Looking at Reef Tanks

[jhutto]

Keep trying to debate with myself about the shape of a reef tank. I see all kinds from cubes to tall to rectangular to show. Have been thinking of getting something that I can wall up with rocks on the back with enough flow to keep it from having dead spaces and not have to scrape back. Want it to appear to be a clean and reef like look. What is the best shape for this? taller or wider or longer to give more visibility? Will be looking to do something between 90 and 120 gallons. Thoughts? and why?

Joe

 

[tsciarini]

I always opt for shallow tanks for ease of lighting. The deeper the tank the more intense lighting you need.

 

[calireefer]

You should check out the tanks at Cappuccino Bay. Real wide, not very tall and you can look down on the surface. way cool. My next tank is going to be 6ft. long by 30in. wide by 16in. tall. I'm still trying to decide on 3/4 or 1in. acrylic like the ones at Cap Bay. Anyway I don't mean to steal your thread you should check out "The Reef Aquarium" Vol. Three where J. Sprung talks about the advantages of wide over tall tanks

 

[vettesarebest]

I like a wider tank but also fairly tall. This way you can stack the rock wall and also have room for the fish to swim. My 75 gallon is like this but I have two Maxi Jet 1200's on both side's behind the rock's and there are virtually no dead spots in my whole tank.

 

[kappaknight]

It really depends on what your goals are... If you want to keep tangs or fish that loves to swim, I'd go with long. If you want corals, I'd go with shallow. Cubes are great too for a ocean in a box look... for walls, I may go with long and narrow.

 

[family reefer]

Too tall and they are tough to clean ( I service customer tanks for the Star Aquatics here in Augusta) Also you will need some "hellalotto light to punch through to the bottom. This means Heat!!. A tank that "deep" (from front to back" is better for more realistic reef rock stacks. My 135 is only 18 in. front to back. This creates a reef "Wall" instead of a gradual incline reef. Go for a tank that is at least 24 in deep, 30 in is better. Also 24 in tall is cool cause you can reach the bottom for maintenance and use less powerful lights(cheaper) and probably get away without a chiller(cheaper still) and have less power bills( Smaller lights AND no chiller) cheaper still!

 

[kevin]

I love the shalllow "look down" tanks at CBA they allow for some great visibility of coral, but I would go a little deeper, but not much. I also like the depth front to back, having a lot of room is really nice.

 

[fishybusiness]

The taller you go the less surface area to total gallons of water in sytem ratio. The taller tanks have a problem with proper gas exchange. They are also harder to reach to clean. My tank is 31" tall with a 48"x24" foot print. I like the tall tanks but I would much rather have a wider tank.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Shallow and wide tank gets my vote. I would also go no less then 18" from front to back. It is too hard to place rock in a 55G!

 

[cameron]

Tall tank owner here... go wide. I have freakishly long arms and thought depth wouldn't be a huge deal for me, but if I did it all over again I would go with wide, short and long then I would get a slightly taller stand to bring more items into eye level. IMO, taller tanks look better against a wall but they are far less functional.

 

[johnqx4]

All off the post above have accurate points. A lot of it depends on the livestock that you want to keep and the work/trouble money that you want to spend.

However, a major part of the decision may rely with your flexibility and your home.

Making the assumption that you have a space picked out... What is the best looking tank that will fill that space? and what can you afford? and how flexible are you.

points noted above:

Shorter - better for maintenance, less hard to light to bottom (money heat). generally good surface to volume ratio. but, they just don't give you that "blue water" look (IMHO). I have one, love it, but it looks more like a bright terrariam than the ocean...

Wider - Better, easier to stack rock. Don't have that "wall" look (which I personally don't mind). However, they take a lot of space away from the wall. a 30 in tank with room in the back for "stuff" comes out about 3+ feet from the wall...

Longer - Better look and better for fish that are swimmers. Not a lot of down side except for sq footage...

However if you are flexible on the livestock that you keep (i.e. you buy what fits to what you have) or if you are really hard core and willing to make your rock from aggrocrete, you can make just about anything work well.

Everyone maligns the good ole 55. But there is a reason that there are so many of them out there. They fit into most reasonable spaces very well. They can be setup to give you a great view considering the space and other resources they take up. You can find almost everything to fit to them (hoods, filters etc...). And they are (relatively) inexpensive to setup and maintain (the real key).

I had a space once that was perfect for a 55 (and just happen to have one sitting around). I made some upgrades to the stand, drilled the tank and put in an overflow, and made all of the rocks. I made them specifically to fit in each "half" be extremely stable and give me the look I wanted. Added a sump and it wound up being one of the prettiest, most care free tanks I ever had.

Look at your space, budget and flexibility... then pick your tank

My $.02 worth

johnny

 

[broreefr]

My Reef Tank is 6' long by 32" wide by 36" TALL. I have a variety of grippers and tong's. I also put in a 6 inch sandbed and borders around the bottom so its really only 30" to reach down into it.

Now I must admit that you have to be creative in accessing a tank this tall, and there are areas of the tank I will NEVER physically be able to touch. But the look of the tall tank is overwhelming to me and I do love it. Would I suggest everybody get a tall tank ? No, but you can do pretty much anything you want in a tall one, but it is a challenge to be sure and for me the rewards are worth it