I'm in the initial research stages of upgrading my 55 US gal for my new baby Oscar. I'm curious about tank dimensions.

My initial thoughts were a 72" X 18" X ??? but I was also intrigued by the corner and hexagon shaped aquariums. A corner unit of 36" X 36" X 30" would be 125 US gallons, equivalent to various rectangle shaped tanks.

After reading the informative various articles and posts on this site, it seems 125 US gallons would be adequate.

What are the pros/cons of the corner/hexagon shaped tanks verses a more "traditional" rectangle-shape? is volume (gallons) of water the same, regardless of shape of tank?

Do any of you have a corner or hexagon shaped setup? thanks in advance for any thoughts on this

one of my tank is actually a four front corner tank, not octagon since one side
is straight against the wall. the only disadvantages is that you have a lot more
loose panel relying on silicon adhesive only. so far, i only have one time
leakage when my previous ID shark bump the wall with full force. but it doesn't
have much difference because it also happened in my four sided tank.

in oscar, volume of water counts a lot... cleaning has to be considered because
it is very hard to reach the bottom of the tank if it is to deep.

just my two cents opinion

PAUL wrote:


My community tank is a very high, strange shaped hexagon.


The height of the tank creates extra volume, but is a pain in maintenance.
I'd never want a bigger fish in there,cuz i can never do a relaxed waterchange.
It allways involves climbing and balancing.
I think my O likes his 6 foot tank, and it gives him a bit of room to swim.
I sometimes think about putting him in the other tank, just to see how quick he can eat all those lovely small fish!
btw the tank is a 90 Gl and only reaches into the room 3'.
It is actually convienient if you haven't got so much room to spare.

water volume plays an important role in keeping large cichlids but another important factor is swimming area as well. even though you can get a hex tank in the 125 gallon range your 12+ oscar will only have a lateral area of 36 inches to swim in(3 times his body lengh). now with a 125 gallon 72 inch tank which holds the same amount of water give the same oscar 6 times his body lengh in lateral area. its not to hard to figure out what would be better for your oscar when you break things down.

necromancer4 wrote:


X2

The other problem with hexagonal tanks is the view you get when a fish swims across a join, looking at an angle you can sometimes see your fish twice. Try looking at a corner of a normal tank. If you have a curved tank it can change the length of you fish. Have a look at a goldfish swimming in a bowl to see the effect, small at front and large at the back