120 vs. 125

[zippy]

OK, those of you who made the jump to a 120 or 125 what was the deciding factor(s)? I saw both tanks side by side and was amazed by the length of the 125, but equally amazed by the height of the 120. For a reef tank with a sailfin tang (4" but growing) are you better off with the 6' length and shallower depth of the 125, or the 5' length and greater depth of the 120? Also, does the depth matter only with respect to the types of corals?

 

[dive1]

imo the lighting is better in the longer but shorter tank. better coral growth ect. Also with more surfice area the chemistry of the tank will be better... Good luck

 

[bdhough]

Depth really only matters with the aquascaping of the tank. Fish need swimming room from side to side. So i would go with a 125 if you can. But a 120 may be a little cheaper. Where you need 3 halides for each section of a 125 you may be able to get away with 2 halides over a 120. If you really want to see the differernce try and find pictures of reefs for both sizes and see what you get.... If you are going to get a 125 length tank then you my want to look into just getting a 150 or 180 which i believe are only different in height from a 125. I could be wrong. The 180 may be a little deeper.

 

[zippy]

I saw the 180 and it looked like about 24"x24"x60". It was priced at $499 where the 125 was $249 and the 120 was $209. Quite a price difference, but there is a lot more volume.

 

[toddpolish]

I'd go with longer. I like the reasoning with the light on corals and for swim length for the fish that need that. Also, it makes more sense when cleaning the tank with a scraper or grabbing something at the sand level.