17" vs 24" Tall Aquarium

[Kwstudz]

Hey Guys,
I was planning on purchasing a standard 180g aquarium for my new DT. Planning on having sps and lps. my old one was 30" tall, hated doing any maintenance in there. I found a good deal on a 72x30x17 tall tank, but I'm wondering if 17" is just too short, or it'll look weird at that length. Any thoughts?
Or does anyone have any pics of a similarly sized aquarium?

 

[steallife904]

17 would be to short for me but just my opinion. its going to be up to you and your preference.

 

[BestMomEver]

I have a 60 cube (24x24x24). I guess my stand is too tall because when I reach for the bottom I’m up to my armpit and I’m 6’1”. I would go with the 17” if your stand is tall. Also, with a shallower tank the lights will be cheaper!

 

[Brew12]

Hey Guys,
I was planning on purchasing a standard 180g aquarium for my new DT. Planning on having sps and lps. my old one was 30" tall, hated doing any maintenance in there. I found a good deal on a 72x30x17 tall tank, but I'm wondering if 17" is just too short, or it'll look weird at that length. Any thoughts?
Or does anyone have any pics of a similarly sized aquarium?

I prefer the 24" height but you can make it look just fine if you scape it properly. Keep your rock structure low and it can be very visually appealing.

 

[BedrockIOMC]

To me my 20"reefer is just the right size. I wouldn't want to go any deeper for me anyways.

 

[Greybeard]

I like short and fat... <and no, we don't need those kinds of comments around here>

Just depends on what you're going to do with it. Short and fat lends itself to lower stands, floating lights, and open tops. Not everybody's cup of tea, but I like it.

With a 17" tall tank, you're going to want a very thin sand bed, or even bare bottom, if you can stand the look. Might want to skip the really tall fishes... some full grown tangs would be nearly as tall as the tank. I've got a Scopas tang, but I knew when I bought him I'd probably have to find a home for him when he gets larger.

Photo of my current peninsula; it's 60" x 30" x 18" .

 

[JoshH]

Deleted

 

[Kwstudz]

I thought 20" would be perfect size but I didn't really want to pay for a red sea or custom tank. The 17" would make lighting nice and or allow me to put some sps at lower levels in the tank .

How tall is your stand greybeard?
I'll be checking out that nuvo to see how they look

 

[Greybeard]

How tall is your stand greybeard?

18". Got an inch and a half of sand in it, and the water level is about an inch and a half below the rim, so actual swim depth is about 15". Height wasn't a mistake, or a good deal I fell into... I had it custom made.

Tank is 30" wide, but I can still reach anywhere in the tank, all the way to the bottom, without getting my sleeves wet. A 'standard' gravel vac lets me clean efficiently, without getting my hands wet at all. Easy maintenance was one of my key design criteria when I set this system up... which is why you don't see a sump under the tank. Sump is in a closet, behind that wall. No more working from my knees. Not needing a step ladder, or a snorkel, to reach the tank bottom were also choices made for easy maintenance.

I'm _VERY_ happy with the end result... but as I said, it's not everyone's cup of tea or, in my case, Captain and Coke

 

[Greybeard]

How tall is your stand greybeard?

Mis-read that... Stand is 34", or just a hair under. Steel structure was 32", plus the ply and poly surface.

A couple inches less than a standard countertop.

 

[Kwstudz]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to eyeball something like that at home. My goal is definitely ease of maintenance. Definitely plan on having the sump and eauequipm in the room behind the tank .
Your tank does look quite nice. Mind if I ask who made it?

 

[Greybeard]

Your tank does look quite nice. Mind if I ask who made it?

Thanks Tank is from Planet Aquariums. I'm _very_ happy with the quality, seams, edge polish, etc., and the price was right. Steel stand was built by a local fab shop and powder coated. The remainder is DIY. My daughter painted the artwork.

 

[ca1ore]

Tank height is a completely personal preference (and a function of the height of the refer). I much prefer a taller tank, and would never go with anything other than 30" - but I'm quite tall and try to minimize the amount of time with my arm hanging into the tank. The extra swimming and growing room is well worth the periodic reach inconvenience. I'd view a 17" tall tank as far too limiting.

 

[pickupman66]

I prefer under 24. my 180 was 24 and it was good, but any taller woudl be a disaster. my current tank is 20 and i think it is a Perfect happy medium. the advantage of the 17" is you dont have to have as strong of a light system to penetrate for acropora and SPS

 

[PatW]

My tank height is 27”. It is visually appealing, but it makes work a bit more challenging.

To me, a 24” tank would be nice for access.

A 17” High tank with a 30” depth is a bit like a deep frag tank. Easy access. Not so high so if you want corals that like a bunch of light, it could work really well. Also, the 30 depth gives a pile of room and scope for aquascaping.

 

[Kwstudz]

Again thanks everyone for the help. I'll probably end up getting a standard 180 down the road. I used a cardboard box as a visual, and the 17" just seemed a tad too low for me after the sand and water line from the top. I hope to not have that much maint in the aquarium, but I don't want to deal with the 30" anymore. It sounds like 27" is still a bit too high too.