Tank size - Suggestions

[Norstar]

I am looking at getting a new tank. I am switching over from fresh to salt - so I need a little advice.

The tank will be 96" long (8 feet) and 30" wide. My dilema is the height. I know 24" is standard, but would 30" be too high (at twice the cost of the 24" high tank) ? Would I have to get extra lighting for the extra 6" ?? Any drawbacks to a 30" tank?

What to do - what to do?!?!!?! HElp!

[howdy20012002]

Welcome to the board.
IMO, the lighting issue all depends on what kind of tank you are wanting.
Are u going to have corals? if so, what kind? some types require alot more than others...if you want SPS and Clams you will probably want 400 Watt MH with a 30 inch tank.
if you are going fish only, the lighting isn't as big of an issue.
BTW...huge tank..good luck with that and keep us in the know how it is going.
Neal

[Tangman]

what howdy said, plus - unless you have very long arms , it is a real pain reaching the bottom to rearrange or work in the tank. I know , I have a 30" tall tank. BTW, I would LOVE a 8 footer , I'm jealous

[untamed]

At 8' long, the tank can look pretty long & narrow if you go with 24"H. I increased my depth to 26", and I'm glad that I did. (...but my tank is only 6' long).

At 26", I wouldn't want to go too much deeper because I can't then reach the botom.

My only advice would be to spend 99% of your time planning how to make maintenance easy. Tank depth might be part of that.

[Norstar]

I am planning on a reef tank. I am not too sure of the type of corals yet. But more than likely clams and sps. That's why I am taking my time and doing the research.

At 30", I can use a step stool to reach the bottom. Although, I am not sure why I would have to go in there on a frequent basis?!

[mark]

I've got long arms and with the euro-bracing and canopy even reaching places in the bottom of my 24" can be a pain.

[Beverly]

At 30", I can use a step stool to reach the bottom. Although, I am not sure why I would have to go in there on a frequent basis?!

I have a 24" high BB 120g. You'd be surprised how often stuff ends up at the bottom of the tank. With no sandbed, 24" is about as far as I can comfortably reach, and I've got long arms and a chair :razz: :wink: Then think of having to reach toward the back of the 24" tank. Gads, my rolled up short sleeves are feeling wet already :lol:

[marie]

I have a 29" deep tank and I love the look of the deep tank. Working near the bottom is a huge pain and forget wearing anything with sleeves or using deodorant :razz:. To me it's worth it but others might not think so :lol:

[AndyL]

Hrm... I can think of an 8' x 30" x 30" (or was it 32 tall) tank in our midst - personally I think it's awesome - but I know the owners a bit picky about his tongs suddenly :lol:

[Jason McK]

I have a 78lX36wX30h and yes getting to the bottom can be a pain. But it's not impossible and actually I have never lost andything in the tank. Even those presious frags that won't stay stuck have always been reachable. But 26 would be a good compremize.
At 8' you're looking at at least 4 x 400W MH in order to maintain SPS and Clams IMO

Keep us updated love to follow new tank projects

J

[BCOrchidGuy]

Cool tank and a ton of potential regardless of which height you go with. If you go to a 30 inch tall you could put a plenum/DSB in there if you want even though bare bottom is the trend these days. Like Jason says, 4 400 watters perhaps 3 but what's a bit more coin on a tank that size.

Doug

[Norstar]

The more I read, the more I am leaning towards 96l x 30w x 28h or 26h. It still gives me 325-350 gal. I wanted to go big as possible as this may be my only opportunity to get a large tank.

I will definately start a new thread with pictures as things start to progress. I have to order the industrial racking first. That's going to take 4-6weeks. Well, of course, that's after I pay off my MasterCard (promised my wife!) - :lol:

Thanks for all your feedback!!

[Norstar]

Ok, new thought. :idea:

96l x 34w x 28h - 400 gal.

Rather than going higher, I would be going wider.

Any drawbacks anybody?

[mark]

Some of the best tanks out there have the high front to back measurement. The perspective gives a realism of a reef that you just can't get with a narrow tank.

There's some fantastic deep tanks (front to back) here on Canreef but I often go back to this one http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_aquascaping.htm as an ideal.

[justinl]

I think that the going wider idea is not only valid, but pretty damn good if you can afford the space. You will need some space though because then you could place the tank so you could have room (at least a metre) on either side of the tank to do work. I have about 2 metres of empty space behind my own tank where i can keep a salt, saltwater, and freshwater (the bulky stuff that won't fit in my cabinet). It really simplifies maintenance and I find it quite convenient. I don't need tongs because I can reach anywhere I want to without a stepstool. You'll want those shoulder length gloves though.

[Norstar]

The tank is going to be up against 2 walls, and surrounded by shelves on the right side. In essence, it will only be viewed from the from

[untamed]

Check out my tank build for ideas...you are headed in that direction. It looks like I will beat 1 year construction time by just a month or so.

[Pansy-Paws]

We have an 8' x 30" x 30" tank ourselves, and love the visual appearance with the extra depth, plus it's on a 45" stand making the main action at eye level. It's a FOWLR, which is why we went to 30" (more room for vertical swimming zones for the various fish species).

It's all personal preference, but if it was a reef, we'd probably have gone with a bit less depth, primarily based on lighting requirements.

Enjoy ... sounds like it will be a beauty.