Hey everyone. I'm going to be looking for a new house at the start of the year and in doing so I'm going to be upgrading my 55 Gallon Fish Only (may switch to reef when I upgrade). I'm debating between getting a 150 or 180. Wanted to hear opinions on what I should go with? Is there really much difference maintenance wise between the two? The 180 will probably give me better options for fish and more stability. Let me know your thoughts.
150 or 180? Upgrade Question
- Thread starter egwich
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I personally would go to the 180g, as you mentioned it does open doors for many fish like tangs in giving swim room, and the length from my experience just seems better for finding light fixtures, and the difference in maintenance is slight.
...so what are the dimensions of the 150 gallon?
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A Standard 180 would offer more width and wouldn't give you a tank that was ridiculously tall. I definitely am not a fan of tanks over 2 feet in height as they are more difficult to clean, light, get adequate flow, etc.
I have no idea I'm not moving for a few months so I haven't begun seriously looking. But wanted to get a feel for what everyone thought. There is a 150 at my LFS that is six feet long but I'm unsure of the height.
Yeah, I’m starting a 150G cube that’s 30’ tall and it’s going to be interesting but I love cubes!
Well, the standard dims are 5x2x2 for 150g, 6x2x2 for 180g
Of course now days we have more choices as some people prefer more shallow than 24"(24" is the sweet spot for me personally w/ what I keep, something you should think about, what's going in this)
Also lately many are going 30" or more front to back, nice if you have room for that, and can get to back of tank or reach that far.
Maintenance and what I keep are my key factors
I would sit back, think about what you MUST have in this tank as animals go, build to fit their needs as well as yours.
Do you need a sand bed?
Do you want decent size tangs?
What corals, and what lighting will they need? What type of lights do you have a budget for, what kind of depth/penetration do you need?
Do your lights fit canopy, or cover the spread?
FWIW, I've had 2x180's, and 2x 150's, all were good, but 180 is right about my personal favorite for most everything I wish to keep.
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
180 is a great size, IMO
jkopfishman
Community Member
I have a 150 that's 6' long 18"wide and 30" high. Pain for cleaning the bottom but gives more viewing area than a 180. I still wish I woulda got the 220 I was looking at instead. The 24" width is so much better on the 180
I wouldn't have a tank unless it is at minimum 24" front to back. Anything shallower, you can't aquascape it with any sort of depth, other than a rock wall. Then if it has the awkward overflows in each corner you lose even more room. Another thing to think about is how tall you are going. Anything taller then 27", you have to reach from front to back you are going to find yourself getting your armpits and chest wet. Time to buy snorkel and mask to do any sort of moving things around.
Something to think about is, have you had a structural engineer to your house to understand if the longer tank will work in the location you are looking at?
I'm running a 48x24x24 almost the 150 gallon 48x24x30 (I think that is the dimensions), not a fan of the tall tank. For me my plan is to upgrade to a custom 60"x 30" x 27" Tank Me USA tank. It will be around 210 gallons.
Something to think about is, have you had a structural engineer to your house to understand if the longer tank will work in the location you are looking at?
I'm running a 48x24x24 almost the 150 gallon 48x24x30 (I think that is the dimensions), not a fan of the tall tank. For me my plan is to upgrade to a custom 60"x 30" x 27" Tank Me USA tank. It will be around 210 gallons.
