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Best (and worst) All-In-One tank?


sighthoundlynn

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sighthoundlynn

Hello Everyone!

 

I'm new to this site and can't believe what amazing information is available. It's great!

 

I am looking for my first nano reef all-in-one tank, and just wanted to see if people could suggest the best (and worst!) ones out there. There are so many choices that I don't even know where to start. I'm looking for around 20 gallons or so, and want to house hardy corals and inverts, and maybe a fish or two.

 

Thank you in advance for all of the help!

 

Lynn

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BC29.. its work the extra 9 gallons..... well actually the BC29 hold about 24 gallons.

but it is a great tank,, and it is GLASS... which IMO the way to go.. also there are so many mods for these tanks.. too many to list.. just look on heree and youll find dozens of stuff on BioCubes..

happy reeefing. check out my thread

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welcome to nano-reef :welcome:

 

if you used the search feature, you could have found MANY threads on this topic. its a very common question. but, to answer your question, get the finnex 30g. that tank's hot.

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Oceanic 30g

It is probably the consensus of most that the best all in ones are Finnex, Red Sea Max, Cadlights (no particular order).

 

The best is always going to be a custom tank, but you will pay a lot more for one of those.

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It is probably the consensus of most that the best all in ones are Finnex, Red Sea Max, Cadlights (no particular order).

 

The best is always going to be a custom tank, but you will pay a lot more for one of those.

 

Don't forget the JBJ 28g HQI tank. ;)

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dailydriven911
It is probably the consensus of most that the best all in ones are Finnex, Red Sea Max, Cadlights (no particular order).

 

The best is always going to be a custom tank, but you will pay a lot more for one of those.

 

 

Or the solana... :)

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i personally like the current solana 34g tank for aio's, next would be the finnex m-tank (i think finnex makes that tank)

but the solana, you can get the light you want and not forced to get a crappy light

its also rimless and backed by a major company, which can be a good or bad thing

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Nick's Reef
i personally like the current solana 34g tank for aio's, next would be the finnex m-tank (i think finnex makes that tank)

but the solana, you can get the light you want and not forced to get a crappy light

its also rimless and backed by a major company, which can be a good or bad thing

+1 Current has AWESOME customer service!!!!! My moms ap12 came with a broken bulb and they fixed that right up and my dad's orbit had a fan crap out they got him the newe fan the DAY after they recived the email!!!! :D I also have an ap24 and have to say it's one of the best tanks for the $$$.

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I have a Solana & like it lots but I think the stand could be better & the glass is a bit thin (4mm or there-abouts).

 

Cadlights seems better to me but I couldn't easily get hold of one in Canada.

 

Not a big fan of JBJ or BC's as I don't like the plastic mouldings.

 

Never seen a Finnex so I can't say but in order of my own preference...

 

- Cadlights

- Solana

- Red Sea Max

- Nano Cube, Biocube, Nano Wave, Aquapod etc.

 

.

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I purchased a Oceanic 29g Biocube on March 9th. According to the Owner's Manual - Parts Identification List the tank is listed as "Glass Aquarium"

 

Which surprised me, because I was under the impression that it was acrylic. Now I am wondering if it is tempered glass. I was planning on drilling the tank and adding a custom sump/fuge. That plan will be shot if the tank is tempered glass. Which I am guessing that it probably is tempered. Anyone know for sure?

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I love my 5 gallon Homer Pail I got at Home Depot. Man that thing rocks. Along with the 60W bulb I found in the lighting section, my tank is all set up and looks like a pumpkin when the room lights are off. My clown that I put in yesterday is doing so well, along with the 5 yellow tangs, they love it. I plan on adding two clams tomorrow and maybe a shark if I can find some food for it.

 

 

 

oh :welcome: !!!

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I love my 5 gallon Homer Pail I got at Home Depot. Man that thing rocks. Along with the 60W bulb I found in the lighting section, my tank is all set up and looks like a pumpkin when the room lights are off. My clown that I put in yesterday is doing so well, along with the 5 yellow tangs, they love it. I plan on adding two clams tomorrow and maybe a shark if I can find some food for it.

 

 

 

oh :welcome: !!!

NO NO NO you can only have 3 tangs in a 5-gal pail dummy!!

:haha: We're gonna change your name to "StevieTang". :haha:

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sighthoundlynn

Wow! Thanks to everyone for the help. I've been busy researching peoples suggestion, and have to say that i'm turning into a reef info addict!

 

Thanks again everyone!

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Wow! Thanks to everyone for the help. I've been busy researching peoples suggestion, and have to say that i'm turning into a reef info addict!

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

I strongly suggest you get an All-In-One that has Metal Halide lighting. Corals grow much better and faster. I started with an Oceanic Bio-Cube which has Power Compact lighting and upgraded to the JBJ Cube with Metal Halide lighting. I was amazed how much better my corals were under the new lights. Just my 2 cents.

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I strongly suggest you get an All-In-One that has Metal Halide lighting.

 

All depends on what corals you want to keep...

 

No point going for MH, and dealing with all the over-heating issues & increased running cost, if you just want to keep softies & mushrooms.

 

I've successfully kept LPS in a 15 gallon using 4x24w T5's & softies in a 20 gallon using 2x36w.

 

No hard & fast rules in this game.

 

.

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NO NO NO you can only have 3 tangs in a 5-gal pail dummy!!

:haha: We're gonna change your name to "StevieTang". :haha:

 

 

dang, I may have to take them back. Love that name! B)

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I have tried out a bunch of nano tanks and I would say the best for your money is the AP 24 gallon with HQI - I got my from drsfostersmith shipped for around 315 when they had them on sale...the new nanocube HQI pretty much needs a chiller which will cost u another $200-$300 to that tank actually becomes one of the more expensive all in ones....it all comes down to how much money you want to spend

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best one in my own preference order:

 

Cadlights 39G Signature or Pro for equipment and tank quality, skimmer kicks butt, HQI light is really good and quiet. priced very reasonable for what you get.

 

Redseamax: nicely designed and good quality (but no HQI). kinda expensive for what you get.

 

JBJ 28G: with HQI but lower quality build all around than the Redsea. equipment works well overall

 

Solana with HQI: pretty good all around, not for anyone who wants advanced equipment though. and the glass is too thin, only 4mm

 

finnex: overall it looks kinda cheap and the tank resembles the basic AGA tanks. its cheap but works tho, but just not a tank that will wow you. i heard the stand, noise, skimmer, pump all needs to be changed or modded.

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I purchased a Oceanic 29g Biocube on March 9th. According to the Owner's Manual - Parts Identification List the tank is listed as "Glass Aquarium"

 

Which surprised me, because I was under the impression that it was acrylic. Now I am wondering if it is tempered glass. I was planning on drilling the tank and adding a custom sump/fuge. That plan will be shot if the tank is tempered glass. Which I am guessing that it probably is tempered. Anyone know for sure?

 

 

I have seen them drilled. There is also a thread on here about how to have a pvc overflow in the second chamber. I am waiting to see pics on that. I believe it maybe best to have it drilled at a glass shop.

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burtbollinger

I did about 5 months of research on this...looking to replace my JBJ 24 with the best nano avialable, following the lesson of buying the best the first time out....

 

in the end, after speaking with distributors at nanocustoms, ocean reeflections, folks at cadlights, at finnex.....lurking on forums, and all the rest, the final decision was between cadlights and finnex....I did consider the jbj 28 HQI modded from nanocustoms for a time...its a nice deal they got on that tank....

 

I chose the Finnex 30M with the 150w MH...from what I gather, for the $$$, it is the best, most proven, bulletproof tank on the market. Its a fine system, and anyone considering a nano tank owes it to themselves to at least look into this tank before making a decision on what to buy.

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