Shape of tank?

[emboli]

Just wondering I know its a stupid question but ive noticed there are
very long and yet not very tall/deep tanks

and there are mediocre long but deep/tall tanks
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eg. 180cmx35cmx40cm compared to a 100cmx55cmx60cm

I know there will be a lot of opinions on this but does it really
matter to the shape of the tank?

At the moment i do prefer a longer tank so if i get kribensis fish they can swim to the far end and claim their territory on one side but the deeper tanks also seem to be a pain to clean.

What are people's opinions on this?:11:

[sailor]

I prefer a longer and wider tank over height. The larger foot print gives more room for the fish to swim, establish territories and flee if neccessary. The majority of my fish do not use much of the height accept at feeding time. They are also easier to clean and filter as sometimes you have to get extensions for your filter intakes which can sometimes be hard to locate.

[jbeining75]

It depends on the fish. For taller and longer fish (Green Terror, Oscar, Severum, Red Devil, Firemouth, etc.) a footprint with greater square inches is required as they are territorial. Footprint is the bottom of the tank for example a 55 gallon is 48 x 12 so it's footprint is 576 sq. in. A 75 gallon is 48 x 18, 864 sq inches. That is 50% more footprint and much more room for them to control. A 90 gallon is also 48 x 18 so no advantage for longer fish in a 90 gallon over a 75 gallon minus the extra 4 inches they can swim up.

For top dwellers and bottom dwellers taller tanks can be advantageous because you can put more species of fish in greater numbers without disrupting or crowding any fish.

When you buy a tank you really shouldn't buy it until you know what fish you want. The selection of your tank is really almost always determined by the fish you plan to keep and then also of course your available room in your home..

Good luck!!

[jb300m01]

I also like the longer tanks over the taller ones. I like bottom dwellers a lot and the more bottom the better!

[Sasquatch]

A potential problem with tall tanks is also the increased difficulty with oxygenation. The "footprint" at the top of the tank is smaller, so there is less surface area for oxygen to diffuse into the water. This will often mean that you'll have to add airstones and such to the tank the ensure a sufficient oxygen supply.

[Rue]

Yes...to what everyone has said...

The only fish that might need the tall tanks are tall fish...like angels...

[Tigerbarb]

The standard 55g tends to be a pretty tall and long tank size. The taller the tank, the harder to keep well oxygenated. You will have to spend a good deal of money on airstones/powerheads/circ. pumps to allow your fish the oxygen they need. Also, a pretty high wattage of lighting will also be needed, though it will not matter much about lighting unless your tank is gonna have live plants in it.
Also, the bigger the tank, the bigger the filter you will need. Like one of those big dual HOB/bio-wheels, or one of those external canister filters, especially with a taller tank beause it will take a while for water/waste from the bottom of the tank to get sucked up by the filter, and the bottom of the tank might be a snail playground, or algae forest, if you don't use a good filter system.

[Lady Hobbs]

Fish swim back and forth and not up and down. Tall tanks are nice for angels but really not suitable for most other fish.

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I've got an extra tall 110gal and i think once i get it going i'll like it. So far it's a pain to plant plants at the bottom but that might be because my lighting is currently in the way. I have to take it off every time and then i can't see what i'm doing. Hopefully when my new light comes it will be better/more manageable.

[Adrian]

I have no choice at this time. I would love to set up my 55 gallon tank, but do not have the space for it. I could only set up a tank in an area that is 30 inches long, by 12.5 to 18 wide.

So, keeping that in mind, I went looking. I found a 37 gallon tank that fit the bill nicely at a thrift store for 20 bucks. The tanks is tall, almost 2 feet tall. I then knew that I had something to work with.

I could keep top fish, middle fish, and bottom fish. Having angels in my tank really spiced things up. Great for my tall tank.

Guess it is up to the individual on what they want. Also, since my tank is tall, I don't have to prune my plants as much, as there is more room for them to grow ;)

[Incredulous_Ed]

Actually, I think i perfer square tanks. But thats just me.