety in the fish you are able to keep.

 

[yvez9]

I ahve a 5, 20 and 50 gallon tanks.

The 20 is the one that asks for the most work because it is the most stocked tanks. That means the sand gets dirty quickly, the water quality itself is not as stable as other tans. Plus, I have CO2 inkection in that tank so I have to monitor my pH closely to make sure i'm not gassing my fish!

If it weren't for that, all 3 tanks would have the same work load

 

[steelhealr]

MohaveKid....touche about the wife. I think she regrets last fall when she said, 'hey, why don't we get an aquarium for the kids'. SH

 

[xrenegadex]

i have a 1.5, 2.5, and 20 gallon tanks. All give me no problems, i haven't cleaned them in weeks. The 20 gallon has sand bottom, but i have so many bottom feeders, that it never gets that dirty. The smallest of my tanks is a hatchery for my Fancy Guppies (i sell them) and the 2.5 is where i put the fry after there born.

 

[The Mohave Kid]

" I think she regrets last fall when she said, 'hey, why don't we get an aquarium for the kids'"

Oh yeah she does ...

... but she wants to buy a new house .. but I don't want a new mortgage however she is tempting me with my own fishroom !!! ... and she is the frugal one by nature...

Good Day ....

 

[NikkiY]

My first tank was 5 gal. It was easy to take care of once it is fully cycled. The water was always crystal clear. The two things I did to make my life easy were

• Use an automater feeder to keep my from overfeeding
• double the minimum filtering requirement for the size of tank

Having said that, I would recommend you to get the largest tank you can afford. With a small tank you will constantly finding yourself out of room for your fish and plants. It is more enjoyable with a a big one

Nikki