Thanks for the input! Ya, I've be thinking about doing a 24"x18"x16" or a 24"x24"x12" and making a nice stand to go with (likely with a refugium/sump underneath) with a built in hanger for the light so I don't have to use thse stupid legs all the time. I like the extra depth and having a side as big as the front viewing panel. I'm going to have to see what kind of room I have to work with before I can say for certain what I'll be doing.
I'm going to do some Solidworks drawings to get a feel for the look and I'll show everyone for a vote.
Yes, unfortunately I have to work with a budget. As a grad student you don't get much to live on and having expensive hobbies such as this is tough to manage (I'll gladly take parts donations!
). So, this might be the worlds greatest awesome-tank-on-a-budget build.