20gallon vs Bowfront

Hello Fishlore!

I'm debating between a couple of aquaroum options to keep on a 29.5" long dresser made with good wood. I can either fit a 20 gallon tall or a 26 gallon tall bowfront.

Would the bowfront be too heavy? I would have preferred to get a longer rather than tall aquarium but space is limited for the next few years. The bowfront is going to be a bit difficult to clean on the tall dresser.

 

Are they both the same length?

 

If you're concerned that the dresser can't hold the bowfront, and it would be difficult to clean, I would just get the 20. I'm not sure the 6 gallons gives you much more by stocking options, and since the 20 will be easier for you to maintain you won't have water quality issues.

 

Yes roughly the same length but the 26 gallon is roughly 5 to 6 inches taller

 

The extra height isn't going to help you much in terms of stocking options. I would just go with the 20.

 

That was my thought

 

Yes if you are concerned with the cleaning I agree with the others and just do the 20. However, if you are concerned with the strength of the cabinet with the 26 I'm not sure i'd be comfortable putting the 20 on it either.

 

Based on what I've been seeing in regard to nonmetal aquarium stands, the dresser will probably be fine, honestly. The wood is of better quality and it's a sturdy piece of furniture. I wish I could go larger! I feel as though it would be a bad idea to put a 30" aquarium on a 29.5" dresser, and that's really the only area I have.

 

I've seen others in this forum say it's not a good idea to get a tank that doesn't go all the way to the edge of a stand. I personally have no experience with this problem but I believe their argument was that if the tank didn't reach close to the edges then the tank would be resting on the less supported section of the stand. It only being a 20 gallon may not matter as much and so this is probably more of an issue for larger tanks but it may be something to think about. With it only being a half inch bigger (meaning a quarter of an inch over hang on both sides) it may be better to have the 30 inch tank than something smaller.

For example, I know it is not suggested to put a 36g bowfront tank on a 46g bowfront stand for this reason.

Then again this could be completely wrong. Just something to consider

 

Hmm, I was originally debating between the 20 tall and a 29 (30"), but I'm not sure if I should use the entire surface. I usually centered my smaller tanks on the dresser and they did fine, but what you're saying makes sense, as well.

 

Yeah and I don't want to encourage you to do the wrong thing. I know that my little 5 gallon tank is sitting on a stand that it only uses about half of the top area. However my 36 gallon BF is using 100% of the stand area (it came with the tank).

If it's a sturdy piece of furniture then it will probably hold the 20 high just fine even if it doesn't go to the edge. I'm sure this argument about using 100% of the stand area was for larger tanks. But then again I can't see how a quarter of an inch over hang would make it dangerous either.

 

I think I'll probably be limited in space to the 20 gallon to be safe for a while, and when I have more spacious living arrangements I can get a large stand and upgrade to something much longer.

What are your thoughts on tank size for red tail/rainbow/bala sharks? I saw someone get scolded on here for wanting to put a rainbow in a 20 gallon. I'd love to have one when I eventually (fingers crossed) get a 40+ someday for sure, but I've been debating about whether to get one now. I hear mixed reviews

 

I'm not an expert on either but rainbows and redfins require at least a 55 gallon I believe. Something 48 inches in length. The bala's, if I'm not mistaken get huge, like over a foot long. I believe those require 8 foot tanks...but others probably know more about these than me. Anders247 ?

 

Both rainbow sharks and redtail sharks need a 55 gallon minimum, yes.
Bala sharks need very large tanks because they get over a foot long.

 

Bala sharks also need to be in groups of 6 or more, so you're looking at potentially 6 14" fish...huuuuge tank needed for that. Most home aquariums can't handle that. We're talking, what, 200 gallons or so?

 

I'm mostly interested in getting 1 shark, so probably a red tail or a rainbow would be better, and I hear mixed opinions about sizes. Some have told me I could do 1 shark in 20 -30 gallons while others stick with the 55+ opinion.

 

A 20 or 30 gallon tank is 24 to 30 inches long usually. That's pretty small for a fish that can get 6 inches long.

 

How fast do they grow?

 

Ime, fairly fast. Mine went from 2 to 4 inches in two months. They also get more aggressive with age.

 

Just to clarify, Bala sharks are one of the many shoaling fish that do very well in smaller groups, or in many cases singly. Many, many people, including myself, have happy, healthy, unstressed single balas in community tanks. There is no magic number that will automatically make your fish happy, just pay attention to how they're behaving.

 

Just to clarify, Bala sharks are one of the many shoaling fish that do very well in smaller groups, or in many cases singly. Many, many people, including myself, have happy, healthy, unstressed single balas in community tanks. There is no magic number that will automatically make your fish happy, just pay attention to how they're behaving.

I COMPLETELY AGREE! My Bala shark is very outgoing, and even when he was at the petstore, didnt want to be with others. He is a happy fish