Cali Kid Corals

Thinking of upgrading

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BlueSallymandr

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I'm currently running a Coralife BioCube 16 as my first reef tank, and I'm thinking of upgrading to a Red Sea Max Nano G2 XL (33 gallons). Space is tight in my place but I think I can fit this in. I'm enjoying this hobby but it might be nice to have a bigger tank and a few more fish and corals :D What do you think? I didn't see a lot of reviews online. Any other setups or AIO kits you might recommend?
 
It's about 24" deep by 22" long or so, I can move the furniture a little bit. Height is less important but I would prefer to have an aquarium stand designed for that purpose.

I want the aquarium to be somewhere I can enjoy it, aka my living room.
 
I had a Red Sea Max E 170 I sold (well pending technically) and it was a good tank but honestly limited in foot print. It’s hard to have a rock scape that fills a cube shape without shadowing corals underneath. If you’re set on that footprint, I’d go for something more shallow line the IM tanks vs something more cubed like the Red Sea tanks
 
@Alexander1312 had a Red Sea Nano Max and can give you 20 reasons why you should consider a tank with sump instead of an AIO. If you think you want to get more technical in this hobby then it's the way to go.

With an external overflow instead of an AIO or internal overflow box you're also gaining valuable display space. Something like the Fiji Cube 32 EXT which has a 24"x20" footprint. The Waterbox 60.2 is another option but with an internal overflow
 
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BlueSallymandr said:
I'm currently running a Coralife BioCube 16 as my first reef tank, and I'm thinking of upgrading to a Red Sea Max Nano G2 XL (33 gallons). Space is tight in my place but I think I can fit this in. I'm enjoying this hobby but it might be nice to have a bigger tank and a few more fish and corals :D What do you think? I didn't see a lot of reviews online. Any other setups or AIO kits you might recommend?
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From my very own experience, and having been in a very similar situation as you not too long ago, I strongly suggest this one. Its the perfect tank to stay small but still enjoy a lot about the hobby.

It does not allow me to paste the link, hence the picture:

IMG_1921.jpeg



Or if you need to save some space:

www.innovative-marine.com

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

Shop Now | Innovative Marine's Official Store | Free Shipping on all orders* | NUVO aquariums and saltwater reef supplies.
www.innovative-marine.com www.innovative-marine.com
 
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BlueSallymandr said:
It's about 24" deep by 22" long or so, I can move the furniture a little bit. Height is less important but I would prefer to have an aquarium stand designed for that purpose.

I want the aquarium to be somewhere I can enjoy it, aka my living room.
Click to expand...
So definitely a cube style tank is best if you can't move things much. Makes it harder to have a sump. If you had slightly more horizonal space and were crafty, you could go old school with a 40 breeder and drill it for really cheap with another cheap 10g tank as a sump.
 
IMHO
Red Sea brand…
I would stay away
Or at least make sure your insurance is up to date and will cover the failure
And if you must go with a Red Sea tank, buy it new with full warranty
 
You are certainly talking me out of the Red Sea option. I already had one tank leak scenario (used tank I bought) and that was awful.

I couldn't do a 82 gallon setup (with the sump) - I'm trying to stay relatively small and keep water changes simple so that I can continue to use purchased sea water. I'm looking at these two right now, which both have approximately the same footprint:
www.innovative-marine.com

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

Shop Now | Innovative Marine's Official Store | Free Shipping on all orders* | NUVO aquariums and saltwater reef supplies.
www.innovative-marine.com www.innovative-marine.com
waterboxaquariums.com

AIO 35.2 PLUS Edition

An all-in-one aquarium that gives you more of what you love, in a larger more customizable design.
waterboxaquariums.com waterboxaquariums.com

I like the IM one but I would have to figure out my own heater, protein skimmer, light, and ATO, and the shipping is very expensive.

The problem is that I already have a 40B freshwater tank next to my saltwater tank, and that puppy isn't going anywhere quick. (The multitank syndrome is real)
 
BlueSallymandr said:
You are certainly talking me out of the Red Sea option. I already had one tank leak scenario (used tank I bought) and that was awful.

I couldn't do a 82 gallon setup (with the sump) - I'm trying to stay relatively small and keep water changes simple so that I can continue to use purchased sea water. I'm looking at these two right now, which both have approximately the same footprint:
www.innovative-marine.com

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

Shop Now | Innovative Marine's Official Store | Free Shipping on all orders* | NUVO aquariums and saltwater reef supplies.
www.innovative-marine.com www.innovative-marine.com
waterboxaquariums.com

AIO 35.2 PLUS Edition

An all-in-one aquarium that gives you more of what you love, in a larger more customizable design.
waterboxaquariums.com waterboxaquariums.com

I like the IM one but I would have to figure out my own heater, protein skimmer, light, and ATO, and the shipping is very expensive.

The problem is that I already have a 40B freshwater tank next to my saltwater tank, and that puppy isn't going anywhere quick. (The multitank syndrome is real)
Click to expand...
Black Friday is around the corner.
 
+1 for standard sizes I'd check out the LFS. For custom things, going through the LFS doesn't seem to change much, but standard styles/sizes it seems like the perfect use-case for a local shop.

Neptune tends to have a selection of tanks in shop, and High Tide can also order things (I bought a Reefer 500 from @under_water_ninja). Shipping savings likely depend on how all that plays out though.
 
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