# what is more important? Gallonage or footprint of a tank?



## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

As the title suggests,what's more important?


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## bigshawn (Dec 29, 2005)

1rhom said:


> As the title suggests,what's more important?


To me they are both important but I think footprint then how many gallons (other may disagree) I would rather have a 8ft 240g then a 6ft 240g as an example...........jmo


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA (Dec 8, 2003)

Its all about what kind of fish you will be keeping but with Ps you need the foot print.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

bigshawn said:


> As the title suggests,what's more important?


To me they are both important but I think footprint then how many gallons (other may disagree) I would rather have a 8ft 240g then a 6ft 240g as an example...........jmo
[/quote]

Couldn't have said it better.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

For water quality...gallons are more important. For a comfortable environment for your fish....I dont think it matters if you have a 4'X4' tank or an 8'X2' tank. I think one issue where many hobbyists are wrong...is saying these fish are bottom dwelling fish. I think these fish try to stay away from the surface of the water....so a deeper tank is better imo.

Personally I would rather have a 4'x2x2' 120....then a standard 6 foot 125.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

I think it differs if you're talkin' Pygos vs. Serras.

With Serras, yeah, I'd say deeper.
Serras are more or less ambush hunters.

With Pygos, I like to give them more linear swimming space.


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Piranha_man said:


> I think it differs if you're talkin' Pygos vs. Serras.
> 
> With Serras, yeah, I'd say deeper.
> Serras are more or less ambush hunters.
> ...


So what would be a good size for a 6" rhom live in for a long time?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

1rhom said:


> I think it differs if you're talkin' Pygos vs. Serras.
> 
> With Serras, yeah, I'd say deeper.
> Serras are more or less ambush hunters.
> ...


So what would be a good size for a 6" rhom live in for a long time?
[/quote]
75g


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

sean-820 said:


> I think it differs if you're talkin' Pygos vs. Serras.
> 
> With Serras, yeah, I'd say deeper.
> Serras are more or less ambush hunters.
> ...


So what would be a good size for a 6" rhom live in for a long time?
[/quote]
75g
[/quote]
good,i'm planning on getting a 90g-125g depending on price.


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## TJcali (Mar 27, 2009)

1rhom said:


> I think it differs if you're talkin' Pygos vs. Serras.
> 
> With Serras, yeah, I'd say deeper.
> Serras are more or less ambush hunters.
> ...


So what would be a good size for a 6" rhom live in for a long time?
[/quote]
75g
[/quote]
good,i'm planning on getting a 90g-125g depending on price.
[/quote]

That would be perfect for a long while for that bad boy :laugh:


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

i want a 24"wide 24" high tank,so i'll see what i find.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

Foot print, then gallonage. Do both when you have the choice.



1rhom said:


> i want a 24"wide 24" high tank,so i'll see what i find.


do a 180. 6x2x2


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## Zulu Warrior (Jul 8, 2009)

IMO, footprint is the best for the majority of fish, the front to back dimension helps create security. Anything over 2ft in height is wasted, an extra 1 or 2 foot or so, which is all you'll usually get, is more expensive because of the glass and hinders maintenance, and wont make any real difference to their behaveour... just imo.


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## bigshawn (Dec 29, 2005)

Blue Flame said:


> i want a 24"wide 24" high tank,so i'll see what i find.


do a 180. 6x2x2
[/quote]

x2, then you should be able to keep a rhom in there for life, jmo.............


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Regardless of the size of tank, your rhom will almost certainly not exceed 10-11 inches anyway.
All the "Monster rhoms" you see have been imported at that size.
They won't grow that big in a home aquarium.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

1rhom said:


> IMO, footprint is the best for the majority of fish, the front to back dimension helps create security. Anything over 2ft in height is wasted, an extra 1 or 2 foot or so, which is all you'll usually get, is more expensive because of the glass and hinders maintenance, and wont make any real difference to their behaveour... just imo.


I would suggest you see a Pygo tank that is 3'+ deep. It is pretty cool to see fish using all levels of the tank...and not just sitting on the bottom.


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## balluupnetme (Oct 23, 2006)

But if there is more space and the tank is bigger, wouldn't the rhom have more potential to grow bigger ?


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## Razorlips (Jan 12, 2003)

balluupnetme said:


> But if there is more space and the tank is bigger, wouldn't the rhom have more potential to grow bigger ?


I would have to agree with Grosse Gurke and no. not necessarily on the tank size to the ability to grow. Growth depends on many other factors along with tank size. This belief of "the larger the tank, the bigger the fish will get" is like saying if I put a goldfish in a olympic size pool, it will grow to the size of a dolphin. If you're going to go with something around the 75 or 90 range, the taller 90 is worth the extra money over the 75.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

Razorlips said:


> But if there is more space and the tank is bigger, wouldn't the rhom have more potential to grow bigger ?


I would have to agree with Grosse Gurke and no. not necessarily on the tank size to the ability to grow. Growth depends on many other factors along with tank size. This belief of "the larger the tank, the bigger the fish will get" is like saying if I put a goldfish in a olympic size pool, it will grow to the size of a dolphin. If you're going to go with something around the 75 or 90 range, the taller 90 is worth the extra money over the 75.
[/quote]

x2, I would buy a 36 18 24H 65 gal to a 36 18 18H 50 gal....


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## shoal king (Oct 27, 2006)

a 48"x18" tank will be fine for him till he passes 10"-11"
which with a 6" rhom will take a few years to out grow a 75gal


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

shoal king said:


> a 48"x18" tank will be fine for him till he passes 10"-11"
> which with a 6" rhom will take a few years to out grow a 75gal


This is why i'm thinking of upgrading to a 90-100G,this way he's in there for a veeeerrryy long time?


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

95g has the same footprint as 75g just taller, and is the 100g you are talking about 5ft long?
either one should be fine, even 75g would be fine, if you do get 1" a year out of the 6" rhom it'll be 6 years until it hit 12" and you'll still have extra 6" width from a 18" wide tank.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Piranha_man said:


> Regardless of the size of tank, your rhom will almost certainly not exceed 10-11 inches anyway.
> All the "Monster rhoms" you see have been imported at that size.
> They won't grow that big in a home aquarium.


agreed. A large tank size will help fish maybe grow a tad more, but not all that much. The benefits of the extra gallon-age is from the lower concentration of waste and more stable parameters. A 75 g would be good for a long time, but something like a 120-125 would be great if you ever decided to change stocking as you have more options. Same thing with a 180. if you went with a 120+ you could always divide it for a bit and keep something on the other side for a bit. Also just remember the taller the tank the harder to do maintenance it will be. Just sticking my hand to the back of my 125 isn't the easiest as you can only see through the ripples on the surface which isn't very well. The difference of a couple inches of hight imo is more important for the gallon-age, not useable space. P's will use height in public exibits, but thats when the height is measured in feet, not inches. Having a tank thats 7" tall at a zoo and adding a couple inches to an aquarium wont have p's that use the height even close. Like if your in a room and then go to another room thats 2" wider will you even notice? If it was a couple feet wider then you will probably notice and act a bit differently


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Would rather get longer than higher.The reason being,is that i can decorate more without sacrificing space for the fish. If i can find a tank that's 48Lx18Hx24W(90G),i would be happy.


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## shoal king (Oct 27, 2006)

if you want a 48" tank, why not look for a 150. it's 48"x24"xsomething. that would last a while :nod:


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

or 120g at 48"x24"x24"


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

sean-820 said:


> Like if your in a room and then go to another room thats 2" wider will you even notice?


I think if you look at it in terms of percentages....there is a large difference. The difference between a tank that is 18" tall and one that is 24" tall...the difference is only 6"....but it is a 33% increase...and it does make a difference. Go into a house with an 8' ceiling and one that is 10'....the difference is huge...and that is only 25%.


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Grosse Gurke said:


> Like if your in a room and then go to another room thats 2" wider will you even notice?


I think if you look at it in terms of percentages....there is a large difference. The difference between a tank that is 18" tall and one that is 24" tall...the difference is only 6"....but it is a 33% increase...and it does make a difference. Go into a house with an 8' ceiling and one that is 10'....the difference is huge...and that is only 25%.
[/quote]
my house has 9' ceilings and it makes a big difference.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Gallonage IMHO....The more one can spread the bioload over the greater water volume the better off one would be.....


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## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

AKSkirmish said:


> Gallonage IMHO....The more one can spread the bioload over the greater water volume the better off one would be.....


Another plus!!


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