Is Reef Casa the best AIO?

[newbie676767]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been looking into Reef Casa’s lineup and I’m torn between their tanks. I really like the look of their 6-gallon Pico, 12-gallon Shallow Cube, and the Shallow Reef 12. I’m trying to figure out which would be best for a beginner setup that’s still fun to stock and scape — ideally with clownfish, some softies or zoas, maybe a shrimp or crab too.

Also wondering:

• How do they compare in terms of price compared to other aio
• Is the filtration in all of them basically the same?
• Are there any other AIO tanks in a similar/cheaper price/size range that people here would recommend over Reef Casa?
• Would love to hear from anyone who's actually run one of these — pros, cons, anything you wish you’d known before buying.

Appreciate any help! Just trying to get the best setup for my first saltwater tank without overspending or ending up limited too quickly.

Thanks!

 

[Peace River]

Whether or not they offer the best AIO, the Reef Casa AIOs are solid based on everything I have seen and heard. A six gallon will limit your fish options so I would suggest a 12 gallon out of the given options. The shallow tank may impact your lighting selection and mounting height.

 

[GrimReefer51]

I’ve really enjoyed my experience with the Reef Casa’s AIO tanks, particularly the Flat 10 model. Mine has been running well for just over a year now. The flow can be tricky to get right at first but once dialed in it performs very well. I would definitely recommend these tanks. Pump selection is important and I’ve found that using a dual nozzle without a random flow generator works better, as the RFG tends to reduce flow more than preferred.

 

[Undersea Gardens]

I've had 2. A 6 and 12 gallon. Definitely not the best. Quality is not on par with some other brands like Waterbox and Red Sea. These are small inexpensive good looking tanks that come in some cool sizes and they work. I'm assuming the tanks, like all the accessories (lights, pumps, refractometer etc) are badged white box items. March is good at marketing his brand and he's doing a good job getting his products out there.

 

[GrimReefer51]

I've had 2. A 6 and 12 gallon. Definitely not the best. Quality is not on par with some other brands like Waterbox and Red Sea. These are small inexpensive good looking tanks that come in some cool sizes and they work. I'm assuming the tanks, like all the accessories (lights, pumps, refractometer etc) are badged white box items. March is good at marketing his brand and he's doing a good job getting his products out there.

What about the quality would you say needs improving? Ive only ran UNS and the Reef Casa. Mine is a little bit over a year now but dont notice a difference.

 

[Undersea Gardens]

Nice tank, good job! I just found the quality of fit and finish not quite as good. Glass clarity, beveling finish, it's minor. The biggest problem for me was filter chamber didn't create enough pull through the fleece even though I had made it very thin, and a soon as the fleece started to get a bit dirty it would bypass almost all the water and the bypass itself was very small. For the most part with the little anemic pumps they come with it's ok but if you want to up the flow and run 2 rfg nozzles it can cause some problems with water level so turning down the flow is the solution but then rfg don't work. Maybe these issues are inherent to tanks this size, idk as I'll likely never run tanks that small again.

 

[Tommy B]

I have a Waterbox 25 and an Innovative Marine 15 and if I had to pick a favorite, Waterbox is slightly better due to the AIO baffle design. Just my personal opinion. I have no experience with reef casa.

 

[RoanokeReef]

I've had 2. A 6 and 12 gallon. Definitely not the best. Quality is not on par with some other brands like Waterbox and Red Sea. These are small inexpensive good looking tanks that come in some cool sizes and they work. I'm assuming the tanks, like all the accessories (lights, pumps, refractometer etc) are badged white box items. March is good at marketing his brand and he's doing a good job getting his products out there.

If it's holding water its quality is much better than Red Sea.

 

[Undersea Gardens]

If it's holding water its quality is much better than Red Sea.

I've heard of hundreds of failures on the Red Sea tanks. I have a G2 reefer 750. I gotta say, build quality looks to be amazing so I'm confident it will hold together. I had an Elos 160 and when I bought it, it was the Cadillac of aquaria. It eventually blew a seam. I just don't think these rimless designs last as long as the old school rimmed tanks.

 

[RoanokeReef]

I've heard of hundreds of failures on the Red Sea tanks. I have a G2 reefer 750. I gotta say, build quality looks to be amazing so I'm confident it will hold together. I had an Elos 160 and when I bought it, it was the Cadillac of aquaria. It eventually blew a seam. I just don't think these rimless designs last as long as the old school rimmed tanks.

Unfortunately, they do look great until it starts splitting. Bet that Elos looked great until it didn't, I had one that never leaked fortunately. Anyways I was just poking some fun Wish the Oceanic Tech Tanks were still around, rimmed but they looked good.

 

[UNS_Brandon]

UNS will be offering shallow AIO this Fall if you're inclined to wait a bit.

 

[cba191]

Is there a reason you want a shallow tank?

 

[TX_REEF]

I love shallow tanks, and reefcasa AIO's are a great way to get one going on a budget. I have an unboxing video on one of their 18g systems, and will be setting up 2 of these before the end of this year:

 

[cba191]

I love shallow tanks, and reefcasa AIO's are a great way to get one going on a budget. I have an unboxing video on one of their 18g systems, and will be setting up 2 of these before the end of this year:

I have no problem with them. I'd love to do o e for an anglerfish. I just think it might be a little limiting for a first tank. That is just my personal opinion though.

 

[Hooz]

I have AiO tanks from Reef Casa (Flat 6 and Studio 12), Innovative Marine (Nuvo 10 and Nuvo 30L), JBJ (RFP 65), a few of the nano Fluval AiO tanks, and I've helped friends setup Waterbox (10 and 20) tanks, so I feel like I have a pretty good idea of at least those brands.

I should note that my two Reef Casa tanks are the OG versions, NOT the "new and improved" Mark II or whatever they call them.

IMO, IM and WB are about as good as it gets for AiO tanks. Period. Full stop.

There are things I really like about the Reef Casa tanks... I like the dimensions. They're very "non-standard" and interesting to look at. I like the rear chamber layouts. You can fit a LOT of equipment in the back for how small the tanks are. They beat EVERYBODY else on that.

There are things I don't like about the Reef Casa tanks... It's hard to get the flow right, as has been mentioned. I also struggle constantly with an oily film on the top of the water. I've never had that issue with any other AiO tank (except Fluval, but they're a whole different animal), and it can get pretty frustrating. If I change the filter pad every 3 days and keep up with my weekly water changes, I can stay ahead of it, but that's kind of a PITA. Now, I've heard that the changes they made to the Mark II tanks solves the oily film issue, but I have no personal experience with that. If it did, then I have ZERO issues recommending the Reef Casa tanks.

I do like the Reef Casa tanks enough to invest in automatic filter rollers to see if that solves the problem once and for all. For $200 each, I REALLY hope it does. The dimensions are appealing enough to me to keep working with the tanks to dial them in, though.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I thought that would be some valuable input for anyone doing searches and looking for recommendations based on actual experience. I will also add that I bought my Flat 6, but the Studio 12 was provided to me for free from Reef Casa several months AFTER I setup the Flat 6. I wish I woud've gotten a Mark II, but they weren't available at the time.