Aquapod Nano or DIY?

[stiltman]

Hello all,

 

I have been keeping freshwater fish for more than 15 years (on and off). I am planning on starting my first saltwater tank.

 

In my research I have singled out the Aquapod 24g with 150w MH lighting. In searching around through some of these forums I have often seen the comment posted "aquapods suck".

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...mp;N=2004+62760

 

I have an empty 30 gallon "Perfecto" sitting around.

 

I'm leaning towards purchasing the Aquapod because I think it would look nicer (less wires and gadgets hanging off the tank). Also, I won't have to go through upgrading this old freshwater tank.

 

I plan on starting as live rock and fish at first. With my goal of having a nice reef tank when I get some experience under my belt.

 

Does Aquapod "suck"?

 

Thanks

[masterbuilder]

Oh Boy.... check out the Nanocube 28 HQi thread. You will get a lot of differing opinions. Some people (like me) like them for the way they look. Others are strongly opposed to the "all n ones" and have many valid points. My highly modded nanocube serves me perfectly. I will say that the people that are the most opposed to the all-n-one's have never owned one, so keep that in mind. Also, the resale value thing has popped up lately…. no used aquarium has any value, all-n-one or not. How many people do you know that have sold an aquarium for anything but pennys on the dollar? It’s a mute point.

 

This is the way I think.... I like they way they look and like them for the reasons you expressed. That is my sole reason for owning one...the way it looks. However I think you may still want/need to do some upgrading to the aquapod. Like better pumps, maybe a different bulb, etc but its not required. There are 100’s of threads here about the ways to mod aquapods, just use the search function. Upgrading/converting your freshwater will be less expensive but it still may not LOOK the way you want it too. I don’t like the wires, plumbing, lights, pumps exposed. Others don’t seem to mind that. Also some will say fixing up your 30 gallon may offer you more options on equipment, it hasn’t for me though. If I put together a “money no object” custom tank today, it would be a close copy of my existing Nanocube, just larger.

 

So... long story short. IMHO...it all boils down to 2 things:

 

1-What LOOK do YOU like?

2-If cost is a major factor, the all-n-ones will be more expensive.

 

Regardless of what anyone says…it’s what YOU like..."all-n-one" or not...they all work just fine.

 

Mark

[stiltman]

Mark,

 

Thank you, I will check out that thread.

 

As long as I'm not hearing people say that my Aquapod fell apart after a year and other horror stories I'll probably end up purchasing it.

 

Jonah

[dshnarw]

I think most of the people who think they suck are against the "all in one" concept in general, or are stuck on one brand.

 

They do require some simple upgrades to make them really "reef ready", but other than that, they're good systems that look nice, and hide all the equipment (a big bonus IMO).

 

From an all in one (aquapod and nanocube) and AGA owner, I prefer the all in one in most cases - unless you go custom aquarium.

 

Edited for clarity.

[masterbuilder]

Why couldnt I say it that way, dshnarw. Your clarity is crystal clear.

[dshnarw]

Haha...thanks. Trust me, it wasn't the first time - I was still half asleep from the sermon today.

[Diskusting]

If your worried about a DIY setup looking ghetto just design it where the sump and equipment fit under the stand. In my opinion Pods can be limited compared to DIY.

[stiltman]

LOL,

 

That is pretty much exacty what I'm worried about. I don't want to invest tons of time and money and have a GHETTO looking set up.

[dshnarw]

If your worried about a DIY setup looking ghetto just design it where the sump and equipment fit under the stand. In my opinion Pods can be limited compared to DIY.

 

I'm not sure I would call an all in one system (from now on - I'm gonna name that AIOS) "limiting" except in the number of choices you are required to make - its the same setup as a DIY, you just have the sump, overflow, and return built in. In return for the limited choices, you don't have to worry about drilling tanks, building overflows, leak proofing, etc. Besides that, it all comes down to the aesthetics of the various tanks.

 

Personally, I'm a mix of convenience and DIY - I enjoy the convenience/limited decisions of the AIOS. For a just graduated college reefer who moved the tanks constantly to and from the dorms, it was very nice to take down and set up. It will still be nice when I get settled into a place for years, because I don't need to worry about the plumbing leaking, etc.

 

At the same time - I'm currently designing a custom built tank with a central overflow into a sump - because I like the choices I can make on the sump design.

[masterbuilder]

If you are real concerned with your ability to build an up town looking setup. Go back to the nanocustoms site and look at their complete ready to run systems. I have one and have seen two others in person. They are damn near perfect as far as modded "all-n-ones". The quality of their work is as good as it gets, the attention to detail is hard to understand until you look at one closely. They have solved all the equipment problems you WILL have for you. They are not cheap, but if you add up every nut, bolt, tube, screw, etc. you will buy to mod your own and the cost to fix mistakes...it isn’t really expensive IMHO. It’s will look good and work right. What I learned from seeing how to do it RIGHT was worth the extra cost.

If you are pretty good at tinkering, their DYI kits are very nice.

 

You can do what Stiltman said and will save money.... it can look just as good as anything else out there and most people think its better in the long run. It’s all just a time vs. money, just like everything else. That 30 Gallon tank you have could be super cool, I like those.

 

My vote…a nanocustoms ready to go system. IMHO the perfect 1st time setup…but far from the least expensive.