Aqueon 60 Cube or 40/55 Breeder? Newbie advice

[mdpitts]

Hi folks, I've been frantically searching, yearning, learning, YouTubing, scanning this forum. I'm going nuts. I got the bug bad. Addicted, insane and feel like I'd do ANYTHING FOR A FIX!!!! I've had a saltwater tank since October (Fluval Evo 13.5) it's cute and it's still getting started but I. Want. More. I do this with all my hobbies but once I got into fish I found my true love. So here's the issue, I'm getting older and I'm it. No one to help, lug big jugs of water for me or look after my tank when I can't (who needs vacations anyway). I know I'm gonna end up getting another tank. I KNOW I should just stick with my little Fluval but I won't. Here is what got me started to really go crazy. I want a Pink Spot Goby. I fell in love with one at my local and I actually go visit it. They told me I need at least a 30 gallon for it. I also know that I won't be getting much more fish in either of those two tanks. I just learned fish would rather have long than high tanks. If I got the 40 my plan is to drop in a Fuji Cube all-in-one so I can have a spot for all "the works", I'm baffled by sumps and this seems easy if expensive. Or, could I just do a hang on back filter like a Seachem Tidal 55/75. Or do I suck it up and learn about sumps. Then I'd have to drill a hole. I know this is all over the place but I guess my question is what would you do with all your knowledge and my skimpy wallet - get a 60 cube or a 40 breeder? I think the cubes look cool but probably the 40 is more practical. And if you suggest one please advise on some modifications I should get to make it work. Finally, thanks to everyone out there who takes time to answer crazy posts like this. I've got another one brewing already ;-)

 

[mdpitts]

Maybe that post was a little too frantic? That's what I get for spending all my time surfing the interwebs. I'm better today. I'd still like input. Basically, what are the drawbacks of a cube with more gallons but a smaller footprint. Will I regret it? I'm happy with my current fish and would probably move my Fluval stock to the new tank. Sand, rock, corals, fish and add that Goby.

Second, will a hang on back filter work on a cube enough that I won't always be struggling.

 

[shakacuz]

my first SW tank was my 40B. no issues other than wanting to go bigger every single time. i never did because of my small apartment. the biggest i can go is a 75G (and i was close to finishing a 75G build but decided not to), or a custom dimension tank. i've decided to upgrade to a 60G cube to save space in the apartment, while increasing water volume. i did the plumbing and drilling myself, and did my own sump (using fijicube's DIY kit).


i highly suggest looking into getting a sump. AIO's are very "out the box" kind of good. but i believe you'd benefit from having more available room with a sump.

 

[mdpitts]

my first SW tank was my 40B. no issues other than wanting to go bigger every single time. i never did because of my small apartment. the biggest i can go is a 75G (and i was close to finishing a 75G build but decided not to), or a custom dimension tank. i've decided to upgrade to a 60G cube to save space in the apartment, while increasing water volume. i did the plumbing and drilling myself, and did my own sump (using fijicube's DIY kit).


i highly suggest looking into getting a sump. AIO's are very "out the box" kind of good. but i believe you'd benefit from having more available room with a sump.

Cool tank. I like all the ledges you have. That's the advice I am looking for. I am really attracted to the cubes - they just look cool. Right now I have (2) brand new 10 gallons and (1) 20 gallon that I bought on sale and have just been hanging out in my shed. I guess I could use one as a sump? I saw those Fiji kits. I could get my ex to help with the silicone stuff. Ok, wheels are clacking along the track. I need to go research sumps.

 

[nereefpat]

40 breeders are great tanks. They are cheap, big enough to keep a few small fish, but small enough to be easy to maintain. They are also easy to light, and easy to have enough flow in them. 50-60 bucks at Petco when on sale, which is most of the time.

If I wanted to do something like you are thinking, I would get a 40 breeder and drill it. Then use a 20 gallon Long as a sump.

 

[HighlandReef]

Personally, I wouldn’t purchase an Aqueon tank larger than a 40 gallon.
I just recently had an Aqueon 60 gallon breeder seam fail that was in my sons room, made a huge mess and took out my big screen in the basement and the soundbar. Tank was on second floor.
Should be safe with a 40 breeder but when it comes down to it, they are cheap tanks.
When we brought the 60 breeder back to Petco, they had 2 other Aqueon tanks in the store with return tags on them, a little scary to see. Kind of turn me off to the brand.
the Aqueon 40 and 60 breeders are both only made with 3/16” glass, imo… a little thin.
If budget allows, get a good quality tank that you’ll probably have for the rest of your life.
Planet aquarium makes good tanks.
I will be going with a 62 gallon lagoon for my son’s room this time.
Learned my lesson the hard way, big screen and sound bar already cost more to replace, than to just have purchased a planet aquarium tank from the start.

 

[nereefpat]

Personally, I wouldn’t purchase an Aqueon tank larger than a 40 gallon.
I just recently had an Aqueon 60 gallon breeder seam fail that was in my sons room, made a huge mess and took out my big screen in the basement and the soundbar. Tank was on second floor.
Should be safe with a 40 breeder but when it comes down to it, they are cheap tanks.
When we brought the 60 breeder back to Petco, they had 2 other Aqueon tanks in the store with return tags on them, a little scary to see. Kind of turn me off to the brand.
the Aqueon 40 and 60 breeders are both only made with 3/16” glass, imo… a little thin.
If budget allows, get a good quality tank that you’ll probably have for the rest of your life.
Planet aquarium makes good tanks.
I will be going with a 62 gallon lagoon for my son’s room this time.
Learned my lesson the hard way, big screen and sound bar already cost more to replace, than to just have purchased a planet aquarium tank from the start.

Darn it. How long was the tank running?

 

[mdpitts]

Personally, I wouldn’t purchase an Aqueon tank larger than a 40 gallon.
I just recently had an Aqueon 60 gallon breeder seam fail that was in my sons room, made a huge mess and took out my big screen in the basement and the soundbar. Tank was on second floor.
Should be safe with a 40 breeder but when it comes down to it, they are cheap tanks.
When we brought the 60 breeder back to Petco, they had 2 other Aqueon tanks in the store with return tags on them, a little scary to see. Kind of turn me off to the brand.
the Aqueon 40 and 60 breeders are both only made with 3/16” glass, imo… a little thin.
If budget allows, get a good quality tank that you’ll probably have for the rest of your life.
Planet aquarium makes good tanks.
I will be going with a 62 gallon lagoon for my son’s room this time.
Learned my lesson the hard way, big screen and sound bar already cost more to replace, than to just have purchased a planet aquarium tank from the start.

I keep hearing about those Aqueon tanks failing. Dang it. I guess they are cheap for a reason. Good advice - thank you.

 

[mdpitts]

40 breeders are great tanks. They are cheap, big enough to keep a few small fish, but small enough to be easy to maintain. They are also easy to light, and easy to have enough flow in them. 50-60 bucks at Petco when on sale, which is most of the time.

If I wanted to do something like you are thinking, I would get a 40 breeder and drill it. Then use a 20 gallon Long as a sump.

The attractive thing about all that is that there are a lot of "aftermarket" things made for them too. They are on sale now - that's what is fueling my mania

 

[lil sumpin]

I've had the 14 cube going for about 6 months now. Wasnt until after I purchased it and started cycling that I read reviews, go figure. Did as much seam inspection as I could, looked alright but ultimately I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll keep. I dont think every single one of their tanks is gonna be faulty but I would be very wary of purchasing one of their bigger cubes. The 40 and an AIO insert would be pretty cool but maybe consider buying an AIO altogether

 

[HighlandReef]

Darn it. How long was the tank running?

Not long, was brand new tank.

 

[nereefpat]

Not long, was brand new tank.

Bummer. What a mess.

I keep hearing about those Aqueon tanks failing. Dang it. I guess they are cheap for a reason. Good advice - thank you.

My Aqueon 125 has been running for about 11 years in my basement. So far so good. I have built 2 sumps out of 40 breeders in the same timeframe that have been good. I would closely look at the seams in the store, and leak test it in the garage if possible. But I would recommend that with any tank.

 

[HighlandReef]

Bummer. What a mess.

My Aqueon 125 has been running for about 11 years in my basement. So far so good. I have built 2 sumps out of 40 breeders in the same timeframe that have been good. I would closely look at the seams in the store, and leak test it in the garage if possible. But I would recommend that with any tank.

My all glass aquariums 210 is at least 10 years old, maybe older.
They used to make good quality larger aquariums, seems those days are gone.
my old 40 breeder is 1/4” glass, the 60 breeder that leaked was 3/16” glass.
My old 40 breeder is thicker glass than the new 60.
Petco returned the 60 breeder for me but Aqueon didn’t do ****.
Aqueon purchase all glass aquariums years ago and seems like most big corporations, they just care about maximizing profits.
Problem is, when their tanks fail, we pay the price.

 

[nereefpat]

My all glass aquariums 210 is at least 10 years old, maybe older.
They used to make good quality larger aquariums, seems those days are gone.
my old 40 breeder is 1/4” glass, the 60 breeder that leaked was 3/16” glass.
My old 40 breeder is thicker glass than the new 60.
Petco returned the 60 breeder for me but Aqueon didn’t do ****.
Aqueon purchase all glass aquariums years ago and seems like most big corporations, they just care about maximizing profits.
Problem is, when their tanks fail, we pay the price.

Totally understandable that you would be POd.

 

[mdpitts]

I've had the 14 cube going for about 6 months now. Wasnt until after I purchased it and started cycling that I read reviews, go figure. Did as much seam inspection as I could, looked alright but ultimately I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll keep. I dont think every single one of their tanks is gonna be faulty but I would be very wary of purchasing one of their bigger cubes. The 40 and an AIO insert would be pretty cool but maybe consider buying an AIO altogether

I am a bang for your buck kinda person and have always had good luck and be able to make stuff work but I’ve been reading a lot of cranky reviews on the Red Sea AIO tanks. They just seem to have almost everything and I love the power strip with dedicated on/off (ha! It’s the little things). People hate their protein skimmers, say it’s clunky to do any work on it. i Need to start buying lottery tickets.

 

[mdpitts]

My all glass aquariums 210 is at least 10 years old, maybe older.
They used to make good quality larger aquariums, seems those days are gone.
my old 40 breeder is 1/4” glass, the 60 breeder that leaked was 3/16” glass.
My old 40 breeder is thicker glass than the new 60.
Petco returned the 60 breeder for me but Aqueon didn’t do ****.
Aqueon purchase all glass aquariums years ago and seems like most big corporations, they just care about maximizing profits.
Problem is, when their tanks fail, we pay the price.

And the thing that would really get me, and I know everyone on here feels the same - losing lives that depend on us. I’ve had cats, dogs, horses and for a few years fish as a kid and if you asked me 2 years ago if I would ever want fish again (and especially if I could ever LOVE a fish) I would have cracked up. But, I love my dang fish. Some more than others. I’m still sad and thinking about my pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby that both died together a couple weeks ago. I’m SO bummed about that and I miss seeing them. Ok this is typical Molly - I veer off the track. Thanks for the response and I’m right there with you on the cruddy corporations thought.

 

[Naekuh]

Aqueon rimless tanks have a horrible reliability factor.
The Cube 60 i assume is a rimless tank, which is a super red flag for me.

Just read online and at petco reviews even.
Many have ruptured.

I also tried out a Rimless one from Aqueon because it was on sale at petco for so cheap.
The moment i leaked tested, it noticed bubbles all over the place inside the silicon showing a potential nightmare in the future.

If you do get a Aqueon rimless, make sure you ABSOLUTELY leak test it, and if it has any bubbles showing inside the silicon, return that IMEDIATELY, even if Aqueon customer service says its Normal / OK, because its definitely NOT OK / NORMAL.

 

[shakacuz]

rimless tanks can be reinforced by eurobracing. i plan on doing this to the 60g cube i’ll be upgrading to

 

[Naekuh]

rimless tanks can be reinforced by eurobracing. i plan on doing this to the 60g cube i’ll be upgrading to

not if the silicon on the bottom is already failing from poor application.

You would need to redue the silicon entirely.

Eurobracing helps it from rupturing and litterally ripping the entire panel off at the top.
But if the silicon is already set to fail, the gap inside will continue to get larger and larger until a leak happens due to hydrostatic pressure being applied at it, and will peal the silicon alway until you one day realize you have a puddle on the floor.

I can't emphasize how important leak testing is, and checking all the seams.
I would never setup a tank larger then 10gal without doing a 24/48 hour leak test to make sure there are no bubbles anywhere inside the silicon.

 

[mdpitts]

Aqueon rimless tanks have a horrible reliability factor.
The Cube 60 i assume is a rimless tank, which is a super red flag for me.

Just read online and at petco reviews even.
Many have ruptured.

I also tried out a Rimless one from Aqueon because it was on sale at petco for so cheap.
The moment i leaked tested, it noticed bubbles all over the place inside the silicon showing a potential nightmare in the future.

If you do get a Aqueon rimless, make sure you ABSOLUTELY leak test it, and if it has any bubbles showing inside the silicon, return that IMEDIATELY, even if Aqueon customer service says its Normal / OK, because its definitely NOT OK / NORMAL.

Thanks for the tip. I’m starting to realize that I can’t cheap out. I fell in love with an expensive hobby. I guess folks that bought the older Aqueons had better luck but I’m thinking now maybe I should spend some time and save some bucks for a better built tank.