Thoughts on hexagonal tanks and stocking

[Adron]

Hi all! I have a space in my bedroom that would be perfect for a new planted tank. I've had lots of successes with standard tank sizes, and this time I'm considering a hexagonal, taller tank between 25 and 35 gallons. I've never done one of these before, and I know there are several reasons to approach with caution, given the limited lateral swimming space and the reduced water surface area. 

One setup I'm considering would be a 25-gallon hex tank with 3 moonlight gouramis and a small group of bleeding heart tetras. I'm pretty sure the gouramis would be a safe choice for this tank, but I'm less sure about the tetras. I adore bleeding hearts, and to me they seem to be less active than a lot of other, narrower-bodied tetras. What do you think about their chances of doing well in a hex, if I set it up with plenty of surface agitation and an air stone?

Happy to hear other suggestions as well!

[Fish Folk]

Adequate oxygen / gas exchange is always the trick with that aquarium shape and dimension. A couple small sponge filters in the back with high aeration would probably solve things. Stocking depends on what particular fish species need.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Fish Folk

[Scapexghost]

I remember an old coop video were at the store there was i psir of rams nesting in each corner of the tank, and the idea occured to me that with a hex tank you could do 6 pairs. Not sure if that helps

[AndEEss]

On 4/2/2023 at 9:42 PM, Scapexghost said:

I remember an old coop video were at the store there was i psir of rams nesting in each corner of the tank, and the idea occured to me that with a hex tank you could do 6 pairs. Not sure if that helps

6 pairs of rams in a tank with less surface area than a 20 gallon?

Not the route I’d take. 

[Scapexghost]

On 4/2/2023 at 10:59 PM, AndEEss said:

6 pairs of rams in a tank with less surface area than a 20 gallon?

Not the route I’d take. 

 i didnt see the tank demensions

[KittenFishMom]

I had a 10 hex tank.

It was nice to look at, but netting guppies was all but impossible.

The net always seemed to reach across 2 walls and a corner. If you watch the side of the net, you miss the fish. If you watch the fish, you hit a corner.  With a bigger tank and a smaller net, you could have better luck than I did.

[nabokovfan87]

I had a 5G hex, might've been bigger but it wasn't huge at all.  A very young and naive me who just wanted to have an aquarium again....

I went to the shop and the big box store sold me 3 bala sharks because you need "at least 3" per their sticker to help with aggression.

I actually like hex style tanks as opposed to other cylinders and such because it doesn't distort the picture as badly on my eyes.  I don't think at the time it was even a thing at the store (meaning, unavailable to me) to have a sponge filter.  I would recommend running any hex off air just because it makes things easier and fits well.  Something like a tidal 35 might be a perfect filter given the size of the walls and verifying that it will fit correctly.  If you want to go HoB, go for it, but just make sure it fits!
 

 

[Phoenixfishroom]

I have a 55 hex that has a 200gph canister, I feel like a hex tank really needs a canister no matter what size. I also have a large sponge filter and circulator fan. There are a trio of wabenmusters, some corydora similis, blue eyed rainbows, and parasycidium bandama in it. Huge piece of driftwood as a centerpiece and some tall plants. I feel like they are ok for algae eating plecos because of the extra wall space, the p. Bandama also don’t swim, they climb on the driftwood and walls. There is sufficient floor space for the Corys. The rainbow fish are getting moved though they need more room to swim in a straight line.

I think the logistics of what you could put in a 20 hex would be much harder though.

Edited April 5, 2023 by Phoenixfishroom

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

I had a 30g and honestly I hated it. Is it still in the shed with future plans for use, yes (I want it to be a peapuffer tank one day) but far less enjoyable for me than a simple square. That said mine was a horribly scaped mess. I think having a simple scape that uses the height well without taking up all the width is the way to go.