Long Tank vs. Tall Tank?

I am trying to decide between purchasing a 40 Gallon Long tank or a 45 gallon tall one. Is one better than the other?

This is my first tank. I have not decided on what type of fish I want to have. Well, other than Gourami's. I've totally fallen in love with those little guys. I was playing with one this afternoon in the fish store. I'd put my finger up to the tank and he kept trying to touch it through the glass with his whiskers, it just totally melted my heart and made me giggle.

I like the look of the long tank better. I'm leaning towards that one unless there is a good reason not to.

Some of the other fish I saw today and liked are:
cichlid's (I saw several that I liked, I just can't remember what their names are)
rams
female bettas (I had a male betta in the past. Just loved him to pieces. I never had the heart to replace him with another one.)
sailfin mollys
zebra danos (had these in a tank when I was a kid)
neon tetras (again, had these when I was little)

My heart isn't set on any of those except, maybe, the danos or tetras. I'd like a nice sized school of some sort.

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

HI Bede, I have a 30 gallon tall, and like it. My fish seem to like it too. I laugh at the Gourami and Paradise (very similar to a betta) cuz they really use the whole tank (up & down) The cories do that too. The only thing is when you vacuum the bottom it can be a long reach. But on the flip side, it takes up less room, which is great if you want to have several tanks.

 

I would have to say I like longs better, because their is much more room for the fish to swim in

 

Some fish prefer tall vs. long and vice versa. MOST cichlids are aggressive and grow pretty big. Dwarf gouramis are aa very good choice. I ahve heard nothing but good things about them. I would get either a pair or 1 male and 2 females. Never get more than one male. They will be aggressive towards each other. I don't know much about mollys....so I can't help you there. Neons are neat little fishies and they are cheap and stay small. You could get a pretty good sized shoal going in a 40 or 45 with gouramis. I am almost positive that they are compatible but not sure. Zebra danios are pretty hardy and that's about all I know about them.

I might not have gotten all of my facts 100% right so I would wait for somenone for experienced to post. I'm not lying or anything and my answers are generally either close to correct or correct. Just warning you lol =)

 

The only fish I know of that prefer a tall tank are angels; otherwise, I'd say its a matter of preference and space. My 56g is a tall tank, and it doesn't seem to bother any of the fish I have in there. The platys, corys, and loaches all swim from the bottom to the top and seem to love it.

 

I am trying to decide between purchasing a 40 Gallon Long tank or a 45 gallon tall one. Is one better than the other?

This is my first tank. I have not decided on what type of fish I want to have. Well, other than Gourami's. I've totally fallen in love with those little guys. I was playing with one this afternoon in the fish store. I'd put my finger up to the tank and he kept trying to touch it through the glass with his whiskers, it just totally melted my heart and made me giggle.

I like the look of the long tank better. I'm leaning towards that one unless there is a good reason not to.

Some of the other fish I saw today and liked are:
cichlid's (I saw several that I liked, I just can't remember what their names are)
rams
female bettas (I had a male betta in the past. Just loved him to pieces. I never had the heart to replace him with another one.)
sailfin mollys
zebra danos (had these in a tank when I was a kid)
neon tetras (again, had these when I was little)

My heart isn't set on any of those except, maybe, the danos or tetras. I'd like a nice sized school of some sort.

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

First off, it sounds like you want a community tank of some sort, so definitly stay away from cichlids. They're very agressive, and usually end up in a tank of their own. This includes Angelfish. I have a pair of adult angels, and while they were great community fish when they were young, that all changed when they matured and paired up. Now the other fish are terrified of the female after she lays eggs, with good reason.

Anyway, as for shape, I suppose the only real factor I can think of is if you intend on using real plants. Then I think I'd go with the 40 long, because the shallower the tank, the better the light for the plants. However, if you intend on having real plants, I HIGHLY recommend you read up and research them first. There's a lot of good info here and on plant geek if you're interested in this.

If you don't want to mess with live plants, then I think I'd go with the 45 tall. It's a bit bigger, and I think the height would give shoaling fish like neons more room to roam. Plus, with the amazing variety of silk plants available, you could build a great looking silk garden sort of environment. A sharp looking male betta could have quite a little harum in a tank like this...

 

welcome to FishLore!

Either is a good tank and I'd get the long unless you decide on a fish that likes tall tanks, like Angels.

 

welcome!!! I say go for the tall so when you get infected with MTS ( multiple tank syndrome) like most of us fishloreans then you'll have more room for your next purchase which is only just a matter of time

 

WELCOME to FISHLORE! Tall vs Long. The larger surface area of a long tank will make more room for CO2 exchange. The water quality will stay better, and like CoBettaCouple stated, it will be better for most fish unless they specifically need a deeper tank, like an angel.

 

I would go with long tank.

 

Welcome Manjil.

Long Tank are good to look than taller ones. but for some species like Angel taller tank is required . You can very well observe them swiming from the bottom to the top straightly.

If you go for a long tank, pls keep in mind the space you are leaving for them, this excludes the gravel and the hood. (the water level you are filling in the tank).

Also in the long tank it's very beautiful to watch the schooling fish swiming from one corner to other. you can also have more plants / toys / woods / rocks / or some toy look airstones which serves both as aerator and also something like a toy which decorates the tank. whereas you'll not be having room to keep'em all in the taller tank.

The height of the tank also depends on the length of the tank, for example if you are going for a 2ft length tank it's better to have 1.5 ft ht. or 4 ft l it's better to have 2 or 2* 1/4 ht.
it will be looking odd to have 2ftl tank with 2ft ht.

Enjoy the Stay here. All the Best and Keep us posted the progress...

 

I'm a long tank fan. Particularly, since the only fish that need height are Angels, really.

Most prefer room to move versus the height of any sort.

As far as your fish choices, your fine, as long as you get female cichlids. You don't want baby cichlids in a community tank, because cichlids have strong parental instincts and will kill tank mates to keep their brood alive.

As far as bettas go, I wouldn't put a male in either tank size. 1) It's a male, and they get aggressive. 2) That's too much territory for the male to patrol, he'll get stressed out and die very quickly...been there, done that.

I would recommend a long tank, with some danios, corys, tetras, mollys.

I haven't had Rams in a community, so I can't say for sure. I have a pair in a smaller tank though, and I'm not sure that I would want them in a community either.

 

I have a 39G tall tank, 30" x 12" x 22" and love it. If and when I do get another tank, it will be a long deep tank. I got this one due to space restraints.

 

for freshwater tanks, depending on the species, long is better

 

hmm.....it quite depends on what fish you would like to have. Some, like Discus, prefer tall tanks, but some also prefer long ones for more swimming space. I prefer long ones......It gives me space for more decors and plants. Also gives fish more places to explore. But I respect your outlook on tall ones. You can choose.

Oh and it's wise of you to get a big tank as a beginner........most beginners think that small tanks would be easier to maintain when it's really harder when it's smaller.

Good luck!