Imagine yourself at home dreaming about all the glorious colors and peaceful fish swimming around. You envision this aquarium as your living room window into another world. Next thing you know you’re standing in a pet shop staring down rows and rows of glass box. Which should you choose? What do you do?
Newbie hobbyists often gravitate toward smallest tank because it appears manageable. That’s typically when you’re setting yourself up for failure. While it may appear easy, a small tank isn’t an easier endeavor. It’s far more delicate. A tiny tank is actualy a much more fragile ecosystem that crash with the slightest mistake in feeding or water testing. Make a minor misstep in testing or feeding and you’re toast.
How to Choose the Right Fish Tank Size
This chart explain it well (the image is a visual guide up top). Tanks falls into four broad categories: nano tanks (1-10g), small tanks (~10-30g), medium tanks (~30-55g), and large tanks that require 55 gallons or more.
The nano sounds like a wonderful option, just stick it on your office desk and save some space! Great for a single betta fish or a small colony of shrimp; not so good if you’re planning to house community fish in such a tiny environment. Water quality will be all over the place if you go that route, and ammonia will spike killing sensitive fish before you know anything’s wrong.
So, when starting out, most folks typically gravitate towards small category. Tanks ~10-30g provides sufficient water volume to dilute waste without being too heavy where movement becomes necessary. You’ll notice on the size comparison chart in the infographic that each additional gallon of water also adds dramatic amounts of weight. Eight pounds per gallon adds up quickly, and yes… Water is heavy. When you fill a fifty-five gallon tank, it will weigh more than six-hundred pounds.
You’re not going to put something like that on a flimsy particle board shelf and expect everything to be ok. Most flooring can only handle between forty and fifty pounds per square foot. This means you have to check the load capacity of your floor and it’s non-negotiable if you intend to exceed 75 gallons. Because of this common oversight, people realizes it’s too late.
The infographic also points out the requirements for certain types of fish. For instance, goldfish are infamous for producing lots of waste, each one require at least twenty gallons! Because of their body shape, angelfish prefer height over length; this is why a twenty-gallon tank that is tall but shallow would be better than one that is long but narrow. Discus and oscars are big, picky fish. They need at least a fifty-five gallon tank to live comfortabley.
If you ignore these minimums, your fish won’t grow well and will start acting aggressively toward one another. Remember: fish aren’t furnitures that can be squeezed into whatever space you have.
The last thing you decide on is materials. If you’re looking to buy a tank up to about 100g of water, then glass is both cost effective and scratch resistant. If you take good care of glass, it stays clear for years. If you want a larger (over 100g) custom built aquarium, many people prefer acrylic because it’s lightweight and can be shaped into curves. The downside with acrylic is that it yellows with age if not maintained properly and scratches more readily than glass. In most household situations, glass is still the sensible go-to option.
Size also matter when it comes to cost. A small 5 gallon starter tank will run you roughly thirty bucks, but a fully loaded 55 gallon including equipment and a stand can be upwards of three hundred fifty. Show tanks such as one-hundred twenty gallons aren’t uncommon and they’re easy to spend over eight hundred dollars on. Although large tanks initially cost more, they can better handle chemical imbalances and temperature swings. This makes them more affordable in the long run because you won’t need to replace as many fish due to emergencies or other needs.
Don’t buy anything until you know how much you have. Once you know your space, select your fish. Know their temperament and adult size. Then get a bigger than minimum sized tank. If you can swing it, always go one size up. The additional space allow your fish to breathe. It also provides you with some margin for error while learning about this hobby.
Build on the right foundation and everything else about the aquarium journey becomes that much more fun.