Wish I had gotten a bigger AIO

Would you choose a bigger AIO?


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Manonfire0815

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Hi every one. I'm new to the marine tank experience and I have found myself wishing I would have purchased a much larger AIO. I'm thinking of selling my Waterbox Cube 20 and stand to purchase a bigger Waterbox or some other brand of AIO. If you have had the same thoughts post the AIO you would like to go after. Let's have some fun with this. Imagine if money is unlimited. I would love to hear all of your ideas.
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20200730_221928.jpg
 

ImaFlippinDolphin

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You said unlimited money so its a tough call...AIO vs custom. But if you want to go bigger, I say go for it! Larger water volume can help with swings for sure, plus more real estate, less restrictions on stocking, many good reasons to go bigger
 
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Manonfire0815

Manonfire0815

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You said unlimited money so its a tough call...AIO vs custom. But if you want to go bigger, I say go for it! Larger water volume can help with swings for sure, plus more real estate, less restrictions on stocking, many good reasons to go bigger
I'm trying to pinpoint which size I should upgrade to. There are so many options, like it's hard to choose. So many different species of fish in the hobby that are interesting to me.
 

ashiWaza

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I currently have the Waterbox 35 AIO, and I love it. I would MAYBE go to a 50ish gallon AIO, but I feel like that would be the cap for me personally. I know you said unlimited spending capacity, but anything above the 50 requires even more expensive equipment, setup, etc. In my mind, the 35-50 are enough to have a ton of fun with and still small enough to not limit space in your home, or break the bank.
 
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Manonfire0815

Manonfire0815

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Nice. I think you are on to something with your post. I love the idea of 50 gallons, but I wonder would I be ok keeping a Tang in there. I'm a big fan of the Flame angels, but I love Tangs even though they are susceptible to ich. They are beautiful fish.
 

Albertan22

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If money were unlimited I’d have an 8’ x 3’ x 30” tank. Don’t think those come as AIO though! I’ve always been on the bigger is better train with my salt tanks though. I ran various sizes of freshwater aquariums from 10-30 gallons but started salt with 120g and now have 180g and still wish I’d gone a little bigger. Bigger tanks let you have more corals, and open a whole world of fish you just don’t have access to with a smaller tank. To me the draw that made me transition from freshwater to salt was tangs, and you need a 4’ tank to properly gain access to them.
 

TheWB

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Hi every one. I'm new to the marine tank experience and I have found myself wishing I would have purchased a much larger AIO. I'm thinking of selling my Waterbox Cube 20 and stand to purchase a bigger Waterbox or some other brand of AIO. If you have had the same thoughts post the AIO you would like to go after. Let's have some fun with this. Imagine if money is unlimited. I would love to hear all of your ideas.
20200730_221928.jpg
20200730_221928.jpg
If I was going with a name brand tank it would be the Innovative Marine SR80 or SR120 depending on space. They are big for AIO but I don’t mind as I don’t want to have to crawl around on the floor to do sump maintenance.
I also have an idea for a custom AIO that would be a peninsula with a larger than normal filtration area. It would be a 60x24x16 glass aquarium with a filter wall (glass or acrylic?) creating a 24x12 section at one end. That would be plenty of space for an overflow with socks or cups, a decent sized Skimmer, a fuge area and a return area. Put it on a 36’ tall 80/20 stand and skin it with panels held on by magnets. Integrate a 80/20 hood over the top to hide the lights and the filtration. Access the filtration from a removable side panel. All of that is in my head but that’s where it will be staying for quite sometime. There’s no upgrade plans in my immediate future but it’s nice to dream.
 

TvanB1

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If money was unlimited i’d buy the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That way I can play with the penguins and swim with sharks. Perhaps even enjoy some lunch with the seals.
On a more serious note - I have a 150 (not AIO) and sometimes wish I went smaller. Costs ramp up exponentially with a few feet of added length. More lights, bigger skimmer, bigger return pump, bigger sump, more coral to fill the extra space, etc..
If you have the capital to set up and maintain a large tank i’d say go for it. If you do go much bigger i’d get a system with a sump. If you strictly want to stay AIO Waterbox and Redsea both make great tanks.
Though I don’t see much point in upgrading if you stay under 100 gallons.
In the end, I think your current tank is the perfect size to start off with. :)
 

joekidwell

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Master the smaller tank first then upgrade because the bigger the tank the bigger the problems can be. You can also use it to grow out frags for when you get a bigger tank.
 

JRAD

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I have an IM 30l AIO. I really like the length of the tank. It is about 36 inches. My fish are small and have plenty of room to swim. I do wish the display area was 2 inches wider for aquascaping purposes. IM has some really cool tank sizes with AIO filtration In their SR (shallow reef) series. The APC aluminum stands are awesome. Very sturdy and impervious to water! They come in white now!
 

joekidwell

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Is there a reason to keep to an AIO vs a sump?
Some people find it easier than having to get down on the floor and do maintenance. I'm one of those people. With it behind my main tank its easier to clean the skimmer and media basket every time I look into my display.
 

New&no clue

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Some people find it easier than having to get down on the floor and do maintenance. I'm one of those people. With it behind my main tank its easier to clean the skimmer and media basket every time I look into my display.

I agree. I have an IM 30 AIO. Which I really like. I also have an RSR 350, which I like as well. I was wondering what the reason the OP wanted an AIO vs a Sump as I think it would help to suggest different tanks.
 

hotdrop

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I wish I didn’t have a AIO back chamber to clean in my sumped system. Seriously wide AIO chamber with a cover would be a big improvement.
 

Corgigirl

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I split the difference between cost of the bigger tank and desire for more space....ended up with the Red Sea max 260. It’s a 69 gallon AIO. I liked that it came complete with lights and protein skimmer, pumps, etc. , pretty much ready to go right out of the box. I also like that it comes pre-drilled for a sump if I ever feel like adding one. :) . Seems to be the best of both worlds so far...
 
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Manonfire0815

Manonfire0815

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If money was unlimited i’d buy the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That way I can play with the penguins and swim with sharks. Perhaps even enjoy some lunch with the seals.
On a more serious note - I have a 150 (not AIO) and sometimes wish I went smaller. Costs ramp up exponentially with a few feet of added length. More lights, bigger skimmer, bigger return pump, bigger sump, more coral to fill the extra space, etc..
If you have the capital to set up and maintain a large tank i’d say go for it. If you do go much bigger i’d get a system with a sump. If you strictly want to stay AIO Waterbox and Redsea both make great tanks.
Though I don’t see much point in upgrading if you stay under 100 gallons.
In the end, I think your current tank is the perfect size to start off with. :)
 
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Manonfire0815

Manonfire0815

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Master the smaller tank first then upgrade because the bigger the tank the bigger the problems can be. You can also use it to grow out frags for when you get a bigger tank.
I was thinking the same. I started about three months ago with a 20 gallon Waterbox and figured it was best to start small, but people have been saying I should have went bigger because of the faster swings in the measurables.
 
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