Shallow vs Deep Tanks

[i cant think]

Hello fellow reefers! I’m intrigued in what your opinions are on Shallow Reefs against Deep Reefs.
By this, I mean a taller height vs a shorter height. A tall tank is let’s say anything over 16 inches, And a shallow tank is anything under that.

1. What is your favourite to go for and why?

2. How tall is your current tank?

 

[Dbichler]

My current 210 is 6x2x30” tall next tank will be 8x4x25” I will not go taller than that ever again as that is reachable to the bottom without getting to my armpits.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Current large display is 24" tall... Custom tank (hopefully) arriving soon is 18" tall. That's a perfect height for me (and my armpits, lol)

 

[Thunder_reef]

I’ve had tanks from 12 to 24 inches deep. 24 inches is hard to work on in my opinion. I like shallow tanks.

 

[Dbichler]

If I didn’t like big fish so much I would go shorter.

 

[Spare time]

Shallow is easier to take care of and cheaper to light but its less flexible in terms of corals and fish. Its very hard to keep lower light or lower flow corals in these tanks with higher light or higher flow corals.

 

[jdpiii3]

I love deep tanks and I will not lie.

My tank is 36 inches deep, I love all the available unobstructed swim space. And at peak daytime sunlight most of the fish are in the wide open stretching their fins. The depth perception really gives you the feeling that you're snorkeling.

While it is a challenge to clean right at the sand bed I do need to be on the top of a ladder for most maintenance. With the proper long tools very seldom do I need to go armpit deep.

 

[exnisstech]

24 inches tall is max for me and current depth. I had a 29 inch deep tank and I had it in a tall stand. I set it up for viewing while standing up. Looked awesome against the wall in our dining room but darn was it a pita to work on and clean.

 

[exnisstech]

9

Man I wish our house was layed out to allow a peninsula tank. I love the view from the end of the tank. Looks awesome

 

[JumboShrimp]

Just for fun I once used a frag tank as a display tank. It only held 10” of water (before it hit the weir slots). It was pretty cool to have a 6’ long tank that shallow.

 

[jdpiii3]

9

Man I wish our house was layed out to allow a peninsula tank. I love the view from the end of the tank. Looks awesome

A wall or two might have been removed during construction and installation of the reef. Knock down those walls

 

[Sump Crab]

I personally prefer a taller tank. My current one is 24” tall and I love it. Any taller than that and reaching the sand bed would be too difficult.

Shallow tanks just don’t have the aesthetic I prefer.

 

[Kfactor]

18" h for me am a shollow tank guy my next tank will be 12 to 14"

 

[kingoftheHiLLpeople]

Cant agree w/ @Erin1971Texas more - i dont like having wet sleeves lol

 

[steveschuerger]

Shallow. Have had IM 30l (just under 13” tall) and my IM SR60 (16 inches)

 

[Johnz]

Shallower is easier to maintain and light. Deeper looks better and has more room for fish, it is totally a trade off. I went 30" deep and it looks amazing, but reaching the bottom is extremely difficult. If you want sps near the bottom, you are looking at metal halides. For most tanks, 24" is ideal. If you want to go deeper, you are looking at whole different tank.

 

[PR_nano]

I like shallow but think my next one might be 20” tall. I find 22-24 too high.

 

[Slocke]

I like my 24” but it is a bit disappointing that almost nothing uses the area above the rocks. Just the Naoko, the Midas, and the clowns who decided the return nozzle was the best place to call home. And that’s like 1/3 of the tank.

 

[rwreef]

My tank is 84x30x25deep. It is a long reach to the bottom at 25 inches. I would not go deeper than that for a functional/usability standpoint. My2cents

 

[PeterEde]

If you need scuba or snorkel to reach the bottom I'd say it's too deep
I can reach to the middle bottom at armpit. Annoying getting shirt sleeve wet