Handful of questions

[ratm]

Hey everyone, I'm just getting started in researching and learning about setting up my first saltwater tank. I have a few questions about the AIO tanks. I hope it is okay to post here since most topics seem to be centered on ongoing builds. Thanks in advance for any help.

First of all I'm enjoying looking at all the different builds so thank you for sharing those!

From what I have read it seems that an AIO tank is recommended for beginners as it comes "plug and play" so to speak. That sounded like a great starting point for me being a noob so I researched more about this type of tank & system. Now maybe I misunderstood what I read and watched but it seems the con of the AIO tank is your limited on upgrades. I'm trying to avoid a situation down the road where I after I set everything up, I'm going to want bigger and have to buy everything all over again haha.

I personally was attracted to the idea of having as sump below my tank but at the same time I love how clean the AIO tanks look as this will be displayed in my living room. I'm not interested in drilling into my tank to be honest and I have read about many problems that can happen using an HOB overflow box. Would you reccomend getting a small AIO tank to to learn and ultimately become the quarantine tank? Or would that be overkill for those purposes? Thanks again for the help and reading my all this!

 

[EvanDeVita]

I'm not the best role model as I buy quarantined fish, but I would not start small. I have an IM Nuvo 30 Long AIO. It's great, but it is too small for a lot of fishes. If I were you, I would find a tank in the 50-80 gallon range. AIO are expensive, and I think it's overkill to have an AIO as a QT Tank. To be clear I love my 30 gallon, but as a wrasse lover there are a lot of beautiful fish I want but can't get .

 

[DC Reefer]

I have an AIO tank (10g Fiji cube) that I use for a coral QT tank and it works great for that (never tried it for fish). I also have a Red Sea Reefer 170 that came with a sump. You have listed out the pros and cons of both. Using the AIO as a QT tank can be an expensive QT set-up easily costing 2-4X what you can spend for a QT tank.

AIO are generally limited to a certain size (generally 40G or smaller), which as EvanDeVita states can be very limiting on the # and types of fish. I also like the larger size as I find it is easier to keep the parameters stable and gives more room for error in the precision of your dosing. The pro to the smaller size is if you can fix many things with a large water change which is a lot easier on a smaller tank.

I think not matter how large of a tank you get, there is a good chance down the road you will want bigger. My first SW tank is the largest one I have (155g display) but then I set up 2 more DTs....

 

[ratm]

I'm not the best role model as I buy quarantined fish, but I would not start small. I have an IM Nuvo 30 Long AIO. It's great, but it is too small for a lot of fishes. If I were you, I would find a tank in the 50-80 gallon range. AIO are expensive, and I think it's overkill to have an AIO as a QT Tank. To be clear I love my 30 gallon, but as a wrasse lover there are a lot of beautiful fish I want but can't get .

Thank you! I was hoping to get 50+ gallons for my main display tank. Appreciate your feedback.

I have an AIO tank (10g Fiji cube) that I use for a coral QT tank and it works great for that (never tried it for fish). I also have a Red Sea Reefer 170 that came with a sump. You have listed out the pros and cons of both. Using the AIO as a QT tank can be an expensive QT set-up easily costing 2-4X what you can spend for a QT tank.

AIO are generally limited to a certain size (generally 40G or smaller), which as EvanDeVita states can be very limiting on the # and types of fish. I also like the larger size as I find it is easier to keep the parameters stable and gives more room for error in the precision of your dosing. The pro to the smaller size is if you can fix many things with a large water change which is a lot easier on a smaller tank.

I think not matter how large of a tank you get, there is a good chance down the road you will want bigger. My first SW tank is the largest one I have (155g display) but then I set up 2 more DTs....

Ahh okay, so it would be more cost effective to get a regular tank and with some HOB equipment for QT purposes? I was not sure if it would be worth to drop a few hundred bucks on a smaller 20 gallon AIO tank for that.

 

[HD_Reefer]

AIO's definitely have their place in the hobby, I have 2 myself. If I was starting over for the first time, I would not go with an AIO. They are definitely limited on filtration space and honestly, anything that comes as a package deal will need some sort of upgrade down the road. Again, if it was me, I would get the biggest DT & sump combo I could justify and build it out from there.

On the clean look topic, there are wires hanging out of the back of both of my AIOs that are totally visible. My new build, not a single wire, tube, pipe or anything can be seen. It is a far cleaner look in my opinion.

Now having said all of that, I started with an AIO and learned a ton from it. What I learned is that although sump systems can be more complex and costly, it was definitely the right route for me. I think there are fair arguments either way and as @EvanDeVita said above, I still love both of my AIOs.

 

[Specific Ocean]

Technically I have an AIO but bought a sump after researching after I purchased it. You are limited on space which is why I got it. Plus you add water volume which is great for your tank.

if I could do it all over again I would.

but for a starting aquarium I think it’s a great idea. Then you can move onto something bigger.

 

[DC Reefer]

Thank you! I was hoping to get 50+ gallons for my main display tank. Appreciate your feedback.



Ahh okay, so it would be more cost effective to get a regular tank and with some HOB equipment for QT purposes? I was not sure if it would be worth to drop a few hundred bucks on a smaller 20 gallon AIO tank for that.

For a fish QT tank the set-up can be really simple - the top link shows how to set-up a QT and the next link goes through a QT process.

How to Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank The following are the bare essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down...

www.reef2reef.com

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ratm]

AIO's definitely have their place in the hobby, I have 2 myself. If I was starting over for the first time, I would not go with an AIO. They are definitely limited on filtration space and honestly, anything that comes as a package deal will need some sort of upgrade down the road. Again, if it was me, I would get the biggest DT & sump combo I could justify and build it out from there.

On the clean look topic, there are wires hanging out of the back of both of my AIOs that are totally visible. My new build, not a single wire, tube, pipe or anything can be seen. It is a far cleaner look in my opinion.

Now having said all of that, I started with an AIO and learned a ton from it. What I learned is that although sump systems can be more complex and costly, it was definitely the right route for me. I think there are fair arguments either way and as @EvanDeVita said above, I still love both of my AIOs.

Getting the biggest DT and sump combo is something I'm attracted to and building up from there. Appreciate it!

Technically I have an AIO but bought a sump after researching after I purchased it. You are limited on space which is why I got it. Plus you add water volume which is great for your tank.

if I could do it all over again I would.

but for a starting aquarium I think it’s a great idea. Then you can move onto something bigger.

Right it seems like having sump with the extra water volume seems to enhance the tank quite a bit!

For a fish QT tank the set-up can be really simple - the top link shows how to set-up a QT and the next link goes through a QT process.

How to Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank The following are the bare essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down...

www.reef2reef.com

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

I appreciate the links I will definitely save and review them! Thank you