Which is better.......55tall or 55 standard?

Setting up a saltwater tank next week but am unsure which way to go on a tank a standard 55 with the 48" length or a tall/high 55 that is at 40" length?

 

Vertical space is not as important as horizontal space to most fish.Iwould go with the standard although the 12" width is not ideal.

 

I agree with Vinny.

Also for lighting purposes.

Welcome to 3reef BTW.

 

+2 totally agreed.

FWIW, the 12" width is very restricting, even with my 29h. I'd suggest a 65, or at least a 40B. The 55 might be ok for smaller freshwater fish in a planted setup, but it's a PITA when you start stacking rocks for saltwater.

 

Glad to be a part of the reef community!

Thank you all for the information. Goal is to go bigger later. Just getting back into saltwater after loosing all my livestock with a kitchen fire a few years back. Just now getting around to starting over.

Looks like I will go with the standard.

 

This except if he has room for the 55, he probably has room for a 75 or 90 and I'd go with that. Any less of a tank fills up very fast. 40 breeders aren't terrible though.

 

Agreed! If at all possible, go with a 75 or a 90. They are 48" long x 18" wide (height is what changes between them). I just replaced my standard 55 (12" wide) to a 125 (72"x18"). The 12" width definitely restricts what you can do with an aquascape as already mentioned.

 

IMO a 56 gallon 36 x 18 x 20 is a great tank, kinda like making a 40B a 75 and the 56 a 90

 

from my experiences, if you think you are going to upgrade, spend the little extra money right now and do it. What will happen is you will wind up spending a lot more money if you don't in the long run.

 

Agreed X10! If my wife had been on board as much as she is now, I would have started off with a 125 and not even setup the 55. Definitely would have saved me a lot of $$.