[hahnmeister]

For a first reef, I wouldnt go that big. Sure, its large and stable, but when you start going above 180g, you step into the realm of tanks that need a little more $$$ and know how. There is just more to plan ahead for, more $$$, and proper tank design before setup is critical... electrical, plumbing, structural, etc.

I would consider a 120g or 180g to be the largest a starter tank... larger than this and you step into the 'mega tank' realm where you have to start adding things like dedicated plumbing, water changing mixing tanks (you arent going to lug 50 gallons by hand every few weeks), a fish room, basement sump, etc. Maaaaybe a 240g (4x4x2 or 8x2x2) would squeeze in under this threshold due to their forgiving dimensions... but larger than this, and I would consider the tank more of an 'indistrial' adventure.

If you fancy a large tank, by all means, plan on it for a second tank... because if you think you are going to get it all 'just-right' the first time, dont fool yourself. You will descover new equipment, new techniques, tricks, lighting, etc... that you will want to use, but wont be able to on an existing tank.