Are Smaller Tanks Easier to Maintain than Larger tanks?

[aqua_holic]

it really is rather simple.

In a smaller volume of water any contaminates are more greatly concentrated and parameters can more quickly and broadly go wrong if something such as a death or power loss of even a couple of hours happens.
Even with an appropriate bio-load, in the event of something like a power loss, a ten gallon will go bad a lot faster and more dramatically than a 100 gallon tank with appropriate bio-load.

That argument easily goes the other way. A smaller volume of water is less susceptible to airborne contamination than a larger volume of water due to the surface area available to receive contaminants.

I lost power for almost 5 days and my small 2.5, 5 and 10 gallon tanks were no worse off than the larger 125s. Not sure why you think that, or exactly what would go so wrong...

Don't take this the wrong way, but to suggest that fish are at risk of death due to the power being out for a couple hours is fear mongering. Yes there are extreme situations where that may happen, but as a general statement that's just not so. Fish spend days in little bags of water when shipped. A few hours with no filter is nothing by comparison.

 

[emeraldking]

To be honest, I still have a 5g tank overhere with no mechanical filtration in it. Those fish are in there for weeks.

Frequently, I also put fish in other smaller tanks without any aeration or mechanical filtration for days without any problems.

 

[PB_Smith]

That argument easily goes the other way. A smaller volume of water is less susceptible to airborne contamination than a larger volume of water due to the surface area available to receive contaminants.

I lost power for almost 5 days and my small 2.5, 5 and 10 gallon tanks were no worse off than the larger 125s. Not sure why you think that, or exactly what would go so wrong...

Don't take this the wrong way, but to suggest that fish are at risk of death due to the power being out for a couple hours is fear mongering. Yes there are extreme situations where that may happen, but as a general statement that's just not so. Fish spend days in little bags of water when shipped. A few hours with no filter is nothing by comparison.

you apparently missed my point.
I simply provided an very probable example scenario, a power outage, no fear mongering involved except on the part of the reader I guess.

a cover alleviates any concerns about airborne contaminants.

fish spend days in little bags of water when they are shipped, water that is super saturated with oxygen, treated with sedatives, antibiotics, antifungals and sometimes not even really what you would think of as "water".
At least all the shipments I unpacked that were flown in from Hawaii and South America were packed that way, and there were a lot.

it is simple science, a greater water volume equates lower concentrations of whatever substance is in question.
Curious, did you test the water parameters in the tanks to determine if "all was fine" during the power outage?

Yes, if you know what your doing and the tank is filtered and stocked appropriately, then a power outage of even a few days may not present any issues.

Your personal experience may tell you one thing, KUDOS to you for mastering fish husbandry to this point, but I'm sorry, the science simply doesn't support your hypothesis concerning differing water volumes.

 

[Ricky 1]

With all due respect guy's, I go away for 5 days soon, lets say I have a 5g or 10 at one side and my 50g at the other, a fish dies, your saying they would both be the same, surely a 50g volume would be better off than a smaller tank, admit it.......

 

[aqua_holic]

Sorry but I just haven't seen any "science" presented here to support the claims being made.

 

[aqua_holic]

With all due respect guy's, I go away for 5 days soon, lets say I have a 5g or 10 at one side and my 50g at the other, a fish dies, your saying they would both be the same, surely a 50g volume would be better off than a smaller tank, admit it.......

The failure in your logic here is comparing the same fish dying in two different sized tanks. You must compare a fish dying in the smaller tank to a proportionally equal sized fish dying in the larger tank. As I said way back, a large fish will foul the water in a large tank just as fast as a small fish in a small tank.

The fact Of the matter is that the small fish in the small tank may not even exist anymore after 5 days, while the large fish in the large tank will still be waiting for you.

 

[Ricky 1]

Ha ha I am talking here about the same size fish, if you look at like that and put a huge fish in a 10g it's good night Vienna.........

 

[aqua_holic]

Yes no question a dead guppy will have more of an impact in a 5 than a 50. And no question a dead 10 inch oscar will have more of an impact in 10 than a 100. That's why it's important to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges.

 

[emeraldking]

I rest my case... !

 

[aqua_holic]

I rest my case... !

Your case rests on comparing apples to oranges....which doesn't prove anything at all. One could easily counter your argument with the same flawed logic by saying that more fish could die in the larger tank, crashing the tank faster.

 

[dalto]

Even with an appropriate bio-load, in the event of something like a power loss, a ten gallon will go bad a lot faster and more dramatically than a 100 gallon tank with appropriate bio-load.

Why? If both are stocked to the same relative density than the concentrations of whatever substance you are worried about should stay the same.

The only exception I can think of would be heat. However, heat dissapation is a way more complicated calculation than just water volume. Tank shape and glass thickness will have an impact here.

With all due respect guy's, I go away for 5 days soon, lets say I have a 5g or 10 at one side and my 50g at the other, a fish dies, your saying they would both be the same, surely a 50g volume would be better off than a smaller tank, admit it.......

What, exactly, do you think your dead guppy is doing to contaminate your tank water? Surely, the bio-filter on a cycled 10g tank can handle a decomposing dead guppy without causing undo harm to the rest of your fish. The point is that practically there is no difference.

 

[aqua_holic]

There is always a gap between theory and practice.

 

[emeraldking]

Well Aqua_holic,

You didn't understand what I meant by "I rest my case" to start with. My remark refers to you and Ricky 1 that you guys sorted it out. So, and I was happy with that. That's why I wrote: I rest my case! So, that it's settled regarding what you were discussing. Nothing more, nothing less...

And just one remark left: I've never mentioned that something was proved to start with. Just read it all over again what I wrote...

 

[emeraldking]

There is always a gap between theory and practice.

I do agree with this statement for a big deal... But this goes for every field. So, not just aquaristics...

 

[aqua_holic]

Oh okay, my apologies. There were indeed many cases

 

[emeraldking]

No problem!

 

[emeraldking]

I guess, you've mixed me up with the other member. For if you read my posts; I've even agreed with your story before...

 

[aqua_holic]

It gets hard to keep things straight with long threads on the phone

 

[Ricky 1]

I suppose we all have our own thoughts what is right, it is an interesting read, and always gives food for thought..........at the end of the day, we all care about our fish and that is the main thing.........

 

[emeraldking]

Exactly, Ricky!
Being an aquarist for over 40 years seems enough motivation to say that I'm seriously involved with this hobby. I could screw up by making false statements. But why should I? I love my fish just like you guys do...

Well, Aqua_holic, I don't use a phone for the internet. I'm still doing oldschool! Just by computer! Bigger screen and much more relaxed I assume... Oh yeah, and the keyboard is bigger! When you get older some items are a bit more practical than some new things like smartphones and so... LOL!