# Tank Dimensions - Important?



## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi all - 

I am starting up my first aquarium in a long time (probably over 20 years if I think about it). I am just going to set up a nice community tank for the family. Either brackish or freshwater, but something simple and not crowded. I would probably get some some zebra danios or other minnows for the top, mollies or platies for the mids, a pleco, and eventually one or two interesting fish like a severum, a ram, a gobi or something else that is larger and not too aggressive. You probably get the idea. Of course, once I get the hang of it again, who knows what I will find and bring home  

I am pondering the size to go for. The furniture footprint is only 47" long (just shy of 48" but i need to measure again), and has a width of 18", so I am prevented from getting a very large tank, but a 30-50 gallon would probably fit there. 

So that brings me to my question - how important is each dimension (in your opinion)? I used to have 20 and 30 gallon 'long' tanks, and felt they were great because height did not seem to matter as much as width for fish 'elbow room'. This time I thought I would get something a little larger. I am looking at both new and used. I am seeing now that some of my choices are tanks that are odd dimensions. One 40 gal on Craigslist, for example, is stated to be W:30in, H:22.5in, D:12in -- is this a good tank (for example)? Do you think that this extra height would be appreciated? This is almost twice as high as a 20 gallon long after all. For that matter, do you think that I woudl find 12" in depth to be adequate on a tank of this size?

Any advice you can offer would be great 

Thanks,

Dave (in Vancouver)


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

If you add a piece of plywood and some styrofoam, you could easily fit a 75g or 90g on that stand. The extra height is nice for aquascaping (i.e. taller plants or pieces of wood, to give it a more 3-Dimensional look). All my bigger tanks are 2' tall or more.

Anthony


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

It really depends on the fish and plants. Most cichlids require more length and width than height, though cichlids like angels like height as well. Schooling fish like tetras don't care as much, so long as there is sufficient room to school. For zebra danios, a long tank is probably better, as they are hypermobile, so more room to dart around is probably best. As far as tanks go, I would get the largest tank you can get that is reasonably priced and within budget. A 55g is a good goal to aim for IMO, as it offers a lot more possibilities stock wise, is quite common, and is large enough that it provides a lot of stability, but small enough that maintenance and what not will not take a long time. It is a 4 foot tank though, so a couple extra pieces of wood may need to be added. A 75 or 90 would also do great, if you're looking for a bit more width/height (a 75 is just a wider 55, and a 90 is the same as a taller 75).

Edit: if you're looking for plecos, you'll probably want a larger tank; smaller plecos like bristlenose do fine in smaller tanks, but the amount of waste they excrete mean that in larger tanks you'd have a lot less cleaning to do. And if you do go for some of the larger, fancy plecos that grow to 10+ inches, a 55g is probably a good minimum to aim for.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

I totally agree tank shape/size is directly dependant on what you plan on stocking it with ..


BelieveInBlue said:


> It really depends on the fish and plants. Most cichlids require more length and width than height, though cichlids like angels like height as well. Schooling fish like tetras don't care as much, so long as there is sufficient room to school. For zebra danios, a long tank is probably better, as they are hypermobile, so more room to dart around is probably best. As far as tanks go, I would get the largest tank you can get that is reasonably priced and within budget. A 55g is a good goal to aim for IMO, as it offers a lot more possibilities stock wise, is quite common, and is large enough that it provides a lot of stability, but small enough that maintenance and what not will not take a long time. It is a 4 foot tank though, so a couple extra pieces of wood may need to be added. A 75 or 90 would also do great, if you're looking for a bit more width/height (a 75 is just a wider 55, and a 90 is the same as a taller 75).
> 
> Edit: if you're looking for plecos, you'll probably want a larger tank; smaller plecos like bristlenose do fine in smaller tanks, but the amount of waste they excrete mean that in larger tanks you'd have a lot less cleaning to do. And if you do go for some of the larger, fancy plecos that grow to 10+ inches, a 55g is probably a good minimum to aim for.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

as long as the furniture is sound and doesn't torque, do what grant said, a piece of 3/4 plywood would work great for what you need. i also would take advantage of that 18" width if you can. if you dont think the furniture can support an aquarium that large, you can go for a 40 breeder. not as high as i'd prefer, but still way better than 12" high, 36 3/16 x 18 1/4 x 16 15/16.

no matter what tank you use, if the furniture is not a tank stand, i would use 3/4 plywood under


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## Aquaman (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> as long as the furniture is sound and doesn't torque, do what grant said, a piece of 3/4 plywood would work great for what you need. i also would take advantage of that 18" width if you can. if you dont think the furniture can support an aquarium that large, you can go for a 40 breeder. not as high as i'd prefer, but still way better than 12" high, 36 3/16 x 18 1/4 x 16 15/16.
> 
> no matter what tank you use, if the furniture is not a tank stand, i would use 3/4 plywood under


I'm guessing your planning a trip to Richmond to get fish from IPU today..........lol.
HAPPY SATURDAY !



SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> If you add a piece of plywood and some styrofoam, you could easily fit a 75g or 90g on that stand. The extra height is nice for aquascaping (i.e. taller plants or pieces of wood, to give it a more 3-Dimensional look). All my bigger tanks are 2' tall or more.
> 
> Anthony


 Yep that would work to ......gr anthony :lol:


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## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks all - I think I have come around to a 55 gallon kit  
The furniture should be okay - we are putting in some extra braces this week just in case, and the 55 is a nice length and height - bigger would scare me. 
I will let you know how it goes, and will post some pictures too!

-Dave


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

good luck man , a 55 is a good starter for sure my only beef with a 55 is it is only 12 inches wide... 

but it all depends on what your stocking it with


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

neven said:


> as long as the furniture is sound and doesn't torque, do what *grant *said, a piece of 3/4 plywood would work great for what you need.


Psst, my name is Anthony, not Grant


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## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

Guys - thanks again. I am looking at both the Aqueon and the Marineland kits BTW. I don't think I am going to go far wrong with either of them and the value seems to be there. 

The Marineland is really nice looking with a low profile hood, but I have heard that LEDs can short out, so that's my only concern. 
The Aqueon is a good value and looks OK - sort of old school.
In the past I have always just covered my tanks with glass anyways  Hopefully either of these hoods will enable me to grow a few hardy plants. 

Thoughts?

Hey - one random thing: I am thinking I will put a piece of styrofoam under the tank, just to compensate for lack of leveling or shift - I hear that is good practice. Where can I buy that? Home Depot?

Best

Dave


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Piink styrofoam at HD but blue at Rona. A few dollars more, but I usually use blue.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

yup , go to home depot and get what is called foundation insulation it is in 2 x 8 foot sheets and is like 10$ or less, not only does it allow some compensation for leveling but is also will stop your tank from twisting so to speak if your stand is cockeye'd a bit, and it insulates the bottom of your tank so less heat loss i would imagine, and fyi it paints terribly so your gonna have to deal with pink lol

everytime my fish dig a hole in the sand i can see pink, good idea to paint tank bottom black to prevent this, if i ever empty my big tank this is something i will do for sure
also if your gonna paint glass, before you spray it<spray it dont roll it or brush it looks awful> wipe the glass down with isoprphenol or rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or oils from you handling it and this will prevent the FISH EYE effect that can happen, also many light coats is better than one giant drippy cluster f

good luck


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

a 55g is a good starter. But soon, you will find the 12" depth is a bit hard to aquascaping and it might almost be better to get the 75 or 90 to get the 18" depth. With that, your option of fish will open a lot more than the 12" 55g.

About LED, I sold a lot of LED fixture, there is only 1 came back as the E-ballast was defected. I haven't gotten 1 fixture back that has a burnt out light or shorted out.

Sometimes, it is better to look around and get individual items to fit your need instead of getting a kit. Depends on the type of fish, you might want to update your filtration system as well.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

I totally agree with charles , the "kits" usually have the bare minimum required stuff the filters are WACK and not a proper filtration solution , you should really look into getting something used off the classifieds here you will get 3 x times the value for your buck and most members here keep there gear in great/almost new condition, a higher end filter may cost more up front but after watching a cheapo fail or not be able to keep up and having fish die or having to do 10 times the water changes to accomodate the wackadoo filter its a very worth while investment, not to mention most high end filters or higher end filters have replacement parts and a variety of media options that the "kit" filters usually dont, the last thing you wantr is some junker that takes those stupid blue throw away pads what you spend in a 12 montrh period on those you could have bought a good filter



good luck , hope this helps, and again i agree with charles something with an 18" width is a way better option for stocking unless your after some smaller fish , but for some of the "cooler" stuff you need that width ... i wish i had a 3 foot width

dream tank i guess would be a 8 foot lengthx4 foot widthx36 inches tall

could you imagine....ahhhh day dreaming


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## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks. But just so I am sure I understand - the styro has to be cut to just slightly outside of the footprint of the tank, right? (so you see a little bit of insulation poking out of the bottom all around I presume)?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

mine is cut to the exact size of the tank, i placed the foam on the floor and i just gave myself like a 1/4 inch all the way around the tank,, put the tank on the foan and use a "fat" sharpie or jiffy marker and that should be a good enough border to cut around, use a level or straight 2x4 to make your cuts, just becareful , its easy to chop a finger/thumb off, me and box cutters have a long history of pain and leaking


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## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks again.
I took the advice from this thread and did NOT go for a kit. I just did not trust that the filter and canopy would be adequate. Instead I found a good price on a tank and a submersible 150W heater, and splurged on a Rena XP-3 canister filter (which is way more than I need). I decided to forego a traditional canopy altogether - I bought some glass for the lid from a glass shop instead; I figured there was no sense getting a cheap hood to block out natural light and replace it with weak fluorescent.
I also found a used powerhead for some extra aeration, and a few other small things here and there.
At the end of the day even after buying odd things like a thermometer and a net, I spent only a little more than the kit, but I have a much more durable and scaleable setup now.
Glad I asked 
I hope I can help out others once I have had some more experience.
Next step is to get a fishless nitrogen cycle going!

Cheers,


-Dave


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## dalans (Aug 11, 2012)

macframalama said:


> yup , go to home depot and get what is called foundation insulation it is in 2 x 8 foot sheets and is like 10$ or less, not only does it allow some compensation for leveling but is also will stop your tank from twisting so to speak if your stand is cockeye'd a bit, and it insulates the bottom of your tank so less heat loss i would imagine, and fyi it paints terribly so your gonna have to deal with pink lol
> 
> everytime my fish dig a hole in the sand i can see pink, good idea to paint tank bottom black to prevent this, if i ever empty my big tank this is something i will do for sure
> also if your gonna paint glass, before you spray it<spray it dont roll it or brush it looks awful> wipe the glass down with isoprphenol or rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or oils from you handling it and this will prevent the FISH EYE effect that can happen, also many light coats is better than one giant drippy cluster
> good luck


Great advice! I just painted the (outside) bottom of my new 55 gallon tank. For me, the trick was to go with a couple of coats of 'onyx' Krylon stone textured paint first, and then top off with two good coats of satin black spraypaint. Both from Cdn Tire. The Krylon stuff looks a lot like gravel, and is very forgiving of my blotchy style - looks perfect after the second coat. The black topcoat seemed to be needed for complete opacity. It was really worth doingl it looks great. 
Now to figure out if the furniture I am putting it on is level - anything less and I will place styro underneath it. 
Thanks again
Dave


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