Let's discuss tank sizes: advantages, disadvantages of the tank you have.

[Sk8r]

For people about to commit 'tank', seemed to me it would a good idea for those who have certain sizes to list pros and cons of various sizes---would you, would you not recommend, etc.

I'll start. 54g reef ready wedge bowfront with 30g sump/fuge.

1. reef ready: that's a big one for me---I'd trade a little size to get that. That means I have factory installed bulkheads [connections] on the bottom of my tank, with hoses. Had to buy the durso [pipes for the downflow].

2. wedge. I like it. Fits a corner. Drawback: the downflow is really hard to get to. Advantage: at about a yard wide, I can set my light kit on it without hanging, move it to another point of the triangle for cleaning, etc.

3. Bow. Neat look. A little disadvantage for photography, but not much.

4. size: love it.
a. 50 gallons is what all doses/stuff figures by: I never have to do crazy math to figure out my dose. Also works for 100g, 150g, 200g, easy math.
b. works great for nanofish.
c. the right size for kalkreactor to totally handle, frees me from dosing, even though keeping clam, corals, etc.
d. way less expensive than a 100g---esp. as wedge. Takes one mh light [250w], fewer fixtures, ballasts, etc. Less live rock. Etc. My tank can look 'dense' with specimens without breaking the bank.
Disadvantage: I can't keep a huge, huge lot of specimens.
Disadvantage: I can't keep tangs, rabbits, angels, anthias, or other long-running heavy oxygen breathers.
Advantage of disadvantage: if my power goes out for a day, my nanofish and corals will survive handily: all my fish have a low oxygen requirement for their size, which is small. If I have to, I can use computer battery to cycle the pump on for 5 min every hour or so and replenish oxygen.
Disadvantage: there is NO room in a wedge stand for anything but a small sump.
Advantage: it drove me to put the sump elsewhere. Much better idea. Could be beside the tank; happens to be downstairs.

Hope that might give somebody contemplating a new tank some info from someone who's pretty happy with their size/configuration.

[nismo driver]

currently i have a oceanic tech 45 set up, the tank is beautiful but not with out issues mostly flow related. because the tank is so high but not very deep from front to back its a challange to get good water movement in while also using that movement to direct detritus and other suspended particles to the over flow with out being swirled around the tank until settleing back onthe rock or sand. the over flow is also kind of in the way and makes aquascaping a challange.

other issue is that the euro brace does kind of block the lighting around the edges so even though its perfect for a 24 inch fixture there is about 2 1/2 inchs around the side that block lighting, so in my case its kind of blocking my actinics on the front and back of the halide.

i kind of wish they made the tank 2 - 4 inchs shorter and 2 - 4 inchs wider, more of a cube then an upright rectangle. still a very nice tank but i think my next tank will have to be wider front to back and longer.

[lvpd186]

I use to have a 55g standard AGA tank (upgraded to a 120). Although it seems to be a popular size I would recommend staying away from it if you want to create a reef tank. Since the tank is very shallow from front to back it made it very difficult to aqua-scape, especially since the over-flow took up a ton of room. So far I've been very happy with my 120.

[LobsterOfJustice]

90g 48x18x25

First of all, I will say mine is NOT reef ready and I LOVE IT!!! I hate that stupid AGA megaflow. There is no reason it needs to take up so much valuable tank space. It is an eyesore. It is also plastic so it can not be scraped clean with a razorblade. In my current tank, I have a hole drilled in the upper back corners and a upturned elbow. Krylon paint can be used to match the color of the elbow to the background so the entire overflow setup is basically invisible and takes up only as much space as a 90* elbow in the upper corner. The elbow can be removed (or swapped if you have 2) for a soak in vinegar.

As far as the dimensions go, the common 4' length is easy to be covered with 2 halides, and it has the single center brace. The 18" in width seems to be enough. I also like the extra height because it gives room for everything to grow. Most people however try to fill the tank with rock (so it looks full without waiting for corals to grow out) and this would be a challenge with the 25" height and only 18" width.

[AZDesertRat]

100 gallon LeeMar Diamond Edge Reef Ready 60x18x23"

I really like the 5 foot length of my tank but now wish I had gone to a 24" front to back. 18 is not bad but the landscaping possibilites with 24" is so much better.

[davenia7]

I have a 10 gal. AGA built into a lovely nano reef .
I absolutely love the nano world. It fits on my nightstand so I watch my fish as I fall asleep. Leads to lovely dreams. I pieced together what I wanted on it, as All-in-ones don't let you determine flow and lighting.
Advantages:
-cost about $300 bucks to set up (including light)... already had a 5 gal., so I transferred a lot of it.
-easy size to get nano stuff for.
-easy to clean and maintain... I use 2 gals. of saltwater a week.
-nanos are becoming more common and easier to get stuff for.

Disadvantages:
-severely limited on fish.
-very small tank= quick chemistry changes if they are going to happen.
-has to be open top to control heat from the light... so, I have had some carpet surfers...
-my cat thinks it's her personal fishing hole and has removed a few for inspection.
-a little bit of "dirty" and the tank looks a mess.

[TheMcs]

185g Deep Sea w/custom end overflow
tank is 60x30x24. Love the 30" width. Setup is peninsula style so the 30" is a necessity. 42" tall stand, everything is at eye level. Drains go out through the wall to a room in the garage.
1 drain & 1 t from the pump go to a 200g. That tank is for propagation & fun.
1 drain goes to the skimmer (AquaMedic Shorty II).
1 drain goes to the 75g refugium. Lots of fuge room to play. Soon will be dividing off a section for Miracle Mud & mangroves.
Everything drains to a 60g sump, back to the Reeflo Hammerhead.

Overall I've got about 500 gallons. Lots of volume, lots of room to play. Slow build up, lots of expenses. The filter/fish room is a must! I love the big setup. It's somewhat complicated, couldn't have pulled it off without years of experience with smaller tanks and a couple years running an LFS.

[reefsponge]

I have an oceanic 75 gal reef ready. I really like the tank but in retrospect I wish I would have known you could have the manufacturer drill this to your specifications. My tank is a room divider. I would have rather placed the overflow on the end rather than the back, for more viewing pleasure.

[OranguTang]

I currently have a 60 gallon cube, it has many advantages over my old school 60 gallon long reef. Since it has an internal overflow there is no visible plumbing outside the tank, that was the main eye-sore that my old tank had, since I dont have a fish room or in wall I needed something that could have everything concealed. Also the new tank is glass vs. the previous acrylic tank.

Advantages:

Lighting: It was much easier to light the cube tank than it was to light the 4' long tank (which had T5HO). I am using a single 400w XM on a lumen max SE reflector.

Deeper stand: The new tank has a 2'x2' stand (small to some of you) which is much deeper and has more "head room" than my previous stand. I can fit my sump/fuge, skimmer, calcium reactor, and misc items in there with ease.

Aquascaping: This was an easy chore in the cube, and worked out great. I have 90lbs of LR in the tank currently.

Disadvantages:

The tank is fairly small compared to most, but I have no room for a larger tank even if I wanted one.

As said above, my stocking is limited due to tank size. But I feel with my rockwork there is enough real estate for a good crew of fish. I currently have 5 fish. Mated pair of clowns, six line, lemonpeel, and a royal gramma.

In the end I love this tank, it will be SPS dominated. I am sure when I have more room or decide I just cant take it anymore I will upgrade.



Note, there is no coral in the tank currently.

[BangkokMatt]

I have a 60x24x24 (150g) reef ready with a 40g sump / fuge.

Main advantage is the great display size. There is plenty of width, height and length to aquascape and to keep a good variety of fish.
The size helps maintain stability.
Disadvantages - mainly that I feel you really need a seperate tank room to do a 150g justice. All my equipment is in the cabinet inc. a 1 h/p chiller (much needed in Thailand). It is crammed full. I dose way to much (in cost) 2 part but have no room for a calcium reactor.
I certainly wouldn't recommend a tank larger than this unless you have appropriate room for the equipment.
I still love it though
Here is a pic from a few months ago (in its very early days)

[zotzer]

I have a 46G bowfront. Many of the pros and cons are similar to Sk8er's.



Pros:

- Nice size that will fit almost anywhere

- the extra depth of the bow make aquascaping easier than a standard 12" deep tank.

- Size makes it a bit more stable than a nano with very similar set-up costs

- There is almost always a reefer somewhere who will sell one really cheap (after being bitten by the bug and wanting to upgrade)

- Most of the maintenance is manual (top offs, dosing, etc...) but is totally manageable and simple on a tank this size

- Allows a tad wider range of fish than a nano (ie: pygmy angels....but still no tangs)

Cons:

- can run out of room quickly once you are bitten by the coral bug

- most stands make it difficult to accomodate sumps and lots of gear (my skimmer and fuge are HOBs...which I actually like, but many would prefer to have a sump)

- viewing too long and close from a funky angle can make your head spin a little. Just adjust and look in from a different spot.

I actually love my tank, and until I have the facilities for a full-blown in-wall with an equipment, fish, and propogation room, I'll stick with my smaller slice of the reef.

Tracy

[TheMcs]

I agree with Matt, the fish room is a must. I have plenty of room for a large external pump & skimmer. Room enough for the planned chiller & Ca reactor. Nothing in the stand but storage.

[seapug]

Cool thread. My "big" tank:

90g AGA 48x18x25 on a 28" Geneva stand sitting perpendicular to wall ("peninsula" style). HOB Overflow.

Advantages: Good "display" dimensions and is viewable from 3 sides. Tank dimensions make it easy look at it from standing position without having to crouch but the slightly lower 28" stand is level with the back of my couch that sits on one side of it. Being able to stand or sit and view the tank from different sides and angles is great. Geneva stand is slim and minimal.

Disadvantages: The 25" depth makes reaching the bottom a real pain in the armpit for someone less than 6 ft. tall. The 48" length is nice but the 18" width made doing an aquascape that doesn't touch the sides a little tricky. I wish it was at least twice as wide (and long, hehe). The AGA Geneva stand is divided into three compartments so there is very little space below it for a sump/skimmer/fuge. I curse myself every day for choosing that stand. It looks good, but my skimmer is HOB and the fuge I am planning is going to have to be a separate display and stand plumbed in line. It will look cool when it's done, but will cost a lot more than a DIY frankenstein one hidden beneath the tank.

I've done quite a bit of rearranging and added a bunch of new acros recently but here's a shot from the end from a few months back:

[snorvich]

I have several tanks. Things I did well (intentionally or not):

Acrylic over glass
Sump and all equipment in basement fish room
RO/DI water
MH lights (I think)
Tunze powerheads
Separate refugiums on both tanks
RDSB on both tanks
MTC calcium reactors
Chiller capacity more than needed
bubble king skimmers


Things I did less than well:

Not reef ready
I would go larger than 200 and 320
Overflows are designed wrong
No durso standpipe room
front to back is too narrow even at 24"
top to bottom on one is too small (20")
one tank is not rectangular
Both sumps should be larger

There is probably more . . .

[dendro982]

90g not reef-ready:
- Not big enough for a big fish, with smaller fish looks empty, and costs to keep too much just for a clown and chromises
- I hate the central brace.
- for efficient filtration and surface skimming, the sump should be below the tank - this significantly increases the noise from overflow box, and adds troubles with turning filtration off during feeding, have to turn off skimmer each time during this procedure.
- too deep to easy reach and clean.
- not good for macro-photography - thickness or/and quality of the glass, comparing to Nano-cube.
Nothing, but troubles for me.

20g long, not reef ready:
Plus: shallow, allows make a row of large corals.
Minuses: pain to make a satisfactory flow and filtration. Prefer round, hex or cast, not glued, cube tanks for a flow. Quality of glass for macro-photography too.
Unsatisfactory.

20g XH (extra-high, like 2 10g tanks, one on the top of another), not reef-ready:
Plus: compact, less space.
Minuses: requires much more light for the same corals, then the shallow tanks, difficult to clean - unless it is half-empty, power filter, even oversized, do not filter well it.
Unsatisfactory.

10g, not reef ready:
Pluses: maximal trouble free size.
Minuses: Too thin glass, worry all the time, and just don't like rectangular tanks. No chance to buy the shallower square tank at the comparable price.
5g and 2.5g rectangular tanks - all the same.
Unsatisfactory.

12g and 6g Nano-Cubes:
While 12g is too big for comfortable keeping (central corals are too far from the glass for a macro-photography), 6g is the best from all tanks, I tried: optimal size for my living, nice pattern of flow, equipment doesn't cost arm and leg, excellent glass for macro-photography.
Minuses:
- noise: pump, fans;
- if placed within 2" from the wall - lid drops down on the hands in the worst possible moment. If lift it during cleaning - see nothing in the tank
- light should be 3x more intense,
- surface skimmer should be at the top, as the separate attachments does,
- difficult for custom filtration, adding canister filter or hand-on skimmer and/or refugium is a trouble too, because of the lid.

5g acrylic hexagon:
Plus:
shape is excellent for a water flow - just add heater and HOB power filter, and all is ready. Cost me zero - recycling.
Minus: acrylic. Should I say more? I do not like more troubles in my life.

Beta bowl and spheric <1g picos:
Plus: look good and promising.
Minus: no place for heater and external filter - because of the tank shape.

Square rubbermaid containers:
Last, but not least: 4.5g is excellent as a shallow tank for a big corals, 7g (almost cube) good as a sump for 11-12" high tanks - same height. Easily reachable, almost transparent. I did quite detailed, but a little hazy, photos of lionfish through the wall. Easy to dispose (unlike the tanks). Has no weight, good for emergency and quarantine tanks.
Minus: doesn't looks as good, as transparent tanks, and the bottom should be well supported.

The order of acquiring them (by trial and error):
10 -> 20XH -> 6NC -> 90 -> 5 hex -> 20L (as a hope to replace 10+5) -> 12NC. Rubbermaids - as necessary.

[BangkokMatt]

Originally posted by seapug
[B]

Disadvantages: The 25" depth makes reaching the bottom a real pain in the armpit for someone less than 6 ft. tall.

Oh yes - there is that as well

[marinelife]

375 -
advantages:
Reef ready
large
acrylic - remove scratches easy
Great Size
Impressive to anyone that walks in the house

Disadvantages:
Still to small for me
Water changes cost more
Equipment cost more