50 gallon or 55 gallon

[Visionist]

Im going to buy a 50 or 55 gallon tank today as im not really satisfied with my 20g long. Should I get a 50 or 55? Petsmart has the 55 with canopy for 199 while the 50 with canopy is 160. I can fit and afford both but the 55 will be a bit harder to fit. Is there a big difference between what I could keep in both sizes?

 

[deadmanwalking]

There's not really a huge difference, no - i'd go for the 50 gallon.

 

[TOMatt]

I chose a 50Gallon for 2 reasons:
1. Cheaper.
2. Lighter. The extra water weighs a bit more, and since my tank is on a slightly unlevel heavy-duty bookshelf (very thick wood, supported well), i didn't want to risk it.

For visual size, i doubt there's any noticeable difference.

 

[Visionist]

so really there isn't much in the difference in how many fish you can keep?

 

[Antheia]

May I also suggest going to an aquarium store besides PetSmart, if possible. I bought my 26 gallon tank from Petsmart and spent about $160.00 on it. I have started going to a local aquarium store and in this store they are selling a 75 gallon tank for $177.00 with a stand. Lol! Needless to say, I felt a bit over charged for my fish tank and stand Good luck with your search!

 

[Visionist]

May I also suggest going to an aquarium store besides PetSmart, if possible. I bought my 26 gallon tank from Petsmart and spent about $160.00 on it. I have started going to a local aquarium store and in this store they are selling a 75 gallon tank for $177.00 with a stand. Lol! Needless to say, I felt a bit over charged for my fish tank and stand Good luck with your search!

Doesn't exist. Prices of tanks here really suck. I'm in Newfoundland, Canada and we only have a few Pets Unlimited and 1 Petsmart. The price of tanks at Pets Unlimited is absolutely terrible so petsmart is really the only other option. There is one dedicated freshwater fish store but they only sell fish, no accessories or tanks.
So I'll end up paying around 160+tax for the 50 gallon + canopy and another 150 for a stand.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Craigslist works great too, much cheaper.

 

[Visionist]

Craigslist works great too, much cheaper.

We don't even have a craigslist here haha(there is, but only like 5 ads at a given time). On the classifieds here there isn't much difference. Every now and then deals pop up but most times you have people selling 20-30 gallon tanks on stands for $250. The few I did look at didn't come with a stand or a canopy and by the time I bought them I would be paying the same as if I bought it new.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Haha you live out there. I thought I was in the middle of nowhere in upstate NY.

 

[Visionist]

Or I could get this: 60 Gallon Aquarium » Marineland® 60 Gallon Heartland Aquarium Ensemble | PetSmart
But the only problem is that I've read the stand doesn't work well with carpet...in that it leans forward slightly.

 

[azmodan]

so really there isn't much in the difference in how many fish you can keep?

Always go with the largest aquarium you can afford. In this case the 55gal is 48 inches long while a standard 50 gal is 36 inches long. That's a pretty big difference and will be a factor when it comes to stocking your tank. Just remember that length is always more important than height when it comes to aquariums, so a 4 foot tank is considered quite a bit larger than a 3 foot tank even though it's only 5 gallons larger in total volume.

 

[Visionist]

Always go with the largest aquarium you can afford. In this case the 55gal is 48 inches long while a standard 50 gal is 36 inches long. That's a pretty big difference and will be a factor when it comes to stocking your tank. Just remember that length is always more important than height when it comes to aquariums, so a 4 foot tank is considered quite a bit larger than a 3 foot tank even though it's only 5 gallons larger in total volume.

The 50 gallon petsmart sells is also 4 feet. The difference between the 50 and the 55 that petsmart sells is 4 inches in height. The same goes for that 60 gallon, its only difference between the 50 and the 55 is a bit more height and less length.

 

[azmodan]

Oh nice! Then it wouldn't make a significant difference at all.

 

[Antheia]

This is a really nice tank!!

 

[Visionist]

This is a really nice tank!!

What is exactly?

 

[Peteostler43614]

I would go with the 50g, cheaper so you can get more expensive fish once it has cycled.....

 

[Visionist]

I would go with the 50g, cheaper so you can get more expensive fish once it has cycled.....

The only thing im worried about now is that ive read that larger topfins are all tempered glass.