# Ideal aquarium tank distance from the wall



## vanBuuren (May 24, 2006)

I was wondering, what is the distance from the wall you keep your tank (if your tank is against a wall of course) ?

I always let a very small gap between my tank and the wall (about 3inches) but I am realizing that for bigger tanks (5 and 6ft) it is very hard to clean the glass at back of the tank, also if you have a dark background and it need to be replaced, almost impossible to access...

So was just wondering if there was any standard of ideal distance from the wall

Thanks


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## ccol74 (Aug 13, 2006)

I keep my 75 gallon just far enough away from the wall so my filters hit. (AC 70) With the filters on the is maybe a 1/4 inch of space behind the filters. I guess that would measure to about 4 inches maybe.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

0 inches aka in the wall


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## CichlidAndrew (Jun 29, 2005)

I have canisters on mine and it sits maybe 2 1/2" away.


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## joevc1 (Dec 17, 2007)

I have a 90gal with an AC110 that needs 6" of space behind.
Plus there are other filter lines, I need to get my arm in there.


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## Awugod (Mar 10, 2006)

Mine are a couple inches away from the wall. You dont want to have them too close to the wall or you may find your stand resting on the tack strip which will throw your tank off level.


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## swamptrout (Jul 2, 2007)

my 6ft tank is located in a 8ft room. rather than centralize the tank I shifted the tank to one side so i can walk down the side of the tank and walk behind (sideways).

makes cleaning and operating easier


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## fightingfish (Apr 10, 2008)

dont do what i did if you have carpet avoid putting your tank on the tack strip!


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

Like joevc1 I have a 90 with 2 HOBs and a canister filter so my tank is 6 inches from the wall. Even if I didn't have a HOB filter I would still keep the tank at least 6 inches from the wall just to have access to the back for whatever reason.


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## Aquanist (Dec 29, 2007)

I have about 2" gap there just for tubing and electrics.


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## mikeski (Apr 26, 2006)

You need to leave room behind the tank in case you ever want to paint the wall without moving the tank.


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## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

mine is up against the wall with enough room for the hoses and stuff, so somewhere between 6 and 3 inches. And by wall, I mean stairs, so I can reach between the spindles a little bit or over the railing if I need to get back there...somewhat, I'm still limited.

I havnt yet figure out how to clean the back of the tank, Im going to eventually try some sort of a towel on a stick.

As for painting....yea.....We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.


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## vanBuuren (May 24, 2006)

Thanks everyone for your answers. I have had tanks for many years but find it funny that it is a discussion that not many peoples discuss about. It is important in a way because you do not want your tank to look to much away from the wall (if you planned to put it next a wall) but you also want to be able to clean the back once in a while so when you look on the front of your tank you do not see dirt or water splash in the back.

Anyway, I will try to leave a 4-6 inches gap between my tank and the wall for my next setup.

Thanks again!


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## swamptrout (Jul 2, 2007)

mikeski said:


> You need to leave room behind the tank in case you ever want to paint the wall without moving the tank.


thats why i did mine so i can walk behind.


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