Cali Kid Corals

Switching from Max E 170 to IM 50 AIO?

MarcosDelgado0

MarcosDelgado0

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So I posted before I wanted to move my Red Sea Max E 170 to another part of my home but I never got to it because I was stressed about where I’d hold the live stock. Now that my frag tank is up and running I’m thinking of moving all livestock and rock over temporarily to get this move done and not have to worry about livestock being in buckets. This way I could take my time to give everything a good clean. Then recently I saw an IM 50 and honestly fell in love with the dimensions. 30”Lx24”Wx16”H is like the perfect dimensions for where i originally was planning to move the Max E 170. It’s honestly a great tank but not the best dimensions (24”Lx23”Wx22”H) and it has kind of a cube shape. There’s not too much footprint for what I want and when I mount something higher in the tank it shades the corals in the bottom. Basically I just need you guys to tell me it’s a good idea so I can justify it lol. For the people that have an IM 50 here, is there anything you don’t like about it? My other option was to just downgrade to an IM 25 lagoon and DIY a stand but the idea of downgrading I don’t really like
 
The lower height would make your lights get better penetration (higher par), only thing you would have to adjust is for adquate spread. Im makes tanks that look sleek and modern. A separate question I would ask say you get thw Im50, will the day come when you want something even bigger for larger fish etc?
Lets say a 100 gallon or something. If your considering getting another tank, just something to think about while your on the subject.

My biocubes i like them but they are very limited in foot print, compared to my 65gallon tank. Stuff is super bunched up and all the vertical height is meh with footprint/shading being a issue same as you described.

I say upgrade if your in a postion to do so. Just keep mind if dimensions are flexible you could always get a bigger tank with more width or depth within your intended space. My first 100 gallon in 2005 was a beast of a tank like almost as long as the couch lmao. Some many tanks sizes with slightly different dimensions are out there now even with im tanks. All that to say don't limit your initial options.
 
MichaelB said:
The lower height would make your lights get better penetration (higher par), only thing you would have to adjust is for adquate spread. Im makes tanks that look sleek and modern. A separate question I would ask say you get thw Im50, will the day come when you want something even bigger for larger fish etc?
Lets say a 100 gallon or something. If your considering getting another tank, just something to think about while your on the subject.

My biocubes i like them but they are very limited in foot print, compared to my 65gallon tank. Stuff is super bunched up and all the vertical height is meh with footprint/shading being a issue same as you described.

I say upgrade if your in a postion to do so. Just keep mind if dimensions are flexible you could always get a bigger tank with more width or depth within your intended space. My first 100 gallon in 2005 was a beast of a tank like almost as long as the couch lmao. Some many tanks sizes with slightly different dimensions are out there now even with im tanks. All that to say don't limit your initial options.
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I wish I had space for a larger tank but I already have too many lol. I currently have a Red Sea 525 that was my big tank then the seam started to separate and I drained it and converted it into a large bioactive dart frog tank. I had another Red Sea 425 in my living room but that got sold because I got into the dart frog hobby and I put three 18x18 bioactive tanks that are still currently being set up. The thing with dart frogs is you’re not supposed to mix species so that’s why I had to get more tanks in order to get different colors of dart frogs. Then there’s my 50 low boy frag and Max E 170 in my bedroom. The new spot is in my bedroom for whatever tank it ends up being and only allows me a tank less than 3’. So even if I wanted to go larger, I have no space to. Unless I got rid of the 5’ dart frog tank but I’m too invested in that as its own hobby.
 
MarcosDelgado0 said:
I wish I had space for a larger tank but I already have too many lol. I currently have a Red Sea 525 that was my big tank then the seam started to separate and I drained it and converted it into a large bioactive dart frog tank. I had another Red Sea 425 in my living room but that got sold because I got into the dart frog hobby and I put three 18x18 bioactive tanks that are still currently being set up. The thing with dart frogs is you’re not supposed to mix species so that’s why I had to get more tanks in order to get different colors of dart frogs. Then there’s my 50 low boy frag and Max E 170 in my bedroom. The new spot is in my bedroom for whatever tank it ends up being and only allows me a tank less than 3’. So even if I wanted to go larger, I have no space to. Unless I got rid of the 5’ dart frog tank but I’m too invested in that as its own hobby.
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Lol, well don’t get in over your head without a clear exit plan for existing tank. I took down old biocube29 months ago and it's set up again with another biocube32 waiting to be set up as well.

It often ends up with you just getting another tank without getting rid of the current one. Sell current one than get new one. I failed multiple times trying to do it in reverse. Leading to my 4 tanks.
 
MarcosDelgado0 said:
So I posted before I wanted to move my Red Sea Max E 170 to another part of my home but I never got to it because I was stressed about where I’d hold the live stock. Now that my frag tank is up and running I’m thinking of moving all livestock and rock over temporarily to get this move done and not have to worry about livestock being in buckets. This way I could take my time to give everything a good clean. Then recently I saw an IM 50 and honestly fell in love with the dimensions. 30”Lx24”Wx16”H is like the perfect dimensions for where i originally was planning to move the Max E 170. It’s honestly a great tank but not the best dimensions (24”Lx23”Wx22”H) and it has kind of a cube shape. There’s not too much footprint for what I want and when I mount something higher in the tank it shades the corals in the bottom. Basically I just need you guys to tell me it’s a good idea so I can justify it lol. For the people that have an IM 50 here, is there anything you don’t like about it? My other option was to just downgrade to an IM 25 lagoon and DIY a stand but the idea of downgrading I don’t really like
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Since we can't add Gif's best I could do.
 

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MarcosDelgado0 said:
So I posted before I wanted to move my Red Sea Max E 170 to another part of my home but I never got to it because I was stressed about where I’d hold the live stock. Now that my frag tank is up and running I’m thinking of moving all livestock and rock over temporarily to get this move done and not have to worry about livestock being in buckets. This way I could take my time to give everything a good clean. Then recently I saw an IM 50 and honestly fell in love with the dimensions. 30”Lx24”Wx16”H is like the perfect dimensions for where i originally was planning to move the Max E 170. It’s honestly a great tank but not the best dimensions (24”Lx23”Wx22”H) and it has kind of a cube shape. There’s not too much footprint for what I want and when I mount something higher in the tank it shades the corals in the bottom. Basically I just need you guys to tell me it’s a good idea so I can justify it lol. For the people that have an IM 50 here, is there anything you don’t like about it? My other option was to just downgrade to an IM 25 lagoon and DIY a stand but the idea of downgrading I don’t really like
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Yes. All I read was “bigger tank.”
 
Alexander1312 said:
I vote against the AIO and go with the IM 50 EXT instead. I would never do an AIO tank again. Having a proper sump is imperative IMO. Or do freshwater . And who likes downgrading unless there is no other way.
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I totally agree with this. I was thinking of setting up a frag tank but didn't want to go with a AIO so was looking into building a low boy set up with a sump. The swings from a small tank is something I don't think I could ever go back too.
 
Reefer Madness said:
I totally agree with this. I was thinking of setting up a frag tank but didn't want to go with a AIO so was looking into building a low boy set up with a sump. The swings from a small tank is something I don't think I could ever go back too.
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Honestly love my low boy. I’m not sure where you’re located but Aquarium Depot in Citrus Heights has them in stock normally and they’re cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen
 
Alexander1312 said:
I vote against the AIO and go with the IM 50 EXT instead. I would never do an AIO tank again. Having a proper sump is imperative IMO. Or do freshwater . And who likes downgrading unless there is no other way.
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I wish they sold the tank and stand without the sump. I honestly don’t like their sump. I know they used to offer the tank+stand combo but now you can only buy the kit.
 
MarcosDelgado0 said:
Honestly love my low boy. I’m not sure where you’re located but Aquarium Depot in Citrus Heights has them in stock normally and they’re cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen
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Reefer Madness said:
I totally agree with this. I was thinking of setting up a frag tank but didn't want to go with a AIO so was looking into building a low boy set up with a sump. The swings from a small tank is something I don't think I could ever go back too.
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While I would never get anything but glass (probably) for my display tank, I love having 3/4” or 1” acrylic for a 12” or less frag tank. I find myself leaning on it more often than I should and I would never do it that on glass.
 
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