Alchemic Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 So I want to order my new tank on Saturday now that I am settled in my new place and get back to reefing. My previous experience is only in pico tanks so anything larger than a 4 or 8 gallon is not what I'm used to.I am considering the 3 tanks mentioned in the title. I'll explain why I am considering each one and any suggestion or input would be greatly appreciated.Note: I want a Blue Dot Jawfish so a DSB is important to me.Nuvo 16 - It's sexy...plain and simple. The tank alone looks like a work of art and like the 24" panoramic viewing. Downside is the panoramic nature makes it more shallow which limits things. At $250 it is pricey and it had issues with cracking but from my understanding that has been mostly resolved.Biocube 29 - Good sized AIO tank for $195. It has good dimensions for a deep sand bed. The downside is the design is uninspiring and the hood is useless to me since I will replace it with 1/4" netting and an led light fixture.JBJ 30 - Feel this falls between the two in the looks department. It somewhat combines two things I liked about the other two which is the 24" width and ability for DSB. It also comes with two return pumps reducing the chance of having to replace them due to lack of flow. My main concern is the brand. I have heard negative things about JBJ build quality in the past but not sure about their current reputation. At $289.00, its the most expensive but possibly the best for my wants/needs...Thouhts Link to comment
NYR Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I was considering the nuvo 16 for my first, but came across a thread here where people reported cracks within the last few months. I couldn't take that chance. Given the three options i'd personally go with the jbj 30. I like the looks of the nuvo the most, but I couldnt chance a crack. I prefer rectangle tanks to cubes so that is how i came to the jbj. I personally bought an IM Fusion 30L which should arrive today actually. Link to comment
theishkid Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 That Fusion 30L is a beautiful tank and worth taking a look at... I wanted one but it's slightly too large, by mere inches. Also take a look at the Cadlights 34g mini ii. That's what I'm looking at now. The tank is a hundred more than the jbj but it looks sexy! http://www.cadlights.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=46 Link to comment
Alchemic Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 You two are trying to make things harder on me!! Let me know how you think of the Fusion when it arrives, NYR. The thing that concerns me is the height and needing at least 3" of sand for the jawfish. Maybe I could have 1" in about half and then have a sweeping build up of a dsb towards the other. Hmm... The Cadlights tank is really nice looking...cheaper and with better dim for a dsb. Ugh, choices are nice but then not really sometimes! Link to comment
NYR Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Yes well the fusion is unboxed and it looks pretty sweet. Though i have nothing to compare it to since this is my first tank haha. Its the same height as the nuvo 16 but a few inches lower then the jbj, biocube, and cadlights. If you're set on the deep sand bed then maybe fusion isnt best option because its 36" long. It should also be known i prefer straight rectangle vs bow front or bent glass. Not a fan of the effect they make from certain angles. What you leaning towards? Link to comment
Alchemic Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 I think I'm leaning towards the fusion. Though it doesn't have the height I think it could look interesting with my idea. Since one side if the tank would be more appropriate for the jawfish it would control where it would make a home. Sill considering the Cadlights however... Link to comment
theishkid Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 That fusion really is a beautiful tank. I don't know if you're going to buy the stand or not too but I was very impressed with it when I saw it in the store. Everything felt very solid. That's probably the one thing I dislike about the Cadlights is I don't feel like the stand is that nice. But I'm going to have my trim carpenter friend build one for me. I haven't seen the Cadlights in person but it looks great in the photos and forum posts. I do like that it's a little cheaper and a little deeper than the fusion. I've got to go with the Cad since my area is like 34" that I can put a tank in. Here are a couple of pics of the Fusion from a store I recently saw it in. Either way you'll be fine. Link to comment
NYR Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 It's definitely long enough for your idea! I went with a longer tank so i have more horizontal room for corals. When they're too boxed out and tall i feel like you can't fit as much. All depends on what you're going for though! Link to comment
Alchemic Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Stands are so overpriced. I'll be building my own which lets me customize the size, look, and layout. Not to mention at a much cheaper price! Yeah the panoramic is really speaking to me. Link to comment
Admonition Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I had the Nuvo 16 and recently transferred everything over into my newly purchased Fusion 30L. I love the tank, and an super happy with my choice (I just wish it had been available back when I bought a launch Nuvo16). If you're looking for an AIO, I definitly recommend it Link to comment
NYR Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Stands are so overpriced. I'll be building my own which lets me customize the size, look, and layout. Not to mention at a much cheaper price! Yeah the panoramic is really speaking to me. I went with a stand from petco..aquatic fundamentals? Cost me $130 vs the $300 stand from Innovative Marine. The 50-65 gallon rated one fits as their 30 gallon stand isn't wide enough. I'm sure you can build one for cheaper than $130, I'm not a carpentry DIYer so it worked for me Link to comment
Craving-Coral Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 So I want to order my new tank on Saturday now that I am settled in my new place and get back to reefing. My previous experience is only in pico tanks so anything larger than a 4 or 8 gallon is not what I'm used to. I am considering the 3 tanks mentioned in the title. I'll explain why I am considering each one and any suggestion or input would be greatly appreciated. Note: I want a Blue Dot Jawfish so a DSB is important to me. Nuvo 16 - It's sexy...plain and simple. The tank alone looks like a work of art and like the 24" panoramic viewing. Downside is the panoramic nature makes it more shallow which limits things. At $250 it is pricey and it had issues with cracking but from my understanding that has been mostly resolved. Biocube 29 - Good sized AIO tank for $195. It has good dimensions for a deep sand bed. The downside is the design is uninspiring and the hood is useless to me since I will replace it with 1/4" netting and an led light fixture. JBJ 30 - Feel this falls between the two in the looks department. It somewhat combines two things I liked about the other two which is the 24" width and ability for DSB. It also comes with two return pumps reducing the chance of having to replace them due to lack of flow. My main concern is the brand. I have heard negative things about JBJ build quality in the past but not sure about their current reputation. At $289.00, its the most expensive but possibly the best for my wants/needs... Thouhts I just got my 29 gallon biocube in from Dr. Foster and Smith last night and finished setting it up about 1:00 this morning (which made for rough start when my alarm went off this morning), but I'm happy with it and the way it turned out. I'm new to the hobby so I figured it would be a good size to start at for me, but I can already see that I'll probably end up getting something a bit larger. I too want a blue spotted jaw fish so I went with 30 lbs of live sand and made a couple pretty deep areas where It will hopefully choose to make its den. I also didn't like the hood that came with the biocube so I took it off and made mine rimless and got 165w full spectrum LED. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Let me know if you have any questions about anything and best of luck to you in making your decision! Link to comment
Alchemic Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 I just got my 29 gallon biocube in from Dr. Foster and Smith last night and finished setting it up about 1:00 this morning (which made for rough start when my alarm went off this morning), but I'm happy with it and the way it turned out. I'm new to the hobby so I figured it would be a good size to start at for me, but I can already see that I'll probably end up getting something a bit larger. I too want a blue spotted jaw fish so I went with 30 lbs of live sand and made a couple pretty deep areas where It will hopefully choose to make its den. I also didn't like the hood that came with the biocube so I took it off and made mine rimless and got 165w full spectrum LED. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Let me know if you have any questions about anything and best of luck to you in making your decision! Congrats on your new tank and welcome to the hobby! Thanks for sharing and I think I'll be going with the Fusion 30L which I'll be ordering tomorrow. I'm thinking since it is a longer tank I'll have to go with 40lbs of sand and plan on doing black to really make the colors pop on the Blue Dot. I think getting rid of the top is a good idea with the Biocube but word of caution is that the Blue Dot is a jumper. I would suggest getting some 1/4" netting and making a top to keep him inside. I'm sure there are probably guides on here on how to do it but a quick google search will work, as well. Thanks for offering to answer any questions and likewise to you. I am not an expert but have been in the hobby off and on for a few years and happy to help out in any way. Link to comment
Alchemic Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Well I have officially ordered the Innovative Marine 30 Gallon NUVO Fusion 30L Aquarium!!! Thanks to someone who shall not be named, I got 15% off which means I snagged it for $425. I almost caved in for the cheaper JBJ but knew I would be happier with the Fusion. Rather get what I really want than have the regret of trying to save a "few" bucks. Thank you everyone for your input, suggestions, and advice! I'll start up a thread once I am ready to start adding sand/rock which will be about a month (have to move in couple weeks). I'll also start up a diy stand thread - that should hopefully be next week. Now that I think about the stand...one last question! How tall should I make it? I figure that it would be nice to have close to eye level but that would make it the tallest piece of furniture which could be a good or bad thing. Attention getter (will be regardless) but could look weird compared to the rest of our stuff. Hmm... Link to comment
theishkid Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Congrats on the purchase. I finally pulled the trigger on mine this afternoon too. Two things to consider with the stand. If you put it at eye level you're going to have a heck of a time getting into the tank. Also my carpenter friend was saying not to go too high because the higher you go with all that weight the more unstable it could be. Similar to SUVs being more succeptable to roll overs. But you could always brace it to a wall. Link to comment
HOTWATER Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Out of those 3 IMO the jbj 30 rimless is the way to go. I just picked one up and the build quality is great. It all depends what you want and what your going to do with it. Jaw fish in reality don't need an aggressively deep sand bed, I've seen them completely fine in a 2-2 1/2" with a PVC pipe w angles as a perfect home for the little fella. Honestly IMO most of the aio tanks out these days are very well put together, you can get the rouge tank every once and a while but all in all I think the popular mainstream manufactures are on top of the build quality. My 2cents. Link to comment
Admonition Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Congrats! We're starting to get a bunch of Fusion 30L builds going on here; can't wait to see it! Link to comment
NYR Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Well I have officially ordered the Innovative Marine 30 Gallon NUVO Fusion 30L Aquarium!!! Thanks to someone who shall not be named, I got 15% off which means I snagged it for $425. I got mine 15% off too!! nice Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Omg with a dsi and that shallow ness you could scape such an awesome low peninsula Link to comment
Craving-Coral Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Congrats on your new tank and welcome to the hobby! Thanks for sharing and I think I'll be going with the Fusion 30L which I'll be ordering tomorrow. I'm thinking since it is a longer tank I'll have to go with 40lbs of sand and plan on doing black to really make the colors pop on the Blue Dot. I think getting rid of the top is a good idea with the Biocube but word of caution is that the Blue Dot is a jumper. I would suggest getting some 1/4" netting and making a top to keep him inside. I'm sure there are probably guides on here on how to do it but a quick google search will work, as well. Thanks for offering to answer any questions and likewise to you. I am not an expert but have been in the hobby off and on for a few years and happy to help out in any way. I see that you made your decision, congrats, that's exciting! I'm currently waiting on my tank to cycle which is much more difficult than I expected it to be. I'm anxious to get some something in the tank other than rock! I've been testing it twice daily and everything looks good except my amonia. Hopefully that will go down and I'll be able to add my cleaner crew in a few days. Thanks for the heads up about the blue dot being a jumper. I'm going to Lowes today and buying a window screen kit and some spline to make a top for it. I'll post some pics after I get it finished. Good luck with your set up! Link to comment
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