# Musho3210's First Tank Article



## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

The first tank:

Many peoples main problem with starting fish keeping is which tank they should use. Back in the old days of fish keeping the 10 gallon tank was the all-time best. They thought since it was small it would be easy to take care of and less time consuming. Now things are much different.

The main problem is the water parameters, in a 10 gallon tank a dead fish can destroy the parameters in the end destroying all the fish. In a 100 gallon one dead fish will barely do anything. Also since we are all human beings (i hope) we will all make mistakes at sometime or another. A mistake of accidently spilling all of the flake food in a 10 gallon tank will really just kill your fish but spilling it all in a big tank will just fatten the fish up with barely a change in water parameters. Also temperature change. Simple science is that the smaller body of water, the more the exchange of energy it is which means the faster the temperature changes. If the power goes out in your home during the dead of winter, in a small tank the temperature will drop fast. In a large tank on the other hand the temperature will slowly drop and possibly not drop at all until the power goes back on. There are just so many better things about a larger tank.

Now you've all seen one part of this, lets look at the other. A large tank will have its disadvatages mainly being space and money. Everyone knows a 20 gallons take up more space than 10 gallons, if you live in a small space you might not be able to fit a large tank. Money is also a big issue here, 20 pounds of gravel for a 20 gallon tank will cost about 30 dollars. 120 pounds of gravel for a 100 gallon tank will cost about 175 dollars. The filter will also drain your account. An internal filter is pretty useless in anything bigger than a 10 gallon, no matter how many gallons its rated. Undergravels also dont have much of a use in anything larger than 30 gallons. A 100 gallon tank will have to use at least a canister filter with wet/dry being even better. 

Well what now, can we come to a summary? Sure, the best begginer tank in my eyes is the very common 55 gallon. Its width is around the same as a 20 gallon high tank, the length is obviously more than a 20 gallon but it fits most peoples houses. It is large enough to get a canister filter but small enough to use HOB filters. Gravel wont be much of a problem, you wont need much unless its planted or undergravel. And if anything you save money on the lighting system as they cost only a tiny bit more than a 24" light but pack a larger whop of watts. A standard NO light that is 48" long (the width of the standard 55 gallon tank) has 40 watts. A standard 24" light for a 20 gallon high tank has 15 watts. You get more light for your money that way.

For begginers, anything above a 20 gallon is best, but if you look into the 55 gallons you will probably think its perfect for you. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my article. Stay tuned for more


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

Oh i forgot to add, this information is for freshwater ONLY, saltwater tanks are a bit different with 75 gallons being the best begginer.


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