Go Big

[shelaghfishface]

how many newbies actually think that bigger is easier/better, i started with a 4ft and was scared witless, but i only got it as it was the only one i got get my hands on, full setup for £30 if you dont mind
but no, i would think that as a starter anyone would think ( unless advised) start out small and get bigger, i was up to 12 tanks at one time, im now 9 and very happy, tho 2 are empty, ill get round to filling them one day

Starting bigger gives you more leeway for mistakes , Dilution is the solution to polution

well yes,i know that now, but i didnt then

 

[Ficious]

I do agree with you Ludwig. i use to keep many small tanks (biggest at the time was 29) and i just wanted a bigger one. now, 7 years later, i managed to buy a 36 bowfront. the only thing stopping me from buying the 55 was the stand which was just as much as the tank and all thats included. i am already wanting a 55 gallon but ended up buying 2 more nanos.

everything that you said made sense depending on how you look at it. a smaller tank will obviously have less deco, but my small tank, and many small tanks ive seen, are very beautiful. Although any tank between a 6 and 29 gallon tank is, in my opinion, useless unless it has some sort of fancy styling. i will never buy a 10g rectangle or 20gallon rectangle..etc, again. if a tank can have an elegant bed or bow then it will be of my standards. from this i like to be able to replace a tv in any room and enjoy it more than the tv...being the center point of the room---takes a beautiful and natural tank.

went a little off subject but all in all, yes..i agree with you

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Thats is a fairly good statement and usually I say it too, but its not always the best choice. A 50 gallon tank takes up a lot of space, unless you have a room for fish only or you have a really big house, fitting more than 1 or 2 tanks would be hard. If you are saying theres not much you can do with a tank smaller than a 50 gallon, you are pretty far off. I have had a .5 gallon gar with more than 100 bucks worth of livestock in there. Then again, thats because it was a picoreef system. I have also seen tiny tanks decorated to look better than most of our tanks will ever be. I can look up links if you want proof of this, but im sure some people on this forum probably have some of this stuff bookmarked. Sure going big is nice, but that doesnt mean its the way to go.

 

[LauraFrog]

I do love large tanks. I really, really want one (my biggest is 20 gal) but time, money and space are serious restrictions.

I reckon there are a lot of reason to choose a smaller tank though. The photo is of the tank on my desk. Obviously the weight and space would mean that a bigger tank would be completely impractical. It's six gallons, by the way and I reckon it looks pretty darn good. This was when I still had gravel substrate but I still have the same decor I used - I'm just going to add some more interesting stuff to the background cause it needs a BG.

 

[maximinimus]

I disagree, buying a large tank in the beginning is not always a good way to save money.

What happens if you go out and buy a 36" 50gal tank straight away, with no fish knowledge, you then spend a fortune on larger / rare species that catch your eye, only to find out you are one of those people that just isn't cut out for fish keeping, or you just don't have the time?

You have just spent £400 on your tank, maybe £100 kitting it out and another £50-100 on your fish + plants.

Then put that against buying a 40-60l nano, £30-50 for the tank, £10-20 kitting it out and maybe £10-30 on fish + plants.

That's a huge price difference at the start of the hobby, less than £100 compared to £600. Which is easily recouped in the resale of a nano tank, compared to the huge markdown you see on larger tanks at auction.

TBH I would recommend most people spend the small amount and find out if fish keeping is for them rather than spend a huge amount of money only to end in tears and disappointment.

 

[SJ2K]

All depends what your after in a tank, theres no deffinative answer. Its opinion, this topic is a touch pointless

Small tanks can make great features if you've got the skills.

 

[Axleuk]

because not everyone is rich like you.

Geez.... I wish... I'm actually suggesting this to SAVE you money, cause if you get that little one, you are going to want that big one eventually...... so, save for the big one from the onset.

Well, i can understand your argument, however for those of us that are new to the hobby, a smaller tank is great for starting off, making sure you can look after everything as best you can and then when you have built up experience and your fish remain happy chappies, then upgrade to a much larger tank.

You can then use your smaller tank as a hospital tank or a breeding tank, therefore you are not really wasting your money in my honest opinion.

 

[8inary]

Whilst I appreciate what you are actually suggesting, I do think that most of us enter into this hobby and buy a smallish tank, due to it being something new, and not knowing if you will continue with it 6months down the line. Therefore to mitigate any loss, most people will always start of small and will keep things at the lower end of the price scale.

I do however admit, that myself ended up buying a 3ft tank, then a 4ft, being having a large custom built tank made, but I do not think this is always typical, as some may give up the hobby.