Shape of tank

[Martin]

Does anybody have and opinion on the shape of tank used for marine set ups
? Is it better to have a long shallow tank or a shorter deeper tank ? Is
there any real benefit of going one way or the other ?

[Mislav]

> Does anybody have and opinion on the shape of tank used for marine set ups
> ? Is it better to have a long shallow tank or a shorter deeper tank ? Is
> there any real benefit of going one way or the other ?

It depends on what do you want to keep inside. If it is FOWLR than any shape
is OK.
If you plan to keep light loving corals it needs less electricity to
properly light shalow tank then deep tank. If you are going to light it with
metal halides it could turn out that you need say 2*150W for long and
shallow and for deep and short tank you need 1*250W.
Deep tanks IMO look better than shallow. If you have enough room make it
long and deep :-)

Mislav

[George Patterson]

Martin wrote:
> Does anybody have and opinion on the shape of tank used for marine set ups
> ? Is it better to have a long shallow tank or a shorter deeper tank ? Is
> there any real benefit of going one way or the other ?

If you're going for a fish-only tank, the greater the surface area, the greater
will be the amount of oxygen in the tank. To a certain extent, this allows you
to keep more fish. Personally, I prefer deep tanks to shallow ones for aesthetic
reasons. IMO, there's no great benefit to either.

George Patterson
There's plenty of room for all of God's creatures. Right next to the
mashed potatoes.

[swhastan]

I absolutely think a long shallow tank is better. Also, you need a depth for
a nice aquascaping.
The best ratio of length to depth is around 1.5~2.



"Martin" > wrote in message
...
> Does anybody have and opinion on the shape of tank used for marine set ups
> ? Is it better to have a long shallow tank or a shorter deeper tank ? Is
> there any real benefit of going one way or the other ?

[CheezWiz]

For a reef tank, it really depends on the type of reef you wish to
reproduce...
For instance, a patch reef may be better in a short - tall tank....

If you are in the thinking stage I would highly recommend reading:
Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Sal****er
Microcosms
by John Tullock

This is the first book I loan to anyone thinking of a reef tank.

CW

"Martin" > wrote in message
...
> Does anybody have and opinion on the shape of tank used for marine set ups
> ? Is it better to have a long shallow tank or a shorter deeper tank ? Is
> there any real benefit of going one way or the other ?

[jaypython]

id second that oppinion. i prefer as much surface area as
possible.really you need to buy the biggest tank you can house and
afford.the basic maths are that the bigger the surface area the more
fish you can house.

jay



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