what im getting at is although excessive for the home all these 'large' tanks that everyone longs after i.e 450 750 1000 gallon arnt large at all really for the fish we all keep in them, take a cross section of an amazon tributary as big as your lounge and how many large fish would be in it still not that many. unless like arapamag (is that his name) you have a 56,000 gallon tank you dont have a big tank, you have the equivalent of 2-5 180g tanks. most people would consider that tight for one male jag so ten peacock bass and half a dozen rays cause its a 1000g is that right?? they arnt much bigger... i am guilty of this myself so im not attacking anyone but just trying to get my point across, im seriously contemplating donating my 300 to 1 or a breeding pair of fish, i think thats where im heading rather than longing for a bigger tank and better filtration so i can have more bigger fish... a guy on another thread got me thinking the other day he has a pristine 125 with one very nice jag thats a 'pet'.
Big Tanks = Boring Tanks?
- Thread starter jeremoose
- Start date
^^ my 300 has one breeding pair, another large cichlid and 6 sd's. Thats it.
and it's almost not bog enough for that stock.
and it's almost not bog enough for that stock.
So you really just mean that you think giant fish in big tanks is boring. I sort of half agree... that this just sort of evens out and gives the same ratio of a normal tank and therefore these fish act like they do in a normal tank... just hover or pace. But I think there is still something inherently cool about big tanks and big fish.. that makes them neater than their normal sized counterpart.
But some people keep normal sized fish in their giant tanks so that the fish act like they do in nature... school around, exhibit a bit more territorial behavior... stuff like that.
But some people keep normal sized fish in their giant tanks so that the fish act like they do in nature... school around, exhibit a bit more territorial behavior... stuff like that.
spiff your tank is great btw complete opposite of what im griping at!-) im not saying all big tanks are boring, im saying its alot easier and all too common to end up with a boring big tank, its easy to get side tracked with getting an expensive and rare stock and posting up vids and impressing people with your massive tank volume! im just as impressed by many small setups, less than 180! guess the op just stirred up my issues with my own tank, im gonna pipe down now lol!
Interesting timing on this one... as I stare at my first not quite big tank that is sitting empty across from me.. a 180g (has to be swapped out due to cracked trim noticed after delivery grr) I think everyone I know thinks even the 180g is excessive..
I am torn, I have been thinking of stocking it with large aggressive cihclids, but I don't think I want 3-4 big fish in there. I think a much cooler use of all that space would be made by smaller fiish say fish that max out around 7-8" and perhaps add a single centerpiece.. mebbe an Oscar or something and lots of scaping. Now if I had 3 180g's or bigger it might be a different story
I am torn, I have been thinking of stocking it with large aggressive cihclids, but I don't think I want 3-4 big fish in there. I think a much cooler use of all that space would be made by smaller fiish say fish that max out around 7-8" and perhaps add a single centerpiece.. mebbe an Oscar or something and lots of scaping. Now if I had 3 180g's or bigger it might be a different story
I think with smaller tanks its just that everything is so accessible and easy to do. With a larger tank everything seems to be more of a though out process . Its not as fulfilling and i dont feel as hands on with a bigger tank. I definitely dont think larger tanks are less beautiful i just think it could burn you out if you dont find something with it that still excites you. Thats just my take on it anyway.
I guess I didn't get my point across properly. If you are getting bored of the big fish and big tanks then trying buying something other then run of the mill fish. You stated on another site you wanted to buy.. " Redtail Catfish, Tigrinus, Shovelnose Cats, Bullheads, Achara Catfish.. Practically anything. Additionally, interested in Arowana, preferably Silver Aro's or Jardini since I'm not looking to pay an arm and a leg." Well all these fish are alright in there own way but most of them are PARKERS with the exception of the aros. If that's the kind of fish you are buying then that may be why you are getting bored! What I was trying to say is.... Try buying stingrays and other more exotic fish that are non stop swimmers,investigators and eaters. There is never a dull moment in a stingray tank. But if I had a tank full of the fish you want to buy...Well you might as well just put a picture of them in your tank as they do nothing. Even arowanas just swim in circles and that's about the just of it unless you get into Asian arowanas which are more personable and more of an investigator. I own asian aros and black arowanas and the Asian aros have a way better personality and you never get bored of them. My black arowanas just swim in circles all day and do nothing! But again you have to pay more for the asian arowanas then the blacks,silvers or jardini. The old saying "you get what you pay for" applies sometimes when it comes to fish.
But then again this is just my opinion. You asked the question so I gave you my opinion. If you don't want to hear other peoples opinion and you just want us to agree with your statements then don't ask the question as more of the time people will have a different opinion or experience.
I know from an outsiders perspective, hobbyist or not, my largest tank is the one that everyone stops and and oohs and aahs. Fish and setup detail.....
It also sits dead center of the middle of our house. As much as I enjoy my planted 75 gallon sump lately, the 300 is the one that still gets the most attention.
It's also the one that cost the most to build and scape, but requires the least amount of maintenance and will house the most expensive fish. I spent a lot to make my species choice and enjoyment of the hobby coincide and it's not an elitist pov. I busted my ass to earn the money to build it exactly how I wanted. The expense of the fish was secondary to my wants..... a simple means to an end.
.......And I can control it all via my iPhone. From anywhere in earth.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
It also sits dead center of the middle of our house. As much as I enjoy my planted 75 gallon sump lately, the 300 is the one that still gets the most attention.
It's also the one that cost the most to build and scape, but requires the least amount of maintenance and will house the most expensive fish. I spent a lot to make my species choice and enjoyment of the hobby coincide and it's not an elitist pov. I busted my ass to earn the money to build it exactly how I wanted. The expense of the fish was secondary to my wants..... a simple means to an end.
.......And I can control it all via my iPhone. From anywhere in earth.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I have to agree w/ the mentality its not the tank size that gets boring but whats in it... you can get bored w/ a 20H as well as a 220... depending on what your tastes are and whats in it.. My favorite fish is a TSN... though I have much more rare fish in our collection. He not just looks amazing to me but hes very interactive and very much a "wet pet" On that note my husbands favorite fish is our Aba aba knife.. who is pretty cool but very boring to me. I found raising fish either I fall in love with them or readily want to find them a new home as they grow. some people are dog people some cat people.. some are into snakes.. others rabbits.. ect...
I definitely would say it's much easier to make say a 55 gallon look really nice as opposed to a 450. It's just the cost and time that needs to be put into it is such a big difference. With that being said it will be much more likely for people with big tanks to not put in that extra effort as one would with a 55 gallon. Either way I think the only way I could get bored is when I see my tank has no room for improvement. As in my filtration is perfect, my fish are fully grown, and my scaping is perfect. All of those are really hard to achieve especially when you have a budget so I think I'm good to go.
