So you already have your mind set on where to place your community aquarium? Well, the next thing logical thing to do is to head straight to your local fish shop and get it, right? Well, not exactly. Maybe first thing first which you should ask yourself is that, what is the best size of aquarium that I should buy? To me, there’s no right or wrong answer here but basically always follow one general rule of thumb. Get the largest aquarium size possible and proportionate to the size of the fish you intent to rare.
Always bear in mind that there is no maximum to how big it can get but there’s always a minimum limit. One thing you should always remember is that, always choose an aquarium that is based not on depth but on the criteria of having the largest amount of surface area available which is exposed to the environment. The larger the surface area, this means this will allow better introduction of oxygen to the water.
For a general guideline, you might want to consider the following facts when determining your aquarium size.
Which type of aquarium should I get? Check out these:
corner aquarium, all glass aquarium, unique aquarium,
custom aquarium, reef ready aquarium, salt water aquarium
Always bear in mind that there is no maximum to how big it can get but there’s always a minimum limit. One thing you should always remember is that, always choose an aquarium that is based not on depth but on the criteria of having the largest amount of surface area available which is exposed to the environment. The larger the surface area, this means this will allow better introduction of oxygen to the water.
For a general guideline, you might want to consider the following facts when determining your aquarium size.
- Types of fish. Certain fish especially goldfish generate huge amount of waste, so it might be a good idea to have a large aquarium size for it. Reason is because larger amount of water means it can hold more waste before water quality starts to deteriorate up to the level considered unhealthy to the fish. This also means that, there is less frequency or needs to do water change and water quality is easier to control since a small spike in waste generated would not adversely affect the water chemistry so much since the proportion of water is larger. Certain active fish like guppies love to have larger size of aquarium so that they will have plenty of swimming area to breed and multiply.
- Size of fish. What is the largest size your fish can grow up to? For instance, some smaller fish like neon fish only grows up to about 1 inches long while some bigger species like the arowana can reach up to 3 feet in length or bigger so your aquarium size must be prepared and taken into consideration to accommodate the adult size. Which ever is your choice of fish, find out as much as information as possible before deciding on the size of aquarium to get.
- Number of fish. Although arguments between experts vary, based on my own personal experience, the best size for your aquarium should be about 1 square feet of surface area available for every inch of the length of the fish. Therefore, if you have a 6-inch length of a pair of fish, they would therefore need about 12 square feet of surface area available. A bit amazed right? Well, that’s about the size of aquarium that we are actually talking about.
Which type of aquarium should I get? Check out these:
corner aquarium, all glass aquarium, unique aquarium,
custom aquarium, reef ready aquarium, salt water aquarium
