The Tank
What is the best tank for your reef? What type should you use? What brand? What are the styles? What about the stand? Does Apple make a tank? I hope they do. :-)
There were a lot of the questions running thru my head when I was looking to get into the Saltwater Reef Tank hobby. So lets start talking...
Here are generally the tank categories: standard(S), reef ready (RR), all-in-ones (AIO). Within these are (loosely along size) sub-categories: frag (S,RR), pico (S), nano (S,RR,AIO), large (S,RR,AIO), shallow reef (RR), peninsula (S,RR), others. I will not focus on all of these but it is worth spending time looking into all of them.
The tank is by far the most important purchase. You have to be careful. Some tank makers use inferior glass. You can tell by just simple looking at all sides and the bottom of the tank at the thickness. A cheap tank will have different thickness of glass maybe on the side and bottom or something along those lines. Also, the calking maybe be ugly and uneven and not double calked. Another thing to look for is the frame on the tank. Does it look flimsy and thin?
Some tank makers use low iron glass which helps with clarity. This makes viewing of the contents of the tank more enjoyable and it looks cool. I recommend a tank with low iron glass at least in the front.
As I have stated before I don't consider myself an "expert" in this hobby but because of my background I do think I am good at finding a "smart" choice. I believe the best 2 categories for a "reef tank" is obviously reef ready and my new favorite all-in-ones. Using a standard can be used as a "reef tank" but the others bring features to the table that make things "easier". My first tank was just a standard tank and it is an awesome mixed reef tank. I can say though because it was not reef ready my husbandry does take longer.
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| First Tank |
Reef Ready
This is a tank that has an "overflow" built into it either in the back center or back corners. These tanks usually come with the "plumbing" for the overflow (but not always). The benefit to these tanks are because the overflow box is built-in gravity is used to pull the water into the sump. A standard tank can have a "hang-on-the-back" overflow but it requires a siphon to pull the water over the wall of the tank. This can be a pain to keep the siphon going and if you live in an area with "brown-outs" you dance with the chance of flooding the sump or tank.
The overflow box wall can come in different colors and materials depending on the maker of the tank. Typically the box has a "surface skimmer". Some are removable to make cleaning easier. Some are adjustable as well.
Some tank makers I like are (in preferred order):
All-In-Ones
This is more than just a tank. This is a lot of the times everything you need to get up and going. This is my new favorite type of tank. The reason I like it is that in this category there is a lot of "innovation" by various manufacturers. The other reason I like these are the sizes are fun and manageable. This category I think gets you the closest to the "Does Apple make a reef tank?".
The all-in-one typical has the sump system built into the tank in the back of the tank. No need to have a sump system under the tank in the stand. This allows you to get more creative with your stand not requiring you to have space under it for the sump system. So this allows you to create a "mix media" kind of stand (if you like that kind of stuff). The AIO typically has good flow (10-15 times and hour) and lighting (4 watts per gallon) built-in. Some of the manufactures even have levels of support for flow and lighting. Meaning, they have tanks for beginners, intermediate, and pros. Some of the AIO also include a protein skimmers. The quality of these skimmers seem to vary. Typically you want a skimmer that turns the water volume 3-ish times an hour and a good air-to-water ratio somewhere in the range of 3-to-1. Other features they may come with include heater, power strip, light timer, and even cooling.
I had said this category has lots of innovation going on by manufactures and it's true. There are even really high-end expensive all-in-ones.
Here are some of my favorites (in preferred order):
I own a Red Sea Max C-130. I bought one because I was interested in these kinds of tanks. I did a ton of research before my purchase. I went with the Red Sea because of the quality of the tank and also I like their Reef Care Program. I must say so far i'm very impressed.
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| Red Sea Max C-130 |
During my research I also was very impressed with Innovative Marine's NUVO Aquariums. They target the hobbits that wants the AIO turn-key type solution but still having the aspects of a fun "do it yourself". I really like their line of AUQA Gadgets.
Finally, on my first tank I use EcoSystems Miracle Mud. I really respect Leng Sy and his efforts and contributions to this hobby. I also like the MINI Reef aquariums he has developed.
More later...
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