Who Do We Like for 4-foot Tanks?

dangles · Jul 14, 2023

I'm wanting to upgrade from a 30" long 50 gallon tank to a 48" long tank (I'm limited to this dimension). AIO is my preference but that's not necessarily set in stone.

I know Innovative Marine sells a 48" long 80 gallon AIO. I don't know if anybody else makes a 4ft long AIO or not. Do you all have any idea?

If there aren't any other AIO options, who makes good regular 4ft rimless tank? I've looked at Crystaline Reef and RedSea. Who else would you guys recommend? I would need a stand with it as well. Sump would be nice too.

Thanks!

fishski13 · Jul 14, 2023

I would probably not go with a 4ft long AIO system. With that 80 gallon innovative marine tank, when you really think about it, you are really only dealing with give or take 65 gallons of real display. If you are going with a 4ft tank you mine as well get a standard 4x2x2 120 gallon display which has some really favorable dimensions.

Lots of companies make these size tank with stands, sumps, and plumping included. All depends on your budget and if you want something that is plug and play or more customization. Aquaforest, Waterbox, Innovative Marine, Red Sea, etc all make 4ft tank around the 120 gallon dimensions that are plug and play.

Anemone_Fanatic · Jul 14, 2023

AIO isn't ideal for any tank. You can't see what's going on in the filter chambers, they can be hard to clean, and they can't really be customized. A sump under the tank is going to be the ideal configuration for most reefers.

WaterBox and ProClear would be the best choices if you don't want to do plumbing and want to have a sump already included, and Innovative Marine is going to be the best option if you don't mind plumbing the tank and finding a sump yourself. I personally have a 3' ProClear, and it was the easiest thing to assemble. The stand is also super sturdy, you could run it over with a bus and it'll still be intact.

I'd avoid Red Sea. While it isn't common, they still have a higher risk of leaking compared to other tanks. If you want to go with one, get a G2 as they'll be less likely to have problems.