Helloreef 33g AIO tank as a newbie

antibiotictx · Jan 22, 2026

Hello! I am brand new to this hobby. I've done freshwater before. Started with breeding guppies, then moved to freshwater shrimp (neocaridina and caridina) and breeding them.

I am looking at this specific tank as I think I'll get bored of the 15g version quick and would want a bigger tank anyways. I was also looking at the 25g peninsula, but $550 for this 33 tank seems like a good deal. The dimensions are (23.5x19.5x18) according to another user on this forum.

I've been doing some research before buying everything and the next things I would need after the tank are lights, flow pump, heater. I've been watching a lot of youtube videos and for lights, it seems like kessil a360x seems like a nice light, but the BEST would be to have flow lights on the sides with it. However, it would be overkill for this size tank, right? Any of you guys have any recommendations? There are wayyyyyy too many choices out there xD

Fish Fan · Jan 23, 2026

Congrats on the new tank, the IM tanks are a solid choice!

Did your kit not already include a heater? I thought the Hello Reef kits came with most of the basics.

For lighting there's lots of choices. I have the IM 25 gallon lagoon that's about 24" across, and I light that tank with two Kessil A360we's, which was the older version of the A360x. With a tank that's 24" across, I think you'll do better with two pendant style lights, rather than just one. Using one in the middle of the tank would leave the ends kind of dark, and would cast weird shadows in the tank. Two lights eliminates that shadowing.

Depending on what kind of coral you're hoping to keep, I would suggest going with either two Kessil A160's or two Kessil A360's.

The EcoTech Radion lights are seemingly the gold standard of reef tank lighting.

Both Noopsyche and NiCrew make very good lights if you're on a budget. Two Noopsyche K7's would do well on your tank, I believe.

I'm sure there's other options too

Maybe check out the member's tanks sub-forum and look for others with that tank, and see what they are using for lighting and what they are able to grow with that setup.

I hope that helps and good luck!