Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!amdahl!ames!aurora!agate!jade!ucbvax!rutgers!galaxy!andromeda!whitling
From: whitling@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Donna Whitlinger)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Tank Size
Summary: Extra High Tanks
Keywords: Layered Fish
Message-ID: <348@galaxy>
Date: 18 Jan 88 15:56:23 GMT
References: <5927@sol.ARPA>
Sender: news@galaxy
Reply-To: whitling@andromeda.UUCP (Donna Whitlinger)
Organization: Eagle Winged Palace
Lines: 27

In article <5927@sol.ARPA> becker@cs.rochester.edu (Tim Becker) writes:
>Well, I'd like to get something bigger than my 20 gal long (for fresh
>water fish).  The tank is in my living room so a mega-gallon 6 foot long
>tank is not within my limits.
>
>[stuff deleted about specific tank sizes]
>
>However, I wonder what other folks think about bigger tanks -- like
>hexagonal tanks?  Or a 45 gal that is about the same width as my 20
>long, but higher and deeper.  Are there problems with high tanks - lots
>of water depth?
>

I have a 20 gallon extra high tank.  It has the same footprint as a standard
ten gallon tank.  I bought the tank because it was attractive and fit the
space I had available, but had twice as much water.  Therefore, I reasoned
it should be able to support twice as many fish.  Well sort of.  It may be
the water depth, but the fish don't swim around it the way they do in my
20 gallon long tank.  They tend to stratify:  catfish on the bottom, zebras
near the top, neons at about 3/4 down.  No matter what I put in the tank
there's a "bald" spot right in the middle (depthwise) and crowding in one
of the other "layers."  Has anyone else experienced this?  Right now the
tank is sitting empty because I'm so frustrated with it.

Donna Whitlinger
Rutgers University
..!rutgers!andromeda!whitling