Is Your Aquarium Too Big?

[darkG]

13 hours ago, MartyO said:

maintenance becomes tedious and you won't want to do it

I think this is very true.

I have a 20" high at ideal maintenance height and that is probably as high as I am comfortable with. I am a small guy though.

[Frank]

54 minutes ago, Tanked said:

A tank is too big if the room starts to tilt.

After the initial set up cost, water changes are your biggest consideration in the log run.  The maintenance level doesn't change too much.  I have a 75 that is 40" off the floor and the top rim is 61"  It is a near perfect for viewing when sitting or standing.  I have a 65 tall that tops out at 55" from the floor.  Both require a short step ladder, but the 65 tall is a bigger pain to clean. 

I plan to be adding plants over an extended period. So, I'll be touching the substrate for a long time.

[Tanked]

9 minutes ago, Frank said:

I plan to be adding plants over an extended period. So, I'll be touching the substrate for a long time.

That is why they make sleeveless shirts.😉

[Eric R]

What's your budget? Are you interested in using a sump? Do you know how much weight the spot you want to put it can support? 

If you want to stay on the affordable side, I'd say go with a 120. If you have the budget, and a sump is appealing to you, I'd look at reef tank setups or consider getting a custom tank built. You could easily get something 5'x2'x21" or something.

[Frank]

It just occurred to me to get some cardboard and mock up an aquarium. 

Thanks for all the help, everybody!

[Streetwise]

My limitation is fear of moving. I think 20 gallons is the largest size that I could carry with substrate, and minimal water.

[Trish]

18 hours ago, Brandy said:

I have a small tank on my counter top in my kitchen. It is about 35" off the floor, and it is a 29 gallon tank, so only 18" deep. but the height of the tank is too much for me at 5'6". I use a step ladder, or the counter itself. I only really need to do that for replanting things or something, the gravel vac and long handled scraper blade can reach for me for routine stuff. I have a 40 breeder on the floor below a window, it has its own issues (hard to start a siphon, but still), but it is much easier to reach. even then, reaching the bottom in the back can be a stretch for me with my puny little arms. Comfortable to reach is pretty nice, but you spend less time scrabbling around in the substrate than you might think, so for me it is not a big consideration.

If I had space, I would love about 100-125gallons as @MartyO says, as a big display tank, but that would also be my max. The big deal with a big tank is don't move house. They are heavy and akward to move. Any bigger than that and you get worried about getting them thru doors. 

@Brandywhen I put a small tank on my kitchen counter, they told me I had a problem and needed to get help!  I have a 29 and a 40 breeder as well and would have more 40's at the drop of a hat. An empty 40 breeder I can lift by myself without help,  perfect size for a good collection of fish and the extra width is wonderful for scaping.  I have a custom 50 gallon that's really deep and I might as well be taking a bath when I have to gravel suction.   There's a 90 gallon downstairs unused for years, but husband said the floor will need shoring up to support 1000 lbs of tank, water, and substrate.  So until I get my way with the big tank the little one stays on the kitchen counter!  

[Trish]

2 hours ago, Streetwise said:

My limitation is fear of moving. I think 20 gallons is the largest size that I could carry with substrate, and minimal water.

@StreetwiseIsn't that always the fear with fish keeping... moving.  I have those nightmares myself.  Friends don't normally sign up to move fish tanks! 

[GardenStateGoldfish]

I don't want to speak for cory nor am i, but I asked him about the 800 gallon when I got to meet him at the aquatic experience, and the answer to this is yes, the problem he said about the 800 gallon to me was that its hard to reach certain points (you know, you arm is only so long) and if you can't reach something then in that case it can be to big practically speaking. He recommended to me if I ever wanted to get an aquarium that large, to just do 300 gallons (we were talking fancy goldfish) because its the same footprint but shallower so you can service stuff with your arm. It was a great tip because my arm is in my 300 almost every day doing something, planting plants or stealing snails for other tanks. if it were 800 gallons I wouldn't be able to do any of that. 

 

[GardenStateGoldfish]

32 minutes ago, Trish said:

3 hours ago, Streetwise said:

My limitation is fear of moving. I think 20 gallons is the largest size that I could carry with substrate, and minimal water.

@StreetwiseIsn't that always the fear with fish keeping... moving.  I have those nightmares myself.  Friends don't normally sign up to move fish tanks! 

This is a real thing! For this reason I am changing all my tanks overtime from either glass to acrylic or just stock tubs with side viewing windows. I am able to move those around on my own, when I moved, moving my 75g aquarium took three people (a lot of wet sand) which who knows if I will have that kind of help if I ever moved again haha. 

[OceanTruth]

14 minutes ago, GardenStateGoldfish said:

or just stock tubs with side viewing windows.

Is that a DIY kind of thing or do they actually sell something like that?

[GardenStateGoldfish]

1 hour ago, OceanTruth said:

Is that a DIY kind of thing or do they actually sell something like that?

Pentair makes them like that, if you know what your doing it could be easily DIY'ed but I am not that skilled. I have been collecting tuffstuff stock tanks for the outside and index pools and pentair for the inside, but I eventually want multiple pentair stock tanks with viewing windows, if you want I can get you the links

 

[OceanTruth]

Thank you, I’d love a link. Never knew they had something like that. Really interested in it. @GardenStateGoldfish

[GardenStateGoldfish]

1 minute ago, OceanTruth said:

Thank you, I’d love a link. Never knew they had something like that. Really interested in it. @GardenStateGoldfish

https://pentairaes.com/fiberglass-tanks-with-window.html
I am on my laptop so the photo I posted is almost a year old, it looks much cooler now 😄 

They also have a white one that seems more square then rectangle. 

https://pentairaes.com/fiberglass-tank-with-window.html

 

[OceanTruth]

@GardenStateGoldfish Thank you for the link! Love yours. Is it the 150? Are you keeping comets in them?

[GardenStateGoldfish]

22 hours ago, OceanTruth said:

@GardenStateGoldfish Thank you for the link! Love yours. Is it the 150? Are you keeping comets in them?

I got the 270, if your not in a rush they do 20% off at christmas time. 

Right now I have a few commons and comets in there, but my plan is to move them outside and just keep fancies in there. 

 

[Frank]

I found some cardboard. It's enough to make a 2' x 2' x 4' mockup. I now know that that is too big. I have to come up with a way to cut it down, a bit at a time. Just by looking at it, I think that I'll end up with an 18 inch height. 

Maybe it'll be 48"long x 18"tall x 24" front to back.

[KaitieG]

Thought of this thread today when I was moving some things around in my 95 gallon.  I LOVE this tank...but after messing around in it, the whole front of my shirt was soaked, I had a puddle on the floor, and I had duckweed in my armpits.  It might be a little tall. 😏

[Dwayne Brown]

One thing I would like to add is that yes it is gard to clean a very large aquarium but also nano fish usually cost a lot of money to fill up a large aquarium with them will no doubt cost you hundreds

[Patrick_G]

I’m setting up a standard 75, and finding it ok to work on, but a bit to tall. Ideally I would have a 120cm Japanese/European style. Most are around the same footprint of a 75 but a few inches more shallow. I’m just not willing to go from $75 to $750!

 

Expample of a 120p maybe an ADA

Edited March 28, 2021 by Patrick_G

[lefty o]

19 minutes ago, KaitieG said:

Thought of this thread today when I was moving some things around in my 95 gallon.  I LOVE this tank...but after messing around in it, the whole front of my shirt was soaked, I had a puddle on the floor, and I had duckweed in my armpits.  It might be a little tall. 😏

you definatley need a step stool or something to stand on. i know im on a chair cleaning my 120, as it is tall and a fairly tall stand.

[KaitieG]

13 minutes ago, lefty o said:

you definatley need a step stool or something to stand on. i know im on a chair cleaning my 120, as it is tall and a fairly tall stand.

I do need to get a better step stool.  I stand on a chair as it is.  No way I could do it without standing on something!  

[L.W. Wetarm]

My 60 gallon tank is 24” deep...hence the screen name. 😎

[Frank]

By using a big piece of cardboard, I found that 24" is too high. 21" inches is workable and 18" is comfortable.  

So, I'm thinking about a 21" height with around 3" of substrate. Does that seem reasonable?

The front to back depth doesn't seem to matter; at least, not up to 24".

Thanks for your guidance!

Edited March 28, 2021 by Frank

[lefty o]

34 minutes ago, Frank said:

By using a big piece of cardboard, I found that 24" is too high. 21" inches is workable and 18" is comfortable.  

So, I'm thinking about a 21" height with around 3" of substrate. Does that seem reasonable?

The front to back depth doesn't seem to matter; at least, not up to 24".

Thanks for your guidance!

i think you will find that the height of the stand will also affect this.