Nuvo Micro 30 vs. Nano 24?

[Sneltyr]

Looking at these two for a possible Nano reef tank to sit at the end of the couch. Presently my wife has a table and lamp there. Whichever I choose it would have to look good and be completely self contained. If I did any mods they would have to fit in the back of the Nuvo.

 

I'd also be interested to know if the lighting would be sufficient for coral growth or if I would have to invest in different lighting and would it be more expensive to light the cube or the 24" long Nuvo.

 

I have been reading on different AIO Nano Reef tanks and Nuvo sounds like a good bet. It also seems like it will meet the wife's requirements for being good looking enough to have in the living room.

 

If there are any parts of the Nuvo that just won't perform and would have to modified immediately please let me know what I would need to get.

 

I could also look at a comparable PicO but can see anything on their website.

 

Thanks for the input.

[novice]

the Nuvo 24 and the Nuvo 30 are way different. they're both AIO's but the Nuvo 24 is over a foot longer than the 30. the 30 is very tall for a 30 gal tank but it's a nice size to put on a stand next to a sofa. I've seen the Nuvo 30 in person, and at first after reading the dimensions on paper i didn't think it would be what i wanted, but after seeing it in person, stocked at a LFS, i like it. i like the JBJ 30 more though, as it is wider than it is tall (so i have more room for zoas on the bottom of the tank). Basically the JBJ 30 has the same dimensions as the Nuvo 38, but it's shorter than the Nuvo 38.

 

IMO, it will be more expensive to buy a light for the Nuvo 24. you won't have a problem finding light to penetrate a tank as shallow as the 24, the problem is covering the length. as most lights get longer, they get more expensive.

 

if you can, go to a local fish store and see what they have on display. one store local to me really supports Innovative Marine. they have all the Nuvo series nano tanks on display (8, 16, 24, 30, 38) and stocked, and then they have the new SR series in-stock but not set up.

[gsgentry]

I love the 24 as it's very wide (3 feet). I went through the same debate you are going through now. But IMO, the debate should be 24 or the 38. The 38 is a little bigger and has 2 returns compared to a single return on the 30. But I opted for the 24 because of the larger viewing area and longer run for fish to swim. And yes, lighting will be more expensive, but you save on the stand as you can get one really cheap due to its "almost" standard dimensions. The only stands I found that I liked for the 38 was the IM one, which is kinda pricey.

 

Just some additional things to consider. Good luck.

[Sneltyr]

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably have my wife put a dresser at the end of the sofa and let the piece of furniture help me decide between the Nuvo sizes.

 

One question I had about the 24. It seems really narrow to me. I think the total width is 12" and the tank width is 10". Is 10" enough space for live rock & coral?

[gsgentry]

Sure it is. Go to the Innovative Marine sticky and in the first post are all the different build threads, grouped by size. Take a look at a few of them and you can see examples of them all.

[Nuvo24]

I saw both at my LFS and liked the the 24 better. That is what I have bought. (Haven't had a chance to put it together yet .

[tibbsy07]

I prefer the cube style tanks, to be honest - only because the lighting ends up being cheaper. The 24, 30 and 38 are great tanks.

[gigabyte]

I was in the same situation as you in deciding on a 24 or a 30. after seeing both in person in I left the store with a 38. the 24 was too long and the viewing angle of the 30 was too low with the stand. the 38 was just right for me. as others stated lighting a 24 will be more expensive then a 30 or 38. the return pump that came with my 38 was a little noisy so I replaced it with a eheim 1250 and now it's dead silent. I also upgraded the media baskets.