I agree with "bigfishhead" overall footprint is better than litres. tank 1 would be my pick. As far as stocking goes the length of both tanks are similar and prob a bit short for the bigger open water haps but tank 1 is way deeper(front to back) so will give you more fish variety for your stocking. I have found that africans seem to be fine with a little less hight (top of tank to bottom) but definately need the width (front to back)
IMO it is better to sacrifice a bit of length and volume to gain a bigger footprint
nudge got a reaction from YamNato in Preferred tank dimensions for Africans