Longmont
New Member
This is my first marine aquarium and I'm happy to be joining the Reef2Reef community! For my first post I would like to talk about my tank selection process. My tank is located behind the couch in my living room. There is only 45" from the wall to the back of the couch, so the tank and stand with the doors open must fit in that space. I was looking for a tank that was around 40 gallons with a matching cabinet for simplicity.
My first thought was the Red Sea Max E-170. This all-in-one design has external dimensions of 24" long by 22.6" wide and is 45 gallons including the AIO filtration area in the back of the tank. Unfortunately the matching cabinet has only one door, and with the door open the system would not fit behind my couch. Many other 24" wide tank models have this same drawback.
My next choice was the Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 40. This is also a 24" wide AIO design with filtration area behind the display tank, but the cabinet has two 12" wide doors instead of a single 24" wide door. I like the aluminum cabinet on this model - it looks like it will stand up to saltwater for along time. As you can see in the drawing, this tank and stand would easily fit into the space I have available and would be an excellent choice for small spaces. But after a lot of thought I decided it was a bit smaller than I wanted. The display tank is only about 32 gallons, and the width of the display tank is only about 16 inches.
I finally settled on the Red Sea Reefer 250. With a 54 gallon display tank and an 11 gallon sump, it is a bit larger than I was originally thinking. And the sump will add some complexity and cost for a first-time reefer. But it works in my space because the 36" long stand has two 18" doors. Also the tank is 20" wide rather the the more common 24" wide.
I also considered the ProStar 90 from Pro Clear, which has the same dimensions as the Reefer 250, is somewhat less expensive, and has an aluminum and glass stand that may last longer than the Reefer painted particleboard stand. However the ProStar 90 has only one drain pipe. If that drain became clogged, the return pump from the sump would cause the display tank to overflow and water would spill onto my wood living room floor. The Reefer 250 has a separate emergency drain in case the main drain becomes clogged.
I purchased my Reefer 250 from my local reef store, Biggs Lagoon. They were very helpful. According to Biggs Lagoon there is a shortage of these tanks for sale online but they can still be ordered through brick-and-mortar stores.
Here are pictures of my Red Sea Reefer 250 installed behind the couch! I hope someone benefits from all this explanation!
My first thought was the Red Sea Max E-170. This all-in-one design has external dimensions of 24" long by 22.6" wide and is 45 gallons including the AIO filtration area in the back of the tank. Unfortunately the matching cabinet has only one door, and with the door open the system would not fit behind my couch. Many other 24" wide tank models have this same drawback.
My next choice was the Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 40. This is also a 24" wide AIO design with filtration area behind the display tank, but the cabinet has two 12" wide doors instead of a single 24" wide door. I like the aluminum cabinet on this model - it looks like it will stand up to saltwater for along time. As you can see in the drawing, this tank and stand would easily fit into the space I have available and would be an excellent choice for small spaces. But after a lot of thought I decided it was a bit smaller than I wanted. The display tank is only about 32 gallons, and the width of the display tank is only about 16 inches.
I finally settled on the Red Sea Reefer 250. With a 54 gallon display tank and an 11 gallon sump, it is a bit larger than I was originally thinking. And the sump will add some complexity and cost for a first-time reefer. But it works in my space because the 36" long stand has two 18" doors. Also the tank is 20" wide rather the the more common 24" wide.
I also considered the ProStar 90 from Pro Clear, which has the same dimensions as the Reefer 250, is somewhat less expensive, and has an aluminum and glass stand that may last longer than the Reefer painted particleboard stand. However the ProStar 90 has only one drain pipe. If that drain became clogged, the return pump from the sump would cause the display tank to overflow and water would spill onto my wood living room floor. The Reefer 250 has a separate emergency drain in case the main drain becomes clogged.
I purchased my Reefer 250 from my local reef store, Biggs Lagoon. They were very helpful. According to Biggs Lagoon there is a shortage of these tanks for sale online but they can still be ordered through brick-and-mortar stores.
Here are pictures of my Red Sea Reefer 250 installed behind the couch! I hope someone benefits from all this explanation!
Nice tank, keep us posted!
