Hey!

T

Tylertassone

New member
Hello all. I made the mistake of walking past Old Orchard Aquarium 2 days ago and after talking for about an hour and a half to the staff I think im going to be much poorer in the near future. I have no experience with aquariums and have never had much of an afinity for fish so I was blown away to find out corals were an option. Im pretty sure I want to start with a "nano" tank around 30gal since it seems like a good jumping off point and gives me a little room to see if I like it. I cant wait to get started! Any recommendations on All in One tanks in that size range? There seems to be a ton of brands out there and I'd love some solid advice since im so new to this!
 
Welcome aboard. For aio tanks find out what kind of corals u want to focus on . It will matter what kind of lighting u will need for the type of corals u gonna house. Id definitly find one with led biggest issue i had with all in ones was temp the lights really warmed the water leds will help with that plus fans. Some people have prefrence to which one is better to me all the same more of a look prefrence. Good luck do research and take u time other wise u just be throwing away money and lots of it
 
Research , research , research. And don't settle for cheap knock-offs that you will eventually just replace anyway. In this hobby, you get what you pay for, usually! (there are some exceptions of cheap = good lol) I know Dave on here just sold an upgraded 29g cube, but it seems the buyer bailed on some of the parts and only took the tank and stand. Too bad you didn't walk by that store a week earlier, you could have landed an entire set up for a fraction of the cost... He still might have some of the upgrades available, check with DAS212 and it might save you some money. Dave spares no expense on quality and keeps it well maintained.

First determine what it is you want to keep in the tank and that will help you determine what all you will need to run it, such as lighting, filtration, etc. Good husbandry is the key to success in this hobby, although having the right set up goes a very, very long way!! You want to keep every piece you add to the system as low maintenance as possible, because a year or so down the road you might get burned out if it is too tedious to keep up with, so keep that in mind when choosing equipment!!

One last thing, not all LFS's are equal and I'm sure there are plenty who wouldn't sell you something you don't necessarily need.... BUT, do your homework before you walk in a LFS for equipment. It will save you frustration and money. I try my best to support any LFS that goes that extra mile and is trustworthy, and I recommend everyone support locals, but just be careful what you ask them lol. They are, after all, in the business to sell you stuff! (some that you may not need or want lol)

Oh and BTW, welcome to the best hobby known to man!!! (and CR!)
 
Welcome to the group, and hobby. What they have all said is correct and I agree 100% Ebay stuff dosent always work to you advantage even though the price may seem like it. This hobby is EXPENSIVE, and stays that way. Corals are more addictive than crack :stoned: and maintenance is a must!! Remember that everything is alive, and if you slack it WILL die. But the flip side is we are a VERY tight knit community, and look out for each other. And once the sticker shock of equipment passes, its really not all that bad. Plan out exactly what you want before you just dump a bunch of stuff in a tank. Research what works well with each other, and what eats each other
I hope to see your build progress, and best wishes
 
One recommend -> Stay away from Old Orchard Aquarium if you not rich if you are then ignore my post.
 
I would look at the jbj rimless 30 gallon or the innovative marine 30 or 38 as options

I have the nuvo 16 and like it, but wish I had gone larger.
 
Who are we kidding??? You might as well get a 300 gallon now and save yourself the upgrade money, because we all know a nano-reef will only become a larger tank eventually ;P
 
Welcome, nice too see more people from Logan square , I used to live there for 20 years , moved a couple of years and I miss it, my folks still live there . If you ever need a hand setting up or advice I can stop by.
 
Thanks so much for the warm greetings! I was wondering on the opinions for the red seam max 130. I've been corresponding the last few days with a guy selling a gently used one with fresh unused live rock and sand included for $450. I really like the size and look of that tank. Does that seem like a good jumping off point?
 
Tylertassone said:
Thanks so much for the warm greetings! I was wondering on the opinions for the red seam max 130. I've been corresponding the last few days with a guy selling a gently used one with fresh unused live rock and sand included for $450. I really like the size and look of that tank. Does that seem like a good jumping off point?
Click to expand...

Looks nice, but it sounds like a lot of money for a 34 gallon tank that's not even rimless. What does it come with? Is there a sump?

From personal experience the AIO systems are a huge pain. The spaces in the back are never enough for everything you want, and anything that fits in there costs twice as much.
 
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