Tank size - longer vs. wider

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Tough call for me... 50 cm = 19.6", 60 cm = 23.6". Still, I'd probably go for the 6'x2'x2' tank.

A full-grown Oscar wouldn't work in a 19.6" wide tank? Or even 18"? (Honest question - I've never kept one.)
 
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Seedy J said:
Tough call for me... 50 cm = 19.6", 60 cm = 23.6". Still, I'd probably go for the 6'x2'x2' tank.

A full-grown Oscar wouldn't work in a 19.6" wide tank? Or even 18"? (Honest question - I've never kept one.)
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post # 7, oscar in a 75 gallon tank, which has outside dimension of about 18", so this guy looks to be anywhere from 15-16" TL easily, and it's body height is close to 40% of the water depth.

http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php?topic=31996.0

View attachment 1333635
 
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Rocksor said:
If you plan to rehome the Oscar after reaching 13" in total length, you could get the 7 footer. What's the current length of the Oscar? I'm assuming pretty small since he hasn't eaten the siamese algae eaters.
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I really like Oscars. I don't plan on rehoming unless I absolutely have too. He is still a little guy now, about 10cm in length. I only got him recently and made sure he was the smallest in the tank. The SAEs are quite thick and big now, I have had them for quite a while. I have quite a bit of drift wood and rocks too, with a tangle of pothos roots - so I hope in the future they will be able to hide sufficiently. They are marvelous are very quickly clean up all the food the Oscar chews and pushes through his gills.
 
skjl47 said:
Hello; Two comments. First is about the length of your arms. Other things aside it can be a pain to deal with a tank if you cannot reach into all parts of a tank. Not the end of the world as there are ways to do things. If the decision were close I would pick the tank where I can reach everything. If both have parts out of reach then forget this.

The second is that cement slabs can be and are built to specs and are not uniform in thickness and strength. I get there is a common conception that any cement floor can support a lot of weight. This is not always the case especially on the upper floors of a building. A builder can plan the floor to be similar in strength to a wood floor or can make it even stronger. I guess the point is there can be variations in your floors structural capacity.
For example to save both overall building weigh and to save the cost on materials a builder may have the cement slabs on the upper floors be poured thinner.
A slab in a basement might be better expected to hold larger weight for two reasons. One is they often are made to have cars parked on them so are often four inches or more thick. Basement slabs are also poured directly onto compacted ground and so have support everywhere under them.

I had an article saved about this and will try to find it. You might also talk to the landlord as that would be a way to find out what you are allowed to have.
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thanks this is great. I am the landlord of the apt, so permission is not a problem haha. What I understand from the structural prints is that the floors weight bearing capacity is approx. 400kg/m2, . at the very minimum (I prefer to work a little under standard to be safe), according to the types used in UAE. (buildings are very solid here and have deep pile foundations as the sand isn't the easiest to build on).

Back when I was home in South Africa I used to have a 6ft x 3ft aquarium, this was always a challenge to work with since I could hardly reach inside and the back of the tank. I was basically swimming with the fish if I needed to do anything in it.
 
Thanks for all the feedback - it is quite apparent that the wider tank is the best option in this case. Ill keep you all updated once I have to set up!
 
mattybecks said:
I really like Oscars. I don't plan on rehoming unless I absolutely have too. He is still a little guy now, about 10cm in length. I only got him recently and made sure he was the smallest in the tank. The SAEs are quite thick and big now, I have had them for quite a while. I have quite a bit of drift wood and rocks too, with a tangle of pothos roots - so I hope in the future they will be able to hide sufficiently. They are marvelous are very quickly clean up all the food the Oscar chews and pushes through his gills.
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If food is coming out of the Oscar's gills, then the size of the food is too big. If you don't want a mess on the bottom of the tank, feed something smaller that he can swallow whole.
 
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mattybecks said:
Dubai doesn't use wood in construction here so all floors are hollowcore, reinforced concrete slabs. tank will be positioned next to a load bearing wall, which means weight shouldn't be an issue.
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This sort of question or concern comes up from time to time. Beyond placing a tank on a concrete slab designed for a building foundation, I would never trust my personal opinion on placing 2,000+ lbs of dead weight on any floor. The fact is no one can really know.

An engineer or architect that has access to the floor plans can provide a proper response definitively. Perhaps the same person could do so without the plans. Otherwise, it's just guessing. Guessing in construction and determining dead load bearing capacity is a no-no. I'd reach out to building management or local construction engineers for a professional opinion.

This takes very little time. My father (an architect) was able to advise me in just a few minutes in a phone call over a similar question.
 
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Id go with the 6 footer also I would check with a professional about your floor situation both tanks when setup will be very heavy. I broke a 20 gallon years ago in an upstairs building and I couldn't believe how mich water was on the floor
 
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