First Serious Tank - Size Opinion

[Toli820]

Okay, forgive me if this is a pointless question, but, I'm trying to figure out which way to go...

I want to make a moderate/large tank setup for my first foray into fishkeeping as a hobby... Should I go for a 30-35 gallon tall, or a 46 gallon bowfront?

Naturally, I'd want to go with the larger setup, but, as my staging area is currently arranged, I'd have to place it in the corner of a room, not far from an air conditioner. That being said, would using the air conditioner in the summer affect the tank, even with a heater? I'm not trying to have a disaster on my hands, having set up the tank in the winter months, without worrying about the possible a/c effect.

Also, would anyone suggest going even larger with the tank? I have a possibile area that I could clear out for a slightly larger tank (or the 46, if the a/c would be that much of an issue), but, would a bigger tank make things easier or more difficuly for me, a newbie?

 

[Aqua Tom]

Go for the biggest tank you can fit comfortably in your home. If you go for the tall tank it will effect the types of fish you can keep (Angels in there would look awsome).

Cant answer about the air conditioner, not had a lot of experience with them (apart from in the car).

 

[KittyKat]

I would definitely go for the larger tank. It will be slightly more maintenance, but also allows considerably larger selection of fish. Having said that, a large tanks means that there are certain fish you shouldn't keep, for example Betta splendens, so you should start thinking at least in what general direction you want to head: African rift lake rocky biotope? SA planted community? Larger individiual fish? Mixed community? and so on..

It will cost more to heat if you have a/c, but if you can afford to pay for a/c, you shouldn't even notice the extra heating costs.

I would personally go for the largest tank I can, but as a newbie, do you want to keep maintenance as low as possible? I don't have any qualms about the extra work myself and it would look more impressive.

 

[Toli820]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

As far as maintenance goes, I'm willing to do some maintenance for sure, but, as a newbie, as said, I don't want to overwhelm myself and get discouraged. That said, I'm usually pretty dedicated, especially when it comes to things I enjoy, so, let's figure that I'd be more than happy to put in a reasonable amount of maintenance.

As for a general direction, I'd probably be shooting for a mixed community. Some fish off the top of my head that I enjoy? Angels, tetras and corys are very interesting to me, and, in a perfect world, I'd love to have an assortment of fish, plus some invertebrates, and love plants, if there are hardy ones that can survive the beginners touch... XD

 

[kizno1]

Like others have said i would go for the biggest possible it gives you more options and the fish more space.

I disagree that its harder to maintain if anything its easier. The water quality will be alot easier to keep stable in a 40G than in a 5G because theres 8 times as much water.

 

[the biffster]

the biggest you can afford to buy

 

[fluttermoth]

I can't give any advice about the a/c but I will add my recommendation to everyone elses to go with the biggest tank you can.

It just gives you extra time and a bit more leeway should anything go wrong; if you heater gets stuck on or off it'll take that much longer to get to a dangerous temperature, and it takes longer for any harmful subtances, like ammonia, to build up to a toxic level.

The only downside is a few more buckets to carry.