Tank shapes

[MrsE88]

I’ve often wondered about hexagon tanks and what fish are really suited for them. The bigger ones I’ve always thought would be cool with a center piece of driftwood so fish can swim in circles around it. Just like they do for saltwater fish in those circular tanks.

But what about the small/slender ones?

I saw this for sale yesterday and it really had me wondering.... why?

This isn’t the tank for sale, the one being sold is obviously used and much less. But still way more then I’d ever pay for only 30g of water.

I just couldn’t help but womder what fish would really be happy in an extremely tall slender tank? I can’t imagine even small schoolers would be that happy. Don’t most; if not all, fish rather have length over hight for swimming?

Is this a tank you’d plant and just add shrimp?

Simply a really bad novelty design?

Obviously the small footprint is appealing to anyone with limited space, but what can you put in it?

 

[Glenn238]

I've never understood these tanks either! I feel like most fish need the length in a tank not height maybe guppies could work in there I have no idea lol I'm curious as well

 

[MrsE88]

I think the keyword is “designer” meaning useless. Haha. But still was curious if anyone has found a suitable use for such a tank. Maybe something out of the box I wouldn’t think of.

 

[Glenn238]

You can put some flowers in it and have an extremely tall vase lol

 

[Fat Homer]

I guess if you had say a lot of driftwood and plants all the way going up you could keep a range of smaller fish in there...

The only problem with that though, is it would be a PITA to clean...

 

[MrsE88]

Glenn238 Haha! A very expensive vase.

Fat Homer Oh goodness yes. I don’t even want to think about how hard this would be to keep clean.

 

[J. H.]

I saw one with dwarf seahorses in it once, it was really cool, as they are that shape and really only swim from one Blade of grass to the next. It wasn't as skinny as the tank in the picture, though.

 

[Gourami Swami]

To many (probably the majority) people who keep fish, fish are not a hobby or a pet, but simply a decoration.This is very unfortunate in my opinion because it leads to ideas like this, which put form before function, and are detrimental to the fish themselves. There is a Chinese restaurant I've been going to for years that has a tank exactly like this, though it is quite tall and I think more than 30 gallons. They have some fancy goldfish in it, and while the volume is adequate, the goldies don't seem to have much room to swim horizontally, and I can imagine that only going up & down all day is probably disorienting and difficult for them.
Working at Petco currently, and it's all too clear that many of the customers there see the fish almost like a knick knack out for display on a coffee table, rather than a living being. Worst part of my job is having to talk to those people. And, that is why tanks like this would exist.

 

[MrsE88]

To many (probably the majority) people who keep fish, fish are not a hobby or a pet, but simply a decoration.This is very unfortunate in my opinion because it leads to ideas like this, which put form before function, and are detrimental to the fish themselves. There is a Chinese restaurant I've been going to for years that has a tank exactly like this, though it is quite tall and I think more than 30 gallons. They have some fancy goldfish in it, and while the volume is adequate, the goldies don't seem to have much room to swim horizontally, and I can imagine that only going up & down all day is probably disorienting and difficult for them.
Working at Petco currently, and it's all too clear that many of the customers there see the fish almost like a knick knack out for display on a coffee table, rather than a living being. Worst part of my job is having to talk to those people. And, that is why tanks like this would exist.

This is true and very sad.

I guess this tank is somewhat on the same level as those fish bowls you hang on the wall. Really only suited to aquatic plants.

Though I do think a person could get away with a small handful of tinny fish if the tank was heavily planted. Shrimp, maybe a snail or two that won’t breed.
The hight is just crazy to me though. Suppose pea puffers would like that kinda hight?

 

[MrsE88]

I saw one with dwarf seahorses in it once, it was really cool, as they are that shape and really only swim from one Blade of grass to the next. It wasn't as skinny as the tank in the picture, though.

This reminded me of pipefish. I had to go read up on them again. I wouldn’t keep them in an odd tank like this, but gosh they would be awesome. Ugh, I need to downsize, not find more fish for my want list