Thinking of coming back...

[joeman1881]

I've been out of the reef tank hobby for a while. I had a saltwater tank that I grew from 75-90 over a decade or so. Finally got it to the point where I felt it was "done". LED lights, refugium with a frag tank, skimmer, all the AI goodies. Then I bought a house...had kids, it was too much so I sold it all. Never had the desire to get back in because I just don't have a lot of time. That being said....the past year or so I've been considering doing a nano setup for my kids. I first got into the hobby because my dad had a huge reef tank when I was a kid, which sparked my passion for it.

Because I've been out of it so long, not sure where to start. Because of my limited time, I would really like to find a full solution to start with, but some small (sub 20 gallon). Yes, I know this will require a little more caution and maintenance in comparison to a bigger tank, but I kind just want to try something small. Does anyone have any recommendation on a small tank that is kind of an all in one solution? I don't want to say cost isn't a concern, but I also don't want junk that I will end up regretting. The main goal would be to have a couple of coral (maybe zoas, frogspawn or torch), some hermit crabs, a starfish maybe....I don't even know if I would add fish or if that would be too much of a load on a nano.

TIA!

 

[griss]

First, welcome back.

There are a ton of All-in-One ("AIO") tank options out there. And, if you are on Facebook, it seems there are a lot of used tanks and/or systems for sale for reasonable prices. I'm sure someone with more knowledge/experience with smaller tanks will chime in.

I personally don't have any experience with AIOs and very limited experience with smaller tanks. I've only had one tank under 30 gallons (it was a 15) in 40+ years in the hobby.

 

[Reefing102]

As mentioned, there’s a lot of options, it just depends on what it comes with vs what you want.

Theres the Fluval Evo 13.5 gallon set up. The light is adequate to support easier corals but lacks a lot of “features” of top of the line light systems (it just gives on off and white/blue options.

There’s also the Tideline All In One systems produced by Planet Aquariums (a reliable brand). The cube and peninsula versions range from 7.1 gallons to 21.4. These do not come with a light however.

There’s also Innovative Marine, Waterbox, Cade. All good name brands with all in one systems. Some have add on options for lightings and such. Others come basic where you buy everything separate except the tank and return pump.

There are Red Sea tanks as well, but I encourage you to research the brand. It is one of the biggest names in the hobby, but also has had significant leak issues (though I don’t know how many were nanos vs larger tanks). One thing to consider, is people are a lot more apt to share a bad experience over a good experience, however I personally would not ever buy one of their tanks.

Definitely look around on FB or Craigslist for a good used system as there’s definitely deals to be had if you don’t mind not have brand new. Just be sure to come back and share the tank with us

I hope this helps some!

 

[joeman1881]

Thank you both for sharing. I immediately started scouting marketplace. There are a ton of good deals to be had, I just have to show restraint. There are a lot of good deals on setups way bigger than I want to commit to but I love a good deal!

 

[griss]

Make sure you inspect closely. I kinda got burned a bit on a FB deal. Wanting to upgrade from a 40 to a 120. Found a good deal, went to look at it, paid and when I got it out of the sellers dark basement and to my house saw the glass was pretty scratched up.

So, now I’m trying to figure out if I want to buff out the scratches or find another 120.

The good thing was, there was a lot of stuff included that the seller hadn’t listed…like to 2 Radion LEDs, variable speed DC pump, RODI system, etc. Even if I don’t end up using the tank I still got a great deal.

 

[Reefing102]

Thank you both for sharing. I immediately started scouting marketplace. There are a ton of good deals to be had, I just have to show restraint. There are a lot of good deals on setups way bigger than I want to commit to but I love a good deal!

You’re going to upgrade anyway…so just skip the small tank part lmao

 

[griss]

You’re going to upgrade anyway…so just skip the small tank part lmao

Truth

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Innovative Marine also does AIO & is a nice tank.

 

[joeman1881]

Innovative Marine also does AIO & is a nice tank.

These look really nice, and affordable. By the time I get lights and everything I should be able to get something nice for sub 1k. Thanks for sharing. Going to try and come up with a good place to put this and will likely go this route. I was going to do the cube, but I do like the peninsula and it's only a few gallons larger

 

[SantaMonica]

Tideline All In One systems produced by Planet Aquariums

First time hearing of Tideline, especially having lived in Arlington. Thanks for mentioning.

 

[Reefing102]

First time hearing of Tideline, especially having lived in Arlington. Thanks for mentioning.

No problem. First time I saw them was at an LFS here in Columbus and at the time there wasn’t much out there. They seem to be getting more popular though, at least around here.