Should I buy an All-in-one type of system or buy everything separately?

[reef3r]

Hi, I want to set up a tank for my dorm at college. Im aiming for a tank between 8-12 gallons - enough for one small fish and some soft corals. Would it be better to buy a everything separately?

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

AIO tend to have more cubish dimensions which take up less space, they can fit tight to a wall, are fairly quiet and obviously self contained making them perfect for dorm life...

separate pieces tend to be louder as most equipment is HOB, they are usually longer and take up more space too..

 

[Markdiego]

Aio

 

[TundraGuy]

NUVO 8 or 12 dude you can't go wrong.

 

[jeff209]

Aio

 

[jtgordon20]

I run a biocube 14g. Love the tank! Quiet! Do a couple mods that don't cost anything and you're good! Its a little above your gallon range but doesn't take up much room at all with its 15"x15" footprint

 

[nathenvan]

Aio

 

[sedor]

For that size tank I would go AIO as well. Consider a solana as it is an AIO with a more custom look and you can mod it as much as you'd like.

 

[napsterMS]

Aio tanks look much better and is much easier to start out with and you will spend more money if you buy everything separately

 

[akma]

I think for your dorm an aio is your best bet. 8gallon nuvo is nice, but I would get the 16 gallon nuvo marine. I just picked one up and it looks great. It's not that big and should fit in a dorm perfectly.

 

[TundraGuy]

Yo Akma that pix you posted makes the tank look huge. But in reality the 16 is a small yet well thought out design I have two of the 38s and think the back chambers can't be beat for an AIO.

 

[akma]

lol, I know it looks huge. The black background also makes the tank look larger than it is. Think about a 20H tank but a bit smaller and you'll get an idea of the tank.

 

[reef3r]

Thanks guys, I really like the nuvo tanks, I think I'll keep my eye out for them.
Can anyone tell me what additional equipment I would have to buy? It doesn't seem like it comes with a heater, or powerheads, right?

 

[yongpanda]

^ I'm in a similar situation. I would go AIO but I don't necessary like the ones out at the moment. So here is what I'm doing..

I like nice rimless tanks so I opted for an ADA 60P (24"x12"x14"). Then I got a custom black abs plastic AIO box to fit into the side of the tank (4"x12"14"), giving me 20"x12"x14" for the display. The AIO unit has a return where I put probes in, a second section for a tunze 9002 skimmer and 50W heater, then the last chamber is where I put the ATO and the return pump.

So for this setup, I bought.. (prices are for new and used stuff)

1. ADA 60p tank $200
2. AIO custom box $50
3. Tunze 9002 skimmer $100
4. 50W heater $25
5. Vortech mp10es $175
6. Kessil a150 $200

You can of course change a few things out. I like this route because it gives a good looking rimless tank, simple AIO concept, and custom-ability, and costs just as much or a bit more compared to other AIO units out there..

Hope this helps

 

[studacity]

Can you buy AIO custom boxes or did you build one yourself?

 

[Maxi]

From my experience, all in one.
I am doing the same thing.

 

[The Rio Reef]

It is cheaper to buy all the parts in AIO but there is no flexability if you chose to a larger tank or filter system

 

[saltyjarhead]

NUVO 8 or 12 dude you can't go wrong.

X2 very nice tanks.


EDIT= your correct about the heater and it does come with the return pump. IDK if you would need more flow on a smaller tank like that, but I don't think it would hurt to get a small powerhead. Also you may want to consider a skimmer for it.