Newbie Looking for Advice on buying Nano reef tank

[kementer]

Hello Everyone,
My name Mike and live in Queens NY and Im a big fan of this site for years now on and off that is ... cause i always wanted a salt water tank but new it was alot of work and money involved . However since new technology with nano tanks etc seems to me good time to look for a good Reef/Fish tank 29-39gallon .
I know there so many tanks out there but i want a tank that has everything and doesnt need any mods since im not good at that and is easily maintained if possible.
I want a SW tank starting with fish then work my way up to Reefs but looking towards Red Sea Max, Oceanic nano cube ,Finnex 30g , Aqua Euro Usa 34gal, JbL 29 g . there so many im so confused .
Plus a good place of buying it at with accesories cause the Fish Town USA want like 900 plus tax w/o starter set since RSM stopped selling them.
I would save on buying used tank but afraid if there a problem of leaks or equipment failure ill have SW all over my living Room.

I know im new so please bare with me . IM leaning toward the RSM since it got everything all it need is what i heard is LED but changing the filter media is a pain . Other need mods to skimmers cut this add that etc.

Also if i have a few fish like 2 clowns and 3-4 hardy starter fish w/ cleaning crew do it need water changing ever week or can i be able to get away with
water changes every month ? What kind of expense am i looking every month
maintain it Con ED loves me as is lol.

Any Help will be gladly appreciated and thanks everyone keep up the great work.

 

[litoreef]

i send you pm ,,,

 

[JarviZ]

What's up Mike? Welcome to MR. I just started this about 5 months ago so I remember being where you're at. I'm still kind of where you're at haha.

I went with a biocube 14 and only have one regret. I should have went with a bigger size lol. And I think most people are content with the features and easy maintenance of a biocube. I paid 200 flat for mine (no stand). I think you have to shop around for the best prices (google/amazon/etc). I don't think stores have the best prices on tanks unless they are on sale.

I have 3 fish, a shrimp, and a CUC, corals, and feed only once every 2 or three days to keep nitrates low. I do 10% water changes every week (no skimmer), so thats about 1 gallon a week. I don't dose so most of running costs come from the electricity usage (return pump + powerhead + lights + heater), but that's probably only 10-20 bucks a month if not less since I swapped out the stock lights for LEDs now. I can't imagine maintenance costs being any cheaper. I'm open to suggestions though. I do pay for RO/DI water though.

 

[Donewiththisplace]

Welcome...

Fosters and Smith is a good place to start looking. Good prices, fast and cheap shipping and great customer service. They have a pretty good selection of nano tanks Im sure you will find one you like.

While your ordering pick up a good book and read it cover to cover...this will save you money down the road.

Good Luck.

 

[JonnyJ]

I have been doing nano tanks for the past 3 years and reefing for around 6.

I would suggest going with the RSM or the Solana. i currently have around 22gallons total volume and would love to have another 10gallons for the stability.


Both the RSM and solana are 30+ gallons run smooth, operate silent, and give you more than enough space for fish and corals. You can definitely find a used one for a great price. Don't settle on just any used one, take your time and find a nice one in perfect condition and with all working parts.

Some questions...

How is the ambient temperature in the room that your planning to set this tank up? I ask this question because if its a hot room, an enclosed system like the RSM will run much hotter and i would probably tell you to go with the solana.

I personally love solanas. Rimless design and great clarity, but you would need to make a top [like with any tank, a mesh one will be fine] and of coarse buy lights and figure out how to mount them.


Another great site to check out is nano-reefs.com, you will get a ton of replies there.

I would try to choose something at least 20+ gallons. the RSM would probably prove to be the easiest to buy, set up, and enjoy with the least amount of headache/planning. [planning is my favorite thing lol]

 

[JonnyJ]

my old solana, please note that the tang is not a good livestock choice for this tank. he was simply added to control algae and home him until my friend moved.

 

[stooops718]

+1 On Jonny's picks. Another one to look into are the Innovative Marine Nuvos. The light that comes with it might not be strong enough for some corals but it all depends on what you want to keep. If you have the funds and the room go for the biggest and the best up front. It'll be pricey at first but save you in the long run on continuously upgrading. Which you will definitely want to do in this hobby. Buy your dry goods on-line it's always cheaper and there are always sales/specials/coupon codes. For livestock I love Kissena Aquariums they always have a good selection and get new shipments in every Sunday. The prices on corals there are awesome. If it's not too out of the way for you Aquarium Village in Westbury has awesome livestock, hard to find stuff and really helpful staff. Get your CUC from reefcleaners.com. John Maloney is one the greatest guys to do business with and always has great prices and "freebies". Remember to check here frequently because many members have amazing frags for sale and most of them are way cheaper than in the stores. My words of advice for you are research, research and more research and patience. If you have questions you can ask me anytime although I'm pretty much a n00b myself. Good luck!

 

[STHILL]

The redsea max is a great tank, like stated above the only issue is temp, but all in all a great tank

 

[kementer]

Thanks everyone for youre advice . Leaning with RSM 130d ill still keep looking !!!!

 

[nyshoots]

I have a JBJ nano cube 28 with HQI light and while I do like my tank it was by no means plug and play. I think most of the nano tanks need tweeking over time and you will find yourself trying to customize things to make it work for you. My advice would be to get a tank thats easy to mod with as much room as you can get because at some point your going to want to change your lighting or at least ad to it and you may want to add a refugium or a chiller or any number of other things. In my personal opinion from what I've seen the solona is a good choice and is easily upgraded

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

[kementer]

Is there any tanks out there that need little or no mods to them there all upgraded from the start ? Do they make solona with a semi hood ?

 

[Donewiththisplace]

There is always room for a mod or two on AIO set ups....whether its upgrading the returm pumps or removing the hood or changing the lighting...

Dont get me wrong my JBJ 28 CF-Quad worked right out of the box. But it worked better with MJ1200 returns, T5 lighting and a Aqua-C remora skimmer. I've definitely noticed a change in polyp expansion in my corals and cleaner, clearer water.

Only way to avoid doing mods is to buy each piece seperately.

 

[kementer]

Hi guys
Just got a used red sea max 250 its got old deltec mc 500 with it but the back lids are gone but tanks was full and no leaks .
Also got the intank media basket for it but dont know if i should use live rock or those ceramic balls for it any advice?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Hi guys
Just got a used red sea max 250 its got old deltec mc 500 with it but the back lids are gone but tanks was full and no leaks .
Also got the intank media basket for it but dont know if i should use live rock or those ceramic balls for it any advice?

RSM 250 is a great tank. Live rock works better than the bioballs in a reef system.

 

[kementer]

Thanks for that quick replay.So just use the live rock in the display or get some small portions of LR and threw them in the sump and just leave them in there without cleaning them ? Also notice there was some pieces that flew out of the sump after cleaning it like a rubber washer . Do the pumps have rubber washers on each of them there missing and how many are supposed to be on each ? Where do i buy them if needed ?