Will getting a bigger tank scratch the itch?

[Aharries]

Hi all,

Been keeping fish for a few years now and I know it can (has) become a bit addictive. Once I've completed a project I almost immediately want to start another one.

I've been trying to reflect on my attitude towards this hobby with a view to discovering the true motivations driving me to set up new tanks. Certainly, I do enjoy sitting and watching my fish etc. but I think the part I like best is planning a new project with all the research, learning, decision-making and tinkering that's involved, along with the anticipation of something new.

Maybe the itch will never really go away no matter how much I scratch it?

Which brings me on to my question...

I'm currently feeling an urge to set up a large planted tank in the order of 6 feet. I've never gone anywhere near that big before but I do have room for it.

I'd like to hear from others who have already gone down this path of getting a much larger tank. Why did you do it? Did it give you the satisfaction you hoped for? Was it a huge mistake? Did it finally scratch the itch?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Adam.

 

[Wills]

I think as long as you think in 2-3 years time you'll still be motivated to maintain it - once the initial excitement is over and you've got to a stage where you're no longer adding fish. It is a good decision, it should be something you enjoy and thats worth investing in.

 

[GaryE]

The itch is curiosity, and I hope it never goes away. You can channel it into birdwatching, gardening, tidal pools - whatever aspect of nature has your imagination, but now that you've developed an aquarium hobby, it will probably come back around to fish over and over again.

So what to do, based on my experience? First, I have a fishroom in an insulated garage, and a lot of fish. You may not want to do that. But for years, when responsibilities and work limited my project creating ambitions, I did deep dives on learning about every aquarium project I undertook, which slowed me down while educating me.

You will finish the project though. I honestly find big tanks have less staying power than smaller ones. In an 80 ltr, you can have a project like breeding a fish for many generations. That plays to curiosity, because you learn with every bunch the tank produces. Getting that to work poses endless problems you have to find solutions for.

But a glass box aquascaped is a glass box. How big it is doesn't matter. What's in it does, if you can arrange it so it gets out of control and natural (to a degree), and leaves you with something to observe once the set up is done. If you don't think of the aquarium in terms of layout and gear, and go for making it a habitat for generations of fish, you may give yourself a target for that curiosity.

Or you could end up with a lot of tanks, like me. I've managed to do both....

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Ah yes...MTS...we've all been there (are there)! I don't know if it's an itch you can scratch and be satisfied. I've had a few tanks on the go due to obsessing over certain fish and wanting to try new things etc etc....but I did get a little overwhelmed and found it difficult to find time for the proper maintenance they all needed. Then I got discouraged with certain tanks because they didn't go the way I'd planned and couldn't fix the problem. And it became a chore. I lost the love and therefore the motivation, so I broke them all down and left for a couple of years or so. But that insatiable itch came back as it always does in the hobby and I bought a 240l tank for the lounge and immediately I was making plans for other tanks I had to give myself a talking to though. I had to be realistic and remind myself of my other, more important responsibilities that had to come first. So I have just the one and at the moment I'm content with just one...I'm certain if my circumstances were different and I was able I would have many tanks all over the place

 

[Ellie11]

I went from a 10 G Walmart impulse buy to a 220 G in ~2 yrs. In between were four 125s and 7 <125, a total of 13 tanks. The 220 is likely to be the last tank, unless I stumble across a good deal on a tank >125 to replace a 125. I keep all 13 tanks upstairs in my living space & there‘s not enough for additional tanks. I could put some on the lower level, but I prefer them in my daily line of vision. My only regret is that I didn’t get into this hobby sooner. I truly love my fish.

 

[Colin_T]

The only drawback to big tanks is moving them.
Do you own your home or are you renting?
If you are renting, do not get a big tank because they are a pain to move.
If you own or are paying off a house and don't plan on moving in the next 10 years, go for it.

Re: does the itch go away?
If you kill all your fish and get thrown out of your home it sort of does. But most people just suffer from MTS (multiple tank syndrome) until they die of old age

 

[AquaBarb]

Once i went bigger there was no turning back for me. Small tanks hold you back with many limitations which big tanks open up and you can plan so much more once them boundaries are gone.

Maintance was a big concern for me when thinking of going bigger but i was pleasantly suprised and infact i find it easier and more enjoyable with bigger tanks. No more bucket after bucket!!

Dont think the itch will ever go away tho

 

[Aharries]

Thanks for the replies. Helped a lot.

I've decided to hold off on getting a bigger tank for now. Even though I technically have room for it, I think it would completely dominate my home office. If it were to get one it would go where these tanks are:

After reading some of the replies and further reflection, I don't think a bigger tank will scratch the itch.

I don't think there's any aspect of this hobby I don't enjoy - aquascaping, breeding, blackwater, dirtied, planted, iwagumi, biotope etc. etc. so my plan going forward is to lean into that even more and try everything. I'll keep the tank on the left (above) pretty much as it is and use the one on the right as my 'project tank'. I've currently got a female apistogramma in there looking after only two fry following my attempt at a breeding project. I'll either try another breeding project next, or maybe an iwagumi (which gives me the excuse to start playing around with CO2 and lighting systems).

I also have a third tank in my office (how many tanks before it's a 'fish room'?):

I've had this tank for years and have had several set-ups in it. Since I've set it up in this location it's been getting algae due to the sunlight from the windows to the left and right. I might try a set-up following the Walstad method in this tank, but I've only had this current set-up going for about a month, so I'll keep it going as is for now (maybe add a few Otocinlcus) as I quite like how it's coming along.

 

[Magnum Man]

One thing I’ll comment on, is bigger tanks are less work once set up ( let me rephrase that… bigger tanks are less work per item in the tank, than smaller tanks ) they can hold more of whatever you are into, from plants to fish… more space allows for a greater variety or quantity of what ever you want, and are… I mean, come on… they’re bigger

Not many of us have bought one bigger tank ( if you have MTS ) and wouldn’t buy another if money or space were not an issue

 

[Aharries]

One thing I’ll comment on, is bigger tanks are less work once set up ( let me rephrase that… bigger tanks are less work per item in the tank, than smaller tanks ) they can hold more of whatever you are into, from plants to fish… more space allows for a greater variety or quantity of what ever you want, and are… I mean, come on… they’re bigger

Not many of us have bought one bigger tank ( if you have MTS ) and wouldn’t buy another if money or space were not an issue

Still have an ebay search saved with notifications on, so I'm still open to being talked into it.

 

[Ichthys]

I'd like to hear from others who have already gone down this path of getting a much larger tank. Why did you do it? Did it give you the satisfaction you hoped for? Was it a huge mistake? Did it finally scratch the itch?

I moved to big tanks quite early because I wanted to get to know some of the bigger species. Yes it was very satisfying. Yes it scratched the itch. But you need to understand the nature of the itch. For me it’s one of those itches that gets itchier the more you scratch it.

 

[simonas]

32 years in to the hobby I still get a bit obsessed and like you the thought of a new kind of set up gets you excited.
I'm getting a 9ft in a couple of weeks by far the biggest tank I have had and that will be my end game tank wise
as Colin said if you're staying in the house go for it if youre not then its ball ache moving them about

 

[GaryE]

You have put yourself into a room full of happy mosquitoes to ask about scratching itches.

If you are a person who wants to:
learn more when you've learned a little;
do more when you haven't done a lot;
see stuff you haven't seen in detail...

then you are doomed.