Upgrades for a RSM130D

NickNiz · Aug 10, 2017

Hello everyone! I'm planning on upgrading soon, and happened to stumble upon a used 130D at my LFS... The only mod done was a LED retrofit for the hood, which I wouldn't be using anyways. The entire system, including stand, is only $300... Way cheaper than the new Biocube I was considering.

I've got a few questions about mods/upgrades for this system. I know there are already threads on this, but not many within the past ~5 years, and equipment has changed a lot.

1. I have an AI Prime HD on my 12 gallon currently. Will this be a strong enough fixture for the 130D if I were to remove the hood? I plan on keeping softies and LPS, and leptos but those are relatively low light I believe.

2. Is it worth it to upgrade the stock skimmer? I know in the past a lot of people used the Tunze 9002, but now there are successors to that model. One would be the 9001 right? Will this still fit in the back chamber?

3. Is it worth it to invest in an InTank media basket? I have one in my nano currently but all I run is carbon, Purigen, and phosphate pad.

4. If I end up removing the hood and using the AI fixture, should I get an ATO? I'm experiencing a lot of evaporation and salinity swings in my 12 gallon since removing the hood, but this shouldn't be as much of an issue with 34 gallons, right? Which ATO should I get for this tank? Container recommendations?

And lastly, are there any other mods you can recommend? Pump upgrades, return nozzles, etc? Sorry for the lengthy thread. I appreciate any advice!!!

Daniel@R2R · Aug 11, 2017

Hi Nick! Great pick up on the 130D! I can't answer all of your questions about it, but I'll take a stab at offering some help.

I think the AI Prime would be adequate for that size tank. The spread should be enough to hit those dimensions, particularly if all you're planning to keep is primarily LPS and softies.

I made my own "media basket" (it looked more like a shelf) using eggcrate and zip ties. It definitely wasn't as pretty as the InTank media basket, but it did the trick and was significantly cheaper.

I'm not sure on the skimmer...on that size tank, I would think that keeping up with water changes and using plenty of purigen/carbon/gfo media should do the trick. However, I do have a Tunze 9410 on my 50g cube, so I can vouch for the quality of the Tunze products...but I have no experience with their nano skimmers (but I have seen good reviews).

You should DEFINITELY invest in an ATO. I know there are a few nano versions out there that could work well. I have the Neptune ATK, and I love it! It's a bit on the pricier side, but it's a great setup IMO. In any case, even if you go with a simpler DIY float switch set up, you should definitely make an ATO one of your "must have" pieces of equipment.

HTH Best of luck!!

NickNiz · Aug 11, 2017

Thank you for the reply @mdbannister !!!

I figured an ATO was mandatory... in my 12g, salinity is currently a hair below 1.028, and I'm topping off with distilled every day and it still doesn't go below 1.027. :/ I avoided going with one on my nano cube because most of the float switch designs are bulky compared to the size of the 12 gallon. Will definitely look into one for the 34 gal!

I used to have an RSM 250 before downgrading to the 12, and that had a decent stock skimmer but I remember it being noisy and generating a ton of heat.

I will definitely look into the DIY media rack as well.