What Size Fish Tank Is Best For Beginners

What Size Fish Tank is Best For Beginners?

What Size Fish Tank is Best For Beginners?

A lot of novice aquarists are confused in a lot of questions related to fish and their equipment like fish tanks etc. I love keeping fish as my pet and I still remember that day when I bought some small goldfish for the first time and took them to my home.

Thousands of questions were circling in my mind about the fish living, their tank, tank size, feed, etc. My first experience was not really bad at all. But now I am a professional.

I have a lot of knowledge about fish. I have this hobby with me for the past 21 years. I have big aquariums in my home now and there are multiple types of fishes here. I and my whole team are excited to tell our readers each and everything for the people who are newcomers.

We would love to share our best with you people and that’s why today’s article is dedicated to what size fish tank is best for beginners.

Different tank sizes are for the different amount of fish you have to put in there. First of all, you have to decide how many fish and you want in your fish tank. Then decide the size of the tank.

Fish Tank Size Chart

Here is the fish tank size chart is given below. It explains the width height in depth of the tank along with the volume of water that can be put into it. the last column explains how many fish you can place in the tank of a particular size. Have a look over it. Here we go;

Tank width Tank height   Tank depth Volume (Gallons) Tank size Capacity for fish
30 cm 30 cm 30 cm 6.6 Gallons Small 1,2 small fish
60 cm 44 cm 45 cm 29.6 Gallons Small Multiple small fish
90 cm 44 cm 45 cm 43.9 Gallons Medium Multiple small, 2 big ones
120 cm 45 cm 45 cm 57.9 Gallons Large 4 Big fish, multiple small
180 cm 60 cm 60 cm 155.9 Gallons Large 6 Big fish, Multiple small to freely move

 Although, starting from 30 gallons tank is also good but a 55-gallon tank is ideal for a beginner. Best of luck for your fish tank selection.

What Size Fish Tank Is Best For Beginners?

First of all, let me tell you that there is nothing to be worried about the length and width of the fish tank. You may not have to indulge in their measurement of their sizes.

All you need to know that either you need a small tank or a bigger one and how many fish is and which type of fish you have to buy. Yet if you are very curious about the fish tank size then you can get help from the fish tank size chart.

“If you are thinking that beginner should start with a small tank then you are wrong. Because the answer is quite opposite to it. Bigger fish tanks are easier to manage.

They are easier to clean and handle everything in them. Besides this, there are many positive health benefits or for a big tank of fish rather than a small tank.

There is more space for fish to swim freely, enjoy, stay happy, and healthy.”

I will explain it further in this article. I will also explain to you the benefits of larger tanks so that you can have clear information about why to choose a big tank for your pet fish.

Why bigger tanks are easier for beginners?

After reading the above answer some people might be thinking that why we should prefer a big tank. Why not choose the smaller one? Are there any benefits to a big tank? Are they easier to manage? Etc. Don’t worry we are going to explain to you each and everything here.

Easier to maintain

The first reason to buy a big tank is that they are easier to maintain. You can manage to keep them clean as compared to the small tank. They don’t get messed up earlier and remain clean for a longer period of time than a small one.

You can manage the ornaments, castles, grass other decorations inside the tank very easily. Big tanks can give a bigger spectrum and a variety of decorations. You can also make a fish tank light hood at home.

Big tank water is easier to filter and provides more oxygen inside. They are easier to manage. Once you buy a bigger tank there is no need to buy any other tank.

While when you buy a small tank and want to keep more fish in it then you need to buy other tanks for those fish. You can clean the water after a few days and change it very easily. So it’s better to buy an ideal one at once.

Remain longer

Big tanks are more strong as their glass is thicker and of good quality as compared with a smaller tank. So there will be no chance of any breakage.

While a small tank is a vulnerable break buy some hit by a hard object. So buy a good and a high-quality thing at once so that it can be with you for many years.

More space

As you know a big tank has more space, so you can put multiple types of fish is in it. All of the fish can swim freely and enjoy the surrounding of a big tank. Otherwise, a small tank is like a prison for them.

Nobody wants to enjoy a spacious environment to live freely and happily. Same is the case with the fish, they can be more healthy and happier enough in a big place.

Not only the small fish but also you can put the big fish in a big tank. Snails and other mini creatures can also live there.

Easy temperature and pH maintenance 

It is easy to maintain the temperature and pH for the fish in a big fish tank. A proper temperature, pH, clean water and large area is essential for a fish to live longer. So you can’t ignore the temperature maintenance in an aquarium. That’s why it is good to have a big tank.

So these are some of the reasons that are important enough to let you understand the importance of a big fish tank. I hope you are agreed with this answer because I have given you the reasons with justification. The bigger a tank is, the happier your fish will be.

Benefits of Big Tank for Fish

Even there are too many benefits to a big fish tank. There are a lot of benefits of a big tank on fish health that many people might not aware of. These are;

Health benefits for fish

A big fish tank affects the health of the fish very effectively. There are too many benefits on fish health if they are living in an enough big tank.

It is noted that a fish grown in a big tank flourish more, stays healthy and happy as compared to the fish living in a small place and fighting for their territories. Hence, a fish living freely survives more.

Suitable breeding environment

A big surrounding provides a suitable breeding environment for fish. They cannot breed properly in a small tank or are fishbowl. They select a proper area in a big fish tank to breed and lay eggs.

After that baby fish survive safely in a big tank. Baby fish survive better in a bigger area with full light, food, and oxygen. There it is recommended to buy a big fish tank.

There are only fewer fish like goldfish which can breed and grow in a smaller tank otherwise other fish need a lot of space to reproduce. A female lays her eggs on the surface of the water and a male partner fertilizes them.

After the completion of the reproduction time, the babies appear. All of this literally cannot be handled in a small fish tank.

Safe from toxins

When fish live in a very congested and small area, they produce ammonia as their excretion. A lot of ammonia can be extremely toxic to them. The big fish tank does not get messed up so much earlier than the small fish tanks.

It can easily remain clean for a long period of time. Ammonia does not accumulate in a big tank and fish remain free from toxin damage that can even kill them.

When there are too many fish living in a crowd in a smaller tank, the amount of ammonia increases too much that it leads the fish to death. While the large volume of water in a larger fish tank spread the ammonia away and do not let it accumulate and become harmful. But after a few days, you should change the water.

Control fish aggressiveness

Many of you people might not know that fish defines their territories and live in their own areas. They don’t allow other fish to come into their territory.

When the fish tank is small and there is no proper place or the fish can’t define their own big desired territory then they fight with each other. Some fish are too aggressive for their area that they kill each other for it.

Like if you place two beta fish together in a small bowl or small fish tank, they will fight with each other for their territory until when one of them dies. So the fight and struggle for their place are so much aggressive in the fish.

In order to avoid this and to keep all the fish happy in their place, you should prefer a big tank. Not only just one and two but you can even place multiple types of fish is in a big aquarium. Every fish swimming freely and living in peace would never harm each other.

Behavioral health

Every living animal is affected by the surrounding area he is surviving. Those areas affect their behavior as well. The same is the case when fish are in the sea they are extremely happy.

When we are keeping them as a pet then why not provide them such vastness which they love and came from. When fish are extremely unhappy or found their place congested, they hit their body with the small fish tank or bowl glass.

Some fish jump outside the fish tank again and again and force them to death. While some fish have the habit of jumping higher, they mistakenly came out from the small tank they are living in, and ultimately when they’re out of the water, they start craving and die.

Flourish more

A big fish tank provides a larger surface area for oxygen to come in. Fish breathe oxygen from water and sometimes come upside. They flourish more when they are available with proper light, oxygen, and feed.

Proper lighting and oxygen can only be provided by a large aquarium which the fish love the most. It is noted that a fish living in a big area survives more, stays healthy, and is happier than the other fish.

Think about fish you want to keep in a tank

Buying a fish tank of a specific size also depends upon the fish type you wish to keep. Really very small fish can live in a small tank but if you have plans to have some more fish in the future then you must prefer a big aquarium/tank.

If you want to keep some big fish, then it is so obvious which size you have to buy. Definitely, you would need to go for a larger one for it. There are many species of fish that can’t live in a smaller area.

They are habitual to a big and free environment and can’t survive when they are prisoned in a small piece of glass walls.

What are the common problems with small tanks?

In a small fish tank, you will have to face some difficulties that you don’t have to face in a larger one. In fact, a larger tank ensures more happiness for your fish. If you are just starting, I will recommend you to go with a decent sized fish tank. These common problems are;

Stunted growth

It is not as such that a fish never grows in a small fish tank but their growth becomes stunted. There are only some fish that keeps growing, even in a small tank just like a goldfish. It is actually the nature of its body to keep growing all the time until death.

Otherwise, the other species don’t become healthier and don’t grow properly if the environment doesn’t suit them.

The fish growth is stunted to a greater extent in a small fish tank. They cannot be compared with the fish that are grown in a completely free environment, with extra space, light, and oxygen. Fish are the aquatic creatures, they need a vast space to swim freely.

An under filtered and overpopulated fish tank always looks bad and suffocated. Imagine what will be the condition of a living organism surviving in an overpopulated and suffocated tank and we even can’t see and smell such a mess.

Require more maintenance

Smaller fish tanks require more maintenance because you need to change their water more frequently. They get more dirty and messy earlier. The fish wastage and smell accumulate in them earlier and the water needs to be changed every time.

If you will not change the water the fish will die because of ammonia toxin, which is basically the waste of fish.

If they do not die then definitely they will after some days and they will suffocate very badly. This would be really unfair to your beloved fish. You shouldn’t leave them in such a bad situation when you have bought them with full enthusiasm and intension to take great care of them.

Reduce fish lifespan

According to scientific researches, a small fish tank reduces the life span of fish and there are two main reasons behind it. The reasons are that the fish become really stressed. The stressed places create extensive tension on fish.

As a result, the tension goes to their heart and it gets overworked and ultimately fails. This is how a fish gets into the mouth of death and anxiety. This is really a bad thing with a living creature that has feelings and soul.

The second scientific reason behind it is the internal organ failure. When the tank is small and there is no proper space for fish to flourish, then their internal organs also don’t grow and this leads to their failure. Organ failure decreases their lifespan to a greater extent.

Enhance aggression

As I have told you that the bigger area makes a fish happier and calm, the opposite of it the smaller area enhances aggression. All fish fight for their places. Some kill each other while other the remains are unhappy. You should not let your fish suffer all this. You must take great care of your pet.

Conclusion

In the end, we have reached the conclusion that a big tank is ideal for every fish and the fish caretaker, either for his small fish or a big fish. Every aquatic animal needs free space to move or swim freely. I will strongly suggest getting a big sized fish tank.

They have all the right to have a big and proper place. They have all the rights to grow, flourish, gain health and stay happier just like they are in a sea.

If you are a beginner then buy a big tank and let us inform you about your experience because we would love to know about it. If you already have a big size fish tank in your home, even then you can share your experience or a piece of information that you want to share.

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