When you’re ready to add some marine beauty to your home by bringing a new aquarium, it’s important to know your objectives and the overall look that you are trying to achieve.
Do you want an aquarium of colorful fish or one that doesn’t have as many fish but comes with lots of interesting and intricate details?
The decision depends on you and your home, both inside and out. Setting out clear goals for yourself about what type of tank or fish you’d like in the tank will be much easier for you when searching for the perfect aquarium size that matches those preferences.
Aquariums come in various sizes ranging from the tiny two and a half-gallon to as big as 500 gallons. The pet fish lovers struggle to choose the perfect size that works for them and gives their fish a safe, happy, healthy living space.
Well, for the aquarium sizes, it is believed that the bigger, the better! But it all depends on how well you can maintain it.
Diving deeper into the comparison, bigger tanks are more costly. Yet, they give the fish more space to swim. While the smaller ones are less expensive to purchase, they make it harder to pick the right fish that can survive.
Apart from the massive variety of aquarium sizes, the best size lies somewhere between 75 gallons and 90 gallons.
Many people choose these tanks because they have a large fish collection, but it takes a lot of careful thought to decide which size is best for you. Before you buy a 75 or 90-gallon fish tank, you should consider the following questions.
Decide What You Want In Your Tank
When heading over to your local fish store to invest in an aquarium, it’s very important to know what you want in the tank before you start browsing.
Do you want a tank full of colorful fish?
Or maybe a tank that doesn’t have colorful fish but has a unique background?
Knowing what you want from the tank will help eliminate the stress of picking out the aquarium. It will also help you avoid buying something you don’t want or need.
Plan How Big You Want Your Tank To Be
Almost all fish owners want the biggest tank they can fit in their living space. But how large is too large? The aquarium size that most aquarists agree is ideal is somewhere between a 75 gallon or a 90-gallon tank.
The reasons for this are pretty straightforward. 75 gallons or 90 gallons is big enough to house a large number of fish comfortably, but it’s still a manageable size for most people who are willing to take on the responsibility.
Decide On The Filter And Lighting You Want To Add To Your Tank
The two major factors to consider when choosing a filter are the tank’s size and the fish’s bioload. The bioload is the number of fish you want to keep in the tank and their overall health. A tank with a smaller bioload will need less filtering, but the filtering will still need to be very high to keep the tank clean. A larger tank with more fish will need more filtering, but the additional fish will help keep the tank clean.
How to set up your tank?
For those who are an amateur in the hobby, getting your aquarium set up correctly can be a bit of a challenge.
There are many different things to consider – such as what type of fish you want, how big of a tank you get, and what kind of decorations you want. It can all be overwhelming, especially for people who aren’t familiar with aquariums. The key to having a successful tank is to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into before you set up your tank.
That way, you won’t end up with a tank that’s too small or too large, and you won’t spend money buying things you don’t need. It’s also important to make sure you set it up correctly right from the start, so you don’t end up doing extra work down the road.
If you have a fish tank, you probably know what type of fish you want to keep and what kind of fish you don’t want to keep. However, most aquarium holders get confused in selecting either a 75 gallon or a 90-gallon tank for their home.
So, here we are comparing both the sizes and their possible pros and cons so that you can conveniently select which size goes best for your house.
Which Size Goes Best For Your Home – 75 VS 95 Gallon Aquarium
75-Gallon Tank for Your Home
The space and the stocking options that come along with a 75-gallon tank are simply perfect. But before you invest your time, efforts, and money in such a large setup for your pet fish, the following are some of the key points that should be considering.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the bigger tanks are good for the fish, but they can give the hobbyists a difficult time caring and cleaning.
However, if you already have experience of the regular chores related to smaller fish tanks and are ready to invest even more time and energy in your hobby then only, you are ready to take a step further. But, if not, we would suggest giving it another thought before actually bringing a 75-gallons tank home.
The most common mistake that hobbyists make is that they overlook the availability of enough space that may be required. Well, before purchasing a 75-gallons tank, make sure your home has enough space for the setup according to the dimensions of the aquarium.
If you want to upgrade your fish tank, you must be well aware of the cost it will charge. Make sure you have a proper budget to set up a 75-gallon fish tank in your home, including all the additional fishes, substrate, filtering, lightning, and so on.
Lastly, increasing the size of your fish tank increases the owners’ responsibility. You need more time, energy, money, and effort to make this setup work best for you and your fish.
Pros of a 75-Gallon Fish Tank
- A 75-gallon tank is more affordable;
- It offers enough stocking space as compared to smaller tanks;
- It needs comparatively less space for the setup;
- The maintenance required is also less than that required for a 90-gallon fish tank.
Cons of a 75-Gallon Fish Tank
- They are pricey, categorized as large tanks, but they are visually very similar to 55-gallon tanks;
- They often result in the overcrowding of fish;
- Cleanliness and maintenance, although less as compared to a 90-gallon tank but still require a lot of time and energy.
90-Gallon Aquarium for Your Home
A 90-gallon tank is huge. Yes! Among the big tank sizes, 90 gallons hold a prominent spotlight as it can stock several fishes and is perfect for saltwater aquarium setups.
However, as said before, if you have experience keeping a fish tank and are well aware of all the important maintenance chores, you should only then consider buying a 90-gallon fish tank as it brings a lot of responsibility. Moreover, a 90-gallon tank weighs about 160 lbs when empty and around 1100 lbs when filled, which causes certain questions to arise, like is the floor sturdy enough to support such a load or not?
Well, if your home floor cannot hold such a load, it’s better to reinforce the floor accordingly to keep up with the tank weight. Also, the other important factor is the surrounding space. Make sure you have enough space for such a setup at your home.
Moving forward to the key points, well, they are even greater than that required for a 75-gallon fish tank. The larger a tank is, the greater maintenance costs it requires. Moreover, space, efforts, maintenance, and finally, commitment – all of them need to be one step ahead for a 90-gallon fish tank, as having a 90-gallon tank and maintaining it for long is no joke! Efforts and consistency are a must.
Pros of a 90-Gallon Fish Tank
- It offers more stocking space;
- The viewing area is large;
- More water volume for the fishes to swim freely;
- Gives a happy, healthy, and lively atmosphere to the fishes.
Cons of a 90-Gallon Fish Tank
- A 90-gallon tank is much more expensive compared to smaller tanks;
- Need more space for the setup;
- The height of the tank makes it difficult for you to reach the bottom and adjust things properly;
- Maintenance is comparatively tough and requires you to invest more time and energy.
Final Words
Reading the article, many among you might be clear and confident about what they should buy and what things they should consider before buying a large aquarium. But for those who are still confused and looking for a preferred option, we would recommend a 90-gallon tank for a home aquarium for a few reasons. First, a 90-gallon tank is a better size for most saltwater fish you are likely to purchase. The bigger the tank, the more stable the environment that will keep the fish healthy and happy. Finally, the bigger the tank, the better it looks in your house! But consider it only if you are well prepared for all the struggles and efforts required to flourish.
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