IM Nuvo or Waterbox or Red Sea

[Indiana Reefin]

I am having a tough time picking my next setup. These are all nice options and I like certain aspects of each setup. I will share my pros and cons for each setup and please weigh in and help me make a decision. This is for the 70-75 gallon range.

IM Nuvo 75 INT with APS stand
Price $1500
Pros:
-Herbie overflow with 2 ermengency drains. This is by far the best overflow setup of the 3 manufactures.
-APS stand, my opinion the most sound stand of the three manufactures.
-Screen top cover.
-3 side are all low iron glass.
-I get to choose my sump


Cons:
-Manufacturer has some claims of cracking tanks on their nano setups.
-The larger setups have not been out on the market long
-No ATO setup

Waterbox 100.3
Price: $1750
Pros:
Large sump
Electronic ATO
All 3 sides are low iron glass

Cons:
No screen top

Red Sea Reefer 350
Price: $1700
Pros:
-Red Sea has a great reputation
-Out of all 3 manufactures this tank has been on the market the longest

Cons:
-Small sump
-front panned is low iron the sides are not

These are all great options and price is all pretty close. I am having a hard time not leaning toward the IM but Part of me is worried that the quality doesn't meet the Red Sea. I need help lol

 

[kevin21]

Have heard nothing but amazing things about waterbox. I was leaning towards IM, but the dimensions of waterbox were better for me and I was more happy with a the 3 foot long 50g tank. I am getting the 50.3 waterbox. Also believe you can buy a custom lid for it as well. No worries there. I heard of IM tanks cracking as well, especially on the AIO systems.

 

[Fourstars]

So I have the red sea, and one thing that disappoints me is you can't use standard bulkheads. they have a plate on the bottom and can only use their plumbing parts which are thin walled and crack over time. I think waterbox is the same. I'm looking at an SCA tank instead.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

Thanks for all your feedback!

 

[solitude127]

I thought all Red Sea tanks were low iron throughout the viewing panels?

 

[Fish559]

I have an IM Nuvo 20, and I've really enjoyed it. I know you didn't ask about that specific tank, but I can speak to the IM tanks as a whole. I've been very impressed with it!

I love the RS tanks, at least the ones I've seen in stores. I didn't know about the plumbing issues, though.

 

[Cliving1]

I have not had a red sea, but have had an IM and waterbox. To me the waterbox is leagues above IM. I have had an IM explode as well. The only issue I have with the waterbox is assembling the stand was not straightforward as the instructions were a joke. But if you have put together a few stands, you should have no problem. Also the fact that it comes all in one, except the return, was a bonus for me.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

I thought all Red Sea tanks were low iron throughout the viewing panels?

I believe that they are not. From the ones I have seen in person the side panels have a greener tint to them.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

Thanks for all your replies. IM wasn’t even an option until I saw the plumbing and the APS stands. I am having a tough time knocking out Red Sea because I know they make a quality product. A quality product goes a long way for especially since this tank will be on a second floor. I am not concerned that a Red Sea or a Waterbox will bust a seam or crack, but I am a little concerned with IM based on some past stories from other hobbyists. I do like the sump and the plumbing for the Waterbox systems better than Red Sea. I see that Red Sea tanks have smaller sumps which isn’t a deal breaker, but having a refugium in the sump is not a option if I don’t want to make modifications to the ATO reservoir.
Buying a sump would be nice but buying a nice sump is going to cost more than $200-$250 if I don’t build it myself.

If money wasn’t an option I would end up with an Elos. But IMHO I don’t think the quality is that much higher than Red Sea.

I guess the IM is sexier but the Waterbox and the Red Sea are proven

 

[Cliving1]

The best thing you could do (if not done already) is see them in person. You will have a better feel for the tank that way.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

The best thing you could do (if not done already) is see them in person. You will have a better feel for the tank that way.

I 100% agree. I have seen the Red Sea and the Waterbox and person and I honestly thought they both looked great! I don't know if I will be able to see the IM in person. A lot of my local fish stores don't carry the larger IM tanks

 

[Joe0813]

My wife loves the redsea 170 she has. only thing she doesn't like is how small the top off container is

 

[Indiana Reefin]

I wish one of these manufacturers were in the USA.
That would make my decision really easy. I will more than likely go with the tank that my local fish store carries so I can pick it up at a store as apposed to having one shipped. SO that pretty much leaves me with Red Sea or Waterbox for now.

 

[Joe0813]

best bet is just go stare at them both and just go over it top to bottom and pick out things you like better between the two

 

[Indiana Reefin]

best bet is just go stare at them both and just go over it top to bottom and pick out things you like better between the two

This what I'll probably end up doing

 

[kevin.st]

I have a red sea max and I won't go this route again because I have replaced so much of the original setup.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

I have a red sea max and I won't go this route again because I have replaced so much of the original setup.

What have you replaced?

 

[Justintegra]

i live in the South Bend area and unfortunately there is NOWHERE around here that I can go see all of these tanks setup. I'm debating between the exact same brands for my next big tank next year (48 or 60 inch)

 

[kevin.st]

What have you replaced?

To be clear, my tank is the older version with T5's instead of Hydra's.

I have replaced return pump, skimmer, lights, removed the built in powerheads and added 2 mp40's. That's at least $2k right there.

I wish I would have just pieced together my own setup.

 

[kevin.st]

I also scratched the S out of the glass with a flipper. So, maybe I am still bothered by that. haha.