Favorite brand of all-in-one?

[Anonymous]

I'm going to get a 20-30 cubish gallon tank for my apartment to grow out a few frags. I haven't really started looking yet- anyone have brands they like?

Probably won't use a skimmer, so I guess the back will be various media etc.

 

[Anonymous]

I have an Innovative Marine 38g tank. They make smaller tanks too. They are high quality. I have no complaints except that I don't think I'd do rimless next time. It makes it real easy to splash some water out. Even using a mag float can cause a small spill. Nothing messing, but even getting a few drops on the front glass in a pita.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, they are looking best to me... Maybe a 30. Are you using what it came with in back, or make changes/additions?

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, they are looking best to me... Maybe a 30. Are you using what it came with in back, or make changes/additions?

I have used their filters, but usually don't like to run any kind of mechanical filtration. Too much work to keep them clean.

I have a Tunze 9002 skimmer in the back. I also have a media reactor running some Chemi-pure in the overflow on one side, and I am running a bag of Phosban in the other side, housed in one of their media baskets.

 

[Anonymous]

All that stuff fits inside the back? Does the skimmer do anything? Is it fairly quiet?

 

[Anonymous]

A few other pictures of my setup can be found on https://www.facebook.com/randy.lewi...10151907958329290.1073741826.507204289&type=3

The skimmer is quite. Sometimes the lid will want to rattle, but you tap on it a time or two and it quietens down. I did the a muffler mode to quieten the air-line intake. I also modded the airline adjustment using an air-valve instead using the adjustment screw that comes with it. That screw is hard to reach and doesn't allow for fine adjustments. It works pretty good for a cheap skimmer. You have to clean the pump and the air-line once in awhile. I noticed that it really skims hard for a day or two after adding Phosban. That seems like a win win.

In all, I have a heater, the media reactor, the return pump, an ice-probe, a pair of auto top off float switches, a temp probe, one media basket, and the return line for the kalk reactor. It all fits. It's tight as a rats ass though. You can see most of this in the picture above as well as in one of the other pictures posted on FB.

 

[Anonymous]

Heh... I had an unconfirmed friend request!

Thanks- seems like this might be a good way to go for a fairly small apartment.

 

[Anonymous]

Wut? You're already on my friends list.

 

[Anonymous]

Well we weren't on my end! Maybe because we are both in the sump group it seemed that way?

 

[Anonymous]

Well we weren't on my end! Maybe because we are both in the sump group it seemed that way?

I don't know. I don't understand how you could be on my friends list and me not be on yours. That defies logic.

I posted those pics in one of Waz's threads a few weeks ago. But I don't remember which thread. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Anonymous]

Here's the link to Waz's thread with my pictures. You should able to see all of the equipment I have in the back section.

 

[Anonymous]

I decided to get a regular 30ish cube, drill the back with a glass-holes overflow, and put in a little sump.

 

[Anonymous]

Marineland makes a 18" rimless cube that you can get drilled from the factory. It is 25 gallons.
http://www.marineland.com/Products/glas ... #technical

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think I really want rimless. It seems like water would slop around when cleaning the glass a lot. Nobody complains about that so maybe I'm wrong.

Last night I was looking at an 20x18x20 by marineland I really liked. Stand has a lot of volume for sump. Think I'm going to get it. $80 for the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think I really want rimless. It seems like water would slop around when cleaning the glass a lot. Nobody complains about that so maybe I'm wrong.
.

I complained about it in this very thread.

 

[Anonymous]

Oops... I kind of thought maybe I heard it somewhere. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I don't like it for that reason alone.

 

[Anonymous]

Go side to side instead of up and down. It will make your butt shake but should help with the splashing. Make sure your wife is in the room so the butt shake is not wasted.

 

[Anonymous]

The only way not to splash water out is going slow at the too. SLOW.

 

[Anonymous]

I will have to remember that.