Tank Dilemma: 5.5ft x 1.5ft x 1ft (Cheap Neighbor Sale) vs. Standard 4ft x 2ft x 2ft for a Bichir?
Hey everyone,
I need some advice on choosing between two tank setups for a bichir.
- Option 1: A 5.5ft x 1.5ft x 1ft tank. My neighbor is selling it to me very cheap.
- Option 2: A standard 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank.
My thought process: Since bichirs are bottom dwellers, I feel like the 5.5ft tank is better. It gives a longer footprint for bottom-swimming space. The shallow 1ft height also means it is much easier for them to shoot up to the surface for a breath of air.
The catch: The 4ft tank actually holds significantly more total water volume (gallons) because of the extra width and depth, which means more stable water parameters. However, it has less linear length.
Which tank size would actually serve a growing bichir better long-term? Does the extra water volume of the 4x2x2 outweigh the footprint advantage of the shallow 5.5ft?
(For context, I am looking at keeping various types of Bichir species such as senegal, delhezi, ornate and endlicheri).