Can a tank be too big for a fish?

[redtailshark34]

Honestly this thread is out of curiosity.

This question maybe kind of silly because usually the more space a fish has the better. However, can male bettas live in large tanks like a 75 gallon (284 liters). I know bettas aren’t very strong swimmers, so would this be too big for them to swim around?

 

[NannaLou]

A thought, and only a thought…I wouldn’t have thought the size of the tank would be the issue, I would think that fully flooded rice paddies are rather large, but that the flow/pressure from the filter would be the issue. My Betta only has a 25 ltr tank but he still has a little bit of a fight if he decides to go into the very top, left hand corner where the output from the filter is and that’s on the lowest setting.

 

[itiwhetu]

In theory no, the more water the better

 

[Circus]

If the betta has a large and heavy tail, the depth could become a problem. One of my bettas is getting old and I hade to out him in a shallow tank, so he can reach the surface. A short finned betta likely wouldn't have a problem.

 

[Dajuyu]

75 G with a low boy if perfectly fine. But since you have a good size tank why don't stock it up hehehehe .. ok that's the devil in me.

Rainbow Shark , Red tail Shark .... and why not Silver Shark

 

[Colin_T]

I will say yes but only with some fish.
eg: a male Betta in a 75 gallon tank will simply sit in the top corner and you will never see it.

eg: if you had a pair of dwarf cichlids in a huge tank, they would use part of it and the rest would be wasted space. The same deal with small fish like pencilfish or killifish. These fishes don't normally swim long distances and having them in a huge tank by themselves would be a waste and the fish would probably hide most of the time.

Having said that, most fish like and need some space to swim around and if you had the species mentioned above in a community tank, they would be fine.

 

[DoubleDutch]

I will say yes but only with some fish.
eg: a male Betta in a 75 gallon tank will simply sit in the top corner and you will never see it.

eg: if you had a pair of dwarf cichlids in a huge tank, they would use part of it and the rest would be wasted space. The same deal with small fish like pencilfish or killifish. These fishes don't normally swim long distances and having them in a huge tank by themselves would be a waste and the fish would probably hide most of the time.

Having said that, most fish like and need some space to swim around and if you had the species mentioned above in a community tank, they would be fine.

The fact that one will never see the male betta doesn't mean the tank is too big for the fish does it Colin? It is more a problem for us humans.
And also only the use of a part of a tank in case of more or less territorial fish isn't bad nor a waste in my opinion. To be honest I think in that casr the fish can show and live a more natural.life than in a small tank.

I seriously think the bigger the better from the point of view of fish. Even for fish we seem to have to decide for hahaha

 

[AbbeysDad]

When you think about fish in nature, in most cases, the volume of water is HUGE...especially compared to the typical size of our tiny glass boxes. The only 'issue' I see is that a tiny fish in a big tank, unless it's a large school of fish, would simply disappear - and what's the point of having 'pet fish' if you rarely see them.

 

[DoubleDutch]

When you think about fish in nature, in most cases, the volume of water is HUGE...especially compared to the typical size of our tiny glass boxes. The only 'issue' I see is that a tiny fish in a big tank, unless it's a large school of fish, would simply disappear - and what's the point of having 'pet fish' if you rarely see them.

Agree but again this is from the human point of view hahaha.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Agree but again this is from the human point of view hahaha.

Okay, but I doubt that the fish in the river, pond, or lake 'complains' that his world is too large. Just more free swimming space and places to forage for food.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Okay, but I doubt that the fish in the river, pond, or lake 'complains' that his world is too large. Just more free swimming space and places to forage for food.

True hahahaha

 

[FF_Member146894]

the only dimension that an aquarium can be too big in is height.
the larger the aquarium, the more space each species has to claim as its territory. The king of DIY created a 2,000-gallon aquarium which is currently used as a community tank, including fish that would, under normal circumstances, never be compatible, but remarkably get along fine (such as angelfish and barbs). another notable example is the Ohio Fish Rescue's 50,000-gallon indoor pond, where, if i remember correctly, a few african cichlids escaped their tank and made it into the large pond, reproduced, and started a whole colony - they do completely fine there, too.
when i get my 155-gallon set up, i'm adding in a schoudenti puffer, which maxes out at 4 inches. of course, with time, i'm going to get some more schoudentis and form a group, but they're a real budget buster. my point is, when i add him to the tank, i doubt i'm going to see him very often, and i have no problem with that, as long as the fish is happy. i don't need to put a fish in a tank that is small just for the purpose of my self-esteem and seeing the fish every time i look at the tank.
tl;dr, no, a tank can never have too big of a footprint.