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Re: Light on substrate in 70 and 75 gallon tanks
Danny asks for help in selecting between two tanks which differ
dimensionally only in depth (one being two inches deeper than the other). I
don't think you need worry about there being appreciably less light reaching
thru those extra 2" of water column. If you have enough light for the
shallower tank, it will suffice for the deeper one just as well.
Far easier to measure the length of your own arm. I have a number of 18"
deep tanks and one which is 24" deep. I can perform maintenance on the 18"
tanks with my shirt sleeves rolled up, but I have to take the shirt off to
do much of anything on the 24" tank (or risk a soggy rolled up cuff). An
"armpit" of fish-tank water can be an odd feeling (at least the first time
it happens). If you have shorter than normal arms, you might find it easier
to maintain the shallower tank and if you have long arms the extra depth of
the deeper tank won't pose a problem.
A deeper tank will NOT provide you with greater fish carrying capacity -
that is governed by the surface area of the tank (length X width). Two tanks
with the same footprint but of differing depths will have exactly the same
fish carrying capacity. That's physics.
The extra 2" in depth will allow plants like Vals to "show" a bit better,
but it would be even nicer if those extra 2" was in the tank's width (giving
you 20" front to back instead of 18"). Wider tanks give you so much more
leeway in aquascaping that it is amazing.
James Purchase
Toronto