What is the Hottest tank? Redsea Reefer, Innovative, ELOS?

mrtian97 · Jul 21, 2016

agree with Reefer for the $, both are nice tank, but I went with Reefer 350 bc I like the cost savings and everything built to specs so they all fit perfectly.
Stand for Reefer looks great but may not be the best material, but will do

MCooper · Jul 21, 2016

I took 5 years off from the hobby and had the same exact question as you. I had always loved the Elos and was going to go for it, until I learned about the Reefer series. Once I put the two up against one another, I couldn't personally justify the Elos vs. the Reefer, but this is for me. I went with the Reefer 450 and couldn't be happier!

Mike_J · Jul 21, 2016

Kman237 said:
Where do you live? Here in Texas, DFW we have a whole store just for Elos. Elos Aquastudios they mostly sell Elos tanks and man are they beautiful! It's a nice store very clean and sharp.

There is also an Elos Aqua Studio New York, which is actually located in Short Hills, NJ. @NJHC, it might be worth the trip to see Elos tanks and products in person. Also, Elos Aqua Studios are insanely awesome stores with some of the most amazing livestock. It is quite the experience and I have been known to drive the 4.5 hours to visit this store on occasion.

Broadfield · Jul 21, 2016

d2mini said:
AHA! Dang BRS has the specs for the 425 listed on the 525 page!
I was even surprising myself with the close price comparison while typing that initial post. There goes my whole argument. LOL!
$600 for an extra 20g? Dang.

Ok so with similar gallons I guess we are looking at 2k for the 88g Reefer and for the 90g Elos with stand it's $2800 plus a sump. So yeah... around 60% more.

Elos just isn't for everyone... that being those of us that can't afford one lol. I REALLY want a 200XL some day though... it's my dream tank.

sdbdrz said:
The Elos tanks are very, very nice but I honestly dont think the build quality on my Redsea Reefer 525 is too shabby either. Any of the tanks being discussed in this thread would be very nice tanks.

All of the tanks being discussed are amazing. I have owned a Fusion SR series tank and now the Red Sea Reefer... both great quality and ascetics. And we know that Elos nails it in both of those categories also. So as Rev pointed out, is the OP wanting an AIO or something with a separate sump?

jdog1989 · Jul 21, 2016

sdbdrz said:
I have a Redsea Reefer and have owned an innovative marine tank. I think the Redsea is a great looking well made tank/stand and sump. The Elos tanks are nice as well. Go with what you like, any of them would make for a nice tank. I am very pleased with the Redsea reefer. Custom tanks are very nice but for under 100g not really necessary unless you want something very specific.

I also Have Red Sea Reefer and IM, Red Sea blows the IM away (MPO)

Mike_J · Jul 21, 2016

These tanks being compared are all really great quality! The Red Sea Reefer series are fantastic and I've owned an IM tank which served QT purposes until I dropped it trying to clean it out. D'oh! I am partial to the Elos brand but I also really dig the Reef Saavy tanks and may consider that for my next 500 gallon upgrade. After I win powerball, of course.

Sppf121 · Jul 21, 2016

I have looked at several different tanks. For the price and build quality I went with the Red Sea 250 and am very happy with that decision. The Red Sea customer service is very good as well. I have to agree that the included auto top off is to small. I had mine drilled and use it as a little Refugium.

NJHC · Jul 21, 2016

Broadfield said:
For the money, it's REALLY hard to beat the Red Sea Reefer. Basically the same quality and look as the Elos, but for a fraction of the price. About the only downfall of the Reefer, not that it matters to you since you want 100 gallon or less, is the fact that they don't make anything overly large. Personally, I would own a 6 foot or 8 foot Reefer if they made one. For now, I'll just have to live with a 5 footer.

Chris's Elos 160 is the tank you posted images of... it's the very tank that really got me interested in Anthias. His tank is definitely one of my all-time favorites. The only other thing I'm not a fan of on the Reefer series is the black film on the back. However, you can simply peal it off like I did

IMG_6805 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

IMG_5030 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

IMG_5021 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

IMG_4994 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

IMG_5972 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

Awesome set up and fantastic job on the tank, some amazing peices thanks for sharing

NJHC · Jul 21, 2016

Mike_J said:
There is also an Elos Aqua Studio New York, which is actually located in Short Hills, NJ. @NJHC, it might be worth the trip to see Elos tanks and products in person. Also, Elos Aqua Studios are insanely awesome stores with some of the most amazing livestock. It is quite the experience and I have been known to drive the 4.5 hours to visit this store on occasion.

Thanks for the heads up, that's like 30minutes from me. I have also been known to travel hours for coral, it's the addiction of the hobby, lol

NJHC · Jul 21, 2016

d2mini said:
That's not really correct.

The Reefer Series is great. I almost got one myself, but I wanted something with a deeper dimension.
So I started looking at Elos.

The Reefer doesn't come with a return pump or skimmer. You get the tank, stand and sump. This is great for us experienced reefers who want to choose skimmer and pump.
But you can also get just the tank and stand from Elos. You're just minus the sump in comparison to the Reefer, which can be a plus. It was for me because I was going to run the Triton Method.
A 100-ish gallon Reefer in white is $2600.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reefer-xl-525-complete-system-108-gal-red-sea.html
A 100-ish gallong Elos with the same dims in white is $2000. Now you have $600 to put towards a custom sump.
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/shop-by-brand/elos/classic-system-120-90-gallon-aquarium
The Elos also comes with the barb connections and flexible tubing.

Elos utilizes a new "Quiet Drain" overflow system. It's a tiny corner overflow that flows A LOT of water and has an emergency drain, similar to the Reefer.
It has TWO return lines, one up top and one down low for increased flow within the tank.
Currently i'm only running one MP40 on the back wall to increase flow within the tank. I don't see the need for any more at this point.
You can watch this video I took to see how quiet the system is with all that flow.

You also get their latest "Diamond" ultra clear low iron glass and awesome tank construction.
The quality of their stand is also surprisingly solid/stable. You could also take some of that money saved and go for the Wenge doors.
The only downside was the instructions for assembling the stand were VERY confusing. lol
Everything is high quality.

For lots of detailed photos, including the Quiet Drain overflow, check out my build thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d2minis-essential-focus-mixed-reef-build.241805/
I went with the 120XL because the deeper dimension is awesome, and Red Sea doesn't offer anything similar.
I've been VERY pleased with my decision.

Awesome thank you, I yhink I'm pulling t Gt email trigger on the Elos tomorrow, I make a build threads. Thanks again for the details..PS: What lights are you rocking, AI's?

NJHC · Jul 21, 2016

d2mini said:
That's not really correct.

The Reefer Series is great. I almost got one myself, but I wanted something with a deeper dimension.
So I started looking at Elos.

The Reefer doesn't come with a return pump or skimmer. You get the tank, stand and sump. This is great for us experienced reefers who want to choose skimmer and pump.
But you can also get just the tank and stand from Elos. You're just minus the sump in comparison to the Reefer, which can be a plus. It was for me because I was going to run the Triton Method.
A 100-ish gallon Reefer in white is $2600.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reefer-xl-525-complete-system-108-gal-red-sea.html
A 100-ish gallong Elos with the same dims in white is $2000. Now you have $600 to put towards a custom sump.
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/shop-by-brand/elos/classic-system-120-90-gallon-aquarium
The Elos also comes with the barb connections and flexible tubing.

Elos utilizes a new "Quiet Drain" overflow system. It's a tiny corner overflow that flows A LOT of water and has an emergency drain, similar to the Reefer.
It has TWO return lines, one up top and one down low for increased flow within the tank.
Currently i'm only running one MP40 on the back wall to increase flow within the tank. I don't see the need for any more at this point.
You can watch this video I took to see how quiet the system is with all that flow.

You also get their latest "Diamond" ultra clear low iron glass and awesome tank construction.
The quality of their stand is also surprisingly solid/stable. You could also take some of that money saved and go for the Wenge doors.
The only downside was the instructions for assembling the stand were VERY confusing. lol
Everything is high quality.

For lots of detailed photos, including the Quiet Drain overflow, check out my build thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d2minis-essential-focus-mixed-reef-build.241805/
I went with the 120XL because the deeper dimension is awesome, and Red Sea doesn't offer anything similar.
I've been VERY pleased with my decision.

Where you using 2 mp40s on that 100g?

d2mini · Jul 21, 2016

NJHC said:
Awesome thank you, I yhink I'm pulling t Gt email trigger on the Elos tomorrow, I make a build threads. Thanks again for the details..PS: What lights are you rocking, AI's?

NJHC said:
Where you using 2 mp40s on that 100g?

I have the 120XL with 3 Radion Pros and one MP40 QD. Return pump is the Vectra L1.

NJHC · Jul 21, 2016

d2mini said:
I have the 120XL with 3 Radion Pros and one MP40 QD. Return pump is the Vectra L1.

D2, your build thread answers everything and is a huge help, awesome job man.

ChristopherKriens · Jul 21, 2016

You know my vote. Reef Savvy makes a beautiful aquarium as well, but you can have a custom tank built in Verona, shipped across the Atlantic and be reefing for months before you'll ever get out of the queue over there. Faster if you don't need any customization. The Red Sea Reefer line looks great, too but I haven't seen one in operation.

That said, a great tank is more about your sense of design and dedication than equipment.

Kordon · Jul 22, 2016

Keep an eye on Kordon. They have the new tank from Aquarium Systems (Europe). Called L'Aquarium, which received great attention at the recent InterZoo show in Germany. Rumored first appearance in U.S is said to be at the upcoming SuperZoo trade show in Las Vegas, next month.

Mirkus · Jul 22, 2016

i ran an elos tank for about 5 years. It was built really well and looked awesome, but the drain was noisy and the sump kinda sucked. I now have a reefer 450 that I picked up at a very good price. It appears to be built well and looks great. Quality wise, elos is a step up, but the reefer is not too far behind for a fraction of the cost.

adestafi · Jul 22, 2016

I love my reefer 450- yes the ATO needs to be upgraded, but doesn't require it immediately. you can get the tank wet and upgrade parts as you are able.