Looking to start an AIO

[BrianneG]

Help me out with some important need to knows for AIO's. I need to start a smallish 15-20 gallon AIO due to one of my clowns being bullied.

Some of my questions that i have are below. Would love to get some advice.

For this size of a tank, what lights are you all running?
What filtration are you running? I am looking at the Nature Dimensions Nano Roller. Thoughts?
I would love to have this tank house a few corals but also Macroalgae. What fish would you recommend as well?

Any other advice for a newbie to AIO?

 

[corosato]

ai blade is a great light for most small AIOs, a single one can go a long way.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I run 10, and 15 gallon tanks. I use AI Prime and jebao smart light. IMO any 50-60 watt light will work.

IMO no extra filtration needed, I use water changes as the main filtration.

most kinds of gobies work well in small tanks.

Good luck

 

[Fish Fan]

Agreed, small AIO tank should be a simple setup. It has all the filtration you need built into the back. You could add a fleece roller, but I run super cheap Poly-Fil stuffing for mechanical. Poly-Fil is found at craft stores or the craft section of your local Mega-Lo-Mart, typically used for stuffing pillows and kid's toys. It's the exact same material as aquarium filter floss, but a lot cheaper since it doesn't have a picture of a fish on the bag It's cheap enough to just pull it, toss it, and replace it every few days to a week.

Do you already have. tank, or need one? I quite like the AIO's from Innovative Marine.

For lighting, I personally like Kessil lights, depending on the corals you want to keep an A160we would work well. You can look at Noopsyche and Hygger for more budget friendly options.

Good luck with your new build!

 

[GJW]

AI prime is a great light for nanos. Anything larger than 15 gallons I would probably go with a light that has a larger footprint to reduce shadows. Regarding filtration I would recommend keeping it simple with a little filter floss. Lastly, if I were to choose another tank I would go with one that has 2 overflows. This seems to add some redundancy with ATO filling if snails and stuff get into the weirs. The Innovative Marine 20 does a good job with that.

 

[rowenaad]

I have both a wb 15 and 20 AIO. One under ai prime and one with radion xr15. Both running coral bear roller filter

 

[kizzy89]

I have the IM 20 gallon, it's great for clownfish and small gobys, i run a noopsyche k7 mini on one side and a aquaknight a036 on the other, etsy has replacement filter sock things that have a honeycomb bottom so filter floss stays in the first overflow area, i also have but probably not need a bubble magus Q protein skimmer that fits perfectly in the second rear compartment, and I'm running 2 hygger mini wavemakers. Pretty easy and cheap setup compared to what it could be. Although if i could do it over i might go with the IM 25 lagoon tank.

 

[exnisstech]

I ran my IM20 with only polyfil as floss. I always ran floss when I was scraping glass or blowing rocks, often I ran no filtration. I ran a meridian 11 but there are much more affordable options. I ended up with a yellow banded possum wrasse as the only fish but I also had coral and clams. I like larger fish and this was my first small tank.

 

[Fish Fan]

I have the IM 20 gallon, it's great for clownfish and small gobys, i run a noopsyche k7 mini on one side and a aquaknight a036 on the other, etsy has replacement filter sock things that have a honeycomb bottom so filter floss stays in the first overflow area, i also have but probably not need a bubble magus Q protein skimmer that fits perfectly in the second rear compartment, and I'm running 2 hygger mini wavemakers. Pretty easy and cheap setup compared to what it could be. Although if i could do it over i might go with the IM 25 lagoon tank.

I have the IM 10 gallon cube, their 15 gallon cube (a couple of each), I do not have their 20 gallon, but I do have their 25 gallon lagoon, and I really, really like the dimensions of that 25 lagoon

The only minor issue with the IM 25 Lagoon is that some folks have a hard time finding a stand for it since IM does not offer the stand separately from the whole tank bundle. If you're handy, a stand can easily be made to accommodate this tank.