The importance of tank depth / height

[sparkypenguin]

Hi all,

I have just upgraded my tank from a 40 to 80g tank, my new tank being quite a bit deeper (higher), and it got me thinking as to the importance of the dimension and in particular the depth of aquariums.
Most sites will give advice as to volume required per fish or inch of fish but I have not come across any that state minimum widths, lengths or depths.
I assume that fish will have minimum requirements of width, length and depth to allow them to be happy.
I would also like to know peoples opinions of whether tanks can be too deep for certain fish, for example fish that naturally live in shallow streams.
And what about labyrinth fish that gulp air as this will expand more the deeper the water?
Any thoughts / info please?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Hi all,

I have just upgraded my tank from a 40 to 80g tank, my new tank being quite a bit deeper (higher), and it got me thinking as to the importance of the dimension and in particular the depth of aquariums.
Most sites will give advice as to volume required per fish or inch of fish but I have not come across any that state minimum widths, lengths or depths.
I assume that fish will have minimum requirements of width, length and depth to allow them to be happy.
I would also like to know peoples opinions of whether tanks can be too deep for certain fish, for example fish that naturally live in shallow streams.
And what about labyrinth fish that gulp air as this will expand more the deeper the water?
Any thoughts / info please?

Seriouslyfish.com lists recommended tank sizes (W X L) for all of the fish they describe and discuss.

 

[Rocky998]

deeper tanks are better for fish such as discus and angelfish which have a "taller" span of fins and body. Im sure they are good for other things as well, this is just what comes to mind as far as fish

 

[Oblio]

The tank should be shallow enough so that when doing maintenance your CG is outside of the tank.

 

[Rocky998]

The tank should be shallow enough so that when doing maintenance your CG is outside of the tank.

CG?

 

[Oblio]

CG?

Center of Gravity

Are there no engineers here?

 

[outofwater]

Center of Gravity

Are there no engineers here?

We're all fishy engineers

 

[Rocky998]

Center of Gravity

Are there no engineers here?

not in my house lol

 

[Slaphppy7]

Center of Gravity

Are there no engineers here?

I'm no engineer, but I knew what CG meant...lol

When you build model airplanes to fly (as I did in my youth), you'd BETTER know what CG is...

 

[GaryE]

It's an excellent question. Footprint matters for fish like dwarf cichlids, where water volume or depth is meaningless. Front glass width is everything there.
I have fish that will breed far better in shallow water, and I expect that reflects.... something?
It's something we don't look at.

 

[Rocky998]

I'm no engineer, but I knew what CG meant...lol

When you build model airplanes to fly (as I did in my youth), you'd BETTER know what CG is...

I know what Center Gravity is... Ive just never seen it as CG... I actually like to experiment with the center of gravity with different things... Its very cool to mess around with.

 

[Back in the fold]

The only time I ever felt that depth was an issue was with a 15 gallon I used to have that was equal dimensions of width , length and depth. Somebody told me I would get areas of dead water with little oxygen in it. Whether that is true or not, I don't really know, but I used an AquaClear filter with an intake extender to draw water up from the lowest point just in case it was true. Never had any problems.

 

[Oblio]

I know what Center Gravity is... Ive just never seen it as CG... I actually like to experiment with the center of gravity with different things... Its very cool to mess around with.

CG is the standard abbreviation used in drawings and physics diagrams. It is usually next to a symbol that looks like a BMW logo, which BTW actually is an icon of a spinning propeller. The center of the logo is the precise location of the CG in that geometric plane.

 

[Rocky998]

GC is the standard abbreviation used in drawings and physics diagrams. It is usually next to a symbol that looks like a BMW logo, which BTW actually is an icon of a spinning propeller. The center of the logo is the precise location of the CG in that geometric plane.

Thats really cool!

 

[GaryE]

Now that we've resolved the meaning of "CG", what about the original question?