180 vs 220

[Steven91]

Welcome to the club! The extra height is a PITA when trying to reach things but it does look a little better IMO. I've gotten myself into the habit of not reaching into the tank unless I've just recently taken a shower lol! That way there's no sweat, deodorant, cologne, or anything else on me that might get into the tank. Make sure you either make this your build thread or post a link to it so we can follow it!

Yea but the extra 40 gals plus the extra room will mean my tangs im looking at getting are going to have more swim area.

here is the link to my build thread:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/upgrade-120-to-220.331339/#post-4121675

 

[Maritimer]

Not as much extra swim area as you'd think.

Tangs mostly swim back and forth, but our extra space is up-and-down. What _can_ happen in a tank like the 220 is greater stratification - most fish above the rockwork, gobies and the like at the sandbed, fairy wrasses, anthias and chromis can truly hold and glide in the open space above the reef, as they do in nature.

~Bruce, who's discovering how small that big glass box can look ... again . . .

 

[oceanfreak09]

welp, I did change my mind, getting a 220 instead of the 180

I was thinking of you the other day when I couldn’t clean the bottom of my overflow in my 30” high tank. ( there were a couple anemones I needed to get out of there)

I hope you have longer arms then me.lol I tore up my arms and armpit trying.

I’m currently setting up a 180 and am looking forward to being able to reach the bottom with ease.

Best of luck. Hope you don’t have the problems that I have. [emoji4]

 

[LJLKRL05]

I have a 210 that is 29 inches tall and I love it.
I bought a flipper max magnet scraper/pad and it works great top to bottom. I also have a set of spring grips I use to pick things up and move things around in it, and some long tongs.
I sometimes have to go armpit deep, but not too often.
I do need some anthias or something to swim above the rocks to fill that space though.

And you might consider keeping the 120 if you have room. If you get bigger fish like tangs and you need a hospital tank for some reason one day you will wish you had a big enough tank to put them in.

 

[Shabalaba]

In my personal experience, I upgraded from a 125 to a 180 and was sorta disappointed. I think I was expecting more of an upgrade in size for all the work and effort that had to be done in the switchover. My advice to you would be to make a list of why you are upgrading, and weigh out the benefits/cons of each in a 180 and 220. If I could do it over again, I would have a 220

 

[Steven91]

In my personal experience, I upgraded from a 125 to a 180 and was sorta disappointed. I think I was expecting more of an upgrade in size for all the work and effort that had to be done in the switchover. My advice to you would be to make a list of why you are upgrading, and weigh out the benefits/cons of each in a 180 and 220. If I could do it over again, I would have a 220

I'm going 229, go big or go home