alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells) (01/16/90)
In article <24777@gryphon.COM> richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: >In article <90015.000606NMBCU@CUNYVM.BITNET> NMBCU@CUNYVM writes: >>I plan on getting a second tank. As it stands now it will either >>be a 50 gallon high or a 65 gallon high. Probably the latter. Both are >>3 feet in length and the same width. The height difference is 6 inches. >>The 50 is 18 inches high, the 65 is 24. > >Always get the biggest tank. Get the 65. > >>Side note: since I might be transferring all my fresh water fish to the new >>tank, plus get somemore, I will be converting my 20 gallon high into a marine >>aquarium; > >Make the 65 the marine tank. Your chances of success are far greater. I second Richard's comment about using the larger tank for marine ... but ... For what it's worth, I'd take the 50, especially for marine. A shorter tank lowers the lighting requirements (alternately, a shorter tank increases the effectiveness of a fixed lighting). If you use a UG filter, the filtration is only affected by the surface area. If you are setting up an inverb tank, extra height is pretty useless. Even in community tanks, extra height isn't really used by the fish, where extra length would give more running room, more area for territoriality, etc. All the extra height gives you is some more volume. I'd rather take more volume as length and/or width. -- --------| With Altzheimer's Disease, every day is a new day! Alien | - Earl McKennon --------| decvax!frog!cpoint!alien bu-cs!mirror!frog!cpoint!alien
atk@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Alan T. Krantz) (01/16/90)
In article <24777@gryphon.COM> richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: >In article <90015.000606NMBCU@CUNYVM.BITNET> NMBCU@CUNYVM writes: >>I plan on getting a second tank. As it stands now it will either >>be a 50 gallon high or a 65 gallon high. Probably the latter. Both are >>3 feet in length and the same width. The height difference is 6 inches. >>The 50 is 18 inches high, the 65 is 24. > >Always get the biggest tank. Get the 65. This brings up an interesting question - well interesting to me - do people treat tall tanks significantly different than long tanks in terms of the fishes and plants purchased? Specifically what fishes do well in a short tall tank? I think the 30L has a very nice aspect ratio - long enough for schooling fishes - short enough for good plant lighting from above ... what are other favorite dimensions and why? | Mail: 1830 22nd street mail: atk@boulder.colorado.edu | | Apt 16 Vmail: Home: (303) 939-8256 | | Boulder, Co 80302 Office: (303) 492-8115 | ------------------------------------------------------------------
frazier@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Greg Frazier) (01/17/90)
In article <15670@boulder.Colorado.EDU> atk@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Alan T. Krantz) writes: > >This brings up an interesting question - well interesting to me - >do people treat tall tanks significantly different than long tanks in >terms of the fishes and plants purchased? Specifically what fishes do >well in a short tall tank? I think the 30L has a very nice aspect ratio >- long enough for schooling fishes - short enough for good plant >lighting from above ... what are other favorite dimensions and why? I have come to really prefer tall tanks. One of the reasons is that I really enjoy the plants that we are growimg. Our A. undulatus had to be moved from our 55 (15" tall) to our 18T (20" tall), because of it's height (and other reasons), and jungle val really needs more than 15" to look great (I really like jungle val). As for fish, I enjoy under-loaded tanks, so I'm not overly bummed by the reduced surface area, and since many fish will prefer a particular depth, one can create a very attractive tank with a few species - I enjoyed Richard's suggestion of a tank with hatchet fish (surface), pencil fish (middle) and dwarf cichlids (bottom). It won't be in the near future, but I would love at some point to own a 24" deep aquarium. 48" long is fine by me. It would have a pretty serious section of val (1/4 to 1/2 of the tank) and some good sized swords, and two or three discus would slowly cruise this tank. I think that would be pretty nice. Greg Frazier ............................................................... "They thought to use and shame me but I win out by nature, because a true freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born." - Geek Love Greg Frazier frazier@CS.UCLA.EDU !{ucbvax,rutgers}!ucla-cs!frazier