Tank Upgrade..! Decisions, Decisions.. HELP!

[Big Tex]

so i have two choices guys for my living room tank, right now i have an oceanic systems 56g bow front tank, fish only, hob filter, hydor slim skim, led lighting, hydor 425 powerheads, etc and ive been presented with 2 option for an upgrade,

the first is a 55g tank, "starter kit" which i can sell all the "starter" stuff to a buddy thats wants cheap equipment, and keep the tank and stand, ive talked him down to $150 for tank, stand, and all accessories, which is a good deal for me because i get to keep all my equipment and i dont need to add anything like more sand or live rock, plus its got room for a 20g long DIY sump if i wanted to go reef with it later.

55gall fresh water tank Acuario

the second is a 60g tank with overflow, stand, and canopy, and a 15g basic wet/dry sump, no skimmer, no return pump, nothing else. ive also talked him down to $150, but the thing that gets me is stand/tank/canopy altogether is only 4ft tall, which is a turn off for me because i dont want people looking down at my tank, i want it at least chest height like my current tank is.

220 gallon salt water reef aquarium

so with all that said, what do you guys think, i wanna keep my fish only setup and equipment, but i eventually wanna go reef for my livingroom, but im totally unprepared right now for one, what say you guys ay?

 

[bribo12]

so i have two choices guys for my living room tank, right now i have an oceanic systems 56g bow front tank, fish only, hob filter, hydor slim skim, led lighting, hydor 425 powerheads, etc and ive been presented with 2 option for an upgrade,

the first is a 55g tank, "starter kit" which i can sell all the "starter" stuff to a buddy thats wants cheap equipment, and keep the tank and stand, ive talked him down to $150 for tank, stand, and all accessories, which is a good deal for me because i get to keep all my equipment and i dont need to add anything like more sand or live rock, plus its got room for a 20g long DIY sump if i wanted to go reef with it later.

55gall fresh water tank Acuario

the second is a 60g tank with overflow, stand, and canopy, and a 15g basic wet/dry sump, no skimmer, no return pump, nothing else. ive also talked him down to $150, but the thing that gets me is stand/tank/canopy altogether is only 4ft tall, which is a turn off for me because i dont want people looking down at my tank, i want it at least chest height like my current tank is.

220 gallon salt water reef aquarium

so with all that said, what do you guys think, i wanna keep my fish only setup and equipment, but i eventually wanna go reef for my livingroom, but im totally unprepared right now for one, what say you guys ay?

The drilled one for sure, the dimensions on a normal 55 are awful IMO.

 

[MarinaClown]

the dimensions on a normal 55 are awful IMO.

I agree. I think it's only 12 inches deep. My LFS has a 55 gallon for sale for only $24. It was used by a movie studio (I live in LA) for 3 days and then returned once the aquarium scene was done.
It seems that it would be really hard to (1) aquascape and (2) do maintenance.

 

[Big Tex]

The drilled one for sure, the dimensions on a normal 55 are awful IMO.

my only problem is im not prepared at all for a drilled tank, and we just had a +6hr power outage last month, i was happy i didnt have an overflow, so im still debating,

I agree. I think it's only 12 inches deep. My LFS has a 55 gallon for sale for only $24. It was used by a movie studio (I live in LA) for 3 days and then returned once the aquarium scene was done.
It seems that it would be really hard to (1) aquascape and (2) do maintenance.

both good points both of you, i know 12" isnt crap for room, if i have my rocks all the way against the back glass, ill only have maybe 6" of swimming space, i like the width of the 60g its 18" but the only thing that is stopping me is how short it all is, and its only 36" wide, my 56g bow front i have now is 36" wide, and i wanted something to fill in the wall space a bit more but idk.

 

[MarinaClown]

I get you. I am pretty comfortable with HOB filtration I have and don't feel like spending more $ on sump filtration. At least not before I have used it for 1,5-2 years and got my money's worth out of it.

48" tank will give you more options in terms of fish you can put in. Many wrasses and tangs that can't go in a 36" tank could go in a 48" tank. Not to say you should put a purple tang in there but a Kole or Tomini would be ok. Same with wrasses, especially fairy wrasses. They are so beautiful.

 

[Big Tex]

I get you. I am pretty comfortable with HOB filtration I have and don't feel like spending more $ on sump filtration. At least not before I have used it for 1,5-2 years and got my money's worth out of it.

48" tank will give you more options in terms of fish you can put in. Many wrasses and tangs that can't go in a 36" tank could go in a 48" tank. Not to say you should put a purple tang in there but a Kole or Tomini would be ok. Same with wrasses, especially fairy wrasses. They are so beautiful.

and thats where im at right now, the 48" tank part is hanging me up on the 55g i would love a 75g but i cant afford it right now, and i dont have the skill to make a suitable stand for it either, i would be able to use all my euipment i have now, and its a nice height, not to mention more swimming room, idk im still in between but i am leaning towards the 55g as of now..