AmazingMrFlame
New member
After much research and internet browsing, I decided on my main "large" tank project. I went for the Aqua One AquarReef 400 series 2 in white. Mainly because of the price. It weighed the same as a small car, (only a slight exaggeration) but was worth the struggle. I managed to get a picture of it in the suppliers warehouse, which can be seen below. It looked so much smaller inside a huge warehouse.
First impressions of the cabinet were an obvious "you get what you pay for" reaction. The gloss white is what I expected, but to say the non frame material is cheap is putting it mildly. You can literally blow on the side and top panel to bend it. The strength is in the metal frame only. The doors have no handles, with the push close/open locking method. If you take a minute or two to have a good look all over the cabinet, you will probably find at least 10 things you don't like.
Then we move onto the sump and equipment. The skimmer pump doesn't fit inside the skimmer pump compartment. But can be customised with some hose to go inside the main chamber. The skimmer itself won't fit inside the chamber the instructions say it should go in. But again, with customisation, it can hang on the back in another location.
All in all the cabinet/sump combination is good value compared to others on the market, but it really is a case of getting what you pay for. If you are willing to customise here and there, and are on a budget. I recommend this half of the aquareef 400 without question.
Now for the tank. WOW! What a solid well made beast this is. It really takes 3 strong people to easily lift this tank. 2 people will struggle unless you work out. The light unit is really good, providing great white/blue illumination. The 3 cover glass panels don't come with glass runners, but that's not to much of an issue.
All in all I'm really pleased with my tank/cabinet deal, and I would recommend this set up to anyone who doesn't have over £2000 to spend on a tank set up. The equipment issue I had was a pain, but the fact it only took minimal effort to overcome made up for it.
I will be adding 100 litres a day for the next 3 days, before I transfer the 190 litres from my existing tank to fill it and then the sump. I shall let that run for 24 hours then add my existing fish, rock, sand and media.
I will keep this thread updated with my progress with this as and when I have progress to report. Pics attached.
First impressions of the cabinet were an obvious "you get what you pay for" reaction. The gloss white is what I expected, but to say the non frame material is cheap is putting it mildly. You can literally blow on the side and top panel to bend it. The strength is in the metal frame only. The doors have no handles, with the push close/open locking method. If you take a minute or two to have a good look all over the cabinet, you will probably find at least 10 things you don't like.
Then we move onto the sump and equipment. The skimmer pump doesn't fit inside the skimmer pump compartment. But can be customised with some hose to go inside the main chamber. The skimmer itself won't fit inside the chamber the instructions say it should go in. But again, with customisation, it can hang on the back in another location.
All in all the cabinet/sump combination is good value compared to others on the market, but it really is a case of getting what you pay for. If you are willing to customise here and there, and are on a budget. I recommend this half of the aquareef 400 without question.
Now for the tank. WOW! What a solid well made beast this is. It really takes 3 strong people to easily lift this tank. 2 people will struggle unless you work out. The light unit is really good, providing great white/blue illumination. The 3 cover glass panels don't come with glass runners, but that's not to much of an issue.
All in all I'm really pleased with my tank/cabinet deal, and I would recommend this set up to anyone who doesn't have over £2000 to spend on a tank set up. The equipment issue I had was a pain, but the fact it only took minimal effort to overcome made up for it.
I will be adding 100 litres a day for the next 3 days, before I transfer the 190 litres from my existing tank to fill it and then the sump. I shall let that run for 24 hours then add my existing fish, rock, sand and media.
I will keep this thread updated with my progress with this as and when I have progress to report. Pics attached.
