I am going to do it right this time!!!!

[Mark75]

I am preparing my return to reef keeping and would like some help. I have successfully kept a reef tank twice, the first time for about three years and the second time less than a year. Both my attempts at reefing I used an assortment of equipment left over from my freshwater days that were not designed for reef keeping. I gave up and sold EVERYTHING and now I would like to start over designing a user friendly reef set-up.

Okay, let’s start with the tank. I would like a cubbish, rimless tank. I have decided to let Glasscages built it unless someone knows someone better? Here are a few I am deciding between;

95 -3 Wide (Rimless) 36 x 24 x 24 Tall
90 Square (Rimless) 36 x 36 x 16 tall
100 Square (Rimless) 30 x 30 x 24 Tall

I would like to stay at or around 100 gallons.

What are your thoughts on these tanks, is there a better size I over looked?

I guess my intent with the tank would help you help me!
I am going for a minimal rockwork; with a few chosen SPS and fish. I love the very open look. I made the mistake with my first tanks of just throwing corals in.

For lighting I really have no direction. I am leaning towards either a single 400w metal halide pendant or 2-250w metal halide pendants. I would like a metal halide/T5 set-up but I am afraid the cost will be out of my budget. So, how would you light this tank?
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[Runner]

I like the sound of the 90 Square. Better floor space means more stuff and lower water depth means cheaper lighting. Something like this is what I'd like to do in the future (distant future the way my money is being spent on more important things at the moment).

 

[RevHtree]

Make sure you go with the low iron glass!

 

[Hurley12]

I like the 90 square also, but I would go 18 tall at least I had a 16 in tank before and I thought it was too short mine is 18 now and I like it a lot better. You will love a cube tank much better for aquascaping I love mine

 

[KafudaFish]

I would go to HD or Lowes and buy some 1/2" pvc pipe and fittings and build each of those tanks and then use some rolled up newspaper for rock work and some colored straws for the corals just to give you an idea of how each could be laid out. I would dry fit the pipe and return the fittings later.

So which would I choose? Of those I would choose the 95. Reasons: You could light it with either MH or T5 or a combo pretty easily. 36" and 24" are standard sizes and with 30" you could only use 24" t5 here if you were not doing a MH. Also the height would be better than the 90's 16".
I know alot of people are going to shallow tanks and they look good but two things to think about: even with minimal rock work I would think that they would have to be pretty low to the bottom to allow for everything to grow in and because of the shallow height the fish are really swimming in a 2D environment.
If you went higher say 20" and your rock work was 12" tall max. then you have space for the sps to grow and space for the fish to travel in three directions.

How about a 3'x3'x2' tank? I know people are always saying get the biggest tank possible but how about getting the biggest tank possible with a specific light in mind. You could do a single 400 watt MH for this tank and add some t5's down the road depending on your needs. If you have the light why not get the most benefit from it.
As far as other equipment it would sort of be the same thing wouldn't it? I mean an ehiem 1260 costs the same regardless of the tank it is on.

Just some thoughts and good luck.

 

[Mark75]

Thanks for the help guys,.... a lot of good ideas for me to think about. Truth is I think either of these tanks would make a beautiful reef. The perfect tank for me may be some where in between these sizes,...say 36x30x18??

 

[macclellan]

MH's cover well for only about 24", so 36" tanks are in between using a single or double HQI - just something you may want to keep in mind.

If you're going for an open look, a cube could work. Coming from a background in planted tanks, I think cubes are best used for layering and depth, but it could look nice with a minimalistic approach too. I'd personally get a 72" x 18" x 18" if I wanted a really open 100g-ish tank, but that's just me.

I was very close to buying a 60g cube and a custom 12g from GC, but after reading some reviews of their tanks in general and rimless in particular, I balked. I'm not advising against it, I have no experience either way, just double check the fine print in your Homeowner's Insurance Policy for water damage. There aren't really any other moderately priced options. Rimless ADA tanks from ADG are just awesome if you've got money to burn (they are well-priced for small tanks, but get really expensive really fast for bigger tanks).