Getting a tank with fish is a big responsibility and a full-time job, but getting the best 50 gallon fish tank is double everything. You’re going to need a bit more of everything in order to get things going and you need to be a bit more careful with the products you purchase because a bigger and heavier tank means more things to worry about.
You need to think of a proper 50-55 gallon fish tank stand to support its weight. The aquarium stand is a must for a 50 gallon fish tank.
Other things to consider are LEDs with strong lights that can illuminate all the tanks without a problem, the right decorations and plants so your setup looks complete and there are no awkward empty spaces around.
Important is the quality of the tank itself. A bad quality tank can cause way more problems than you might think, making it an overall horrible experience, when the hobby of fish-keeping should soothe your nerves rather than agitate them.
Besides the hardships, a 50 gallon fish tank gives you great space to experiment and keep quite a bunch of fish. With a 50-gallon tank, you can maintain many different species of fish with so much flexibility and freedom. These tanks can do everything from freshwater fish tanks to reef tanks to paludariums.
With this much flexibility, you’ll not only provide a great environment for your fish to grow but you’ll also have plenty of fun creating a cool setup with a modern fish tank and colorful fish, plants, and decorations. We invite you to read our review below of the best 50 gallon fish tanks in the market that will hopefully lead you to the ultimate 50 gallon aquarium setup.
- Best Overall: SeaClear Acrylic Aquarium Combo Set
- Best with Heater: Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit
- Best Budget: Aqua Culture Aquarium Starter Kit
- Best Cube: Starfire 50-Gallon Rimless Aquarium
Best 50 Gallon Fish Tank Reviewed
It’s time to start shopping for a fish tank. The following list contains some of the best 50 gallon fish tanks in a variety of designs and materials to help fulfill the needs of your fish.
If your decision is determined by quality and value for money, the choice is clear (pun intended): SeaClear. Nobody can correspond to the quality of this tank and just how nice it feels from unboxing it to set it up to use it afterward.
SeaClear can make even the most extravagant aquatic aspirations come true for anyone rather they are beginners or more seasoned fish-keepers. This tank is made of acrylic making it more resistant to chips or cracking than glass, making it safer for children and pets.
This combo includes an electrical light fixture. It has enough space to put as many decorations as you want and it can be used either as saltwater or freshwater. Either way, you can’t go wrong with the SeaClear tank which will be a great main piece for your setup. To your benefit, this tank also comes with a lifetime warranty.
For 50 years, fishkeeping aficionados have looked to the Tetra name for goods and solutions that add simplicity and beauty to their home. The Tetra 55 Gallon aquarium kit provides the optimal habitat to improve your fish’s daily life. Whether you’re a veteran enthusiast or just starting, this big tank has everything you need to maintain your fish successfully.
You may have more fish but a broader variety of fish with a larger aquarium setting. You can bring a breath of fresh air from this one and there’s a bunch of things included in the kit like the filter the heater, thermometer, plants, and many more. This kit is truly age and profession friendly for it does its job easily and gives you some time and space to experiment and make some interesting mixes.
The Aqua culture 55-Gallon aquarium start kit is an excellent way to give a touch of nature to your home. This 55 gallon kit is ideal for enhanced spaces in which it is displayed on an approved stand for large aquariums that can fully support this tank.
The hood of the Aqua Culture Starter kit makes your aquarium natural light shimmer due to its low profile and also contains energy-efficient LED lighting that imitates natural sunshine. This set has an inner Tetra filter that offers a strong, yet still filtering system to ensure your fish are healthy and their water is crystal clear.
You won’t need to remove the hood at all because there are integrated cutouts in this tank that leave space for filter cartridge changes easily and feeding as well. Overall a great choice for most people out there that also comes in a kit to save you money and time to buy everything separately.
This is a great 50-gallon Starfire tank that is nearly a cube coming at 24′′ L x 24′′ W x 20′′ H dimensions. It’s great for someone who wants many fish and a big tank that won’t take up much physical space. This tank will provide a different approach because unlike other tanks that come with a corner overflow, this one doesn’t. This 50 gallon fish tank is an excellent starting place for either coral or saltwater environments.
The only drawback is that you need to buy a filter, pump, hood lamp, and heater separately for this isn’t a tank kit. However, it’s a well-constructed aquarium with excellent plumbing, different overflow, and great glass quality.
Equipment You Need for Your 50 Gallon Fish Tank
Before choosing the tank and starting your new hobby, it’s better to know some of the essential equipment you must have. It’s better to have information about them first so it can give you space to rethink your purchase if something does fit you.
Tank Stand
It’s not an easy task to keep an aquarium. From choosing the proper one to caring for the fish within it, everything takes time and labor. If you are thinking of raising fish, a fish tank stand is crucial for a variety of reasons, especially for the larger sizes.
Although you already know tanks weigh a lot, they weigh more than you think they do. They weigh so much that if put on the floor with nothing to distribute the weight they might crack it. (Never put your tanks on the floor).
To avoid any accidents like broken coffee tables or cracked floors, people came up with aquarium stands. They’re pieces of furniture that have to be strong and durable to support the tank and distribute the weight perfectly.
On larger tanks, they’re necessary and you need to do accurate research. If you need some help with that, you can check our guide to finding the best 50 or 55 gallon tank stand.
Substrate
Whereas substrate isn’t necessary for some fish and plants, the vast majority of ecosystems need them. It also helps to create a more natural environment for your fish while also allowing plants to grow. When choosing, go for healthy, clean, and nutritious alternatives for your fish.
Plants & Decoration
Plants and decorations are usually missing even for tank kits equipped with pumps and filters and all. Fish need a secure space to hide when disturbed. You could wind up having agitated and sick fish in your tank if the small stone castles or ships in which to hide are lacking.
You can provide your fish with spaces to hide as well as give a cool look to your tank with the SpongeBob fish tank decoration. If Spongebob is not your favorite movie, what about Star Wars fish tank decorations? it does not matter which one you choose but a plain aquarium with nothing just water and fish is somewhat uninspiring for you and your house decor.
The small touches that give it some individuality are the plants, decorations, and other materials you place in an aquarium. Always put some money aside from the beginning for these nearly critical extras.
What to Look for When Buying The Best 10 Gallon Fish Tank
The many methods in which fish tanks are built up, from the services they give to you, your fish, and your existing circumstances take so much research to be assimilated. There are numerous things to take into account while making a purchase.
It’s vital to understand, before you put yourself out there, what alternatives you have first. Don’t go hunting for the ones with the lowest price under the impression that you’ll get anything good. Although price isn’t everything, it’s one of the main indicators of product quality. You won’t find solutions to your problems in the lowest price range or a suitable fish tank that merely fulfills the minimal quality requirement.
Thankfully, our team has come up with a list that you can check off like a to-do list when making your choice. You’ll find all that you need to know to choose the best 50 gallon fish tank. So let’s start to discover our checkpoints!
Shape and Form
- Round: The round fish tanks are obviously round in the form of a bowl. You might’ve heard them being referred to as a fishbowl. You probably have seen them in dorms and such and they’re usually small tanks. The form factor is usually mostly aesthetic so there’s not any setbacks or pros with either.
- Cube: The most common of the bunch, cube aquariums are the standard view when you think of domesticated fish. They’re easy to fit places, easy to find stands for and have a collected visual that can fit in most places’ decor with ease.
- Curved front: A curved front tank is usually a one-piece in a tank manufacturer’s collection. It’s a perfect option for people that want something different with a touch of tradition in it. It’s bold and out there and will definitely attract some attention to itself.
Material
- Glass aquarium: Glass is definitely the most common type of material that’s used in fish tanks in most environments. This might come due to the classic look and feel attached to the nostalgia people have when interacting with a glass tank. However, it is heavier than plastic and might be a bit of a hassle for bigger aquariums that are really heavy and can be barely moved around.
If you see fit that a glass tank won’t be an inconvenience, its sleek and delicacy serve as a great choice either way. It’s widely more costly, but the difference between materials is nearly insignificant. Regardless of personal choices or general statistics, you’re free to make your own choice fearless and with no regrets. - Plastic aquarium: Many have a set opinion that all plastic tanks are bad or plastic tanks hurt your fish or whatnot. These are definitely some conspiracy theories created by years of misinformation that have spread like fairytales between aquarists.
The truth is that there is no obvious or important drawback to plastic tanks when it comes to your fish. Sure, you can scratch it more easily, but who would even move their 50 gallon fish tank around so much to scratch it as much. And actually, these tanks can be a much safer option if you have pets or kids around you that might cause an accident at any given time. In addition to personal preference, there is not much difference between a plastic/acrylic aquarium and a glass aquarium.
Design
When shopping for anything that will find shelter inside your home we tend to go for something that will blend with the overall aesthetic. If your home is anything but a plethora of vintage, a modern fish tank will be the way to go.
There’s not much to go wrong with here, because a modern aquarium setup can definitely spice up your interior design and give your house a little taste of the future. While most of the tanks we review are part of this contemporary and future-proof design, Fluval is the brand that focuses the most on the way the tanks look while also ensuring great quality.
The other tanks are just as good, so keep in mind, as we grew to know, these shapes, forms and designs are just ways of distinguishing tanks from each other, not at all putting them in a hierarchy.
Types of Ecosystem
A 50 gallon fish tank is quite large, meaning that you have the freedom to set it up as both, freshwater and saltwater. We will dive into both of them and you can decide which path is best for you.
Freshwater Fish Tank
Freshwater tanks need less care put into them, are easier to move around, and are generally cheaper than the other options. They’re perfect for newbies because they don’t give much room for error and they also help when you don’t have the time to complete many tasks.
Setting up a freshwater aquarium it’s easy and less equipment is needed. They’re the choice most people go through when first purchasing a tank and also the choice they usually stick to for a while due to how easily manageable they are. The choice between ecosystems is usually made in regards to the fish you have or want to have.
Saltwater Fish Tank
In saltwater tanks, you may sweat a little more with everything to give your fish the proper treatment, but they also leave space for an environment that’s more diverse and easier to alternate between species. Everyone with a little bit of help can set up a saltwater aquarium. More equipment and time spent are needed for this type of ecosystem.
People with experience that have proper knowledge of what they’re doing might find a more interesting approach to this tank. This ecosystem will supply them with an astonishing diversity and the money spent on it won’t even begin to justify the amazing things you’re going to get out of it.
Conclusion
All in all, no one of the aforementioned items will dissatisfy you. You never get caught in a position you can’t manage with so many choices. There’s plenty to choose from and make sure to make your choice based only on what you think will benefit you and your fish the most.
You can even go for a 50 gallon fish tank and stand combo based on our reviews. The essential thing to remember is that you, your house, and your fish are the main factors to consider. Every choice should be made with those three things in mind (mainly the fish) and shouldn’t be influenced if these three things are satisfied. We hope we helped you make the better choice for you and your little aquatic pet on finding the best 50 gallon fish tank out there.
