All in one tanks

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

how are they working for folks? Do you like them? Have any issues?

Thinking of building one.

Any threads out there of people putting together their own?

Thanks friends!

REEF LIFE!

cjd · Jun 2, 2016

Started back into this hobby years ago with a bio cube 14 . Had great success with it . Just upgraded the lighting to led and used the stock return pump and their protein skimmer. Some people mod the heck out of them . It kept me occupied for a few years and then the upgrades started ........... 8 tanks later!

R_C · Jun 2, 2016

I just purchased a 40 breeder to build one for my quarantine. Following

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

cjd said:
Started back into this hobby years ago with a bio cube 14 . Had great success with it . Just upgraded the lighting to led and used the stock return pump and their protein skimmer. Some people mod the heck out of them . It kept me occupied for a few years and then the upgrades started ........... 8 tanks later!

Only eight?

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

R_C said:
I just purchased a 40 breeder to build one for my quarantine. Following

On youtube "DIY King" has a solid build video series of him putting together a nano all in one. He uses white acrylic for the filter and baffles. Looks legit... I just always thought acrylic and glass didn't mix. The guy I bought the tanks from the others day sold me a 40g glass sump with an acrylic baffle that was solid. Said he just cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and it has held up well. Tricks of the trade, my friends.

sundog101 · Jun 2, 2016

The one thing I don't like about all in one tanks is space. It can be frustrated trying to work on the equipment crammed into my biocube. Other than that they're work good, simple and easy to set up.

R_C · Jun 2, 2016

My actual sump right now is a 40 with baffles and it is working great. I have always made sumps out of tanks and used acrylic baffle and they hold well. At least for me.

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

R_C said:
My actual sump right now is a 40 with baffles and it is working great. I have always made sumps out of tanks and used acrylic baffle and they hold well. At least for me.

I would not mind seeing a pic at all.

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

sundog101 said:
The one thing I don't like about all in one tanks is space. It can be frustrated trying to work on the equipment crammed into my biocube. Other than that they're work good, simple and easy to set up.

Right on! I guess in making your own one could decide on how much room to leave back there. Plenty of room for an arm and then some I suppose...

JonPhillips · Jun 2, 2016

R_C said:
I just purchased a 40 breeder to build one for my quarantine. Following

sounds sick

R_C · Jun 3, 2016

Here is the link to my build. I have posted the whole process.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/my-first-125.235635/

Chrisfish · Jun 3, 2016

I have the jbj 30 gallon AIO and love it, mainly because right now (newby) I can't see myself drilling the tank and plumbing it.

Elysium · Jun 3, 2016

I moved from a house to an apartment so in order to make the landlord happy I switched to AIO tanks. I had a 14 gallon Biocube for years and is now a quarantine tank / Gold Stripe Maroon Prison.

I just finished cycling a de-rimmed Coralife 29g Biocube. I really need to start a thread on that.

BigJim · Jun 3, 2016

I had a RSM 250 for about 5 years. I think they are great tanks if you are new to the hobby because there is less to learn. I eventually became frustrated with the lack of options for lighting and filtration. You can make a lot of modifications but you are still limited when it comes to things like skimmer size, lighting options and refugiums.

I like the concept of the Red Sea Reefer, Elos and Cad lights aquariums better than the true all in one aquariums. You still get the majority of the equipment in one package but there is a lot more flexibility. If you build your own, I would try to make the filtration area as big as possible to allow some flexibility down the road.

BoneXriffic · Jun 3, 2016

JonPhillips said:
how are they working for folks? Do you like them? Have any issues?

Thinking of building one.

Any threads out there of people putting together their own?

Thanks friends!

REEF LIFE!

Did you give up on the 220?....

sde1500 · Jun 3, 2016

JonPhillips said:
On youtube "DIY King" has a solid build video series of him putting together a nano all in one. He uses white acrylic for the filter and baffles. Looks legit... I just always thought acrylic and glass didn't mix. The guy I bought the tanks from the others day sold me a 40g glass sump with an acrylic baffle that was solid. Said he just cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and it has held up well. Tricks of the trade, my friends.

I believe you can use WeldOn to stick the acrylic to glass.

Elysium · Jun 3, 2016

There are some acrylic specific silicone products (e.g. GE Silicone - 100% Silicone Sealant for Plastic sheets and other plastics) that can do a better job bonding the two. But keep in mind, do not make your acrylic pieces flush and tight with the glass, you need to allow for the inevitable expansion of the acrylic due to water absorption.

JonPhillips · Jun 4, 2016

BoneXriffic said:
Did you give up on the 220?....

Not in the slightest. 220 is in the house (literally). Thank you for asking. Could not be more pleased with the wall fitment of this tank. Here is my vision coming to life. Super pumped! Will be building a stand. (just can't find a decent one for under 1K) YIKES! I know it's an expensive hobby, but we are talking about saving a ton of money by building my own, not to mention the customized control I will have. What am I talking about? I can't even set a mouse trap properly. Oh boy...

In other news, my other neighbor is also a fish guy. Breeding Tilapia in a hydroponics system. Neat stuff. We talked shop for quite some time today. Guy knows his stuff and is a wiz with plumbing. Turns out, he's a contractor of sorts and long story short he offered to assist with the bracing of 220 in crawl space. DUDE! What a relief to have another set of (intelligent) eyes on this project. Teamwork, my friends. It's all about teamwork in this hobby.

HAPPY REEFING!

JonPhillips · Jun 4, 2016

R_C said:
My actual sump right now is a 40 with baffles and it is working great. I have always made sumps out of tanks and used acrylic baffle and they hold well. At least for me.

Nicely done!