# 75 vs 90 gallon?



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

A good buddy of mine had a 90. He thought it was a 75 for the longest time and everytime I saw his tank I would comment on how it looked so much bigger than my 75. It is noticeably bigger even when they aren't side by side. There is no arguing with more water volume. If you have the option I would definately spring for the 90. It's just a more substantial tank. Isn't a 33 long the same footprint as the 40 breeder?? But the 40 breeder is WAY more popular and it looks better in my opinion. I don't know that I would break down and transfer everything from a 75 to a 90 if it was all setup and cycled and stocked. When I set up my fish room / office I will probably go with 90's on this rack.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

I've got both the 75 and the 90 one in front of the other in the fish house. 
My personal preference is for the 75.
I like the way it takes a scape better than the 90.


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## nel (Jan 23, 2016)

If you would like to keep some high fish like angels or discus 90g would be much better. 
With any other fish in my opinion high tanks aren't so great. Hard to light (it's 10 cm difference!), most fish prefer horizontal swimming space (90g is only ~3 cm longer) - you're gaining nothing in this terms. Of course more water=more stability, but with right filtration you could keep more or less same fish in both tanks and 75 g will look much better.
It's my personal opinion, but if you are not planing fish like angels or discus, 75g would do better.


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## Vinster8108 (Sep 1, 2016)

Really depends on the goal & intensity of you aquascape. If you don't like having wet shoulders, the 75 might be a better choice.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

I've had a few of each and ended up keeping the 90's. I like them because I like the height for things like jungle val, floating plants, large swords, and my 75's got too cramped looking for what I was keeping. I do like the panoramic look of the 75s. I'll take a 180 over a 220 all day...

This is one of those questions where you can ask 5 people and get 5 different answers and none are really wrong. It depends on your overall plans. Iwagumi setups with lots of carpet and little vertically = go 75. Big plants, lots of hardscape = 90 may suit you better

To your questions:
"In terms of being able to keep different fish, does a 90g buy you anything?"
- A little, for things like angels or discus, or larger fish in general. For most fish, not really except you could keep a few more

"Does the extra 4" of height make it more challenging to light for a planted tank?"
- You'll need brighter light to grow carpets (or more light hungry plants at the bottom), which can invite algae up top. May or may not matter depending on your layout plans. If you're not trying to grow demanding plants along the bottom, you prob won't notice much difference

"I'm just wondering if it is worth the extra hassle of cleaning/lighting/etc."
- Lots of variables to consider: cleaning will get your arms 4" wetter which may not matter depending on your height, or desire to use a stool or tools for reach. lighting may or may not matter much depending on your goals.

It's all up to your overall goals. And what you like today, may be different down the road.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

For African cichlids or highly territorial open water species maybe syno's ... There probably isnt much difference. For schooling fish, tetras, Rainbows, and any grouping or non grouping smaller fish that 15 gallons of space is going to allow bigger groups and more impressive displays. I think a 90 would make a Dutch or iwagumi scape more difficult, but anything else with hardscape would be nearly the same. It would give more options if you wanted a mid level species like tetras and a large group of top level species like hatchets or Furcata Rainbows.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Yeah I wouldn't try for carpeting plants that need really intense light but otherwise the choice is mostly cosmetic (and of course the larger volume of water means more fish possible). I have been considering a 75, 90, and 100 (5' x 18") and the one thing that I know would annoy me about the 90 is the depth when fixing things in the scape. If the stand is 30" or taller this will be a real hassle unless you are 6'5" with really long arms. My 36g is really tall and on a 30" stand and I hate having to clean it.

Bump: Oh and just want to add one thing that I have found helpful is just to do a search on Youtube for 75 gallon tanks and then one for 90 gallon tanks. See what others have done and if you like the look of it and compare them. Can be helpful because sometimes it is hard to get an image in your head just how big these tanks will really be. 

Also maybe get some big cardboard and set it up in your house in the location where the tank will be to get more of an idea of how the tank will fill the space.


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