Optimum Reef Tank Proportions?

[ANFPO]

Working backwards always works better for me. For example, what is your favorite light?
How mush spread does your favorit light have? That shoudl give you an idea of aquarium display footprint.

For height...what corals do you plan on keeping and what type of flow do they thrive in? It its SPS, for example, you would want a wide angle, variable flow from pumps like Vortech, Tunze or even the Chinese Jebao. If so, there are certain dinesions these tanks are designed for. I would factor their recommendations.

Finally, other things to consider are: location, accessability, budget and owner's hands on involvement

 

[ANFPO]

Did i mention, buget? LOL

 

[ca1ore]

I'd say focus on length and width and leave height as an after thought. With a shallow tank you'd use less energy lighting for sure and coral placement would be less of an issue

I agree. IMO 24" front to back is a minimum, with 30" or even 36" being better. I can live with a 72" long, though 84" is better. Anything more than 24" tall ends up being a pain.

 

[Drae]

30" front to back is optimal. Any bigger is awesome imho. 84"long is also great, 96"is even better. And a water depth of 24" floats my boat so... 84x30x24 sounds really nice.

 

[Lavoisier]

I agree. IMO 24" front to back is a minimum, with 30" or even 36" being better. I can live with a 72" long, though 84" is better. Anything more than 24" tall ends up being a pain.

:beer:

 

[Adamw327]

I wouldn't worry about the ratio for gas exchange - as long as you have a skimmer you will have plenty of gas exchange.

However, some tanks are more ideal than others as far as rock work... for example, a 55g is too narrow front-to-back to allow for a rock structure tall enough to fill up the height of the tank.

I beg to differ


I love my 55g and i have built a cave structure stack 3 times reaching to the top. The first two times i used eggcrate for support, but today i took that out and rebuilt again to the top. Love the 4' width without spending to much on equipment

My "ideal" tank would have a ratio something like

4x width, 3x depth, 1x height

Id even go with 6'x4'x1.5'

I love shallow tanks