29 vs. 30 - Which would you chose?

[philagothos]

OK, I had a 29 for a long time waiting to set it up. A local reefer offered me a stand for a 30 that would work. When I got there he also had a 30 that was in pretty good shape. I was only going to use a 10 for the sump, but now I will likely use one of these for the display and the other for the sump. But which one should I use for which?

My lighting system is a 4 bulb 24" Tek retrofit. I don't have money to upgrade to 36" bulbs and reflectors right now, so I will have to do a really staggered setup for the 30. I already have a canopy built for the 29 that has a slightly staggered setup. I only plan on keeping shrooms and zoos to start. I'll be moving in less than a year and could upgrade the lighting then and move up to tougher corals as well.

So, which would you prefer to use? Which one is better for use as a sump and which do you think makes a better display tank?

 

[cubanheat1]

i would do the 29 cause of the volume and i think its 24".you can use the 30 to hold more water and i think it has more room. If anything upgrade to the 30g when you have a good light set-up.a 30g or 0g makes a nice softy,LPS tank.If you are thinking of going for SPS go bigger and wider on the tank.Good luck

 

[cubanheat1]

i would do the 29 cause of the volume and i think its 24".you can use the 30 to hold more water and i think it has more room. If anything upgrade to the 30g when you have a good light set-up.a 30g or 40g makes a nice softy,LPS tank.If you are thinking of going for SPS go bigger and wider on the tank.Good luck

 

[philagothos]

Bump for the morning crowd. I would really like some more input.

 

[DesertBandits]

What is so good about the 30 is that you can put 36" bulbs over it. In 29 you are stuck with 24". Other than that its a matter of taste.

 

[blange3]

30 gallon has more surface area for gas exchange. Is wider so you can keep corals separated that need to be. Less depth = better light penetration for non-halide lighting.

If you stagger your T5's for good appearance and go LPS, you probably won't need a lighting upgrade. If you decide on SPS, upgrade to the 36" bulbs and get Ice Cap SLR reflectors.

 

[Billy1234]

30- Just because it's an even number and I have OCD :lol:

 

[mr pink floyd]

id use a 30 long, i have a 29 gallon, and its 30", not many lights are 30" long, alot are 36" though, i wouldnt mind switching tanks to a 36", im getting 36" T5 anyways to put on my 29...

 

[Jim Z.]

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I like my 30 and the 4 36" T5 tek lights work well for Acropora. I use a 20 long for my sump with no baffles and for a low tech system it works very well......Jim z.

 

[leeweber85]

billy 1234, I think I need to drink 6 more beers

 

[bucher]

29 Gallon is 30" inches long 18 deep 30 Gallon is 36" inches long 16" deep