Width of tank?

[JackBlasto]

Hi all. I'm looking to have a 3 foot wide tank made that is 3 foot tall and 18 inches wide. So 36x18x36tall. It is 98 gallons. I want Discus fish in here primarily but don't want to limit myself 5 years from now when I want something different. My question is is 3 feet front footage adequate space for a variety of 5-8 inch types of fish??? Thanks for any advice. I know 3 feet is not normal and 4 feet is the standard. Is this because of the fishes well being? My wall accommodates the 36x18x36 thus why I was doing this.

 

[JackBlasto]

Let me rephrase a key element of this question. Is the difference between a 3 foot tank front (100 gallon) and 4 feet tank front (100 gallon) critical to the well being of a few 8 inch discus fish? I WANT a 3 foot tank because it fits the room better but I don't want to sacrifice the well being of the tank inhabitants for this. Thanks.