Deep or Shallow Reef?

[lifeoffaith]

I'm in the VERY early stages of planning my next reef. I will be running LEDs and T5s on the reef, so depth shouldn't be a problem, at least for the LEDs. I am going back and forth on whether to go for a shallow reef or deep reef. I like the look of both. I plan on keeping softies, LPS and SPS, but plan on slowly transitioning to a primarily SPS dominant tank with just a few of my favorite softies and LPS. I also want to go for 200+ gallons and be able to keep a few tangs, with the possibility of adding an angel or butterfly or two down the road too (after my corals are established enough to be able to take a little nipping). Just curious your opinions on the deep reef or shallow reef concepts and the pros and cons of each.

 

[Keoki18]

If your lighting is not a problem, go with a deep tank to allow for growth and expansion of large colonies. Shallow systems typically prove to be a pain in the long run due to the constant pruning needed.

 

[thegrun]

I prefer a 24" maximum height in a tank for maintenance reasons. For a reef tank I love a 30"or even a 36" deep tank front to back. The one issue with 36" front to back is that most light fixtures are designed around a 24" x 24" footprint, so you usually need to add a second row of lights which of course drives up the cost of the system.

 

[CStrickland]

Depends how long your arms are too.
It's really nice to be able to reach bottom without utensils. I'm 5'2" so 24" is my max height. It's hard to go too deep if the tank has several viewing angles, but if it's just front facing there's a point of diminishing return.

 

[lifeoffaith]

Well, looks like for now I am going deep. Someone offered me a free 120 gallon tank 48x24x24. It is pretty scratched up, but came with so many other extras, I can't complain. I have to try to figure out how to make it look a little better, but probably wont be nearly as bad once it is filled. I am going to be running 2 reefbreeders and a 2 bulb T5 over this tank I think. Looking forward to getting this thing up and running.