What Size Tank Would You Recommend For A Beginner?

[Gazoo]

I have a friend who is interested in starting a fish tank for the first time for their family. I would give them some of my media to kick start the cycle as well as help them set up the tank. I'm thinking that a 29 U.S. gallon / 109.8 L (30" x 12" x 18") would be a good choice.

What size do you recommend and why?

 

[Davo86]

Perhaps before recommending a tank size, ask them to visit your LFS and see for themselves which fish they would like to keep, This would give you a better idea of which tank size to recommend.

From any poll of this type i would always go for the largest tank you can comfortably maintain and afford,

 

[rodg98133]

The largest they can afford / accomodate is best as it will make water quality easier to maintain.

 

[Blue Ram]

I think like the others, its a case of getting the largest tank you can afford and be prepared to look after. As we all know, the larger the tank, the more margin for error. But I do wish your friend luck with his wonderful new hobby.

 

[pastabake]

Apart from the obvious are there specific fish they want to keep I'd always go with the smaller ~20G because that's small enough to easily manage - a reasonable sized bucket means you only need to do 1-2 a week - the overall cost is pretty low and you don't need too many fish in it to provide interest. That way if they decide they don't like fish keeping they wont have wasted too much money and may find it easier to find new homes for the fish. On the other hand if they find they enjoy the hobby they've got a very reasonable sized Q/hospital/breeding tank.

 

[BigC]

Always go for the biggest/largest tank that you can afford akin to whatever space you have available.
Regards
BigC

 

[newfishy]

larger is better...less upgrades. but you said family...does that mean small enough kids that you must worry about tipping the stand? I would make sure they got a very sturdy, heavy duty wooden one with doors you can put child safety latches on.

our tank stand is a store bought, but it is leveled and screwed directly to our wood floors, because even though a 29 gallon is a lot of weight pushing down, a strong toddlar could possibly rock it hard enough to get it to tip.

if I ever can get my dear sweet husband to go for a bigger tank, he is going to handmake the stand himself, and I will do the staining and sealing

 

[Gazoo]

but you said family...does that mean small enough kids that you must worry about tipping the stand? I would make sure they got a very sturdy, heavy duty wooden one with doors you can put child safety latches on.

our tank stand is a store bought, but it is leveled and screwed directly to our wood floors, because even though a 29 gallon is a lot of weight pushing down, a strong toddlar could possibly rock it hard enough to get it to tip.

No toddlers - they have two young girls that understand what they can and can not do around the tank.

Thanks for the recommendations so far. I'm interested in seeing how the graph changes as more choices are selected.

 

[dthoffsett]

I picked 55gal, but agree with the others that they should go with the largest than can afford/house. It is so much easier to keep stable water conditions in a larger tank, and you have more leeway with stocking. Almost every person I know that has started out with a smaller tank wishes they would have bought a larger one to begin with.

 

[the biffster]

the bigger the better


somthing like a 6x2x2 or a 5x2x2

 

[cheehoo62]

the largest you can afford because it makes it easier to maintain water levels and quality and potentially could mean an increase in fish variety!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Forum etiquette demands the answer 'as large as possible'; yet common sense suggests that a 4 foot tank is a big investment, both in money and in maintenance, if you don't really know whether you're going to take to the hobby or not.
I would suggest 24x12x12 (54 ltrs) as a good compromise. This is big enough to house a small school of tetras/livbearers and a group of corys or similar- enough to get a taste of fishkeeping without taking out a new mortgage. And if you do then decide to upgrade, the 24 inch makes an excellent quarantine/hospital/fry tank.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

would be either the 29gal or the 55gal for me (although i voted for the 55)

as everyone's said the bigger the tank the more stable, however the 29 gives a good compromise between stability and expense/room that anyone whose new to fishkeeping is prepared to give up.

 

[waterdrop]

Forum etiquette demands the answer 'as large as possible'; yet common sense suggests that a 4 foot tank is a big investment, both in money and in maintenance, if you don't really know whether you're going to take to the hobby or not.
I would suggest 24x12x12 (54 ltrs) as a good compromise. This is big enough to house a small school of tetras/livbearers and a group of corys or similar- enough to get a taste of fishkeeping without taking out a new mortgage. And if you do then decide to upgrade, the 24 inch makes an excellent quarantine/hospital/fry tank.

I agree with this one most closely and MW's comments in the one after it. Even though larger makes for more stable, it also means more investment and maintenance and certain types of maintenance (like moving/washing a very big tank) can sort of multiply in difficulty. TFF is a self-selecting community that is going to naturally bias itself toward larger and more complicated tanks I think. But when recommending tank size to other potential hobbiests I would think it would be responsible to think of this possibility that they might like the hobby so much and that some fishies might even end up stranded in a home that is not looked after as well as would be ideal. I voted for 29G, seems like a good compromise but dwarfgourami's idea re a future quarantine tank may be even better!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kj23502]

I think a 29 gallon would be best. It's big enough to have a decent number of fish, but shouldn't be overwhelming.