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Are these dimensions too narrow for a custom tank?

Baarks

New Member
Joined
9 Jul 2021
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24
Location
UK
Hello! After a hiatus I am wanting to get back into the hobby. I have a perfect spot for my aquarium, but it is going to have to be quite narrow. Before I even think about going further I wanted your input - can I get away with these dimensions?
- 5ft L x 10 in W x 18in H
It is the narrow width I would be worried about. Small tetras would be fine, it what about some larger fish? Would this rule them out?
My space for the tank is awkward, but if you could how would you adjust the dimensions to accommodate a wider variety of fish? Thanks, I am excited to have joined this forum!
 
The only tank I've seen that is successful at about that width (it's actually 30cm wide) is this one

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it's fully automated and only has nano fish in it (look at the guy's post history for more details) , personally, I'd look at a less perfect space (what's the issue? windows? sockets? how far it sticks out?) that could be made better than having a tank that's narrow to the point it could affect maintenance and would definitely highly restrict what you could put in .
 
The only tank I've seen that is successful at about that width (it's actually 30cm wide) is this one

-

it's fully automated and only has nano fish in it (look at the guy's post history for more details) , personally, I'd look at a less perfect space (what's the issue? windows? sockets? how far it sticks out?) that could be made better than having a tank that's narrow to the point it could affect maintenance and would definitely highly restrict what you could put in .

Thanks Jamila, in your experience how much would you increase the width by for it to be sensible?
for context, I have recently moved and my Congo tetras need at least 4 ft. I don’t have any suitable stretch of 4ft space I can put it, except here! A regular tank would sit in the space, but not use it fully. As space is a premium in my new home, I thought why not make a long tank like I have always dreamt of. the problem is it is in the dining area, and a regular sized 5ft would make the available space a bit small. I am also a little uncomfortable with the sheer volume of water.... I have nightmares of cracks and leaks!
 
Thanks Jamila, in your experience how much would you increase the width by for it to be sensible?
for context, I have recently moved and my Congo tetras need at least 4 ft. I don’t have any suitable stretch of 4ft space I can put it, except here! A regular tank would sit in the space, but not use it fully. As space is a premium in my new home, I thought why not make a long tank like I have always dreamt of. the problem is it is in the dining area, and a regular sized 5ft would make the available space a bit small. I am also a little uncomfortable with the sheer volume of water.... I have nightmares of cracks and leak
I'm no expert, but i do live in a small house with no dining area at all, unless you count the extending table in the kitchen that fills all the free space if it's fully open (not kidding, you better hope you've got everything out before it gets opened because you're not getting into the oven or the fridge, hence it doesn't get used, we eat on our laps) , If it was the only space I'd got, it would be curtains for the table in favour of my existing fish having what they need (or everything would fold up/get smaller outside of mealtimes) Seriously fish suggests 48 x 12 x12 minimum for adult CTs so I'm guessing they are midwater fish, but active, so what Darryl said about lower height makes sense, it's just about how much front to back space you can carve out over the minimum 12" while keeping everyone content. I feel you about the only perfect space though, mines on the back short wall of the living room which houses a 6 foot solid oak sideboard that fits in between the kitchen and stairs doors, there's literally nowhere else in the house to put the tanks, so they're on the sideboard which sticks out more than you'd ideally want, but we're all used to it and nobody's cracked their shins on it for ages 🤣
 
Thanks, Jamila169 - there is a lot of compromise in this hobby! Thank goodness for a patient spouse! I’ll aim for the 12 minimum and keep trying to push my luck!
 
Hi all,

I'd go for a shallower tank. It would make everything easier, despite the loss of water volume.

cheers Darrel
Thanks Darrel, yes and I like the aesthetic of a shallower but longer tank too. I appreciate the advice!
 
As example this is 4ft L x 12" W x 9"H :) (120x33x21.5 cm)
img_20201210_125153651-jpg.157649

Unheated and it has a HOB filter at the back RH corner behind the Cyprus plant. The substrate is banked up above the waterline. And the substrate actually is the filter, I use the HOB only to pump water up that falls on the emerged substrate. It feeds the Cyprus.

More shallow tanks allow more opportunity to bank up the substrate and give more plant options to create a paludarium setup with emerged plant growth. It houses 8 Pygmaea Corydoras that seem to be quite happy in it.
 
The main trouble with a ten inch width is that if you have any hardscape or plants, it will reduce that gap further. You can leave it more open but that doesn't always look the best.
You need to remember that often planted tanks have really thick plant growth which can limit the available swimming area far more than the ten inches you are considering, yet the fish thrive.

The biggest issue for me with long narrow tanks is getting a good flow distribution which is especially important if you are going to use co2.
 
Good point... thinking back to previous tanks it is surprising how constricted the width gets when trying to set up hardscape!
 
As example this is 4ft L x 12" W x 9"H :) (120x33x21.5 cm)
img_20201210_125153651-jpg.157649

Unheated and it has a HOB filter at the back RH corner behind the Cyprus plant. The substrate is banked up above the waterline. And the substrate actually is the filter, I use the HOB only to pump water up that falls on the emerged substrate. It feeds the Cyprus.

More shallow tanks allow more opportunity to bank up the substrate and give more plant options to create a paludarium setup with emerged plant growth. It houses 8 Pygmaea Corydoras that seem to be quite happy in it.
Wow! That is gorgeous! Any tips on emergent plant growth?
 
You could plant maybe foreground plants to leave spaces. Paddlestones might work for a little hardscape
 
Wow! That is gorgeous! Any tips on emergent plant growth?
Thank you!... :)

Depending on your light source the options go from limited to quite a lot. :) As you can see this tank stands next to a southeast faced window and receives a lot of direct daylight and has 2 floodlights above it that are on for 12 hours a day. And some plants thrive in the summer and suffer during the winter period.

You can compare a setup like this to a hydroculture setup so this means that any houseplant suitable for hydroculture can be grown immersed from such a tank.


Keeping in mind that we are limited in options when it comes to light intensity... With most plants when only naturally lit comes the advice to water less in the winter period. In a paludarium setup we can't it's constantly equally wet and then we need to provide the plants with sufficient light all year long. This makes it a bit of trial and error to find the correct plants that will do well in the conditions you can provide.

Of course, geographical location and climate play a role too... As you may have noticed the Balcony tank above is in a (sub) Tropical location. To keep a tank like this in northwest Europe would be only possible for a few months per year without sufficient artificial light sources.
 
Good points to consider - I got the tank today, lucky find on gumtree fitting the dimensions rather well. I’m trying to think through lighting now... not too much natural light in this spot. I used 4 small led floodlights in a previous tank, but how to hook them up in a way that looks nice? 🤔
 
Good points to consider - I got the tank today, lucky find on gumtree fitting the dimensions rather well. I’m trying to think through lighting now... not too much natural light in this spot. I used 4 small led floodlights in a previous tank, but how to hook them up in a way that looks nice? 🤔
Marc Davis member on hère has youtube channel MD Fishtanks uses floodlights in his fish room and has DIY examples. of setting up floodlights
 
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