What Was The Most Tanks You Had At Once?

JustAFishServant

JustAFishServant

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Hey all! How's it goin'? Just thought of a random question: what was the most tanks you've had? I once had 48 ranging from 1-90 gallons (40 were rescue/surrender/foster bettas, some for rescue goldfish and miscellaneous fish/snails)

I'm curious! No need to elaborate on your setups (unless you want to ;))
 

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Hey all! How's it goin'? Just thought of a random question: what was the most tanks you've had? I once had 48 ranging from 1-90 gallons (40 were rescue/surrender/foster bettas, some for rescue goldfish and miscellaneous fish/snails)

I'm curious! No need to elaborate on your setups (unless you want to ;))
Click to expand...
Three and most I can manage is likely 4! One is at another house which makes it hard! I have an empty 20 long with a lid and light and a spare AC 70 and could actually probably also do a betta tank. So wait hahahaha here I am planning to double what I have!!
 

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Currently have 5 set up, soon to be 7 or 8 :D

Kinda the minimum, everyone needs 1 nature style small tank for shrimp and small fish, 1 medium "star" tank (the one you throw the most work into), 1 bigger community tank, 1 betta tank (scaped or not), 1 reef tank, 1 biotope and 1 tank specially made for a fish species of your choice.
 
Right now, I have 4, I think I’ll set up a nano reef tank and that’s all. My 4 tanks are easier because most are pretty heavily planted.
Got a 55, 29, 10, and a 5. The 10 and 5 only contain bettas so they’re very easy to care for.
 

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4 tanks, 55g com, 9g littles, 5g Badis or betta, 5g Baby Gudgies. Right now 3 and thats the most I want again. No plans for 8 tanks here....lol
 
7 tanks soon to be 8 :emoji_laughing:
1 Orinoco River biotope with BN, GBR, and tetras
2 Orinoco River biotope with farlowella catfish, GBR, and danios (not biotope appropriate but couldn’t move them lol)
3 swordtail breeding tank with juvenile BN
4 neo shrimp/invert tank w rabbit snails and mini stone catfish
5 blackwater betta tank with one male betta
6 betta tank with one male
7 fancy goldfish tank with two goldfish
8 small shrimp tank (waiting on new filter to come in the mail)
 
6 presently, and there won't be more. But all are lightly stocked and two have nothing but a few small snails, so maintenance isn't overwhelming.
 
I had over 70 tanks ranging from 1.2 g up to my 180g.
Tour of my fish room is in sig when I had maybe 40-50 tanks.
Still running my 120 fowlr and my 180 with clown loaches and Denison barbs.
 
At one point 6 (55g,33L,29g,20L, 2 x 10g) and two grow out tubs, now down to a 55g.
 

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What Was The Most Tanks You Had At Once?​

Right now. 83 indoors. And 10 tanks and tubs outdoors. What can I say...? I'm a serious enthusiast... ;)
 
Back when I had saltwater aquariums in addition to freshwater, I had quite a few. I am not doing the counting as you might not count the same way I do.

My largest saltwater system was a 125 gallon tank plus two sumps.

I had a combination of a 55 gallon tank, a 29 gallon tank, a refugium and a sump.

I had another system that had a 40 gallon breeder plus a 20 gallon tank and a sump.

For freshwater, I had a 90 gallon community tank and a nano tank for a betta.

So I had 5 "systems" with multiple tanks.

The saltwater tanks were wonderful, but they were time consuming and expensive. As the fish and invertebrates died, I did not replace them. The marine species are gone now.

After the saltwater phase, some of the tanks were repurposed. I once had multiple freshwater tanks: a 55 gallon, a 40 gallon breeder, a 29 gallon, a 20 gallon high, a 20 gallon long and a 10 gallon. However, as I got older, the maintenance of so many tanks became a burden. I now have only two tanks in operation, the 55 gallon and the 40 gallon breeder. As those fish die, I am unlikely to replace them. However, the population of platys in the 55 gallon tank is fairly stable. As fish die, new fish are born.

I have kept fish for over 6 decades. It has been the longest lasting hobby in my life. Many other interests have come and gone over the years. Carrying jugs of water for water changes is becoming more difficult, so I do not know how much longer I will be able to care for my fishy friends.
 
I was at 14 probably half a year ago, but lots of traveling for work kept me away from home except on the weekends and disappearing from the family for at least half a day to do WCs and maintenance on those weekends made it too hard.

have slowly been paring down my tanks to just 6 running right now. I have plans to likely pare all the way down to 2-3. I just don't have the time that I used to. Ultimately, I will likely have the 75 in my living room and a maybe a 55 in the basement in the future. I've been wanting to do a Tanganyikan tank with multiple species for a long time, so that's what the basement tank will end up being. But I'm probably 9 months at least from that.
 
Does it count as a fish tank if there are no fish in the tank? Like if it only had plants, shrimp, and/or snails? That determines if my answer is 5 or 10 :-)

1- 10g Cory fry grow out tank
1-10g guppy rescue
1-10g blue shrimp
1-10g yellow shrimp
1-10g quarantine turned permanent home
1-20g mystery snails and red shrimp colony
1-29g planted community
1-125g pride and joy wet pet habitat
1-5g plant propagation tank
1-1g pest snail jail, I don't have the heart to squash them
 
The most I've had set up at one time was 4. Those 4 were scattered through three different floors of a stair-heavy house and I was still doing water changes with buckets at the time, so that felt like a lot. I don't think I'd want more than that without going all out with a fish room where I set up various systems to make maintenance easier, with a drain in the floor, built in filtration, and racks to place the most fish tanks in the least amount of space. Right now I'm in a very small place and am down to 2 aquariums, which doesn't quite feel like enough.
 
Currently 11 setting up another soon hopefully need to make some room. Had about 60 when I was a kid didn't do all work just helped father made living breeding after a work injury.
 
I had 4 betta tanks, and that was all I could deal with due to the constant demands of my job, lol! I can't imagine having 50+ tanks, just, wow!!!
 
When I first moved to my current flat 16 years ago I had too many aquariums...and not alot of furniture, I would be sat on beanbags and sleep on a foldaway bed with clothing in suitcases. The aquariums took up all the space...I had moved to this flat from one double the floorspace.

4 aquariums in the bedroom, 2 in the hallway and 4 in the lounge.

Now I am being sensible. I have just two aquariums....and way more furniture. The aquariums (a 53 and a 29 gallon) are in the lounge and there is absolutely no room for more aquariums....regardless of the "getting jiggy with it" habits of my fish ;)
 
I had between 60-70 tanks for a while, ranging from 20+ 5.5 gallon to the 125 display tank in the living room, plus three 6-foot diameter kiddie pools. Then I got laid off and got old, had to shut them all down to save on the electric bill. I'm thinking about cleaning up the 125 and putting something interesting in there, but the coralline algae coating the glass requires a razor blade to remove it. BTW, this was a freshwater tank that developed an algae normally found in saltwater tanks.

I still follow the science as much as possible. I still might win the lottery one of these days!
 
I think 7 aquariums was the most I ever had at one time. At this time though, I was also caring for various aquariums at a nature center and a school. I now have 3. I also keep planted terrariums, plus I have a lot of houseplants. Therefore, I find 3 aquariums strikes the perfect balance (I have a 150 gallon, a 50 gallon, and a 5 gallon). Besides, I prefer high maintenance, high-tech, planted tanks. Too many of these just takes too much time.
Carrying jugs of water for water changes is becoming more difficult, so I do not know how much longer I will be able to care for my fishy friends.
Click to expand...
Have you considered using one of those python water change hoses? After I started using one of those, I won't go back to lugging jugs of water around.
 

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Eleven. (What was I thinking!)
That was quite a while ago.
 
Three tanks throughout.....perfect
From 55gl, 12gl, 5gl to presently at happy state with 125gl, 20gl and 5gl.
Simplicity.
 
7 tanks.
180 discus tank F5FD536B-F553-461F-86E2-2B2A59AB1E07.jpeg
125 discus tankFBAEAC35-ED88-4254-8E98-691421CFBBD5.jpeg
90g community tankF50AF0DA-D167-49F8-96A8-616839265ACA.jpeg36g hillstream loach tank880AC283-5523-4BCF-9E5F-1E07125B2ADE.jpeg
30g qt tank69E11F3A-6920-4C6B-A6A9-32FED9F2CF88.jpeg
15g shrimp tank0D09AC9A-57E5-48B2-BC57-5B4D3D1D782A.jpeg
5g fry/shrimp tankEB584450-5DA2-4A8E-B3C6-BCB12BB5CF9F.jpeg
That does seem to be enough :). Started with the community tank and everything else came from seeing what people do here!!
 
Does it count as a fish tank if there are no fish in the tank? Like if it only had plants, shrimp, and/or snails? That determines if my answer is 5 or 10 :)

1- 10g Cory fry grow out tank
1-10g guppy rescue
1-10g blue shrimp
1-10g yellow shrimp
1-10g quarantine turned permanent home
1-20g mystery snails and red shrimp colony
1-29g planted community
1-125g pride and joy wet pet habitat
1-5g plant propagation tank
1-1g pest snail jail, I don't have the heart to squash them
Click to expand...
May I ask what the wet pet is? I got my flowerhorn
 
I have 10 running now, 3 share a system; sure makes water changing easier when systems are shared. At one point I had the 6 nanos and 10 separate line breeding tubs but I've narrowed my interests significantly.

Looking to cut that down to 4 in the next couple months. My signature nano rack and the little beta tank are going away soon and I'll be on a pair of 55s, the 44 pent and whatever I decide to keep as a permanent/long term qt.
 
Hey all! How's it goin'? Just thought of a random question: what was the most tanks you've had? I once had 48 ranging from 1-90 gallons (40 were rescue/surrender/foster bettas, some for rescue goldfish and miscellaneous fish/snails)

I'm curious! No need to elaborate on your setups (unless you want to ;))
Click to expand...
Wow, that's an insane amount (awe)! How were you able to handle so many at once?

I currently only have 1 six gal in my office, and I'm trying to smuggle another 3 gal into the office as well. Fill the office with fish, I say!
But once I move, I have plans to fill the living room with more tanks...
 
Ooh I love jungle tanks!!

Question: who is this?
Click to expand...
That’s my last Hans discus. He’s been through heck but has lived through it. Doesn’t look that good but he’s one of my oldest discus and he eats with all the rest and still has some meat on him. This was him 3 yrs ago just before a cross contamination. The fish on the right.535885D6-88E8-4EF3-9F94-4689342C2EF0.jpeg
 
I think 7 aquariums was the most I ever had at one time. At this time though, I was also caring for various aquariums at a nature center and a school. I now have 3. I also keep planted terrariums, plus I have a lot of houseplants. Therefore, I find 3 aquariums strikes the perfect balance (I have a 150 gallon, a 50 gallon, and a 5 gallon). Besides, I prefer high maintenance, high-tech, planted tanks. Too many of these just takes too much time.

Have you considered using one of those python water change hoses? After I started using one of those, I won't go back to lugging jugs of water around.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I live in a community where the tap water is very hard, very alkaline, and disinfected with chloramine. With the exception of outdoor hoses, all water goes through a sodium ion exchange water softener, but that leaves the water soft, but alkaline and with a high level of sodium ions which is not great for plants or fish. I use RO water for evaporation top-off and remineralized RO water for water changes.

I could use a python to vacuum out old water, but I would still need to lug jugs of replacement water. Doing water changes for tanks in the basement is not too bad, but lugging 20# jugs up the steps to the 1st floor is getting to be quite difficult. It would be nice if I could run a water line from the RO tank and pump the water up to the first floor, but I would also need a second tank for remineralized RO water for water changes. Now I just fill a jug with RO water, add the requisite minerals and wait until they dissolve.

I am now only doing about 10% water changes once a month and I know that is not nearly sufficient, but I do not have the motivation to do more. Oh to be young again! :(
 
I'm currently at ten (65 gallon, 40 gallon breeder, 20 long, 20 standard, 10 gallon x 4, and 5.5 gallon x 2) and three tubs outside.
 

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12 at the moment

1 blackwater biotope with chocolate gourami's
2 nature aquascapes
1 Iwagumi aquascape in the making
1 hillstream
1 moss scape/caridina shrimp tank
3 simple planted tanks
3 ripariums
 
I had a lot when I was doing my PhD research and on various work projects, can't remember exactly how many. But at home the most I have had is 6. At the moment I have 4 running, the other two are spare for hospital, fry or quarantine use. The only thing that stops me having more is the electricity bill.
 
I had a lot when I was doing my PhD research and on various work projects, can't remember exactly how many. But at home the most I have had is 6. At the moment I have 4 running, the other two are spare for hospital, fry or quarantine use. The only thing that stops me having more is the electricity bill.
Click to expand...
Electricity cost is definitely a concern. Back when I was operating saltwater tanks, I had a number of 1200-1800 gph submersible pumps running constantly. I was using fluorescent lighting and metal halide as good LED lighting was not yet available. I was running 180 watts of lighting on a 29 gallon tank and 200 watts of lighting on a 55 gallon tank. My electric bill at the time was about $200 per month higher than it is today. That is one of reason I decided to quit the saltwater hobby. Even with LED lighting and fewer tanks in service, my electric bill is about 75% higher than the average home in my neighborhood..... at least that is what my electric supplier tells me each month. Of course, some of that power is being used by all of the electronics I have in use such as computers, voice assistants, tablets, and home automation devices.
 
  • Thread Starter
  • #35
Wow, that's an insane amount (awe)! How were you able to handle so many at once?

I currently only have 1 six gal in my office, and I'm trying to smuggle another 3 gal into the office as well. Fill the office with fish, I say!
But once I move, I have plans to fill the living room with more tanks...
Click to expand...
Honestly, I just did a small amount of water changes per day. I tried doing them all at once and it was extremely stressful. Don't do 38 water changes in a day!

Lol...do it. If you get caught, just play dumb. Say "well, you didn't say I could only have 1," or "oh, I thought you meant one PAIR" :p
12 at the moment

1 blackwater biotope with chocolate gourami's
2 nature aquascapes
1 Iwagumi aquascape in the making
1 hillstream
1 moss scape/caridina shrimp tank
3 simple planted tanks
3 ripariums
Click to expand...
Oh, PLEASE show me your hillstream! I've been planning an idea like this for comet goldfish...

And your ripariums. I have many of those, but I always like to see inspiration ;)
My electric bill at the time was about $200 per month higher than it is today. That is one of reason I decided to quit the saltwater hobby.
Click to expand...
I've heard of cheap saltwater/reef setups using various methods, but I had no idea the electric cost for water movement would make them so expensive!
Even with LED lighting and fewer tanks in service, my electric bill is about 75% higher than the average home in my neighborhood..... at least that is what my electric supplier tells me each month. Of course, some of that power is being used by all of the electronics I have in use such as computers, voice assistants, tablets, and home automation devices.
Click to expand...
Good grief! What do you have powered in that house!? An electric tractor?

But really, the cost never occurred to me. Is there some way you can decrease the usage? A solar-powered battery to charge computers or phones, maybe unplugging things when you're not using them?

I charge my phone and insulin pump attached to a laptop - 1 cord powering 3 devices. Not sure if this helps, but I can only hope!
 
Panda Loaches? I'm in love. Looks like they'd need pretty specialized conditions, though. Oh, this is why so many of us have lots of tanks, isn't it?
 
Well, specialized conditions.... I don't consider myself a fishkeeper. For me it is first the scape and then I choose a fish species that fits the scape. I have 12 tanks at the moment because I enjoy the scapes. The fish are "merely" actors :)

hillstream.jpg
 
Hey all! How's it goin'? Just thought of a random question: what was the most tanks you've had? I once had 48 ranging from 1-90 gallons (40 were rescue/surrender/foster bettas, some for rescue goldfish and miscellaneous fish/snails)

I'm curious! No need to elaborate on your setups (unless you want to ;))
Click to expand...
3... But I still have MTS the only thing stopping it from getting worse is my family...
 
  • Thread Starter
  • #41
Well, specialized conditions.... I don't consider myself a fishkeeper. For me it is first the scape and then I choose a fish species that fits the scape. I have 12 tanks at the moment because I enjoy the scapes. The fish are "merely" actors :)

View attachment 876803
Click to expand...
I agree; to me, the scape (plants, hardscape, etc) are the focal point. The fish just happen to live in there, and I just happen to care for the fish :P
 

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