# 'Most versitile' tank sizes



## TinyFish (Dec 25, 2005)

Hi all,

Thinking of setting up a fish room. Just for enjoyment, not generally looking at breeding. Looking at keeping a wide variety of critters, and olanted tanks where appropriate. Obviously going to use a lot of what I have, but what do folks consider the more versitile sized tanks for keeping freshwater fish? I understand there is no one right answer here, just interested in hearing what people like and why.
Thanks
-Tiny


----------



## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

55 gal. lots of floor space, not too tall for plants. Drawback would be front to rear distance. Maybe a 40 breeder?


----------



## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

I think it would depend on the stock.

10G for nanos & shrimp.

20L for Tetras and similar sized stock, nanos & shrimp. Smaller plecos & corys.
Easy for planted type tanks, accessibility for upkeep. Ability to show case added decor such as small - mid sized driftwood & such. 

40L for slightly larger stock.
Easy for planted type tanks, accessibility for upkeep. Ability to show case added decor such as larger driftwood & such. 

55 for larger cichlids, in our case, Tanganyikan Species and similar sized stock.
Easy for rock work, accessibility for upkeep.

Another consideration would be your rack set-up and how many tanks you would be keeping.


----------



## Elliott225 (Jan 9, 2014)

I'm a fan of 30g, 55g, and 75g. 

A 30g is very common and a good size for small to medium size fish. Easy to find a location.

A 55g is the same height and width but longer. Same size of fish and location issue.

My favorite is a 75g. Same height and length as the 55g but wider. I think it is only 6" wider than the 55g, but that extra give you a lot of deco options. What I like about the 55 and 75 is they are 48" long and the lighting is cheaper. Fluorescent tubes are cheaper than the shorter sizes and you can find them more readily.


----------



## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

29 gallon is my favorite. It is not to tall which is good so I can still stick my hands in and do stuff if I need to. It's the perfect size to go with smaller fish but you still have a good amount of fish to choose from.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

A lot of people I know really love the 40 breeders. I have a lot of 4' tanks, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 70 gallons. Its kind of the minimum for adult malawi mbuna. Going 18" deep instead of 12" really don't take up much more space, but used tanks are harder to find and you may need special order new ones. But 40 breeder instead of 30, 65 or 75 instead of 55 is a better use of space. 40 breeder is about the bigger tank in the $/gal sale at Petco, so people get the stores to order them. 

I set up my fish rooms with 5s, 10s, 20H, 30s, and 4' tanks. If I were starting over, I'd ditch the 5s and maybe the 10s as well for fewere larger tanks.

50-55 is the most common used tank on CL. Seems to be the point where movers won't take it. Here you can get a setup, tank, lids, lights, filters, stands for around $150 but it varies by location.

I set my 5s,10s, and 20s, side by side so you look in the ends. I hate it. If I were starting over I might do 20L or 29s back-to-back. Put them endways and you need custom lids and can't see the whole tank.


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I like 40 breeders and 75's. What can I say? I like the width, and so do the fish. It also gives me more room for aquascaping.
75's are 4 ft, so it's much easier to find standard lighting that fits. On the other hand, that light needs to be bright due to the depth.


----------

