Returning to the hobby after a 28 year sabbatical!

[Heavyweight]

Hello All!

I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. The last time I maintained an aquarium was back when I used to work for my local fish store while I was in high school. Back then I mostly kept single specimen aquariums that, admittedly, were way too small for the fish I was drawn to at the time. (Don't worry I always re-homed them when they got obviously too large for my setup 😉)

Flash forward a couple decades and here I am looking to get back into the hobby that enthralled me so much as a kid. My budget is quite a bit larger and my interests have changed significantly since then, and in doing some research, I can see that the game has changed dramatically since my last foray into the hobby.

After spending some time at my LFS and talking with several of the employees there I am between two beginner friendly setups. The first being a JBJ 28G Nano Cube and the second being a Red Sea MAX E 170. I would like to have some corals and anemones as well as a few small fish and invertebrates. In doing what research I have done so far I realize how little I know and it sometimes feels quite daunting starting out but here I am... ready to learn.

So without further ado... hello and let me know what you think about those two setups!

Eric a.k.a Heavyweight

PS: I am located in High Point NC so if you are in the area hit me up! Always cool to have some F2F friends in a hobby!

[Tamberav]

I feel if you are going to go red sea, that you should look at the sumped ones for that kind of money. I am not a huge fan of a skimmer coming with and such. I just don't feel like they specialize in AIO's.

 

I have seen some poor reviews on the JBJ though I am sure it works for some. You may need to set up a chiller or fan for those types of enclosed systems depending on the temps in summer. 

 

Some of the most popular systems here are Innovative Marine AIO's and Waterbox. My favorite being the IM 25 Lagoon. The footprint is easy for flow, lighting, and aquascape. People tend to like these brands of aquariums so they can pick out their lighting and filtration separately and they are both very clean looking. 

 

 

[WV Reefer]

1 hour ago, Heavyweight said:

Hello All!

I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. The last time I maintained an aquarium was back when I used to work for my local fish store while I was in high school. Back then I mostly kept single specimen aquariums that, admittedly, were way too small for the fish I was drawn to at the time. (Don't worry I always re-homed them when they got obviously too large for my setup 😉)

Flash forward a couple decades and here I am looking to get back into the hobby that enthralled me so much as a kid. My budget is quite a bit larger and my interests have changed significantly since then, and in doing some research, I can see that the game has changed dramatically since my last foray into the hobby.

After spending some time at my LFS and talking with several of the employees there I am between two beginner friendly setups. The first being a JBJ 28G Nano Cube and the second being a Red Sea MAX E 170. I would like to have some corals and anemones as well as a few small fish and invertebrates. In doing what research I have done so far I realize how little I know and it sometimes feels quite daunting starting out but here I am... ready to learn.

So without further ado... hello and let me know what you think about those two setups!

Eric a.k.a Heavyweight

PS: I am located in High Point NC so if you are in the area hit me up! Always cool to have some F2F friends in a hobby!

[ajmckay]

I can only imagine how much has changed in this hobby in 28 years!   

 

I mean obviously the biological principles remain the same, however trends in livestock, equipment, and even processes have all changed dramatically.

 

Regarding the tanks - The Red Sea IMO is a pretty nice high-end unit.  If you want to just buy a whole package you know will work great then it sounds like a win.  I've never had a red sea tank, but I really like the high-end look of them.  I got a small aquarium with low iron glass and it's amazing how much better it looks than regular glass.

 

My LFS carries some Innovative Marine (IM) tanks and I like those a lot too.  As Tamberav mentioned those are super sexy and the dimensions are very friendly to beginners. They have enough space to have a kick ass aquascape but they're shallow enough that you don't need to go super crazy on lighting.  I believe the IM tanks also use low iron glass.

 

The nano/bio cubes are your more traditional AIO units.  I think they're probably less maintenance overall - but upgrading the lighting is more difficult, and since it's got a lid they can trap heat (conversely that makes evaporation less of an issue and could translate to more efficiency in winter).   They're everywhere for a reason though - they provide a good value.  

 

I would say check out some people's tank threads to get ideas.  And just spend time browsing around.  Don't be afraid to chime in on other people's posts either.  In time you'll become familiar with everything you need to know.

 

Good luck!

[debbeach13]

Welcome back to reefing and to NR. I have not had either of the tanks your looking at so I would not be comfortable picking one over the other. I recommend reviewing some of the TOT (tank of the month) set ups for ideas.  The write ups give good details on equipment used and what worked well and what didn't. A link to each tanks journal is provided for even more details.  Good luck with your new set up.