Which Fish Tank is Best?

Which fish tank is best? I’ve heard that question several times before. Heck, I’ve asked myself that same question many times. However, when I hear this question, it leads me to other questions, important questions. They are listed below.

Which Fish Tank is Best?: Well, What’s it For?

First, what will your fish tank be used for? Will it just be for the office—a small little tank with one danio, a neon tetra, and some colorful fake plants? Or do you want to have a tank full of fish?

In other words, do you want an aquarium with multiple types of fish? Do you want to have your danio, a red-tail shark, some hatchet fish, etc? These are very important questions. Because the type of tank you buy should match correspond with the types of freshwater fish you would like to keep in your tank.

If you are buying a tank for your children or just to see “how it goes,” I would definitely suggest a 10-gallon fish tank. Because anything smaller just won’t give you a realistic idea of the care required and anything much bigger might be too large and discourage a new aquarist right off of the bat.

After you know what your intent is for your tank, then you can focus on shopping for actual fish tanks a little better.

What a 10-Gallon Starter Tank Might Look Like

If you decide to just get started with a beginner tank, it might look like a 10-gallon fish tank with the fish listed below. These are good hardy fish for starting out. Also, before you add any fish to your aquarium, make sure you condition the water and cycle the tank. This is critical.

• Danios
• Hatchetfish
• Neon Tetras
• Tiger Barbs
• Mollies

Will You Have a Pet Blue Crayfish?

This question can be a game-changer. I started off my first 10-gallon fish tank with a pet electric blue crayfish. Pet crayfish bring a whole new element to an aquarium, no matter what the size.

Crayfish are aggressive, scavengers. They are omnivores who would love nothing more than to get their claws on your other fish, your plants, or even another crayfish. Just check out the video below. Those guys go at it!

Also, crayfish are dirty. Meaning they put out a lot of waste and can require more frequent water changes and better care of your tank so that it doesn’t get all gunked up and ugly looking.

Personally, if you were to ask me which aquarium size is best for crayfish, I’d say a 20-gallon fish tank at least. Yes, I’ve successfully kept my pet blue crayfish in a 10-gallon tank for a couple of years. However, having a pet crayfish in a 10-gallon aquarium and keeping the tank clean can be some work, believe me. Especially if you have other fish in the tank.

How Much are You Willing to Pay?

Money, how much of it do you have in the bank for an aquarium? Are you going big or are you just wanting a fish tank to get started with—something to test out and see if the aquarium thing is for you. Again, my opinion is to start small and work your way up. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. In other words, don’t take the plunge and go snatch up a 60-gallon aquarium just to see if fishkeeping is your thing. I can almost guarantee if you start that big, it won’t be your thing for long.

In short, determining which aquarium is best will depend on lots of factors. Be sure and answer the questions above. If you start small, you can always upgrade at any time. You might be perfectly content with just a 10-gallon fish tank for your entire aquarist career. However, you might start out with the 10-gallon aquarium and work your way up to a 100-gallon aquarium.

Are You Now Ready to Buy a Fish Tank?

If you are a beginner looking to buy an aquarium, let me give you a couple of ideas based on my experiences and products I’ve used and liked.

First, there is the Aqueon ten gallon fish tank. This was the first aquarium that I ever owned. It came with everything I needed to get started and was extremely easy, even for a newbie, to set up and get going.

The 10-gallon aquarium comes with a water pump, heater, filters, thermometer, lights, water conditioner, and of course the aquarium itself.

Personally, I consider this one of the best aquariums for a beginner because this model has almost five stars on Amazon, is very reasonably priced, and can be assembled quickly. I loved mine.

The second tank I’d suggest, especially if you are going to have a crayfish and other fish, is the Marineland 20-gallon LED kit with a biowheel. This thing comes with a few more bells and whistles. It has a more complex pump and filtration system than the Aqueon 10-gallon aquarium mentioned above. It also comes with a heater, blacklight setting, fishnet, water conditioner, sample food and is a really cool step up from a basic 10-gallon fish tank.

The Marineland 20-gallon is definitely the best aquarium between the two in my opinion. It gives you the opportunity to get started and the chance to grow your aquarium. And again, it’s definitely a good size to bring in a crayfish.

If you plan on having more than one crayfish, ideally, I think a tank of 55 gallons or more will be your best bet.

Recap: Which Fish Tank is Best?

Just to recap on what fish tank is best for you. Always remember to consider the intent for your aquarium. Is it just eye candy for the office, will it be something for the kids, or do you plan to grow your hobby into something big? Once you know the answers to these questions, you will have a better idea of what aquarium you want to purchase.