To What Degree Does Tank Size Mitigate Aggression?

[ca1ore]

Been thinking about this lately. Clearly fish that are not space-stressed are less likely to show aberrant or hyper aggressive behavior; yet if two fish are hell bent on mutual destruction, even a large tank doesn't help. So how big does a tank need to be to offer enough space that two fish can stay away from each other? I have a 450 ..... it's not big enough. Saw the 20,000 gallon tank on Long Island ..... that seemed big enough. So I guess it's somewhere in between. Been conceptualizing my next tank (somewhere in the 2,800 gallon range - 16' x 6' x 4'). Would that be big enough I wonder?

 

[Geebs19]

Hmm, I think it really depends on what type of fish are being housed, how many, I dont really think there would ever be a happy medium in a in home tank that is realistic for the common aquariast, Over 500 gallons.

 

[Waters]

I think it depends on the species, and attitude of the individual fish. Even a 20,000 gallon tank could cause issues if the two fighting fish end up running into each other or are fighting for the same territory. Obviously the larger the tank, the less of a chance any two fish will cross paths....which is all you can hope for

 

[reefwiser]

The fish have to have THEIR area. So fish species require larger areas that others. Many hobbyist try to push fish into a small area than maybe the fish would like because “ I just love that fish they are so cool” This always turns out badly for all involved as the stress causes disease and then that leads to death which cause people to get out of the hobby.

 

[ca1ore]

I've got as big a tank as I can reasonably manage in my current home - 9x36x30 - and it's nowhere near big enough to allow the natural movement and interaction of the fish. Was just trying to decide in my own mind whether it's a pipe-dream and just not achievable in a captive tank; or would a 16" tank, for example, allow more natural interactions?

I suppose there is no definitive answer, just the broader notion that all things equal, bigger is better.

 

[nereefpat]

Yeah, your 450 gallon isn't big enough. You should just donate it to me.

I recently spent time watching some yellow tangs at a Kona (restaurant chain). There were 4-5 yellow tangs together in the tank. The tank looked about 12' long, 3' high. Depth was hard to tell, since it was in the wall behind the bar. I was astonished at how those stupid fish, with all that space, still wouldn't leave each other alone.

Certain wrasses are bad too. Six lines don't tolerate other wrasses. Scott's supposedly don't tolerate other fairies.

 

[saltyhog]

I bet your dream 16 footer would be big enough to mitigate issues with most species of wrasses but tangs and angels? There still could be issues without considering the species chosen IMO. Great question, I know there are people here that work at large aquariums. Maybe they will contribute.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

I have a 280g now with 400 total water.. I can not imagine the heating bill on a huge tank like that.

man it would be cool though!!

 

[Jesterrace]

Been thinking about this lately. Clearly fish that are not space-stressed are less likely to show aberrant or hyper aggressive behavior; yet if two fish are hell bent on mutual destruction, even a large tank doesn't help. So how big does a tank need to be to offer enough space that two fish can stay away from each other? I have a 450 ..... it's not big enough. Saw the 20,000 gallon tank on Long Island ..... that seemed big enough. So I guess it's somewhere in between. Been conceptualizing my next tank (somewhere in the 2,800 gallon range - 16' x 6' x 4'). Would that be big enough I wonder?

Honestly no one knows the answer to that question. You have to keep in mind that with fish that swim miles between reefs that even a 20K gallon tank would be tiny by comparison. For that reason I do believe that there are some individual fish that will NEVER co-exist in captivity. Unfortunately it's easier (and much cheaper) to simply get rid of the non-cooperative fish than it is to try and build an environment for them to co-exist. Some fish simply can't abide captivity, the Great White Shark is the epitome of that. 1 million gallons and you still can get a smaller sized one to exist in it for more than a few weeks.