ProStar 90 vs. Reefer 250 vs. Reefer 300XL vs. JBJ 60 AIO

[iMi]

Trying to decide which 60+ gallon upgrade to choose. These are the tanks I’m looking at.

ProStar 90

Pros
Lower cost against Red Sea
Aluminum frame/composite stand (comes assembled)
Power center built into the cabinet
Cons
Not much info about them out there
Sump and plumbing not as good

Reefer 250

Pros
Tried and true
Better sump
Arguably one of the best plumbing systems out of a box
Known brand (I’ve also owned it before)
Cons
More expensive
Lesser quality cabinet

Reefer 300XL

Pros
Same as 250 plus larger width
Improved sump (if I got that right)
Improved cabinet against 250, but not as good as ProStar
Cons
The most expensive of all (still, drop in a bucket difference given overall cost)

JBJ 60 AIO

Pros
Great price / 100’s less
AIO includes pumps (better value overall)
No sump means no plumbing or valves that can leak
Includes a full glass canopy
Cons
AIO — no sump, limited space/access
Difficult to implement a refugium
Limited on size of skimmer
Not as clean of a look with equipment and wires sticking out of the back

As you can see, each has its strengths and weakness. I am having a really hard time deciding which way to go. Any experience with each? Which way would you go and why?

 

[lpeterson0]

I was just comparing the Red Sea and Prostar the other day because I realized my LFS carries Prostar and the price is reasonable. The biggest draw back of the Prostar I can see is that the sump doesn't have a refugium chamber.

I would go Red Sea 300 XL. It's not that much more expensive than the 250 and I would rather have the extra space.

Edit: Bulkreefsupply is running 10% off Red Sea aquariums right now, I would definitely jump on that over going with the Prostar

 

[iMi]

Thanks for your input. The cabinet on the ProStar is a huge selling point for me, especially some of the reports of cabine issues with Red Sea. On the other hand, I can get the 300XL which does have a better cabinet than the non-XL models

Edit: Just realized that the XL is basically 22.6" wide and 22" high. The ProStar is 22" wide and 20" high. The only relevant "extra" space here in my opinion at least is the 0.6" on the width. The height will give you more water volume, but I don't really care about that...

 

[iMi]

Bump... I've been starring at these tanks all day. I think I ruled out the JBJ AIO since having a sump gives me more options. RedSea... well, check my other post today. Yikes.

 

[SPB903]

I have a prostar 90, just be aware the display is only 63 gallons. The stand is really nice, the sump is nice. The biggest drawback for me is the plumbing comes pre-assembled and glued. There is no changing the plumbing. The return jet is proprietary and has no attachments. It will not accept loc-line etc... You're stuck with the flange style the system comes with. This is my first tank so my experience is limited.

 

[iMi]

I went with the Reefer 250 because I plan on using the two ReefLEDs 50 I already have and it had a better sump. The extra depth of the XL300 would mandate upgrading the lights.

Pro Star is fantastic, too. The sump is the only thing holding it back.

 

[Jay coral]

Bump... I've been starring at these tanks all day. I think I ruled out the JBJ AIO since having a sump gives me more options. RedSea... well, check my other post today. Yikes.

Well crap, I was really looking into getting once of these.. what’s been the outcome?

 

[iMi]

Well crap, I was really looking into getting once of these.. what’s been the outcome?

Great, actually. Turns out it was really just a shadow cast by the sand

I ended up going with the Reefer 250 and very happy with it