Tank question

[Reefdiver77]

I am just about ready to start a living reef tank. I have been doing lots of reading and researching tanks. I went to see a used tank today. It was very oddly shaped. I will try my best to explain it. It is 35 gallon. It has 5 pieces of glass on it in addition to the bottom. The back glass is as you would expect, however the front glass goes up about 6 inches and another glass is attached there and angles backward. Therefore, the opening at the top is not very large. I thought at first, since the tank had recently been drained that it was terrarium. However, it is a tank and she has had FW fish in there until a few days ago. The measurements she had given me were 25 wide, 27 tall(back measurement) and 19 inches deep. Sits on a nice wooden stand. She bought this set up 7 years ago in Nashville. Standing in front of this tank and looking down, the glass is pretty close to the bottom of the tank. Much more room at the back of the tank. Would this work for living reef with fish?? Concerned that the small opening at the top would impede my being able to get enough light into the tank. Anyone had any experience with this sort of tank, or ever heard of such??? Thanks, Vicki

 

[loganj]

Vicki,
The biggest problem I see with this tank is that it isn't going to have much surface area. Oxygen exchange takes place at the surface of the water. If you have a small surface area, you may have trouble keeping the o2 levels where they need to be. Generally, the best tank to use is a wide, shallow tank. Not only does it offer increased surface area, but you can get by with less intense lighting in a shallow tank. They are also easier to maintain. JMHO.