Getting reef max 34 need advice

[nanoreefsrcool]

In about week i will be buying a reef max 34, i was thinking about curing the rock in the tank, what do u think? also have you heard good things about this reef tank?



thanks

 

[kathywithbirds]

Love the look of it. We researched it too, the lights are not T5, they're PC. I also heard it's a pain in the butt to mod.

 

[nanoreefsrcool]

how come they say t5 though and why would u need to mod it ?

 

[lcstorc]

Generally if you want to add any equipment it is a royal pain to do so in the all in one units. They look pretty but generally the filtration and lights are not up to keeping a nice reef tank. The Red Sea is pretty new so if it truly has t5 lights it may be ok. I don't know anything about the filtration in them.
I will tell you what my lfs told me when I was looking at one just to look. The fans are very loud. If you are planning to put it in a bedroom or another room that tends to be quiet you should re-think it. He turned on the lights so we could hear it. It would be fine in like a living room or something but not a bedroom.

 

[kathywithbirds]

how come they say t5 though and why would u need to mod it ?

aha!! they're wrong, I guess, technically... it's at least misleading. They're T5 power compacts, NOT high output, which I believe is what people are usually looking for when they get T5. The "T" (T5, T8, etc.) is the shape of the bulb and the size.

As far as modifications, I've heard it's a pain to try and get something else on there (ie, a different skimmer). Also the power strip included needs more plugs, which comes in when you want to increase the flow in the thing.

 

[nanoreefsrcool]

do u think it is better then a bio cube 29 ?

 

[sasquatch]

do u think it is better then a bio cube 29 ?

its a wee bit bigger? have you been to nano tuner yet? a lot of this depends on what you want to keep, the max is a plug and play unit with a kind of specific inhabitant goal, minimal bio load, undemanding corals etc, as your skills grow the tank will be your hold back and as has been said, they are hard to mod without basically destroying the unit.Steve

 

[Snelly40]

I'd just get a 55 gallon tank with stand and sump and add ur own skimmer, but thats just me

 

[Snelly40]

this way you can really make it your own, mods are a fact in this hobby and you dont want to limit yourself

 

[kathywithbirds]

yeah get yourself a 55 and spend the other 600 bucks on lighting and skimmer. then you can learn and grow!! I like the all in one units for aesthetics and simple stuff... husband wants to set up a clown/nem tank eventually so a HQI unit would work great there, it'll just be some zoos possibly or shrooms adn that's it.

I started the same way. 6 months later I've got a 75 with a sump/fuge and it's AWESOME!!

 

[nanoreefsrcool]

yea i no wat ur saying im probally just gonna get a 125 or a 90 cuz i really dont think a nano is worth it unless u make mods and stuff.

 

[Snelly40]

i have a 90 display now and love it with a 30 gal sump/fuge underneath

 

[nanoreefsrcool]

can u tell me how to make an refugium cuz i was gonna get a model 3 or 4 wet dry i no that i want a g1 protein skimmer do u think i shouel get a wet dry or a refugium

thanx

 

[lcstorc]

Get a sump or a sump/fuge combo.. Or better yet, make one. You just need an empty aquarium and some baffles and some pvs stuff and you can make your own. The trickiest part is having slow flow throgh the fuge while the whole tank circulation is much faster. There are many examples in the diy section and melevsreef.com
If you have enough LR and a G1 skimmer you don't need or want the wet/dry. LR takes care of the biological filtration better than the wet/dry.

 

[ninjataco777]

reef maxes have pcs not t5 we should nuke red sea