Review: R&J Fusion Acrylic, 29 Gallon AIO (Nano)

mcbaes72

-Aidan's Daddy.
Searched forum and didn't find a thread on R&J 29 Gal. Fusion Acrylic Tank. So, let's start one.

Retail Price: $249.00 - $349.99

Dimensions: 28.5" L X 14.2" W X 16" H

Online Stores: Petco and Amazon

Advice: Do NOT order Petco if using free shipping, Unless you live on east coast, UPS Ground from Florida to California took 5 business days and tank arrived damaged, even though it's double boxed with Styrofoam packing material. Luckily, local Petco accepted the return. Pay for faster shipping method. I re-ordered through Amazon and Prime shipping sent it through USPS, this time it arrived safely in two days.

First impression: Aquarium was plastic wrapped and double-boxed, accessories were complete, included light fixture (daylight only) and AC pump. All-in-one tank looks durable, about 3/8" thick acrylic, support in the top middle is helpful to prevent bowing, and built-in sump has three compartments and appears spacious enough.

Review: I'm mostly happy with the tank, would rate 4 out of 5 stars. Here's my Pros & Cons.

PROS:
*Acrylic is more durable than glass (about 10-20 times stronger).
*Open top design (can be a pro and con) with middle support.
*Built-in sump is convenient, no external plumbing parts.
*Includes LED light, AC pump, bioballs, and sponge filter (re-usable).
*Ready to use out of the box for freshwater and saltwater.

CONS:
*Acrylic known to scratch more easily.
*More expensive compared to glass, buy it on sale or price-match with other sites.
*Included light only has daytime setting (no actinic for nighttime), replaced with day/night LED fixture (Hygger Blue White Clip On).
*AC pump is loud, humming sound can be heard in the next room, replaced with quiet DC pump (Aqua Medic DC Runner 1.2).
*Open top design (can be a pro and con), water evaporates more quickly, fish can jump out, snails can escape easily, too.
*No dedicated cabinet stand made for this tank, not a common size/dimension for most stands (shorter than standard 29G which are 30" in length, so common stand for this tank will be a little wider. Plus, tank deeper than standard 29G which are 12"-13" width, this may overhang a little on narrow stands). If not custom building stand, consider R&J cabinet stand made for their glass version (tank/stand combo). If sold separately, stand dimensions 33" L x 18" W x 31" H.
*Entire tank is 3/8" thickness EXCEPT back wall of sump is thinner, not a good idea if using a HOB skimmer.

Although there's more negatives than positives, I'd still recommend this AIO acrylic nano tank for those that want to hide the heater, filtration, etc. in a dedicated built-in sump. Left compartment holds my heater, middle compartment is for filter sponge/pad and bioballs, right side is for return pump. I briefly added a hang-on skimmer (AquaMaxx HOB 1.0) in left part of built-in sump, but the skimmer size and water weight made it bow slightly, didn't feel safe, so removed it and will stick to sw changes only. Left compartment may be a good place for a refugium with clip on light instead.

NOTE: To make sure water doesn't overflow tank when turning off pump for maintenance, during Feed Mode (DC pump), or during a power outage, keep return pump area (right side) about half-way filled. Even if right side was filled up close to the top, shouldn't overflow, but gets really close, I wouldn't risk it.

See stock photos (Amazon) and feel free to ask questions. Also, on Amazon website, R&J manufacturer answered some questions in Q&A section. I may update this thread occasionally with my own pictures, new info on progress, and impressions of the tank.

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CORRECTION:
Tank thickness is 8mm or .31 inches except back sump wall which is about half of that.
 
thanks for sharing. that is really thin

And thank you for reading my review. The entire tank is built well and appears durable so far. It just boggles my mind why back sump wall is thinner than rest of the aquarium. It's like the manufacturer didn't take hang-on equipment into consideration when designing the build.
 
Sad news, lost one baby Clownfish, jumped out and found on the carpet. Ugh, I'm kicking myself that I didn't cover the tank sooner. So I bought a two-piece glass cover meant for a standard 30 gallon aquarium. It only covers main display (sump in back is uncovered), but that's okay with me. As long as fish can't jump out anymore.
 
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