Liquidation going on. Tank questions. HELP!

[awol]

I've been calling around looking for prices on tanks today. I just called one and apparently the store went bankrupt and the dealer is there to liquidate their tank inventory. WOW. DEAL TIME. He told me prices will be below wholesale and up to 50% off!
I'm not a total newbie, I've been doing research for the last 3-4 weeks. I don't own a tank yet, but this is a potentially awesome deal and I'd love to cash in on it.
- I was planning on a 90g or 120G tank. With this sale, I could potentially go for a 150g tank.
- I will be building my own stand. My father is a woodworker and he and his tools are available to me.
- It will be a reef tank with corals, fish, etc and a 55g sump underneath w/refugium.
- I am getting the pre-drilled tank
- I realize a bigger tank will make everything else cost more, but I'm ok with that. The bigger the better is my motto. This is a great deal on a tank and I'm pretty psyched.
So here are my questions about tanks:
- With live rock and fish, is a narrow tank (I consider < 24" wide the narrow tank) going to be an issue and limit the mobility of the fish?
- How deep should a tank be?
- A 72" long tank usually comes in the 72 x 18 x 29 flavor. My concern is that the 18" flavor might be cramped.
- Does the depth of the tank matter? 24" is the 'vanilla' depth. Are there certain types of inverts that will need that 5" of light?
Should I spring for the 180g flavor and get the wider tank to save myself future headaches?
Thanks a ton everyone. I could really use a reply ASAP!

 

[ophiura]

If you can do the 180, do the 180. A lot of this is based on the fish you want. If you want tangs, get the 180.
If you are more interested in corals and rock structure, then wider is better, IMO. But if you want the best of both worlds, or flexibility down the road, the 180 will be the best...good for just about all fish...lots of flexibility in rock work and corals. What sort of lighting are you considering? If metal halides, I wouldn't worry about the 5" difference, IMO.

 

[sigmachris]

Speaking of lights, if they are discounting those or LR then jump on that too. The Lights and LR could each cost more than the tank alone. So strike while the iron is hot.

 

[halcyon_diver]

ophiura;If you can do the 180, do the 180. A lot of this is based on the fish you want. If you want tangs, get the 180.
I agree with Ophiura a 100%, go with the 180, like you said the bigger the better, hopefully you can get a good deal on it like the 150!!!