Best premade "high end" setup?

[ZaneGreay]

I know this has a lot to do with personal preference but I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are. I am looking for an all in one setup. Not an aio tank but a setup thats pretty much plug and play ready to go. something that has that wow factor and looks good right out of the box. Think CADE, Redsea, Waterbox, and Maxspect setups that are tank, stand, basic plumbing, sump etc. I am personally really interested in the Maxspect Lagoon smart aquarium line. It seems like it comes with everything I would need and everything ties together seamlessly without an additional aquarium controller. but if later on down the line I want to add things on its still possible. Personally I am tired of piecing things together and want something that just works without me spending tons of time and money trouble shooting and building from the ground up. Done it a number of times and simply want something easy that I can enjoy with little fuss except what's in the tank ie livestock. But what are the thoughts of the community. I know CADE is a great brand but are very pricey. I have heard horrible things about redsea but have heard they have been turning it around. but I want to hear from you guys and your thoughts.

 

[mjszos]

I like my Innovative Marine tank. It looks great, and it strikes the balance of cost vs aesthetics. The cabinets may not be to everyones taste, but I like it (the construction is rock solid, the design is shaker style which some dont like)

 

[ZaneGreay]

I like my Innovative Marine tank. It looks great, and it strikes the balance of cost vs aesthetics. The cabinets may not be to everyones taste, but I like it (the construction is rock solid, the design is shaker style which some dont like)

I have a smaller aio of theirs and it’s nice and honestly I was leaning that way till I say a video on the maxspect and was like wow lol it literally comes with everything. I love a lot of their products I have used before especially their gyres. But it is a large price jump between the two.

 

[mjszos]

I have a smaller aio of theirs and it’s nice and honestly I was leaning that way till I say a video on the maxspect and was like wow lol it literally comes with everything. I love a lot of their products I have used before especially their gyres. But it is a large price jump between the two.

As a general rule I'm against systems that include everything. Mostly because you're paying a premium for equipment that you probably will want to replace anyway. I'm using my Mighty Jet pump from my IM tank for instance, but that's purely out of convenience - I'd replace it with a different pump.

The same applies to lights, filtration, etc. I'd rather design my system myself and follow the "buy once, cry once" approach in most cases rather than get a bunch of white labeled equipment that I may not necessarily want.

Just my personal approach though, I definitely see the convenience for people who are either; newer to the hobby, or don't want to deal with the overwhelming amount of research and decision fatigue that goes into making some decisions.

 

[Otago]

NYOS has a good reputation over here and will probably be my next tank.

 

[pooootiqe]

The best plug and play setup is likely from another reefer nearby :D

 

[slogan315]

The UNS new reef line looks pretty cool. Not completely plug and play (doesn’t come with everything from powerheads to ato), but lots of that stuff is kinda dependent on your livestock goals anyway…

 

[ZaneGreay]

As a general rule I'm against systems that include everything. Mostly because you're paying a premium for equipment that you probably will want to replace anyway. I'm using my Mighty Jet pump from my IM tank for instance, but that's purely out of convenience - I'd replace it with a different pump.

The same applies to lights, filtration, etc. I'd rather design my system myself and follow the "buy once, cry once" approach in most cases rather than get a bunch of white labeled equipment that I may not necessarily want.

Just my personal approach though, I definitely see the convenience for people who are either; newer to the hobby, or don't want to deal with the overwhelming amount of research and decision fatigue that goes into making some decisions.

Tbh I was and am still like this. I am mainly looking for tank stand sump setup not necessarily lights and all that because I’m an ai fan for lights lol but I whole heartedly agree with the part of paying a premium for the convenience and that’s kinda what I’m wanting I’m very sick of the piece meal tanks that require 5 apps and a crazy expensive controller just to try to have some control over the tank if that makes sense.

 

[exnisstech]

I went with a WB 330.7 on my last large tank. I almost went custom but just didn't feel like doing all the diy. I'm not a fan of an everything is included set up and only wanted the tank, stand and plumbing. I have two RS tanks and won't buy another. I looked at cade but would have lost too much valuable tank space because of the built-in ATO reservoir on the back. I wanted 30" front to back depth and the WB has that.

 

[DrkNMighty]

Cade is currently my favorite. I love the look of the tank. The stand has plenty of room, great material and looks, and nice functionality with the doors on each side plus the built in power bars/strips. It of course comes at a premium compared to some of the other brands.
I just picked up an IM 75 a few weeks ago and I like the look of the tank but the stand doesn’t compare to the Cade.

 

[mjszos]

Tbh I was and am still like this. I am mainly looking for tank stand sump setup not necessarily lights and all that because I’m an ai fan for lights lol but I whole heartedly agree with the part of paying a premium for the convenience and that’s kinda what I’m wanting I’m very sick of the piece meal tanks that require 5 apps and a crazy expensive controller just to try to have some control over the tank if that makes sense.

Hear that. I’m happy with my innovative marine tank/stand/sump but I prefer to pick the rest of my equipment myself.

 

[kbrabble]

Maxspect is relatively new in the states. However, I liked the system approach. The software to manage the system is great. The wire management system is also excellent. The build was seamless and everything was as promised. I have been running my lagoon tank now for 8 months with no issues. I like yourself did a ton of research looking for the best deal but wanted a quality system. So far I have been very pleased with Maxspect.

 

[Tamberav]

Cade

IM built to order if money is a concern but I think they are several months or even 6 months till delivery. Price is excellent if you are willing to wait.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'll move this to the main forum since its not an experiment.

 

[BryanM]

If I were to go this route I'd look at Waterbox, IM, Cade. Choose the one that has the most equipment that you want.

 

[stE26wy14]

tbh, u will still have to piece things together, it just wont come in many seperate boxes, if u want maybe somebody on here(including me) could make a little list for you, saving time

 

[ZaneGreay]

tbh, u will still have to piece things together, it just wont come in many seperate boxes, if u want maybe somebody on here(including me) could make a little list for you, saving time

What exactly do you mean by list? Idk what you mean but sure help from experienced reefers never hurts.

 

[stE26wy14]

What exactly do you mean by list? Idk what you mean but sure help from experienced reefers never hurts.

a list of equipment, instead of buying a fully aio setup. which you will still have to setup. later down the line, as others have said, you might have to interchange things out, I had to do that too. its annoying...
what is your budget? how big of a tank are you looking at? give me a week or so, and you have a full list :D

 

[Science/G]

Looks legit. Easy plug-and-play. The aluminum stand is a + Even the lighting looks solid, with decent output and spectrum control. I put my set-up together bit by bit, with a custom sump and ato reservoir, but I see why this looks interesting.