I have so many questions

[NanoNana]

That precisely what I said about 7 months ago when I got back into the hobby. It wasn't more than about 6 weeks later I started going crazy with corals and they quickly outnumbered the fish by nearly 3:1.

I have such a small space for a tank right now that it wouldn’t even be possible. My nephew leaves for college this summer which frees up a bedroom tho ……. So maybe sooner than later with a bigger tank. lol. My main floor is technically the upstairs ( I live in the mountains so you walk into upstairs from the street side and into downstairs from the pasture side) so weight and or a massive leak would have to be considered. Uh oh, now you’ve got me thinking…….

 

[apb03]

That is great to hear!
I was wondering about ATO. Is there one you recommend?

What are you lighting your lagoon with?

I'm using the Hydra 32, but I should have purchased the blade instead.

 

[NanoNana]

One issue I've found with a shallow tank is that you can't have very much variation in PAR from the top of the tank to the bottom. This might not matter to you, but it's something I didn't realize at first.

I mean, if I want 400 PAR near the top for SPS, I can't really have 100 par on the sand - it will be like 200+ no matter what (I'm just making up numbers for demonstration).

If my tank were deeper a greater range of PAR would be possible.

Ok. This is interesting to me as it was one of my first concerns when I started looking at lights. And I wondered if it would limit types of coral. TBH, my main concern is the size of the viewing side as this one is for my parents to engage with and enjoy watching. They are 87. My father is unwell and mostly stuck at home. He used to enjoy going out back and watching the land dwelling livestock but he’s such a fall risk at this point that he needs something inside. He was raised with freshwater tanks and mentioned he’d like a salty one. I haven’t done tanks since we moved to this house 6 years ago and I honestly miss them.
But I want to get the best start possible so that I don’t have tons of hiccups and he can enjoy watching it as long as possible. And I don’t want something as simple as I hung my lights too low or under lighted my tank to wipe it out. So I’m reading and reading and asking questions and watching 100’s of hours of video to try to make certain I get it as right as I can. I have tons of questions about par levels and have just started delving into this part so thanks for bringing it to my attention!

 

[Johnny H.]

I am also looking at the IM 20. I just wish it was a tad taller. I have been looking for an AIO with the same footprint, just a little taller. Is there anything that I have missed? Maybe an extra 10 gallons taller?

 

[NanoNana]

I'm using the Hydra 32, but I should have purchased the blade instead.

I looked at the AI blades. I’m not that familiar with fixtures and the way i usually see them mounted, I wondered if the would be too close to the coral. Would you need two of them? I’ve only seen 12” ones. I know the housing expands but am unclear on field of lighting with them.

 

[NanoNana]

I am also looking at the IM 20. I just wish it was a tad taller. I have been looking for an AIO with the same footprint, just a little taller. Is there anything that I have missed? Maybe an extra 10 gallons taller?

Yeah, that’s me too and from what I’ve seen increasing gallons just increases length. Someone just reminded me that you can buy drop in AIO systems. I’m going to check some dimensions for non AIO tanks and see what caddies are available. I’d honestly be okay with 15 inches as several of my freshies were 15” depth. Much above that and I’m on a stool to clean it or putting it on an insanely short stand. Lol

 

[Johnny H.]

Yeah, that’s me too and from what I’ve seen increasing gallons just increases length.

I also have about 24 inches in length to work with. 15 inches in depth works great for me, I don't want it sticking way out away from the wall. I would be able to go about 20 inches in height. I want an AIO for sure, I like the sleekness of it, and not having everything hanging on the back.

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Hi and welcome to saltwater aquarium keeping! I’m sure you’ll love it- we all do.

I started with a nano AIO, just as you’re looking at, so let me make a few suggestions based off my experience.

1) definitely don’t get one with a hood light like a biocube style. To produce reasonable PAR for more light demanding corals, you end up needing a different light, and you wind up having this extra thick rim, meant to keep the lid up, but all it does now is prevent you from using most HOB filtration gear. So just go rimless or standard rim instead.

2) minimum size id suggest for every dimension of your first tank- length width and height- is about 16”. Also try to have the height be less than or equal to the width. Narrower tanks are hard to aquascape without creating cliff faces that you can’t easily mount coral to

3) those ultra shallow 10-12” tanks will end up being their own unique challenges. I personally think for a beginner 15-24” depth is better.

4) peninsula style AIOs give less filtration room per DT room. As a beginner you’ll want to experiment with different filtration like skimmers and the less room you have, the less options you have. Even though it’s 6 gallons smaller, the 32 would have much more room for implementing filtration gear.

5) go to stores and other peoples houses and see what you like. Some people LOVE shimmer, others find it very visually distracting. Some love super actinic toned lighting, others want more natural look. You’ll only know when you see both for yourself. It’ll help you figure out the direction you want to pursue for your tank.

 

[NanoNana]

Hi and welcome to saltwater aquarium keeping! I’m sure you’ll love it- we all do.

I started with a nano AIO, just as you’re looking at, so let me make a few suggestions based off my experience.

1) definitely don’t get one with a hood light like a biocube style. To produce reasonable PAR for more light demanding corals, you end up needing a different light, and you wind up having this extra thick rim, meant to keep the lid up, but all it does now is prevent you from using most HOB filtration gear. So just go rimless or standard rim instead.

2) minimum size id suggest for every dimension of your first tank- length width and height- is about 16”. Also try to have the height be less than or equal to the width. Narrower tanks are hard to aquascape without creating cliff faces that you can’t easily mount coral to

3) those ultra shallow 10-12” tanks will end up being their own unique challenges. I personally think for a beginner 15-24” depth is better.

4) peninsula style AIOs give less filtration room per DT room. As a beginner you’ll want to experiment with different filtration like skimmers and the less room you have, the less options you have. Even though it’s 6 gallons smaller, the 32 would have much more room for implementing filtration gear.

5) go to stores and other peoples houses and see what you like. Some people LOVE shimmer, others find it very visually distracting. Some love super actinic toned lighting, others want more natural look. You’ll only know when you see both for yourself. It’ll help you figure out the direction you want to pursue for your tank.

Great advice. I’m actually headed out to do some looking this weekend.