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Innovative Marine Micro Fusion 30L Review ---Owners please read this


ReviloM

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I noticed that my tank has some slight bowing going on as well.

 

I can see the black silicone seems weak too near the top of the false well.

 

This isn't good I assume? I don't even know how to proceed...hmmm

That's how it starts. It's going to get worse. Calling IM will just end with them telling you that you have to ship the tank to them at your own expense and they will determine if it is an issue. If not you, will have to pay to ship it back.

 

It's complete BS.

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That's how it starts. It's going to get worse. Calling IM will just end with them telling you that you have to ship the tank to them at your own expense and they will determine if it is an issue. If not you, will have to pay to ship it back.

 

It's complete BS.

 

 

Ultimately, this is very unsightly, but is there a risk of a complete tank failure and having a wall pop out to cause 26ish gallons of water to come crashing into my living room floor? That would not be ideal...

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Although I agree with some of your points, they really aren't as bad as you're making them seem. Case and point, the bowing... Ummm if that tank is as bowed as you say, so is your stand. That is merely distortion due to the camera.

veccgi.png

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Although I agree with some of your points, they really aren't as bad as you're making them seem. Case and point, the bowing... Ummm if that tank is as bowed as you say, so is your stand. That is merely distortion due to the camera.

 

veccgi.png

Look again. There is space between the front glass and the mesh screen. Camera doesn't cause that space
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From my own experience, glass or acrylic aquariums shouldn't be purchased online. Too many unknowns and things that can go wrong. And if purchased from retailer, don't be afraid to inspect your purchase in the store before committing to a faulty product.

IM products are somewhat innovative and visually appealing but there is a room for improvement. Especially in quality control and customer service. I own several IM products, including IM 16 aquarium and I was fortunate enough to sail thru months of trouble free experience with their tank or nano reactor (purchased from retailer and inspected on pick up). But horror stories of cracking tanks and other issues will definitely weight in on my future purchases.

Hate to repeat what others have said already but flow, media baskets needs to be redesign and improved (among other things).

 

Hope that all works out for you.

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6WkK9Lul.jpg

 

 

This is what it looks like for me.

 

Tried to get up straight as I possibly could - the false wall is what's bowing

My falsewall started small. Then I really noticed it when I started losing fish that jump through the bowing area. Then I noticed the front glass. I put a measuring tape to it and it showed bowing. Then I used my son's yard stick, it definitely showed it was bowing.

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My falsewall started small. Then I really noticed it when I started losing fish that jump through the bowing area. Then I noticed the front glass. I put a measuring tape to it and it showed bowing. Then I used my son's yard stick, it definitely showed it was bowing.

 

 

Well this is upsetting. I look at my tank every day and I think I am imagining it bowing ever so slightly more as the days go by. I will take another picture with a yardstick or something, and send it out to IM. I will probably get the same response as you did, but there's no way I would be able to send them the tank.

 

My QT is tiny, and I would have to spend a lot to ship it out to make sure it doesn't get destroyed by UPS/Fedex/USPS. How troublesome.

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  • 2 months later...

So I just got back into the hobby and purchased a 30L back in December, worst mistake ever:

 

1. Tank came cracked, not sure if this was a packing issue or what but marinedepot sent out a new one immediately.

2. The silicon was sloppy on a lot of the edges.

3. My flow is terrible too, had to buy an MP10 and another Hydor to compensate.

4. You can't adjust the water height unless you don't want it to surface skim. Adding more water creates a thick buildup at the top. The recommended water height for this tanks gives it a awful look. Every person who has seen mine asked why the water is so low.

5. The sponge filters and racks it comes with are garbage but of course they sell upgraded ones. These are also garbage because they still leave gaps around the edges. Water goes around and is unfiltered.

6. The screen is terrible, cheap product and the mounts it rests on are even worse. Ruins the whole look.

7. Their accessories are awful too. The ghost skimmer was cracked and leaked. The new one I have has a huge microbubble issue no matter what setting I have. Had to buy a tunze, much happier

 

I paid $499 for this tank and for that, you can get a nice custom one. Never again with these im AIO tanks!

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  • 2 months later...

Hello,

 

As most of you know, I had issues with my Fusion 30L. Some of the fan boys denied it and called blasphemy but I am here to tell you everything about this tank and about my interaction with IM during this process. First, off as I stated many times, IM releases rushed tanks that aren't thought through and properly tested to avoid issues.

 

The first issue I encountered was improper flow to through the media racks. Instead the flow would go before it and around. I made a video and sent it to IM and "they pretty much indirectly called me a noob" and said your media rack doesn't have any media in it. I informed them the intent of not having media in the rack to show the flow. It doesn't have that much. Here is the video I sent them and they one they sent back to me:

 

My clip

http://youtu.be/s8m3RvuTqKw

 

 

Their Clip:

http://youtu.be/tCY9ulSA-34

 

As you can see barely any flow to/through mine and lots through theirs.

 

 

The next issue I noticed when I lost both my helfrichi firefish. The media net is 1/2 short. The rep informed me it is that short to ensure cords can come out the display for pumps or anything else. So I said I would send him images. These are the original images I sent:

 

14975344922_a66e570cc9_c.jpg

14789013260_4d4885bb86_c.jpg

14789088348_5aeb104d54_c.jpg

 

As you can see there is bowing but Brian H. at IM said that wasn't enough. So I took another set of images from up top:

 

14962792381_c33c6df0f1_c.jpg

14965890975_260cacd217_c.jpg

14779351397_190a017b0f_c.jpg

 

Guess what he also said those aren't good enough. He stated that he printed out the images and used a straight edged ruler and didnt see a bow........

Look at the image below. The mesh net is a perfect 180 degrees. As you can see the mesh net is flushed again the glass but there is a space, the bow. I have circled it. The next thing is the bow in the false wall bending which can be seen below as well. Either the rep is completely in denial about their product or the rep is very incompetent.

 

14972667751_7d65dd02f0_c.jpg

14975419242_26310bb007_c.jpg

 

 

So, I called and got a new rep that was suppose to call me back the same day and never called back. So I called today and the rep stated that the warranty department will contact me. So I received an email stating that I need to ship the tank to them and they will not cover the charges and if found not to bow, I will again have to pay shipping for the tank to be returned. WTF!!! So lets calculate how much money I am losing right now:

 

Bowing tank - $475

Media Racks - $80

2 Helfrichi Firefish - $150

Shipping Tank to IM - ~$150+

 

Total: $855

 

 

 

In the email I stated that I want a REPLACEMENT tank and that I would need a shipping kit of some sort shipped to me to ensure that the tank arrives safely and they responded with its up to me to get the tank their and to just get insurance.

 

So IM 30L, if you tank have even the slightest bow, its going to start to progress and bow like mine because those tanks are cheap and rushed. I am basically at the point where I have to dish out more cash just for them to fix a mistake on their part.

 

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TANK TO ANYONE!!!!! I won't even sell this crap to anyone.

I have had nothing but good to say about this tank. I had the chance to visually inspect mine from a lot of 5 before purchasing. Very easy solution to fixing the bowing of the acrylic rear piece. Put a small brace between the wall and rear of tank. This tank is gorgeous . I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PEOPLE TO BUY THIS TANK !!!

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Steensj2004

I have had nothing but good to say about this tank. I had the chance to visually inspect mine from a lot of 5 before purchasing. Very easy solution to fixing the bowing of the acrylic rear piece. Put a small brace between the wall and rear of tank. This tank is gorgeous . I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PEOPLE TO BUY THIS TANK !!!

I understand the frustration, but the idea that the OP thinks just because he paid 500.00 it should be flawless out of the box is asinine. There is a reason IM tanks are cheaper than the other, more high end tanks. 500.00 is a lot of money, however there are AIO tanks that cost 2x that much. So in retrospect, you are buying a ,"Cheap" AIO. Should have just bought a rimless RR tank and done a sump! :lol:

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  • 1 month later...
doradosteve

Cadlights are known for some pretty terrible customer service as well.

 

 

 

Interesting. I have a 30L and it is flawless.

 

Currently I am building a Cadlight tank & I am experiencing some poor service from them-

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 years later...
20 minutes ago, flypenfly said:

Thanks for this, I was considering their new Micro 30 L EXT but I will just go with Red Sea so I don't have these issues, how frustrating.

You do realize that the original rant is almost 5 years old and the 30L design/model continues to be some of the best values offered on the market?  

Not saying you shouldn’t go Red Sea. If I can afford it, I would too. 

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1 hour ago, micoastreefing said:

You do realize that the original rant is almost 5 years old and the 30L design/model continues to be some of the best values offered on the market?  

Not saying you shouldn’t go Red Sea. If I can afford it, I would too. 

I prefer the tank dimensions on the IM 30L Ext but in terms of price, the RedSea 170 Reefer comes with a sump and the price is just about the same when you account for that.

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