Need Opinions Bad - Standard 90 or 93 Cube

[saltkreep88]

Hello All,

Please give me your input on which tank you would go with and why. Yea, yea or know I should go with a 120 or 180 but I dont have the room, so please keep this to 90 vs 93 cube (29 x 29 x 24), which one and why!!

Thanks, Joe

 

[Sunny]

Your fish choice will decide between the two. Also what lights do you want? How about flow? There are many aspects that will come into play.

 

[saltkreep88]

Your fish choice will decide between the two. Also what lights do you want? How about flow? There are many aspects that will come into play.

This is an upgrade for me so the flow and lights can be figured out after the tank. But if I go with the cube I will keep the 24inch led I have now and supplement with 2-3 t5s because it is so wide front to back. I guess my main concern was visual/aquascaping, is it diffucult to aquascape 29 inches front to back with have only 30 wide and 24 tall?

 

[horseplay]

Depends on the look you're looking for. Do you like a minimalistic bonsai look or the traditional back to front sloped look?

 

[saltkreep88]

I need maximum coral space, so I guess bonsai is out. Haha

 

[horseplay]

In that case it's a tie. The two choices offer almost the same footprint. So it comes down to which looks better aesthetically. IMO the cube is nicer.

When I was looking at the 120g for my upgrade the overflow was on the wrong side. Cube would not have this problem. With a 18" front to back the standard overflow of the 90g will be quite obtrusive.

 

[iTzJu]

I gotta go with the 93 cube on this one too. depth to me looks much more appealing compared to the traditional length of the 90.

you can create a much more 3D-esque landscape with the cube.

 

[dan_k]

Joe I'm going with the 90 I started to set up a 93 cube I found out real Quick that standard stand the sump space was very limited unless you plan on a DIY stand IMO sump space is the most important since you spend so much time down there go with the 90 open front 40 breeder sump and your set
Jgraz had a really nice 90 and great build thread to get some ideas

 

[jose7878]

I personally had a standard 90 gal tank and now I have a 70 gal cube now that the footprint on that is 30x30x18 with a 40b gal sump. I made the stand a bit bigger so I could fit the 40b underneath the tank which gave me a nice 5"edge around my tank to put my equipment when maintenance the tank , or an nice cold beverage when I'm sitting watching my tank.

For me personally I like the looks of the cube tanks.

 

[arvin]

I have a 60g cube and in my view, aquascape and flow will be the two biggest challenges in a cube. Initially I had a Vortech MP40 since I wanted high flow. While the flow was great on one side, it left some dead spots. I replaced the pump with one mp10 and a Jebao wp25. Still not happy. Removed wp25 and added another MP10. Still not happy. Added the WP25 back again and finally got the flow that I was looking for. I also had to change the aquascaping several times to achieve the optimal flow.

HTH.

 

[jgraz]

Just curious,
If you are considering a standard 90 then you have the 4' wide space available. And if you are also considering the 93 cube then you also have the 24" front to back available. With that said you can def fit a standard 120, 48" x 24" x 24".
IMO get the 120 now and save yourself the headache of wanting to upgrade later. When I got my 90 a few years back I almost instantly regretted not listening to everyone about getting the 120.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Just curious,
If you are considering a standard 90 then you have the 4' wide space available. And if you are also considering the 93 cube then you also have the 24" front to back available. With that said you can def fit a standard 120, 48" x 24" x 24".
IMO get the 120 now and save yourself the headache of wanting to upgrade later. When I got my 90 a few years back I almost instantly regretted not listening to everyone about getting the 120.

I was thinking the same....but if you are limiting yourself to 90G then I would look at two things both mentioned. One the sump is going to be easier on traditional 90. 2nd and most important was what Sunny mentioned was fish selection. I wouldn't put tangs in a cube as readily as a traditional 90. That said cubes are sort of cool with center rock formations if you can get it open on at least three sides.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

I was thinking the same....but if you are limiting yourself to 90G then I would look at two things both mentioned. One the sump is going to be easier on traditional 90. 2nd and most important was what Sunny mentioned was fish selection. I wouldn't put tangs in a cube as readily as a traditional 90. That said cubes are sort of cool with center rock formations if you can get it open on at least three sides.

I agree with this. Also, when it comes to cubes, several people have told me that it is hard to get the right aquascape and flow. A cube tank can be beautiful but it is tricky to get it that way.

 

[AqOb]

I believe some tangs will do well in a cube as the added depth allows for more swimming options when aqua scaped correctly. In your typical 48x18 tank most tangs swim back and forth due to rock work usually built up along back wall of tank. In a cube (in this case 30x30) most of your rock is centered in tank and this allows for swimming along all sides of aquarium.

 

[JRWOHLER]

I believe some tangs will do well in a cube as the added depth allows for more swimming options when aqua scaped correctly. In your typical 48x18 tank most tangs swim back and forth due to rock work usually built up along back wall of tank. In a cube (in this case 30x30) most of your rock is centered in tank and this allows for swimming along all sides of aquarium.

Well I won't argue with the Fish Whisperer. I will note that my tank has two island in the middle they can swim around, but that isn't usual I guess.

 

[AqOb]

Your tank is 48x24 so its a little different my comparison was to that of a 90g vs 93g cube.

 

[reefsandrotts]

If you have 48" go for the 200 dd which is 48x36.

 

[Tommyboynj]

I went from a 75 to the 93. It's a sick tank. I'm so happy I went with the cube over a 120. I have a tomini tang in mine and he's very happy. I think you will love the scaping options the cube gives you. I'm in jackson. Your welcome to come see the tank.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Hockeynut]

I hate to say this also I agree with John if you have the footprint for a 4' x 2' tank that I would go straight to the 120 I have a 90 right now and I will tell you that 18 inches deep is not deep enough. If I had to choose between the standard 90 and the cube I will take the cube, but there is also one other thing that has to be thought about if you are going to put T fives with your led you will only be able to use 24 inch bulbs which unless I'm mistakin are only 18 W they'll never be enough light to get to the bottom of the tank.
Do yourself a favor and go straight to the 120

 

[saltkreep88]

Just curious,
If you are considering a standard 90 then you have the 4' wide space available. And if you are also considering the 93 cube then you also have the 24" front to back available. With that said you can def fit a standard 120, 48" x 24" x 24".
IMO get the 120 now and save yourself the headache of wanting to upgrade later. When I got my 90 a few years back I almost instantly regretted not listening to everyone about getting the 120.

It is going in a small room, and I feel the 120 will just look to big in the room. I am also trying to do this upgrade on an extreme budget, less than 500. I found good deals on a 90 and a 93. You guys have me torn, I am leaning towards the 90 for the sump space, since I do not have the cash for a custom sump or stand.