Pick 6'x4' or 8'x3' reef tank?

[Untamed12]

Keep in mind that the water compresses perceived distances. When you look at your tank from the front, the back wall seems much closer than it really is. If you want a perception of depth..you have to go deeper than you would expect.

My tank is 4 feet to the back wall, but people frequently estimate it to be only 2 feet. They are always surprised when they walk around the side.

 

[Hongt713]

the new tank i am building is 8'x3'x30"

 

[Moser]

I would go 6x4 everytime!.
In fact, I'm going 6x8 myself.
You just don't see tanks with the front to back depth. All you get is long "wall" reefs..... more of the same as you walk down the tank.

I had the options of 15ftx3ftx3ft or 6ftx8ftx3ft.
Far more scaping options with the extra depth.

 

[SuperR*]

Width is nicer.

 

[Jflip2002]

3' is enough for aquascaping. Im on my second 36" tank, (one was a 60x36x20, current is a 36x36x20) and its plenty of room. Id definitely take the extra length. Its not like youre dropping down to 24", 36" is PLENTY. It seems like anymore than that, and you are potentially wasting the space.

 

[Lowredranger]

I am definitely with if you went peninsular i would go 6x4 but strictly for a wall divider i would probably go 8x3.

I just ordered a 6x3 and would go 6x4 before i went 8x3 but that is just me and it would be peninsular.

 

[mcliffy2]

I'll put a vote in for 6x4....I've got a 5x3 tank viewable from the front and one side. Everytime I view it from the side (so its viewed like a 3x5 tank), I think about my next tank being 5' wide

 

[dingdong03]

8x3

 

[BradR]

Funny how things work out. A decorator told the wife 42" deep would look good in a bookcase and the wife is willing to go to 7' long. So there you have it. Omg this is gonna be big. :eek1: Thanks for the great input guys!

 

[skanderson]

perfect compromise will love to see this set up.

 

[Moser]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13979961#post13979961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jflip2002
3' is enough for aquascaping. Im on my second 36" tank, (one was a 60x36x20, current is a 36x36x20) and its plenty of room. Id definitely take the extra length. Its not like youre dropping down to 24", 36" is PLENTY. It seems like anymore than that, and you are potentially wasting the space.

Which bit of this tank was wasted??

Here's another

Depth is the key....

When you look into a tank with water, the refractive index differences of the interfaces leads to it looking shallower by 1/3.
36" appears 24". That's why the common 36" width tanks all look like walls. The fish can never really swim away from you and back, only along the length of the tank. This perception is completely different when you have that extra depth, as seen in these two reefs.

 

[Moser]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13980750#post13980750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BradR
Funny how things work out. A decorator told the wife 42" deep would look good in a bookcase and the wife is willing to go to 7' long. So there you have it. Omg this is gonna be big. :eek1: Thanks for the great input guys!

That will sure be a stunner!. Nice dimensions.

Mo

 

[SuperR*]

Nice Dimensions, depth is key for sure! It makes the tank!

 

[Chihuahua6]

If it's one side viewing I would go with the 8x3 but since it's veiwed from both sides I would take the 6x4. The reason being you'll have rock in the middle with the front and back open. This extra width gives a good illusion of depth from the glass to the rock on both sides.

Now if you decided to put rock piled up on the sides and leave the middle open then I would choose the 8x3.

Either size is awesome so even if you flip a coin you'll be happy either way. I think people are usually leaning toward one shape when they ask this question so just go with your gut.

 

[sfsuphysics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13984390#post13984390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Moser
That's why the common 36" width tanks all look like walls. The fish can never really swim away from you and back, only along the length of the tank. This perception is completely different when you have that extra depth, as seen in these two reefs.

My 36" tank hardly looks like a wall, and the fish, I think enjoy it more so when I went for a Looooooooong 100g (72x18x18) and broke it and went to a temporary 180g (48x36x24), granted it could be that the fish just got twice as much space to roam, but they definitely don't hide as much as they used to.

However that being said I'm in the same boat, since the 180 is a temporary tank I'm contemplating 8x3 or 6x4 as well, with my current 180 it's simply a matter of two of them side by side, or 2 of them front to back. Now I'm kind of leaning both ways on this (i.e. on the fence) the 36 is definitely a lot of useful space, I have open areas etc. However one thing I refuse to bend on is I want an external overflow, now with the 8x3 that means a "long" view which does have it's charms I agree, however I like the idea of a more peninsula tank where the two 6 foot panes are viewable and the 4 foot back has the overflow, I don't like the idea of having the overflow 8 feet away from a wall. Down side of the 6x4 is it'd require more bracing simply due to the 4 foot length, but seriously big whoop.

Only wife comments I got however are "you need to clean up the downstairs, and finish all the small projects around the house first!!!"

 

[jacksandgo]

I have (about to sell) an 8'Lx3'Wx2'T tank. I like 3' wide tanks at a minimum, but bigger is better. If I had my choice, I'd go for a10'Lx6'Wx3'T. Oh heck, make it 12'L. Now that's a good size for tangs and aquascaping!