4-6 Foot Tank Sizing - Seeking Your Opinion

[trevorhiller]

Too Long, Didn't Read:
Ballpark size I'm considering:
L: 48"-72" x W: 22-29" x H: 16-20"

What size would you go for and why?

Me and my other half are talking about finishing a room in our basement in the future and he made a comment about how cool it would be to have my aquarium built into the wall so I could hide all my "fish crap" on the unfinished side.

I'm sure this is the dream for anyone with a fish tank, especially since I didn't even have to do any sneaky persuasion...

My tank is only a year old, so I have no timeline but if this tank happens down the road it's going to be well thought out. The first step is selecting a tank size to fit potential livestock.

Preferences:
-Smaller water volume over larger water volume
-Shorter tank over deeper tank (I like the lagoon style tanks, but don't want it so short that it looks silly or agitates the fish)
-Wider over narrower (enjoy the depth so fish aren't swimming left <--> right only
-Eurobraced over rimless (this is an absolute must, the rimless salt water spills drive me crazy)
-Adequate size for a couple tangs (I like powder blue, purple tang, tomini tang, yellow tang).

I would probably do a Rubbermaid stock tank style sump since the fish room would have ample space for equipment.

Extra credit if you have a favorite tank manufacturer that you like. I'm thinking about reef savvy because of the armored seams and their attention to detail makes me a think a euro-braced tank from them is as close to bullet-proof as they come.

 

[ColoredRock]

-Adequate size for a couple tangs (I like powder blue, purple tang, tomini tang, yellow tang).

72"

enjoy the depth so fish aren't swimming left

30"

don't want it so short that it looks silly or agitates the fish

24"

 

[Dbichler]

^+1 6’ for tangs is almost a must or they don’t act right. 24” height or they will look too big swimming back and forth taking up most of the visual appeal away from everything else. 30” width allows for better rock formations.

 

[WVNed]

I would dread having an in-wall tank. Put the tank on one side and the stuff on the other. Extra points if you can walk behind the tank. This makes doing some things very nice.

 

[trevorhiller]

I would dread having an in-wall tank. Put the tank on one side and the stuff on the other. Extra points if you can walk behind the tank. This makes doing some things very nice.

This would also be a possibility, but I'm curious why?

I'm able to walk behind my current tank, yet access from 3 sides has always seemed to work fine for maintenance. Perhaps it is more of an issue than I'm realizing with the longer tanks.

 

[Bridgerdean]

“Fish Crap” love it!

 

[trevorhiller]

“Fish Crap” love it!

To be fair, there is a lot of it...

 

[WVNed]

This would also be a possibility, but I'm curious why?

I'm able to walk behind my current tank, yet access from 3 sides has always seemed to work fine for maintenance. Perhaps it is more of an issue than I'm realizing with the longer tanks.

It suppose my best response would be it has allowed me to fix my mistakes rather painlessly

 

[Tcook]

I have a 4x2x2 inwall 120. If I was redoing it I would have gone with the 8' 240. Or at least a 6'.

 

[Potatohead]

Just go as big a footprint as you can fit. Haven't heard many people complain about going too big. Height wise I like 22-24"

 

[trevorhiller]

I have a 4x2x2 inwall 120. If I was redoing it I would have gone with the 8' 240. Or at least a 6'.

Thank you, I appreciate your feedback

Just go as big a footprint as you can fit. Haven't heard many people complain about going too big. Height wise I like 22-24"

This is true. I currently have a 24" and I wish it was just a little shorter, it can be tricky to reach the bottom easily. Doable, but sometimes the sleeves get a little close for comfort.

 

[workhz]

One thing to keep in mind, depending on how you do the in-wall, is that you could lose some of the visual height. I didn't want to see a water line or the left and right tank edges so my cutout in the wall is smaller than the tank by 1-2" all around.

Go with a 6' if you can. With an in-wall, it's a little bit of a pain to clean the front glass or do anything into the front corners. Just assume you'll be on a step stool or platform or something. I wanted mine to line up with some other stuff in the room so it was a tad higher than most so it can be viewed sitting and standing and not be off. Can't remember what height I put it at.

 

[edd59]

i just got a 120 48x24x24 euro baced, on a 34" stand.
im 5'8" and its a pain getting my arm inside with euro brace. i think i should of went 22 high no euro brace.
and yes you can go too big imo. my last reef was a 300 and it was just too overwelming for the room.
60x24x22 is a good size

 

[oreolk]

I've got a waterboxLX 320. 84x30x24 on a 36" stand. I'm only 5'3" so a step ladder is my friend. If I didnt have it 18 inches away from the wall, I would never be able to do any maintenance.

 

[nereefpat]

I have a standard 125 (72x18x22 High) in a wall. I've had this specific setup for about 10 years.

There are pros and cons to it being in the wall, and maybe they're obvious. I do have a lot of junk back there, including a QT 36 gallon that's always set up. It also contains the sound, and the light, and all of the mess.

The con is that it's very difficult to work on. Placing corals is difficult. Scraping the algae off the bottom of the front panel is a nightmare. I do not have any access from the front.

I will do a different tank at some point. Dimensions will be different, not so long and a little wider...maybe 60x24x24. It also won't be in the wall.

 

[acesfull44]

First, my most recent upgrade went from a 150 to a 310 for the most important reason to me which was swimming space/length for my Tangs. A 4ft to 8ft length is a big deal for this purpose and allowed me to add fish I was not able to have prior. So I vote a 72" tank for you assuming that is as long as you can go!

Second, related to the in-wall thought vs everything else, while the "fish crap" can be cumbersome, dirty, loud and downright ugly in some cases, the in wall clearly benefits you for the obvious reasons, however this can certainly be done where you have a "clean" space even behind the tank (assuming you have a reasonable amount of space) AND benefit from a front which could be treated as part of the decoration of your room hosting the tank! So I vote In Wall for you.

 

[FSP]

If you're set on 16"-20" high and it matters how the tank looks (not talking about corals/fish), I would go 48". 72" is "better" of course, but long shallow tanks tend to look a little odd imo until they tall/huge enough. A wall installation with a narrower window (ex: 48" window for 72" tank) can fix this and hide gear like flow pumps for a public aquarium-like presentation.

 

[Breadman03]

I really wanted a 180, but came across a great deal on a 270. If I was in your position, I'd grab a standard non-reef ready 180, run a ghost overflow for minimal in-tank footprint, which really makes a difference for potential flow patterns, and run the snot out of it.

One big pro is that a standard tank tends to cost a lot less than custom and there's likely a local shop that can drill it if you're not comfortable with it. Length can really make a difference for tangs and rabbitfish. For example, my rabbitfish was going crazy in a 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank (about 4' long) and settled down quite a bit when it got a 6' tank. I dream of going with an 8-10' tank someday to give it room to swim as like 4 flicks of its tail has it across the tank. That's also why I plan on mostly small to nano fish, so that they have all the room they could need.

I have a standard 125 (72x18x22 High) in a wall. I've had this specific setup for about 10 years.

There are pros and cons to it being in the wall, and maybe they're obvious. I do have a lot of junk back there, including a QT 36 gallon that's always set up. It also contains the sound, and the light, and all of the mess.

The con is that it's very difficult to work on. Placing corals is difficult. Scraping the algae off the bottom of the front panel is a nightmare. I do not have any access from the front.

I will do a different tank at some point. Dimensions will be different, not so long and a little wider...maybe 60x24x24. It also won't be in the wall.

A hinged panel at the top of the tank would alleviate a good bit of the access issues.

 

[paul17]

hello a in wall is something i am thinking about just one thing with not much accesses to the front how would you clean the front glass

 

[trevorhiller]

hello a in wall is something i am thinking about just one thing with not much accesses to the front how would you clean the front glass

magnet cleaner or some sort of access panel. I agree that 4 sided access is ideal. That’s what I have on my current tank and it’s nice. Otherwise you would need to clean from the back (which would be possible on a skinnier tank, but I actually prefer a more square-form tank than a long thin tank. I think it gives the fish a more natural swimming pattern when they can go back to front and side to side.

I don’t think I’d want to go less than 24” front to back. I think 28” or more would be really cool, however, 29” door frames prevent easy movement of the tank unless you tip it on its side for install/removal.

I’ve been trying to find some pictures of front access panels over in wall tanks to help with planning. Hoods accomplish the same thing, but look very bulky in the room.

The main goals of my next tank will be:
-increased fish capacity
-hiding all the tank equipment
-ease of serviceability.