Whats to big when you dont own your own house?

Do you have renters insurance or are you willing to cover the costs of a catastrophic failure or leak if it were to happen? That would be my limiting factor, what can I afford to spend on insurance or costs to fix the house in case of an emergency.

 

Very valid point. I didn't look at it that way because I have $100,000 of renters insurance. I would basically have to build a new house to go over my insurance coverage. Lol. But that is a good point. Wouldn't want to loose everything you own because your tank had a leak.

 

If you have the insurance and the owners blessing I would go as big as possible without having to cut any corners on equipment. The larger the system, the more expensive the equipment and the power to operate it.
I would say something like a 120 is a good minimum starting point since it is 24" front to back which gives you enough room for good rockwork and is 48" long so provides enough swiming room for most fish and is easily lit. If you have a little more cash a 6 foot 180 would be even better since it is still 24" front to back and top to bottom but gives you two extra feet of display and much more room underneath for a sump and equipment. After that choices are endless but costs can really go up also.

My personal tank is a 60" long 100G which is sort of limiting due to its 18" front to back depth but still serves my needs well.