New reefer, big questions before I buy!

DestinReefing

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Hello everyone! New to the hobby and ready to dive in. I’ve watched weeks of videos and have decided to go with the waterbox marineX 90. My first major concern is we’re moving houses in either 6 months when our lease is up, or another year and a half from now (praying this housing market flips so we can buy!) so my major concern right out of the gate is.. is it not worth even setting up that large of a tank knowing you’re moving it within 2 years for sure? I don’t mind the work of breaking it down for a move, but I don’t want to waste my time setting it up if breaking down the plumbing for the move will ruin something. Also I’ll note the move won’t be far- 3 miles max honestly.

for the record, I’m going to follow BRS’s 5 min vids and go fish only no corals no lights for 4 months, so If we were to move in 6 months, I would know in enough time to not get any corals before I move.
 

NowGlazeIT

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Hello everyone! New to the hobby and ready to dive in. I’ve watched weeks of videos and have decided to go with the waterbox marineX 90. My first major concern is we’re moving houses in either 6 months when our lease is up, or another year and a half from now (praying this housing market flips so we can buy!) so my major concern right out of the gate is.. is it not worth even setting up that large of a tank knowing you’re moving it within 2 years for sure? I don’t mind the work of breaking it down for a move, but I don’t want to waste my time setting it up if breaking down the plumbing for the move will ruin something. Also I’ll note the move won’t be far- 3 miles max honestly.

for the record, I’m going to follow BRS’s 5 min vids and go fish only no corals no lights for 4 months, so If we were to move in 6 months, I would know in enough time to not get any corals before I move.
I ran into this predicament with my 120g. My wife said we were not moving so I set it up Then a house popped up 4 months later and I had to break it down.. I look at it like a notch under my belt now but I dread the day I need to move it again. Everything moved well but the stress is high when moving things in stages. I moved a small 60 g into the house first, then transferred the fish and rock to that tank while I broke down the 120
 
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DestinReefing

DestinReefing

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I ran into this predicament with my 120g. My wife said we were not moving so I set it up Then a house popped up 4 months later and I had to break it down.. I look at it like a notch under my belt now but I dread the day I need to move it again. Everything moved well but the stress is high when moving things in stages. I moved a small 60 g into the house first, then transferred the fish and rock to that tank while I broke down the 120
That’s very similar to what I’m thinking.. I have multiple 40g storage bins for my current 20g freshwater, was going to get a trash can obviously for water, so I figured I could fill them up slowly with stuff at the new house. Any idea how much of a pain breaking down the plumbing is since the waterbox has a direct pipe through the bottom of the tank? Just worry that’ll be the death of me trying to get off to move.
 

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I would definitely get a 20 - 30 gallon all in one. I think most people would generally recommend starting smaller nowadays for many reasons.
-Cheaper, much less initial commitment if you change your mind
-Easier maintenance
- It's not really a waste even if you upgrade soon since can still use it as a frag/quarantine/2nd tank.

In your specific scenario It's easier to move and set back up a sumpless tank I've done both. And obviously a smaller one is much easier to move as well. Heck you might have the tank for 6 months and say, oh no my tank looks like a unmowed soccer field instead of a reef and can more easily pull the rock and nuke it and scrub the tank a "rip clean".
 

NowGlazeIT

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That’s very similar to what I’m thinking.. I have multiple 40g storage bins for my current 20g freshwater, was going to get a trash can obviously for water, so I figured I could fill them up slowly with stuff at the new house. Any idea how much of a pain breaking down the plumbing is since the waterbox has a direct pipe through the bottom of the tank? Just worry that’ll be the death of me trying to get off to move.
Not sure about the waterbox plumbing. I had unions all over so it wasn’t too bad
 
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DestinReefing

DestinReefing

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I would definitely get a 20 - 30 gallon all in one. I think most people would generally recommend starting smaller nowadays for many reasons.
-Cheaper, much less initial commitment if you change your mind
-Easier maintenance
- It's not really a waste even if you upgrade soon since can still use it as a frag/quarantine/2nd tank.

In your specific scenario It's easier to move and set back up a sumpless tank I've done both. And obviously a smaller one is much easier to move as well. Heck you might have the tank for 6 months and say, oh no my tank looks like a unmowed soccer field instead of a reef and can more easily pull the rock and nuke it and scrub the tank a "rip clean".
That’s really good info.. my biggest fight on the aio’s is honestly with the wife hahaha! She wants it to look very clean and organized, hence the sump underneath to hide most of the wires and nastiness. Any recommendations?
 

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That’s really good info.. my biggest fight on the aio’s is honestly with the wife hahaha! She wants it to look very clean and organized, hence the sump underneath to hide most of the wires and nastiness. Any recommendations?

I understand that don't give in like I did and place your tank to close to the wall, especially a big one. An all in one with the sump built into the back in off the aquarium will/can generally look just as "tidy" as a tank with the sump on the bottom.

20210707_153800.jpg

Best shot I have showing the wires, but in general they'll be hidden behind the tank and then into the cabinet.
 
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DestinReefing

DestinReefing

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I understand that don't give in like I did and place your tank to close to the wall, especially a big one. An all in one with the sump built into the back in off the aquarium will/can generally look just as "tidy" as a tank with the sump on the bottom.

20210707_153800.jpg

Best shot I have showing the wires, but in general they'll be hidden behind the tank and then into the cabinet.
Tank looks great! Yeah we’re going to discuss downsizing a little. I also know I’ve always heard the bigger the better for starting off, so I’m going to try to at least go with a 30-45g
 

Grumblez

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Tank looks great! Yeah we’re going to discuss downsizing a little. I also know I’ve always heard the bigger the better for starting off, so I’m going to try to at least go with a 30-45g

30ish is a nice inbetweenish size :). Yes old saying thats dying hard was bigger is better. Mostly because we didn't have reef keeping down to a hobby :). Really only makes a large difference anymore once you get up to keeping your more finnicky corals imo.
 

davidcalgary29

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Tank looks great! Yeah we’re going to discuss downsizing a little. I also know I’ve always heard the bigger the better for starting off, so I’m going to try to at least go with a 30-45g
Not true! Pico jar buildings can be a bit challenging, but nano tanks can often be less of a hassle than larger builds -- simply as a function of their smaller size.

I'm going to go against the flow and suggest that you actually start out with an Evo 13.5 before you set up your Waterbox. They're really great AIO tanks, and you can have a very nice mixed reef tank with them. At the very least, you can quarantine your inverts and coral in one while you start your big build.

You can check out some of the outstanding Evo builds on this site -- my mind is constantly blown by what people have put into these tanks!
 
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DestinReefing

DestinReefing

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Not true! Pico jar buildings can be a bit challenging, but nano tanks can often be less of a hassle than larger builds -- simply as a function of their smaller size.

I'm going to go against the flow and suggest that you actually start out with an Evo 13.5 before you set up your Waterbox. They're really great AIO tanks, and you can have a very nice mixed reef tank with them. At the very least, you can quarantine your inverts and coral in one while you start your big build.

You can check out some of the outstanding Evo builds on this site -- my mind is constantly blown by what people have put into these tanks!
I really appreciate it! Sadly the wife has spoken and I’m getting the larger waterbox.. she’s promised she’s going to be involved and help, and we’re very blessed that the initial costs isn’t a huge hinderance. I’m looking into my LFS’s now to see if they help with moves, I read in other threads on here that some offer labor in helping in the moving process.
 
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DestinReefing

DestinReefing

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I will say, luckily I work from home and I’m very interested in the hobby, so I plan on being pretty active in here and giving it the best chance of making it as I can!
Not true! Pico jar buildings can be a bit challenging, but nano tanks can often be less of a hassle than larger builds -- simply as a function of their smaller size.


I'm going to go against the flow and suggest that you actually start out with an Evo 13.5 before you set up your Waterbox. They're really great AIO tanks, and you can have a very nice mixed reef tank with them. At the very least, you can quarantine your inverts and coral in one while you start your big build.

You can check out some of the outstanding Evo builds on this site -- my mind is constantly blown by what people have put into these tanks!
 

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That’s really good info.. my biggest fight on the aio’s is honestly with the wife hahaha! She wants it to look very clean and organized, hence the sump underneath to hide most of the wires and nastiness. Any recommendations?
I just set up my first tank about 8 months ago -- it's a 20g Red Sea Max Nano AIO, and looks very clean. I got the stand as well to use for storage and to display it cleanly. I had to go small b/c I'm space-limited and rent, but also the maintenance for a beginner is very doable and it's been a great, stress-free way to learn the basics of what goes into keeping a saltwater tank. I'm really enjoying the tank and have been pretty happy with it.

Edit: I can see myself upgrading to a 40g with sump in the future if I move to a larger place (or get rid of the side table next to my sofa rn lol).

FullSizeRender.jpeg FullSizeRender 2.jpeg
 

Grumblez

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I really appreciate it! Sadly the wife has spoken and I’m getting the larger waterbox.. she’s promised she’s going to be involved and help, and we’re very blessed that the initial costs isn’t a huge hinderance. I’m looking into my LFS’s now to see if they help with moves, I read in other threads on here that some offer labor in helping in the moving process.

Yes its normally costly but I've heard of fish stores moving tanks. Hey if you can get the Miss involved all the better, mine likes to look at the fish and feeds them for me when I'm gone and will add water, but I could only dream of getting her involved beyond that.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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