Tank Styles OR help me choose a tank....

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Hey all,

Look through some of my threads and you can see I'm getting into the hobby.

I am looking for a tank. My wife (who actually wants a tank as well and has taken very good notes from local hobbyists, though I will be the one maintaining it I'm sure )

Minimum is that it must have a corner overflow (bulkheads on the side are out, as are external overflows). We are leaning towards sort of a frag type setup, partially her preference, partially bias retained from not liking many FW designs when I was a kid (surface area, surface area!). Size should be at least 24X24X12, but no more than I think 60 gal.

The main conundrum is overflows, really.

The Marineland and Deep Blue frag tanks w/overflows are sort of our default (24X24X12 or X18 are our main candidates).

However, another hobbyist (whom we spent 3 hours with last weekend looking over his quite amazing setups) introduced us to tanks with essentially a built in sump. This way, we don't have to bother with a lot of the plumbing and hassle of a sump below in the stand.

He liked this one:
http://artfullyacrylic.3dcartstores.com/Reef-Crest-Series-Drop-offs_c_49.html

And to be honest, there's a lot to recommend for that overall. I'm not so sure I'm a fan of the ledge, though, and I'd prefer a bit bigger.

I started looking for other tanks with a similar design, and found Nuvo - the Lagoon 50 is interesting. Basically, it seems to me that this is a 30X24X16 box with the sump built in the back. The overflow/return, slot for the sock, skimmer and heater are already back there.

Anyone with experience, good or bad, with these kinds of integrated sump designs? Are there any other manufacturers I should consider?

And I guess the next, dangerous question: how hard is it to install something like this yourself? It looks like it should only need a large piece of plastic, the overflow, and then the rest is like DIYing your own sump......

 

[texdoc77]

I like the AIO systems, but they are all a little misleading. You will definitely need to add pieces to it, but I bet you know this. I am partial to the SC aquarium tanks. Check this one out:

http://www.scaquariums.com/product-p/sca-66gpnp.htm

 

[Sk8r]

These systems do solve a problem, but they are taking away some space that could give you more swimming room, while an under-stand sump uses a space no one has to see for the skimmer, heater, etc, all the 'uglies'...and gives you a chance to choose a better skimmer and tailor the system as you want it to be, etc, because it's all 'pieces.' Plumbing for a sump is far from hard. One gravity-fed line down, pump sends one line up, and that's it. It's sort of an Apple or PC kind of choice. The all-in-one is the Apple, owner-can't-mess-with-it sort; and the regular type is an owner-can-mess-with-it sort.

You can buy a glass or acrylic box you drill and plumb. THere is also what's called a 'reef ready' tank, which has an inbuilt downflow box and a drain and return already built: all you do is put a sump under it, put a pump IN the sump with a line secured to the upflow, and a hose from the drain falling down into the sump. Reef-readies are more expensive, but have flexibility---larger sump, more pump/flow, less, etc.

 

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Thanks for the suggestions.

TexDoc (MC is a great book BTW): Yes, I know I'll have to add to it. One system I was thinking of basically just has a slot for the "sock", space for a (small!) skimmer and then a small pump, none of which are included. I've been googling around and it seems sometimes there are problems with the all-in-ones (which may lead me to go with simply a predrilled corner overflow). But that SCA looks like a great tank.

Sk8r: trying to start a flame war with your mac vs pc analogy ?* Yes, it would be nice to choose all that, but in this case we live in a small apartment and space/ease is at a premium. Finding space for a refugium (I'd like at least a 5 gal DSB) will be hard enough. However, in the future I do want a 100+ gal with a large refugium and the like. When we have a real house.


* Seriously, the analogy holds in the sense that apple these days just gives you a think slab (though admittedly every other manufacturer is copying them, because for better or worse that's what most people buy) while a BYOWindozePC can be chosen from the get go with the video card, processor, RAM, etc. that you want. I've built I think a dozen PCs, but I got fed up with Windows and wanted better consumer/enthusiast camera and video support, so my last computer purchase, in 2012, was a mac. That being said, back in the days when I did software, my UNIX/C++ was much better than my DOS, so if I was getting back into that the Mac would be a better fit...

 

[Sk8r]

Lol---I'm a PC type myself. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the all-in-ones either. You'd just hinted the plumbing was daunting--and it's really not that bad in any case. If you limit your fish crew, get lights that will grow corals, (since corals ARE filters) you can create a nicely balanced and very pretty tank in an all-in-one, for sure. And perfect your skillz. Little tanks are a little more sensitive, but real good succcess with an all-in-one means you're doing it right.

 

[texdoc77]

From my SCA 150 PNP I used the tank (Great quality) stand (the upgraded one, not the mdf) and the skimmer. I did not use the sump or media that came with it and I bought my own plumbing. To be fair I really purchased the tank and stand and will eventually change out the skimmer as money allows. Though it's billed as an AIO, or plug-n-play, there really is quite a bit you can add on. The deal is that there really is not an AIO that invests in top of the line equipment across the board and I don't know of any that include a quality lighting system. What an AIO does offer is ease of getting started, and then you can swap out equipment as your needs change. I know it is cheapest to buy the right equipment first, however, it is really expensive to buy ALL the right equipment first. Unless you just let your equipment sit and wait for months before putting it all together. Of course once you are in the hobby it is easier to do this, but not for a complete newcomer.

 

[Ztous]

All in ones are a good option for people who want a nice tank. Sumps are better for people who view this more as a hobby.