Start with at least 20 gallon tank?

Tommy Gun

I know this subject is getting beaten like a dead horse, but I have to add my .03 cents (sorry to out do you Jay).

First, bigger is better BUT only in one way. With bigger tanks, there is obviously more water. More water means that it takes longer for a problem (e.g. bad water chemistry, Ich, disease, overfeeding) to affect the tank over all, especially in terms of the fish's health.

Do not be fooled though! More water might make it harder or slower to have problems start, but it also TAKES LONGER TO FIX. More water means more treatments, more medicines (if used), and absolutely more money.

Then the question becomes really...What is big and what is small? Most of the literature I have read (electronic and in print) suggests that BIG is somewhere in the range of MORE THAN 75 gallons. Also, a lot of the info states that 10 gallons is a small tank and can create challenges that, like Aaron brings up, confuses, frustrates, and costs alot to beginners. This is simply because when 10 gallons of water goes bad, it is nearly an instant affect. However, if the beginner knew how to deal with the problem, it would be fixed almost instantly as well (there are exceptions to this, like Ich). The issue then becomes the beginners ability to research and a whole lot of luck to be running into the right people to turn them on to sites like this and the RIGHT information.

IMO, as far as freshwater tanks are concerned, the fish themselves are the least of the monetary burden. Also, while they may be the primary indicator of problems in the tank, they are usually never the absolute source of the problem and it is inexperience or miscalculations by the aquarist that are the main problem. That being said, let me say that you are absolutely on the right track by asking questions and reading posts like the ones on this forum. I wish I would have done the same when I started rather than finding these forums out of desperation.

*Legal disclaimer....this is all my opinoins and my experiences based upon what I have read and learned. I do not mean to offend anyone or state that they are wrong in any way at all.

Loman

I think that the bigger is better concept eventually reaches a point where it diminishes. After a while bigger is just bigger and more work. I had a 75 gallon in my prior home. It was plumbed in nicely with sink etc. and once it was going it was fairly easy to maintain because the system was large enough that I did not need to intervene often. That said as you move into the big tanks say 150 + simple tasks like water changes become much more complex. Instead of needing to store a few gallons of water in a milk jug you now need 50 gallons of storage. If someone has never experienced the hobby I would also be reluctant to suggest they start out with a very large tank. What makes bigger tanks better IMO is essentially inertia. Once good things are happening they tend to keep happening. The problem a novice can experience is that when bad things start to happen in a big tank you need to stop it quickly before it gets out of hand. One of the earlier posts suggested a 30 gallon as a good size and that actually seems like good advice to me to acquire skills and knowledge and then move to the larger tank. Like Tommy just my opinion but Even if you have the money I would not think starting with a Jumbo makes a lot of sense.

Jazzerain7

Thanks guys, you totally answered my questions. I think I am going to go with a 55 gal, considering the floorspace that I have, my experience, and the overabundance of 55gal tanks for sale in the classifieds : ). I kinda just wanted to have a not-so-miniature world for my fish to live in. Give them a little exercise going from end to end of the tank.

Cheers,

Jazz

FilteredFun

especially for beginners who tend to want too many fish right away and are impatient to have everything look and work right immediately.

Just my .02

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I think your .02 is most likely very accurate.

I think I might try to defy the odds and the predictions of beginner's failure by starting with one of those smaller 10 gallon tanks - maybe a 20 gallon. Since I will require upgraded lighting for live plants, the boxed kits are out. I'd be buying unuseable features such as the lighting and most likely everything else ... in that I suspect that they match heaters and filters to the gallons involved vs my gut feeling to buy heaters and filters that exceed to gallons being treated.

I want to learn the science behind aquarium husbandry, perfectly, before I subject some unsuspecting fish to my created environment.

I also hope to advance to a 76 gallon [or larger] bow front tank down the road, and transition my first tank into a quarantine tank. That way it is not a dead end purchase, and the 10 or 20 gallon size seems ideal for a quarantine tank: for new fish arrivals and/or isolation needs.

My start date will be early June when I have time to do it well.

:Matt