My delema...180 or a 210

Drewl117 · 09/03/2015, 04:53 PM

So I'm just about done with my new living room, i wanted to do a 8 ft. tank but I don't have the space. I narrowed it down to a 6 ft. 180 or a 210. What do you guys recommend. I will be transferring all my equipment, rock, corals and livestock to the new tank( I will be adding more rock and getting new sand). I'm running 3 AI hydra 26's on my 125 so I'll be using those as well.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

thegrun · 09/03/2015, 05:29 PM

I assume the 210 is 72" x 30" x 24" tall, if so I love the extra front to back room the 210 offers, but lighting is a little tricky, as the 30" width may require you to use two rows of Hydras since they are really designed around a 24" square footprint. You can raise them to get coverage, but the light intensity will be weaker.

Reefstarter2 · 09/03/2015, 05:46 PM

A standard 210 is 30 " tall not front to back I have 2 of them lighting them with 26's might be a bit tough due to the depth , but the extra water volume is good for more fish . also it is hard to reach the bottom of a 30 " deep tank . I would do the 180

Drewl117 · 09/03/2015, 05:52 PM

Sorry I should have put this in before...
180 gall is 72L x 24W x 27 tall
210 gall is 72L x 24W x 30 tall

dfm34 · 09/03/2015, 06:59 PM

I had the same decision and went with the 180 I figured maintenance on a 30 deep would be tough.

Dkuhlmann · 09/03/2015, 07:03 PM

Get the 210, if you don't at some point you're going to wish that you had.

davocean · 09/03/2015, 08:08 PM

72x24x27 is 202g
Normally a 180g is 72x24x24
I personally don't like deeper than that for light intensity and maintenance, I suppose it could make a difference if you were going dsb maybe.
I'd do the 180 myself.

kinnadian · 09/03/2015, 08:19 PM

180, anything more than 24" deep is a huge pain.

If you can, get something wider rather than taller - in which case definitely go bigger.

Toddrtrex · 09/03/2015, 08:49 PM

How tall are you?

I am 6'1", and my 210 is just at the limit of being annoying. But, glad that I went with the extra height, really like the looks of it.

We are going to be moving shortly, and the 210 will be going into the basement, but not until the basement is finished, which could take a year or 2. I am thinking of selling it so I don't have to worry about having it moved, and moved around the basement when it is finished. I will keep everything else, when ready I will purchase another 210, and not an 180.

ace_92101 · 09/03/2015, 09:09 PM

210! I think the deeper tank has a more natural look. Plus it's nice to a larger tank.

Mr. Brooks · 09/04/2015, 01:22 AM

All depends on personal preference. How willing are you to get your shirt wet when reaching to the bottom? I'm 6'2" and my first big reef was 30" tall. There was sand in the tank but the power heads blew a big bare spot in the middle. After years of running the tank, I got so sick of reaching all the way down to fix/move/adjust things that I just stopped altogether. So it depends on how involved of a reefer you want to be. Do you want to set it and forget it and stay dry? Or do you want to be able to easily reach down to fix something that might be bothering you. The new reef I'm building now is 26" tall. I'll be able to reach the bottom with my fingers, whereas with my last tank I had to take my shirt off and get chest deep to reach further down. This is in my office during business hours. Not a good place to have to take your shirt off. You should really only take advice from people who've had a 30" or taller tank. Lots of people love them. They do look good but they can be challenging to work on. Don't overlook the lighting issue if you plan on keeping SPS corals. Light intensity deminishes greatly through every inch of water. I ran an experiment once, I was running 400 watt halides on my 30" tall tank. If my tank had been 6" shorter, I would've gotten the same exact amount of par by using 250 watt halides instead. I ran this experiment all over my tank with a par meter. It took an extra 150 watts to punch through that extra 6" of water.

ace_92101 · 09/04/2015, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ace_92101

210! I think the deeper tank has a more natural look. Plus it's nice to have a larger tank.

Dkuhlmann · 09/04/2015, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Brooks

All depends on personal preference. How willing are you to get your shirt wet when reaching to the bottom? I'm 6'2" and my first big reef was 30" tall. There was sand in the tank but the power heads blew a big bare spot in the middle. After years of running the tank, I got so sick of reaching all the way down to fix/move/adjust things that I just stopped altogether. So it depends on how involved of a reefer you want to be. Do you want to set it and forget it and stay dry? Or do you want to be able to easily reach down to fix something that might be bothering you. The new reef I'm building now is 26" tall. I'll be able to reach the bottom with my fingers, whereas with my last tank I had to take my shirt off and get chest deep to reach further down. This is in my office during business hours. Not a good place to have to take your shirt off. You should really only take advice from people who've had a 30" or taller tank. Lots of people love them. They do look good but they can be challenging to work on. Don't overlook the lighting issue if you plan on keeping SPS corals. Light intensity deminishes greatly through every inch of water. I ran an experiment once, I was running 400 watt halides on my 30" tall tank. If my tank had been 6" shorter, I would've gotten the same exact amount of par by using 250 watt halides instead. I ran this experiment all over my tank with a par meter. It took an extra 150 watts to punch through that extra 6" of water.

I've had a 30" tall tank and hated doing anything on the bottom for the reasons you outlined. BUT I totally liked the height in viewing my tank. It's a pita but I thought it was worth it at the time.

Drewl117 · 09/04/2015, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinnadian

180, anything more than 24" deep is a huge pain.

If you can, get something wider rather than taller - in which case definitely go bigger.

The 24 is as wide as I can go, I originally started with a 300 dd but after the room was framed I started doing some measuring and 24 wide it is.

Bosco83 · 09/04/2015, 07:30 AM

I had a 210 for about four years. I like taller tanks and I find it better for aquascaping. It wasn't that bad reaching to the bottom. I would just roll my sleeves up or take my shirt off if doing major maintenance. I had eheim grabbers for regular things like picking up snails. Most LED's are ran a lot less than 100% so I'm sure you could just turn them up to get the par down lower. I recently bought a new house and had to sell it because my living room is smaller but would still get a 210 over 180 if I ever convince the wife living room space isn't important

DavidinGA · 09/04/2015, 09:16 AM

I have a 210gal and would definitely recommend it over the 180. I'm 5'11" and don't have any issues with the extra height...

FishN00b83 · 09/04/2015, 10:04 AM

I was in the same place not too long ago. I came to the conclusion that the 210 didnt add anything but headaches.

ca1ore · 09/04/2015, 10:09 AM

I have owned both a 24" tall standard 180 and currently have a 30" tall standard 265. Personally I'd take the extra volume/height every time and live with the little bit of added maintenance inconvenience. Allows your SPS coral to grow higher and provides lots of extra swimming room for the fish ..... why is it a debate? I'd also suggest that most people who don't like 30" tall tanks have never actually had a 30" tall tank.

PS - if it isn't already obvious, consensus on a question like this is elusive; you pretty much have to decide what you'd prefer ....

hart24601 · 09/04/2015, 10:13 AM

I would personally never take a 30" high tank over shorter options. I don't think I would even run one if it was free, just not my thing.

solitude127 · 09/04/2015, 12:48 PM

Are the Hydra 26s strong enough for coral to grow 30" down? I do like a 30" tall tank (visually) but I could only imagine how difficult it would be to do maintenance.

ca1ore · 09/04/2015, 02:04 PM

It's one of those things that seems like it would be problematic in theory, but really isn't in practice. How often do you actually need to get you hand into the sand? Not very often. Invest in a set of tongs and you're golden.

solitude127 · 09/04/2015, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca1ore

It's one of those things that seems like it would be problematic in theory, but really isn't in practice. How often do you actually need to get you hand into the sand? Not very often. Invest in a set of tongs and you're golden.

or sleeveless t-shirts.

Sounds Fishy · 09/04/2015, 03:23 PM

I would go with the 180,because it is not as high.Unless you have extra long arms 30" is very deep,and is challenging at times.The 180 is only 24" . If your arms are long get the 210 because an XH tank makes a nice display.BTW I have short arms ,and went for a 220.

Drewl117 · 09/04/2015, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solitude127

Are the Hydra 26s strong enough for coral to grow 30" down? I do like a 30" tall tank (visually) but I could only imagine how difficult it would be to do maintenance.

I'm thinking the hydras will be up to the task. They are rated for 24 x24 for best results. Right now on my 125( which is 23" tall) they are running at 50% white and uv and 80% everything else and I have rediculous growth on my LPS that are on the sand bed! I wouldn't be putting any sps down low anyway.
So... Check went in the mail today... 210 will be here next Monday. I no a few of you said it's hard to reach the bottom but like others say how often do you need your hand to touch the sand bed... I have a pair of tongs already for that.
Thanks everyone for all the help! I will probably have more questions but it might be a little while. I still need to do some Sheetrock and then get the carpet installed.
Thanks again everyone

Kenmx10 · 09/04/2015, 04:50 PM

Deep Sea Aquatics has a 200 thats 72 x 24 x 27 1/2 high. I like the way the taller tanks look. My last tank was 30" and loved it. This time I went with the DSA 200 and am happy with my decision. For me, 27 1/2 is perfect. Best of both worlds.

09/03/2015, 04:53 PM	#1
Drewl117 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: NH Posts: 507	My delema...180 or a 210 So I'm just about done with my new living room, i wanted to do a 8 ft. tank but I don't have the space. I narrowed it down to a 6 ft. 180 or a 210. What do you guys recommend. I will be transferring all my equipment, rock, corals and livestock to the new tank( I will be adding more rock and getting new sand). I'm running 3 AI hydra 26's on my 125 so I'll be using those as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

09/03/2015, 06:59 PM	#5
dfm34 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spotswood, New Jersey Posts: 588	I had the same decision and went with the 180 I figured maintenance on a 30 deep would be tough. __________________ Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 180 gal DT with 75 gal sump/fuge,10 gal cryptic zone, 3x400w MH with 4x80w T5. life reef vs3 30" skimmer

09/03/2015, 07:03 PM	#6
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Get the 210, if you don't at some point you're going to wish that you had. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

09/03/2015, 08:08 PM	#7
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	72x24x27 is 202g Normally a 180g is 72x24x24 I personally don't like deeper than that for light intensity and maintenance, I suppose it could make a difference if you were going dsb maybe. I'd do the 180 myself. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

09/03/2015, 08:49 PM	#9
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	How tall are you? I am 6'1", and my 210 is just at the limit of being annoying. But, glad that I went with the extra height, really like the looks of it. We are going to be moving shortly, and the 210 will be going into the basement, but not until the basement is finished, which could take a year or 2. I am thinking of selling it so I don't have to worry about having it moved, and moved around the basement when it is finished. I will keep everything else, when ready I will purchase another 210, and not an 180. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

View Poll Results: Which one would you do
180	12	34.29%
210	23	65.71%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll

09/03/2015, 05:29 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I assume the 210 is 72" x 30" x 24" tall, if so I love the extra front to back room the 210 offers, but lighting is a little tricky, as the 30" width may require you to use two rows of Hydras since they are really designed around a 24" square footprint. You can raise them to get coverage, but the light intensity will be weaker.

09/03/2015, 05:46 PM	#3
Reefstarter2 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 295	A standard 210 is 30 " tall not front to back I have 2 of them lighting them with 26's might be a bit tough due to the depth , but the extra water volume is good for more fish . also it is hard to reach the bottom of a 30 " deep tank . I would do the 180

09/03/2015, 05:52 PM	#4
Drewl117 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: NH Posts: 507	Sorry I should have put this in before... 180 gall is 72L x 24W x 27 tall 210 gall is 72L x 24W x 30 tall

09/03/2015, 08:19 PM	#8
kinnadian Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 187	180, anything more than 24" deep is a huge pain. If you can, get something wider rather than taller - in which case definitely go bigger.

09/03/2015, 09:09 PM	#10
ace_92101 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cebu, Philippines Posts: 763	210! I think the deeper tank has a more natural look. Plus it's nice to a larger tank.

09/04/2015, 01:22 AM	#11
Mr. Brooks MASVC Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 3,477	All depends on personal preference. How willing are you to get your shirt wet when reaching to the bottom? I'm 6'2" and my first big reef was 30" tall. There was sand in the tank but the power heads blew a big bare spot in the middle. After years of running the tank, I got so sick of reaching all the way down to fix/move/adjust things that I just stopped altogether. So it depends on how involved of a reefer you want to be. Do you want to set it and forget it and stay dry? Or do you want to be able to easily reach down to fix something that might be bothering you. The new reef I'm building now is 26" tall. I'll be able to reach the bottom with my fingers, whereas with my last tank I had to take my shirt off and get chest deep to reach further down. This is in my office during business hours. Not a good place to have to take your shirt off. You should really only take advice from people who've had a 30" or taller tank. Lots of people love them. They do look good but they can be challenging to work on. Don't overlook the lighting issue if you plan on keeping SPS corals. Light intensity deminishes greatly through every inch of water. I ran an experiment once, I was running 400 watt halides on my 30" tall tank. If my tank had been 6" shorter, I would've gotten the same exact amount of par by using 250 watt halides instead. I ran this experiment all over my tank with a par meter. It took an extra 150 watts to punch through that extra 6" of water. Last edited by Mr. Brooks; 09/04/2015 at 01:35 AM.

09/04/2015, 07:30 AM	#15
Bosco83 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Granite Falls, wa Posts: 199	I had a 210 for about four years. I like taller tanks and I find it better for aquascaping. It wasn't that bad reaching to the bottom. I would just roll my sleeves up or take my shirt off if doing major maintenance. I had eheim grabbers for regular things like picking up snails. Most LED's are ran a lot less than 100% so I'm sure you could just turn them up to get the par down lower. I recently bought a new house and had to sell it because my living room is smaller but would still get a 210 over 180 if I ever convince the wife living room space isn't important

09/04/2015, 09:16 AM	#16
DavidinGA Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,393	I have a 210gal and would definitely recommend it over the 180. I'm 5'11" and don't have any issues with the extra height... __________________ Giant money pit, but it's a happy pit ;) Current tank: 6ft 210gal SPS, 3~eBay led boxes, 4~80w T5's, sro3000int, RW20's, Reef Angel, reactors, pumps, rocks, sand, yadda yadda yadda...

09/04/2015, 10:04 AM	#17
FishN00b83 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,140	I was in the same place not too long ago. I came to the conclusion that the 210 didnt add anything but headaches. __________________ My 125 to 180 thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2525019

09/04/2015, 10:09 AM	#18
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	I have owned both a 24" tall standard 180 and currently have a 30" tall standard 265. Personally I'd take the extra volume/height every time and live with the little bit of added maintenance inconvenience. Allows your SPS coral to grow higher and provides lots of extra swimming room for the fish ..... why is it a debate? I'd also suggest that most people who don't like 30" tall tanks have never actually had a 30" tall tank. PS - if it isn't already obvious, consensus on a question like this is elusive; you pretty much have to decide what you'd prefer .... __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs Last edited by ca1ore; 09/04/2015 at 10:20 AM.

09/04/2015, 10:13 AM	#19
hart24601 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 633	I would personally never take a 30" high tank over shorter options. I don't think I would even run one if it was free, just not my thing.

09/04/2015, 12:48 PM	#20
solitude127 Proud user of IO Salt! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 9,136	Are the Hydra 26s strong enough for coral to grow 30" down? I do like a 30" tall tank (visually) but I could only imagine how difficult it would be to do maintenance. __________________ Mike <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ ReefKeeping.com TOTM Nov 2012 Socalireefs Featured Reef Oct 2011 Current Tank Info: 603020, 8x54 ATI Powermodule, ReefBrite XHO, ATB Elegance 200, Aquamaxx CTech CaRx, Ecotech Vortechs, Apex Controls, WM Ecobak powered. RedSea Reefer 170, MP10, Apex Jr, Ecotech Radion XR15, Aquamaxx WS-1

09/04/2015, 02:04 PM	#21
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	It's one of those things that seems like it would be problematic in theory, but really isn't in practice. How often do you actually need to get you hand into the sand? Not very often. Invest in a set of tongs and you're golden. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

09/04/2015, 03:23 PM	#23
Sounds Fishy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 532	I would go with the 180,because it is not as high.Unless you have extra long arms 30" is very deep,and is challenging at times.The 180 is only 24" . If your arms are long get the 210 because an XH tank makes a nice display.BTW I have short arms ,and went for a 220. __________________ Blue Spotted Ribbontail Stingray.Zebra Moray Eel.Aqueon 210 gallon,Trigger Ruby Elite 36 gallon sump

09/04/2015, 04:50 PM	#25
Kenmx10 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston S.C. Posts: 771	Deep Sea Aquatics has a 200 thats 72 x 24 x 27 1/2 high. I like the way the taller tanks look. My last tank was 30" and loved it. This time I went with the DSA 200 and am happy with my decision. For me, 27 1/2 is perfect. Best of both worlds.