Wide or Narrow

[PapHater]

I'm curious, does Planted Tank prefer tall narrow tanks or wide tanks. I'm thinking both aesthetically and practicality.

[mitchfish9]

IMO, definitely wide tanks. They are better for aquascaping and for viewing, especially from the side. 55's seem like they would be such a pain aquascaping, as well as less swimming room for the fish. 2:1(40b, 120) and 3:1(38,75) ratios look much better to me

[amygirl11]

I prefer the ease of planting in a tank that is more shallow.

[Smitty06]

Definitely a wide shallow tank, it also helps on the wallet when you don't have to shell out big money for a really powerful light for a deep tank.

[ValMM]

I always thought having a custom built tank with a large swimming area with really short walls would be cool. With small schooling fish. It would be kind of like a glass kiddie pool.(ex. a 10 gallon tank that was only a foot high)

[Indychus]

As much as I love the plants, my main consideration in a tank is the fish. Since most (if not all) fish swim horizontally more than vertically, I always try to go with the largest footprint possible. Tall tanks and columns never made much sense to me, unless you're doing saltwater and jellyfish or something.

[Gajidy]

I would always opt for a wide tank!

[darthmilmo]

I started with a tall 29 gallon tank. I now prefer the wider tanks. I have a 45 gallon with the same bottom dimension of a 55 gallon, but shallower height. It's wonderful for growing plants as it allows more light to get into the bottom of the tank. I also like the 20 gallon long as it allows for more coverage than the 20 gallon high. The way I see it is that wider tanks allow for more light to reach the bottom of the tanks. It also allows for more plants .

[talontsiawd]

It depends, I said wide. If I was growing all stems with no real hardscape, a more "standard size" tank is fine. For example, even though they have the same footprint, I would prefer a 29 gallon for a dutch style but a 20 long for a more natural style. However, I could do a dutch style in a 20 long but wouldn't want to try a natural style in a 29. If that makes since.

I have seen some awesome column style tanks over the years, meaning narrow and really tall, taller than they are wide. They have some challenging, specifically lighting but why I don't have interest in them is you really have to have a nice place to put them in your home to showcase them.

[Green_Flash]

I voted wide as well, more surface area is always better.

[OVT]

Tall 'column' tanks are also a pain to filter and to circulate. If you like them, get one ... and put it on its side

Square footage is your friend.

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