Thinking about an AIO after 10 years out

cas

cas

New member
I am thinking about starting an All In One tank after being out for ten years due to moves and the economy.

I have looked at the Red Sea 130D and the JBJ HQI. I am interested in LPS and SPS. Which tank would fit my needs best with the fewest mods? Also is there any other AIO I should be looking at? And what additional equipment/upgrades (Lights, Skimmer?)should I look at for each model?

Thanks for any advice.

John
 
Well I was in the same boat a few weeks ago and I ended up going with a 34g aqua euro cube and could not be happier.
The stand is taller than a jbj or oceanic cube which makes it very pleasant to look at but difficult to work at the back...

The 130d is a fine all in one and i would strongly suggest that over the oceanic or jbj; also the 34g vs 28-29 is better in my books.

Also I would suggest mhi lights over compact and led, however keep in mind they do produce some heat so be prepared to mod it a little or use a chiller if you don't live in a air conditioned room.

Another AIO I would strongly consider against the 130d would be the solana cubes but they are more expensive.

Overall I would have bought a 130d if the price was right but never happened and I'm extremely happy with the euro cube instead.
 
Ginu said:
Well I was in the same boat a few weeks ago and I ended up going with a 34g aqua euro cube and could not be happier.
The stand is taller than a jbj or oceanic cube which makes it very pleasant to look at but difficult to work at the back...

The 130d is a fine all in one and i would strongly suggest that over the oceanic or jbj; also the 34g vs 28-29 is better in my books.

Also I would suggest mhi lights over compact and led, however keep in mind they do produce some heat so be prepared to mod it a little or use a chiller if you don't live in a air conditioned room.

Another AIO I would strongly consider against the 130d would be the solana cubes but they are more expensive.

Overall I would have bought a 130d if the price was right but never happened and I'm extremely happy with the euro cube instead.
Click to expand...

What are you basing these statements on, a couple weeks of experience with your tank? The Oceanic and JBJ both have a much better following (at least on RC) and you will find it much easier to find support and upgrade paths, as well as feedback from people using them for years. Many of the annoyances and shortcomings of a tank don't become apparent for months or years after you start it.

Also, although MH is a "proven" technology it's not without it's drawbacks, one of which is heat like you mentioned. On any closed top tank it's likely going to warrant a chiller, or at least an evaporative fan to keep temps in line (which then leads to high evaporation rates and likely need for an ATO). Bulb replacement every ~9mo can also be expensive.

There are plenty of examples of beautiful LED lit tanks both here in the nano forums, and also over in the SPS, general interest, and large tank forums. Although the initial cost of LED is typically higher, it also can give you a lot more options. Examples are being dimmable (allowing for tailoring light to your livestock or creating sunrise/sunset/moonlight cycles and even change color spectrums), lower power draw for equivalent light output, very little heat transfer to the tank water, and "freedom" from changing out bulbs.

Sorry, not trying to be rude or call you out, just offering a different opinion. :)
 
ange062 said:
What are you basing these statements on, a couple weeks of experience with your tank? The Oceanic and JBJ both have a much better following (at least on RC) and you will find it much easier to find support and upgrade paths, as well as feedback from people using them for years. Many of the annoyances and shortcomings of a tank don't become apparent for months or years after you start it.

Also, although MH is a "proven" technology it's not without it's drawbacks, one of which is heat like you mentioned. On any closed top tank it's likely going to warrant a chiller, or at least an evaporative fan to keep temps in line (which then leads to high evaporation rates and likely need for an ATO). Bulb replacement every ~9mo can also be expensive.

There are plenty of examples of beautiful LED lit tanks both here in the nano forums, and also over in the SPS, general interest, and large tank forums. Although the initial cost of LED is typically higher, it also can give you a lot more options. Examples are being dimmable (allowing for tailoring light to your livestock or creating sunrise/sunset/moonlight cycles and even change color spectrums), lower power draw for equivalent light output, very little heat transfer to the tank water, and "freedom" from changing out bulbs.

Sorry, not trying to be rude or call you out, just offering a different opinion. :)
Click to expand...

I've never bashed the led setups... Personally I much rather prefer a MH system over CF or LED unless the LED setup is top notch (also on the expensive part and something which can be upgraded later on for a more affordable price)... I do run two tanks(FW) with LED's and I'm quite happy with them although there are still some concerns and dislikes, so there is much to be desired unless I go the DIY route.

With current SW setup I got 2 extra bulbs so at the moment so I'm not sweating the part where i have to dish out $ to replace my bulbs for a while. With that being said I don't like MH because of the heat they produce, regardless if the system is running a chiller or not...
In my opinion LED's are too directional and don't diffuse light in a uniform manner and spending more than a system on a set of really nice LED's is not an option for me. When the hype will die and LED's become more mainstream I will consider upgrading the lights on a SW setup to LED, for now MH will have to do.

Lately I've seen many people sell their older Oceanic biocubes and JBJ(CF lights) and upgrading to MH Oceanic or JBJ MH or LED or going to the higher class 130D or Solana 34g. When I made this purchase, I found a guy selling a CF Oceanic cube with the stand, both brand new in the box for 300... The op was comparing the 130d which is a 34 gallon against a 28 gallon setup... and for many reasons I would personally much rather prefer a bigger AIO system over a smaller one; after-all it is almost a 25% water increase.

Just because I've had my SW tank for a short period doesn't mean I don't have any experience in the hobby :) I've been lurking these forums for a long time and have quite a few friends and co-workers in the hobby not to mention I've been keeping at least one FW since I was 16 and now I'm 33.

Another point I'd like to make is the lack of airflow in all these cubes... I really don't understand why would they not have some surface airflow combined with a ATO system... any system can benefit from a ATO system. I prefer to deal with the issue before the water gets heated, but then again that's just my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and should do enough research before pulling the trigger... especially in this hobby.

The one really nice factor about JBJ is the amount of support through the forums as it seems the JBJ is a more mainstream system and it has been around for a while now, but as previously said a bigger system wins it for me.
 
Thanks for the discussion. I now have several systems to research. As I said I have been out for ten years. My last tank had a home made VHO light system and a Skilter. So things have changed.
 
Thanks all, I went with the JBJ Nanocube. Although I liked all of the help and suggested models, it came down to price and the ability to get easy assistance with a popular model.
 
@ginu, wasn't suggesting that you didn't know what you were doing, just that it's hard to give a real opinion of a tank (or fish, coral, etc for that matter) after only a few weeks with it. Agree with lack of air exposure being a problem for the lidded tanks, but easily solved by adding a skimmer.

@cas, welcome to the NC28 club! I'll keep an eye out for your build thread. Also curious (to Ginu's point) on which model you went with.
 
Went with the CF Quad model. I plan on starting on it in the next week or so.

Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Waterbox 35.2 AIO Water Flow
Replies
1
Views
2K
griss
griss
slathrum
Where to buy a reef ready aquarium these days
Replies
8
Views
363
wvned
wvned
O
Coming back after 20 years
Replies
10
Views
297
SantaMonica
S
G
Back after 20 years - cycling advice
Replies
4
Views
171
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
FishMann
Innovative Marine's Bean Animal setup
Replies
6
Views
449
SantaMonica
S
Back
Top