Shallow top-view aquariums with integrated filter/sump

[baris90]

Thinking to ditch my JBJ nano cube for a top view shallow aquarium. I was wondering if any has any cons/pros input and if there are good vendors out there that has shallow systems with integrated/hidden sumps. Thanks 

[banasophia]

Reef Casa has some nice looking shallow all-in-one tanks. I’ve never run a shallow tank myself, so I’m not sure about the pros and cons. 
 

Here’s a link to their journal about their Flat 6:

 

[Lebowski_]

I've got the Innovative Marine Lagoon 25g.

 

Pros:

• Very easy to work with the shallow depth, no soaking wet dripping arms.
• Huge footprint - lots of real estate for coral.
• Stunning to look down on from above.
• Built in sump reduces a lot of headaches.
• Excellent for frags or higher light coral, less water to penetrate, more PAR.

 

Cons:

• More difficult to establish a flow pattern I am happy with.
• Fewer lighting zones - must be created using shadows and light placement (only 13" high).
• Hard to fit equipment in to the sump area; must use small heaters and limit reactors and large skimmers.
• Puck style LEDs struggle to cover the full footprint - I ended up with 2 primes instead of 1.
• Not as good for front viewing due to shorter front pane.

 

 

As a hobby tank, it's perfection. As a show tank, I think I would have gone with a Waterbox 25 Peninsula. No bottom sump does keep things tight but I run a pretty low tech system, so it works for me.

 

Drew's Lagoon is a famous low rider style display tank. It's so nice it earned him a spot in the AI Signature Series. I use his schedule, big fan.

 

 

 

As for Reef Casa - I've noticed there are a lot of posters being given promotional tanks, and in some cases, the posters actually seem to be employees of Fragbox (I believe the owners of Fragbox also own or have some kind of relationship with Reef Casa). None of this is a bad thing, I actually do love the dimensions of their tanks.

However, I would just approach any reviews with a bit of skepticism until we see more out in the wild. I met one of the employees at a Reef Expo here in Ontario, and if I am not mistaken, she's the same lady featured in several Frabgbox videos.

 

Local company for me so at the end of the day, I hope they succeed. I'd like to try one out, but I will skip the Halo light.

[banasophia]

2 hours ago, Lebowski_ said:

As for Reef Casa - I've noticed there are a lot of posters being given promotional tanks, and in some cases, the posters actually seem to be employees of Fragbox (I believe the owners of Fragbox also own or have some kind of relationship with Reef Casa). None of this is a bad thing, I actually do love the dimensions of their tanks.

However, I would just approach any reviews with a bit of skepticism until we see more out in the wild.

Yes, Reef Casa is a new company and I believe they have sent several people a free tank to test them out and get exposure for their new brand. They reached out to me and a couple of other long-standing members in the forum and asked if we wanted to try out one of their tanks... I feel lucky that they picked me. 🙂 They also donated one to a school, which I thought was a cool idea. They sent me their Studio 12 all-in-one tank, Halo light, and full saltwater setup kit; you can check out my tank here, though it’s a traditional tank, not a shallow one:

 

 

[baris90]

thank you for the thoughtful answers