Ceej Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 So I'm very new to the aquarium hobby and I am enjoying my travels in the rabbit hole. My tank is only 10G and I'm already imagining larger tanks. I'll wait until I can prove to myself that I can handle my current tank. So my question is in the title: does anyone here have any experience with a relatively large tank (55G+) stocked mostly with small schooling fish? Is it viable? Are there any special considerations? To me, the schooling of these kinds of fish are beautiful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 10:32 AM, Ceej said: So I'm very new to the aquarium hobby and I am enjoying my travels in the rabbit hole. My tank is only 10G and I'm already imagining larger tanks. I'll wait until I can prove to myself that I can handle my current tank. So my question is in the title: does anyone here have any experience with a relatively large tank (55G+) stocked mostly with small schooling fish? Is it viable? Are there any special considerations? To me, the schooling of these kinds of fish are beautiful! I think this kind of tank is the way to go. So peaceful and enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 you can absolutely put huge numbers of small schooling fish into large tanks. imo , the bigger the tank the better. gives fish more room to move around and act natural vs being in a tiny box (still are, but not as tiny), and in most instances a larger tank is less maintenance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH Morant Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Go to youtube and search for "schooling fish aquarium." There are some videos of large tanks. There are lots of videos, so you will see something to inspire you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanci B Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 8:32 AM, Ceej said: So I'm very new to the aquarium hobby and I am enjoying my travels in the rabbit hole. My tank is only 10G and I'm already imagining larger tanks. I'll wait until I can prove to myself that I can handle my current tank. So my question is in the title: does anyone here have any experience with a relatively large tank (55G+) stocked mostly with small schooling fish? Is it viable? Are there any special considerations? To me, the schooling of these kinds of fish are beautiful! It’s the best way to see natural behaviors. That’s my current plan, once I convince my neat/tidy husband that it will look great in our front room with the other tanks! I don’t have a dedicated fish room! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyjuliano Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 11:03 AM, Nanci B said: My tank is only 10G and I'm already imagining larger tanks. I'll wait until I can prove to myself that I can handle my current tank. If you can handle your 10G, you can handle anything bigger. The larger the tank, the easier it is to manage, in most cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Welcome into the rabbit snail hole. Soon you will find that no tank is truly big enough and you will have pages upon pages of notes on how to construct aquarium grade acrylic tanks that are so big you refer to them by the dimensions instead of the gallons. Or like many you will convert an entire room or basement into rows upon rows of glass. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogpulchra Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) I upgraded from a couple of 5g betta tanks to two 20g longs, and now I have two 40g breeders because of this. I like having tiny ecosystems with lots of activity and diverse behaviors. Edited June 23, 2021 by Ogpulchra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceej Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 I've been reading and hearing this about larger tanks as well - that because of the larger volume of water the tank can be more stable. Found this youtube video: Silvertips are beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Firstly a bigger tank equals easier stability. Not as wide of swings in the beginning and over time much more stable. You have a matured 10 g so you can take a little hardscape and substrate as well as filter media. I have green neons, von rio tetras, black phantoms and cherry barbs in my 45 g display. I love it. So much action and super peaceful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 12:51 PM, Ceej said: I've been reading and hearing this about larger tanks as well - that because of the larger volume of water the tank can be more stable. Found this youtube video: Silvertips are beautiful! its more so that there is more surface are for bacteria to do the good things it does. larger volume of water helps, but all the surface area of substrate, sides of glass etc are really the kicker for making life easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyjuliano Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 2:24 PM, lefty o said: its more so that there is more surface are for bacteria to do the good things it does. larger volume of water helps, but all the surface area of substrate, sides of glass etc are really the kicker for making life easier. Think of it as a pond, as opposed to a lake, as opposed to an ocean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 One thing to consider when stalking a large tank with small fish is that if you want to grow plants, you will have to supplement with fertilizer. Those little fish don’t produce enough ammonia to feed a nice looking aquascape. That’s really the only “downside” that I’ve found! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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