What to choose : RSM & Aqua medic

[Rini]

Hello all,

At the moment I have an small nano tank (30 liter), and I'm ready for an upgrade soon to a bigger tank with more room for more corals, and some fish. I'm missing fish in my nano tank.
Now I'm in doubt what tank to get.
To put it more clear, If I buy a tank it must last for some years, where I do not want the first year expensive upgrades because of lacking stuff. Things not working.
What I understand is that the red sea max c 250 is an tank that does the job. Somehow I got attention to the aqua medic magnifica 100, and that seems interesting too. Not much information I can find on the web of this tank. Perhaps because of my searching skills
Budget is around 2000 euro.

I have in mind the red sea max c 250 (1650 euro)
And the Aqua medic Magnificia 100 (1950 euro)

Both have an sump in the back of the tank what I appreciate. I have a small daughter running around and a sump in below cabinet would end up as an bathtub for her Barbie dolls and other stuff she likes to wash.
So basically I'm trying to avoid an sump in the below cabinet.
Both of these systems have sump in back.

The aqua medic has 320 liter volume, the RSM 250. That's a bit more for the aqua medic.
The technic in the tank is for both OK I guess, so that's not my biggest worry.
Where I'm not sure of is the lightning in the Aqua medic. It has led lighting 2 x 54 watt vs RSM 234 watt (TL).
I'm total beginner, and have no idea if this led light is enough for this tank, or that I need an upgrade soon.

As my beginner eyes see it currently:
Pros for AM:
1: Tank is a bit bigger : 320L vs 250L
2: much less power consumption resulting in lower electricity bill
3: Don't need to change light bulbs each 8- 12 months (114 euro for 6)
4: The extra cost of the thank is paid back in less then a year (no tl bulb changing, lower electricity)

Cons:
1: It does not look as good as the RSM

Pros for RSM:

1: A lot of information to find, more support.
2: Lights are prooven to be good (TL).
3: More professional look and just 1 power cord leave the cabinet.

Cons:
1: higher electricity bill
2: Tiny bit smaller

Any help is appreciated to make the choice more OK for me. For now I lean more towards the Aqua medic.

Again this is my beginners eye view.
Hoping for some positive feedback on this.

Thanks In advance.

Greetings from Holland (excuse for my English)

 

[DaveK]

I think either system would work just fine. My own choice would likely be for the Aqua Medic, due to the larger size and LED lighting. However this system also has an in stand sump. See the manual here (offsite) - http://www.aqua-medic.de/manuals/Magnifica CF D ENG F_14108700800.pdf

This is not something necessarily bad. A lock will keep out small children.

 

[Rini]

Thanks DaveK!

What I'm curious about, are the led lights sufficient for the tank?
Basically that's my biggest thing, is there enough light.
The manual you send btw with the sump is the magnifica 100 CF (with sump). I basically want the one without sump. The regular magnifica 100 version.
What I understand is that the regular magnifica 100 has the same sort of setup with sump like the red sea max c 250

 

[Pat24601]

@DaveK has forgotten more about this hobby than I know so his advice is always best. Also, I certainly can't speak AM at all as I simply don't know much about it.

I do have the RSM C-250 and I do think highly of it. It is a great all in one. I don't think you "need" to make any upgrades at all to get it to work well. However, I'd highly recommend both an ATO and a wavemaker (Jebao RW-8 for about $60 works well for me).

Like you, I have small children and I very much like that the sump is a rear sump. My twin boys completely broke the child proof lock I had on the cabinet (I have no idea how) and were getting into everything in there as it is. Fortunately, I wasn't keeping anything dangerous under there and they didn't get far before I stopped them. I definitely would not put a sump under there, though. I have since used a surf board strap to keep them out and it's working for now. Not that they can really do too much terrible down there. Turn off stuff is basically about it.

The main downside it sounds to me of RSM compared to AM as you've stated it is no LED lights. You can upgrade the RSM, but you are talking about $800 and some degree of pain to do it. Also, it sounds like AM is a little bigger.

I can't speak to AM quality/reliablity/etc at all as I don't know it. I value RSM on those items very highly. Plus, as you say, it's a got a great support system including on these forums.

At the end of they day, I don't know enough about AM to help you make a decision, but I can say I've liked the RSM in a similar situation with young children.

 

[Rini]

Thank you Pat!

The problem a bit what I read on some forums is that people going back from Led to TL. Or have it mixed mode. So that makes it scary for me to decide. Do I go AM, that's 100% led. Or do I go for the RSM that has enough light.

Just a bit scared to choose an tank that is not the best looking, and worried that in the end the lighting is not enough either.

Sometimes I drive myself crazy..

 

[Pat24601]

Lightning is really ultimately up to you and there is no good way for anyone else to really help you out that much. There is a lot of personal preference in that decision.

The T5s do great. A lot of people run the RSM 250s with the stock T5 lighting and have gorgeous tanks. So, it isn't as if the T5s aren't enough.

That said, a lot of us (me included) like LED lightning. I like the not having to worry about changing bulbs, the lower heat output, the ability to sunrise/sunset, less power consumption, the shimmer effect. Ultimately, though, I really just think LEDs are cool and that's why I replaced my T5s with LEDs. It only partially had to do with all the reasons I just cited. Why do I think are cool? Who knows. Maybe just because I'm a tech geek.

Now, do I feel like I *needed* LEDs. Absolutely not. I ran for nearly a year with T5s and my tank did great. In fact, in some ways they make life more confusing. For example, right now I'm trying to decide what intensity level I really want. With T5s the only real thing you need to decide is how you want your color mix to be and in what order.

So, that's up to you. LEDs are a big deal to a lot of people, but in my case, at least, that's as much about style points as performance.

As I mentioned, lighting appears to be one of the most debated, most personal preference issues in this hobby. It's totally up to you what you like. T5s really are good, though. I can't practically argue my tank is doing better with LEDs or anything.

(As an aside, I personally wouldn't do mixed T5s and LEDs. I see the arguments for and against it, but mostly I'd just do one or the other. Leave the "mixed" solution for hobby experts who are trying to optimize to a level most of us wouldn't notice.).

On the plus side, there isn't a *wrong* decision here. It's a matter of choosing which of the two *right* decisions to go with in terms of lighting.

 

[Rini]

Have made my choice. And already have it at home since today. Thanks all for the advice.


An very beautiful red sea max c250
It is now test running with fresh water. In à few days more. Will open an new topic for it.


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