HELP! Best All in one tank on the market?

[Lochinvar]

Hi,

After a year since i commented on Nexodos beatiful RSM250 tank i am still in decission what tank to get.
I was waiting for new Red Sea E-series to come up but after almost a year of waiting i have narrowed my selection to these which are currently on the market in NZ:

- Aqua One Reef 120
- Red Sea c-250 (potentially with future life reef sump)
- Red Sea Reefer 170 or 250 or 350
- Red Sea S400

I liked also Nuvo Marine 60 and 80 gal but the importer gone belly up so we do not have innovative marine tanks in NZ anymore.

Pros and Cons
- aquaone reef - cheap and got a sump, skimmer, heater, pump and LED lighting - ready to go, cons- 120l might be a little small after a while
- RSM c250 - good price, nice look especially in white, good size, cons. No sump, no LED
- RS Reefer- good base price, great selection of sizes, ato, sump , cons. Might not be a good idea for real beginner as myself as have no idea what components will suits the tank the best.
- RS S400 - great design, sump, ato, quality components, cons. - pricey nz$5500, still no LED

Your comments and suggestion will be great help for me to finally pick one and get started.

Thanks heaps

 

[pablomay28]

I would recommend the Reefer 350. It is not an all in one tank it is better. It gives you the option of lighting, protein skimmer, and return pumps. I had the old Red Sea Max 250 and modified the hell out of it making an external sump. If you were planing the life reef mod the Reefer series is perfect for you. I transferred most of the stuff from my RSM 250 to the Reefer 450 I am now running. Though you are a beginner there are tons of us here willing to help. Like I always say read up reviews on items you plan on purchasing and look them up on youtube. Here are the links to my RSM and REEFER.

 

[DaveK]

Any of the systems your looking at will work just fine. It's much more a question of what do you want to keep and what do you want out of the system?

It could be the correct answer for you is "none of the above".

 

[Adrienne]

I'm in Auckland and I have the C-250 which you are welcome to come and visit, take a look and have a chat if you want. I am happy to discuss the pros and cons of it with you.

 

[Lochinvar]

I'm in Auckland and I have the C-250 which you are welcome to come and visit, take a look and have a chat if you want. I am happy to discuss the pros and cons of it with you.

Hi Adrienne, i have read all 14 pages of your journey setting up you c250. The tank looks great. One of the last post you did was that now you thinking going onto a bigger tank. Thats my worry too, if i start with 120, 170 or even 250 i might get to that point as you are even quicker. are you happy after that year with the stock equipment which came with tank? The things i like about reefer series is that i can get equipment based on reviews and experiences of the reefers, Led lighting (like Kessil so far) etc.
I wanted to ask you also : you said you got a live rock from LFS which I believe is Hollywood FF, when i checked last time they said there is no live rock available in NZ only dry rock which need to be cycled. The situation must changed then? Have you got any of your fish or coral frags from Aquaworld in Wairau? Thanks

 

[StevesLEDs]

I vote for the RSM250, it is going to hard to beat.

Go with the 250 size at a minimum.

Jeff

 

[pablomay28]

What ever brand you choose go as big as you can. In the past 3 years I went through a nanocube, RSM 250, and now my Reefer 450.

 

[Big Pete]

Hi Lochinvar

Personally I would start with the Max 250, as a newbie it may be a good idea to cut your teeth on something smaller, get a feel for what salt water is all about and ultimately make the mistakes that all us reefers have made, if after a while you feel yeah this is for me then invest some big bucks in getting exactly what you want, remember you can transfer the inhabitants, live rock and some of the hardware across to the New tank saving you some hard earned in the process.

Anyway I cannot see past Red Sea they make a terrific product, so like StevesLEDs my vote goes to Red Sea in whatever size you decide.

Cheers

Big Pete

 

[Lochinvar]

Now here is another thing to consider.

I know reefing is not a cheap hobby and I am fine with that. My question is if the S series after all is the best deal or reefer with those personal options. What option look better to you guys:

Red See Reefer 350 (450) - Red Sea S400 Red Sea S500 ​

NZ$2299 (NZ$2999) NZ$ 5750 NZ$6299​

Skimmer NZ$350-600 incl. incl.
Lights NZ$500-1500 (LED) incl. (T5s) incl. (T5s)
Return Pump NZ$300-500 incl. incl.
Heater NZ$150-250 incl. incl.
ATO incl. incl. incl.​

Total max. approx. NZ$5000 NZ$5750 NZ$6299​

Also at the moment I can pickup Red Sea C250 for NZ$2299 or AquaOne Reef 120 NZ$1199.

So I am still not sure, as Pete suggested to start with cheaper option to learn whats what and then upgrade to bigger tank if I like it or start big. It is quite difficult to sell second hand tanks in NZ as the demand is low.

Love to know your thoughts guys.

 

[Mayja]

I just switched to the Reefer 450 and I had a 90 gallon tank when I first started. So for me, this was an upgrade in the quality and dimensions from my first tank (see my sig for both chronicles).

Personally, I prefer to choose all of my own equipment so I didn't go for an all-in-one option when I started. Everything was a la carte.
The Reefer Series has amazing build quality, and Red Sea's customer service to back you up if you need them.

While your tank is cycling, you'll have at least 6 weeks to research and figure out the rest of your equipment. I would recommend getting an excellent skimmer, return pump, lights, powerheads, and a heater to start. Auto topoffs are great, but not essential to the initial start up costs.

While these items being included in the cost is great because the decision has been made for you, you're not always going to get quality equipment.

My two cents.
Mayja

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

If it helps any... I started with a RSM 130D (34 gallon) as I wanted to not waste $$$ if I could not have saltwater success, I ran my RSM 130D stock for a year and with the help of many RS members, I had fantastic success having started with zero sw (saltwater) knowledge - all my corals & fish thrived.

If I had know I would have such great success... I would have started with my current tank, a RSM 250 (66 gallons) as a year in... I wanted more corals & more fish...

Water changes are a consideration... weekly 10-15% is what many of us do, this is a bit of work & a huge key to success (IMO) the bigger the tank, the bigger the wc (water change) one thing to keep in mind.

Hope this helps... I love my RSM 250

The reefer series is also very nice !!!

sidebar - RSM tanks hold their value used better than most tanks, I sold my 130D for 1/2 price of new when I upgraded to my RSM 250

 

[NickF]

I've been running my C130 for 18 months now and I wish I had the room for a bigger tank, I'd probably upgrade to a Reefer 250 or 350 if I could.
I didn't have any previous experience running a SW tank and that's why I went for the all in one, although I now wish I'd made room and gone with the C250.

Like Glenn says, one thing to think about is the bigger the tank the larger the water changes and also you'll have higher costs setting up with live rock, sand, clean up crew etc and higher running costs. A bigger tank could potentially prove more costly if you make any mistakes (which most of us have at some point) as you'd have more corals/fish at risk.

Sorry that's not much help, to be honest I think whatever tank you go for you will love it, and you'll get loads of great help on here along the way from everyone.

 

[newo11]

If you can find one - you may want to consider purchasing a used tank. As nanoreefing4fun mentioned above, used RSM tanks hold their value - why, because it's a good quality all in one tank that it's relatively easy to find replacement or upgrade parts for. As long as the glass is not scratched - you essentially can't go wrong from a price perspective. And it's a great way to start in the hobby before you commit to a significant purchase.

I picked up my 250 used. Glass and stand were in great shape. The t5's were shot. Perfect for me, as I immediately upgraded to a brand new led fixture in the hood, and got rid of the t5s and associated wiring.

I've replaced one pump and the skimmer pump - both were $100 (US) each. So - I've got essentially a brand new tank (new pumps, new lighting) but an older glass box and used stand. I did have the old heater fail, but because the closed hood RSM tanks run very warm, I have not had to replace that heater.

What I personally think is the most overlooked and critical part for a successful tank - good, high quality, porous live rock. To me - this is a critical expense, as important as your skimmer for a successful tank. This is the backbone of your tanks ecosystem and I think very overlooked when it comes to budgeting for your tank expenses. Because of that, too often a new reefer will skimp on live rock because they are way over budget and end up with a lot of challenges in the tank that could have potentially been avoided. Not all live rock is the same.

Just my 2 cents - you've got some excellent options you are considering. And - with any tank you get, no matter what, you will run out of room at some point and want a bigger one!

 

[Adrienne]

Hi Adrienne, i have read all 14 pages of your journey setting up you c250. The tank looks great. One of the last post you did was that now you thinking going onto a bigger tank. Thats my worry too, if i start with 120, 170 or even 250 i might get to that point as you are even quicker. are you happy after that year with the stock equipment which came with tank? The things i like about reefer series is that i can get equipment based on reviews and experiences of the reefers, Led lighting (like Kessil so far) etc.
I wanted to ask you also : you said you got a live rock from LFS which I believe is Hollywood FF, when i checked last time they said there is no live rock available in NZ only dry rock which need to be cycled. The situation must changed then? Have you got any of your fish or coral frags from Aquaworld in Wairau? Thanks

Live rock can not be imported into NZ however if you get lucky you can sometimes get rock from HFF which they have acquired from tanks that have been broken down and placed in their display tank. I was lucky and picked up a couple of pieces (I also cooked and cycled most of it). You can also pick up live rock from the Reefjunkies on their facebook page. However live rock in NZ does come with risks ie aptasia, bubble algae, bryopsis etc etc. The only fish I purchased from Aquaworld was my cleaner shrimp. The rest of the fish I purchased from HFF (mostly Albany as they have a better feeding regime in that the same person feeds the fish each day hence they can be sure they are eating).
I am pretty happy with the stock equipment, I don't run the same tubes but that was because when I needed to change them out they were not available here. I run Geisemanns which are pretty much identical. I added a chiller and ato but that is all.

 

[Adrienne]

That price is good for a C-250, mine cost $3,600. Are you sure that price is the C-250 and not the 250?

I am most certainly going bigger - I've just emptied my 450 litre discus tank to start the conversion.

 

[Lochinvar]

That price is good for a C-250, mine cost $3,600. Are you sure that price is the C-250 and not the 250?

I am most certainly going bigger - I've just emptied my 450 litre discus tank to start the conversion.

Yep its definitely C250 it is on trademe and it is in black, brand new, they can order a white one as well.

 

[Lochinvar]

I'm in Auckland and I have the C-250 which you are welcome to come and visit, take a look and have a chat if you want. I am happy to discuss the pros and cons of it with you.

Hi, i would like to come and check out your tank as i still have some questions about maintanance, please le me know when it will suits? My cell is 0212480338, ta

 

[Lochinvar]

I was checking out some ro-di units , is it important for marine tank how many stages ro-di unit you get? You can get here 2,3, 4 or 5 stages.

 

[Lochinvar]

Hi everyone,
so I have decided to go with Reefer Series 250 or 350

Can you please advise what equipment would you will get for the tank , dream choice and sensible choice?
LED lights?
2x Heaters?
Skimmer?
Return Pump?
Power heads?

At this point I guess control systems, dosing pumps , media reactors, chiller etc are not necessary at the beginning right?

I would like to have in the tank various corals LPS and SPS and fish.

The fish I would like to have and also those available in NZ are:

- Ocellaris Clowns
- Blue Tang
- Yellow Tang
- Humu Humu Trigger (small one)
- Powder Tang
- Goby
- Spotted or Green Mandarin (later stage)
- Copperband butterfly
- Chromis
- Blenny Lawnmower
- Spotted Toby

If there is any of these I should avoid judged by your experience, please tell me.

Looking forward get you advise guys.

 

[spiraling]

For the lights I would guess it depends on how much you want to spend and if you want to add a controller later. Ocean Revive has very cost effective lights, but won't work with a controller. Ecotech has tried and true offerings that have all the bells and whistles, but are a lot more pricey. I don't have experience with lighting over a large tank, so hopefully others will comment.

For the heater you might want to watch the BRS 52 days of reefing series. This one explains heaters

And this one goes through powerheads (I chose the vortech mp10 after watching this)

.
I would recommend an ATO before you add livestock since it helps a lot with stability. Tunze has some good ones.

dosing pumps wont be necessary until you have a lot of corals using up the elements in the salt

chiller depends on the temp there. If your house is hot you may need a chiller from the onset.

Go bigger if you can. My problem with getting a bigger tank is my small one is right where the big one should be, so essentially its two tank moves instead of one. Bigger can be more expensive, but bad things tend to happen slower since there is more water volume.