which tank will hold more fish??

OK, just a quick question. I know that surface area is more important than actual volume in a tank. I just want to know if there would be a difference between a50 gallon 48 x 18 x 13 Tall
and a 55 gallon 48 x 12½ x 21 Tallor if there would be any difference at all.
Thanks

 

in that samll of a variation, i dont think its gonna change much in regards to the amount of fish you could keep.

 

it looks like the 50 is a few inches wider. You would have a lot more rockscaping options, might be able to get a little bit more swimming room out of your lay out.

 

I would get the 50 just b/c its wider, the amount of fish IMO depends more on the total water volume rather then surface area. If you have a small surface area with good agitation from power heads, then that will do you much better then a huge surface area that doesn't. Also, if you have a skimmer and overflow and a refugium, you'll be much better off as far as oxygenation goes. IMO, the amount of fish really depends on the volume of the water and filtration system, not the surface area.

 

+1 on the 50 being the better for supporting fish

just my opinion but I believe
surface area , is more important than water volume
the surface is where CO2 escapes and where Oxygen is taken in

thus a tank 48 long by 18 wide - can safely house more fish than a tank 48 x 12 wide
amount of dissolved oxygen is often the key factor in terms of how many fish a tank can sustain

Steve

 

I'd take the 50 breeder any day over a 55.

~Will.

 

+1 50. As well as everything else that has been said, most fish don't use a lot of vertical space so you will end up with more territory for each fish with the large footprint and less height.

 

+10 to fiftybreeder...i LOVE bredder type tanks

 

thanks guys

 

ya the length would be the most important thing....both 4 foot tanks