fluval m90 a good starter tank

[MattPhillips]

Hello everybody
I'll begin with stressing im a complete newbie to the hobby!

I'm thinking of buying a Fluval m90 sea reef tank, the long term goal is to house reef safe fish as I learn about corals and compatibility etc.
The reason I like the look of the m90 is that its all built in system and guessing could be a good learner tank? and fits around my budget.
have done a little research and seems that the protein skimmer that comes with it can be noisy and annoying,but apart from that,has anyone here have any thoughts or experience with this tank?

 

[thegrun]

I'm on the fence as far as recommending an all in one tank. You almost always get lower quality equipment in the all-in-ones and the Fluval is no exception, but the price point is good and if that allows you to get into the hobby that's a good thing. The down side is as your skill and confidence grows in the hobby and you start wanting to keep slightly more demanding corals you will be limited by the lower quality equipment and the difficulty in making modifications to the unit. In the end almost everyone who sticks with the hobby ends up getting a bigger and better tank and equipment. You may be better off finding quality used equipment, but that takes time and research so you may be better off with the Fluval if that is difficult. I really can't help you other than trying to give you a little more information to make your decision.

 

[gone fishin]

I really don't know much about these tanks. I would make the assumption that most of the equipment that comes with the tank will eventually be upgraded either before or after you start with corals. That being considered I don't think it would be such a great deal. Then again I don't know the reefing scene in Eire.

 

[MattPhillips]

Thanks for your input.
I've seen posts on a few different forums now and equipment upgrades seem to be the norm for this setup. Last thing i want to do is make a purchase then a year down the line feel the need for a full upgrade.

 

[MattPhillips]

If you dont mind me asking, how did you guys get into the hobby, what setup's did you begin with?

 

[zak.payne]

I have the M60 and love the tank! Build quality is awesome and I love the look of the tank and stand. The pump and circulation pumps are silent! I don't use the skimmer because I plan on having my water changes being my main nutrient export, but when I did have it plugged in, it was quite silent. Hopefully some of this helps!

 

[jraker]

i have the m90. i like the longer dimensions, but the stock equipment is kind of crappy. i would personally rather go with the red sea reefer 170 or the jbj 45 gallon

 

[sde1500]

If you dont mind me asking, how did you guys get into the hobby, what setup's did you begin with?

I had an old dry 10 gallon tank I used a while back as freshwater. Randomly found this website while scrolling through the internet, got the bug. Spent way too much setting it up, HOB filter, good light, etc. Soon after, decided I really didn't like the look of it, and just finished upgrading and moving everything into new 65 gallon tank.

Edit: Red Sea def has the nicest plug and play systems. Though you are paying a lot for that convenience. I didn't know anything about plumbing or skimmers and what not, but did a ton of research before buying anything for my latest build, and it came out pretty good. Well, the plumbing was a borderline disaster, but thats mainly from lack of plumbing skills.

 

[gone fishin]

If you dont mind me asking, how did you guys get into the hobby, what setup's did you begin with?

I had fresh water tanks and decided to try saltwater. My first saltwater was a 29g tank very basic. It consisted of a heater,2 powerheads and a two bulb T5HO light along with live rock and an aragonite substrate. It ran fine for some time and then I began tinkering and added a small sump and a skimmer.

I eventually decided I would be in the hobby for awhile and started acquiring equipment for the 180g I have now. Good luck on your tank search.