Choosing the Right Size Aquarium Tank
Three simple rules before you even think about what you want.
In various literature I've read over years that seems to be the starting point give or take 10 gallons.
From experience larger tanks have yielded better over all results.
Bigger (more water volume) is always better.
A few things you need to understand.
Aquariums are work.
Water is heavy.
About 8 2/3 lbs per gallon...
add that to the weight of glass and you've got a real floor load.
If you don't maintain your aquarium properly it will look like hell.
The reason I recommend the "larger the better" is that a greater volume of water reduces the rate and degree of fluctuation in the water chemistry and temperature.
Bear in mind that fish live in environments with millions of gallons of water that is fairly stable and what variations exist are natural and related to seasonal weather patterns that tend to be consistent over time.
Saltwater fish live in hundreds of trillions of gallons of water which is why specific gravity varies very little across the planet.
Fish do not usually adapt well to rapid fluctuations of any kind unless they lived in a freshwater environment where such fluctuations were normal.
Some freshwater fishes are therefore less susceptible to water chemistry changes than others.
Saltwater fish are particularly sensitive to rapid changes - given that they live in ultra-huge bodies of water (the ocean) that do not fluctuate in chemistry nor are their rapid changes in temperature which are very gradual due to volume.
As you can see my emphasis is on size which relates to volume and my recommendation is the larger the aquarium the better within your budgetary and space constraints.
Once you have chosen the size of the tank - the next step will be to choose the tank inhabitants and decor.
The same caution applies insofar as the biological load since large fish require exponentially more water volume than smaller fishes.
A 10 inch fish consumes much more than ten times the organic matter that a one inch fish consumes and accordingly organic waste byproducts are much greater.
There are various and sophisticated forms of filtration that allow the aqurist to "cheat" on the biologicla load a tank can carry.
In reality almost every aquarium is overstocked unless the tank is heavily populated with aquatic plants.
Plants are among the most natural and best forms of biological filtration which includes bacteria as well.
Plants remove CO2 and add O2 while bacteria breakdown nitrogen which is a byproduct of fish wastes and decaying organic matter.
As you can surmise once again dilution plays a vital role in lessening the degree and intensity of chemical effects on water and subsequently on fish.
- Establish your budget $500 or $5,000
- Establish the space available including floor strength
- Buy the largest sized aquarium you can afford
In various literature I've read over years that seems to be the starting point give or take 10 gallons.
From experience larger tanks have yielded better over all results.
Bigger (more water volume) is always better.
A few things you need to understand.
Aquariums are work.
Water is heavy.
About 8 2/3 lbs per gallon...
add that to the weight of glass and you've got a real floor load.
If you don't maintain your aquarium properly it will look like hell.
The reason I recommend the "larger the better" is that a greater volume of water reduces the rate and degree of fluctuation in the water chemistry and temperature.
Bear in mind that fish live in environments with millions of gallons of water that is fairly stable and what variations exist are natural and related to seasonal weather patterns that tend to be consistent over time.
Saltwater fish live in hundreds of trillions of gallons of water which is why specific gravity varies very little across the planet.
Fish do not usually adapt well to rapid fluctuations of any kind unless they lived in a freshwater environment where such fluctuations were normal.
Some freshwater fishes are therefore less susceptible to water chemistry changes than others.
Saltwater fish are particularly sensitive to rapid changes - given that they live in ultra-huge bodies of water (the ocean) that do not fluctuate in chemistry nor are their rapid changes in temperature which are very gradual due to volume.
As you can see my emphasis is on size which relates to volume and my recommendation is the larger the aquarium the better within your budgetary and space constraints.
Once you have chosen the size of the tank - the next step will be to choose the tank inhabitants and decor.
The same caution applies insofar as the biological load since large fish require exponentially more water volume than smaller fishes.
A 10 inch fish consumes much more than ten times the organic matter that a one inch fish consumes and accordingly organic waste byproducts are much greater.
There are various and sophisticated forms of filtration that allow the aqurist to "cheat" on the biologicla load a tank can carry.
In reality almost every aquarium is overstocked unless the tank is heavily populated with aquatic plants.
Plants are among the most natural and best forms of biological filtration which includes bacteria as well.
Plants remove CO2 and add O2 while bacteria breakdown nitrogen which is a byproduct of fish wastes and decaying organic matter.
As you can surmise once again dilution plays a vital role in lessening the degree and intensity of chemical effects on water and subsequently on fish.
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