which tank would you pick?

[The Deaf Reefer]

Run what you want then. I don’t care. The “ten gallon” wasn’t me being literal. I’d take a 15 gallon normal tank over a 15 gallon AIO because you have a larger footprint with the AIO.

I get where you are coming... i agree on that aspect

The reason I choose these options because I live in a condo and have a small space 600sqft and very limited to where I can put a tank and size. Also want to minimize the salt creep, water splashing, messiness on the flooring or leak to the unit below me and i don't want to pay for damages. So that why I thought the AIO would help minimize that as much as possible

Hence my name. I'm deaf/hearing impaired, so i won't be able to be notify while I'm sleeping to tell me something is happening or else it will go all night til I wake up

It my first tank... it a temporary size til I move to a bigger place in the near future (I hope lol) and get a bigger tank

 

[Crustaceon]

I get where you are coming... i agree on that aspect

The reason I choose these options because I live in a condo and have a small space 600sqft and very limited to where I can put a tank and size. Also want to minimize the salt creep, water splashing, messiness on the flooring or leak to the unit below me and i don't want to pay for damages. So that why I thought the AIO would help minimize that as much as possible

Hence my name. I'm deaf/hearing impaired, so i won't be able to be notify while I'm sleeping to tell me something is happening or else it will go all night til I wake up

It my first tank... it a temporary size til I move to a bigger place in the near future (I hope lol) and get a bigger tank

You can have an awesome tank in that size and probably a lot less hassle and risk of leakage than a larger tank. Keep in mind though, an AIO can overflow and leak if sponges/filter floss etc. in the back chambers clog, so you’ll have to check that every so often. It is a nice looking setup and hides things like the heater in the rear chamber, but it does have it’s risks as it’s really like having a sump and all of the issues of a sump, just in a smaller package. The nice think is, if it does leak, it isn’t 37 gallons of saltwater on your floor.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

You can have an awesome tank in that size and probably a lot less hassle and risk of leakage than a larger tank. Keep in mind though, an AIO can overflow and leak if sponges/filter floss etc. in the back chambers clog, so you’ll have to check that every so often. It is a nice looking setup and hides things like the heater in the rear chamber, but it does have it’s risks as it’s really like having a sump and all of the issues of a sump, just in a smaller package. The nice think is, if it does leak, it isn’t 37 gallons of saltwater on your floor.

The IM has a bypass overflow so it will not do that.

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

The IM has a bypass overflow so it will not do that.

Lol was about to say this ... you got the quickest draw lol

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

Still contemplating this huh? I've chimed in on both other posts you've had and I'm still for the IM15. Just for a price breakdown that you'll have to translate to Canadian prices
Im15:$100
Noopsyche K7 Mini:$85
Kraken Lid w/feed cup:$140ish
Caribsea Reef Sand:$15
Autoaqua Ato:$45
Bubble Magus Mini Q:$50
Future purchases=
Custom caddy:$30
Mightyjet 356:$120
Rock:TBD

I checked these items if they are available in canada

- noopsyche doesn't sell in canada, i contacted the company, no retail/distributor sell their product unfortunately
-kraken lid with feed cup is $163 CDN plus tax i assume plus custom border tax as well... I might just get the IM mesh lid which probably going to be like $45 CDN
- what type of caribsea reef sand to look at? is it the usual 1lb of sand per gallon?
- autoaqua ato... are you talking about this one? https://fragbox.ca/product/autoaqua-smart-ato-nano/
- bubble magus mini is $90 here... is it necessary to have this?

why future purchases for custom caddy and mightyjet 356 (i assumed you meant 326)

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I checked these items if they are available in canada

- noopsyche doesn't sell in canada, i contacted the company, no retail/distributor sell their product unfortunately
-kraken lid with feed cup is $163 CDN plus tax i assume plus custom border tax as well... I might just get the IM mesh lid which probably going to be like $45 CDN
- what type of caribsea reef sand to look at? is it the usual 1lb of sand per gallon?
- autoaqua ato... are you talking about this one? https://fragbox.ca/product/autoaqua-smart-ato-nano/
- bubble magus mini is $90 here... is it necessary to have this?

why future purchases for custom caddy and mightyjet 356 (i assumed you meant 326)

I would vote yes on the custom caddy. The filter socks 2" on nanos are really a pain to wash. Although I am not sold on the fiber-ball thing that comes with the caddy, filter floss or a pad works great. The pump that comes with the IM15 is a downgraded pump so that might be the reason he mentions that. On my fijicube 10g I run a Sicce .5 and that provides a great amount of flow. I am not sure of the relevance of a DC pump in a nano, some ppl. run DC pumps because of the noise/hum with an AC pump. That may not be an issue with you. Also most AC pumps especially Sicce are bulletproof. As far as a skimmer goes. I use skimmers on all my nanos, they are also the eshoops nano. That skimmer is amazing, always great skimmate right out of the box. Some ppl. say that why do you need a skimmer if you are doing weekly water changes? Well for one, it is a great way to improve your PH and two, it is pulling out stuff even with the water changes. For a light, I would go with a AI prime HD, A bit more money, but you might be able to find one used. At least with this light you can use it later if you upgrade, and be able to control it with a AI, Mobius or Apex fusion app. For sand I use the CaribSea Ocean Direct and have had good luck with it. It comes with various grading and even little shells. Hence the name. But I have also used their special grade which I like in a higher flow tank. As far as how much, that depends on if you are going to be putting a sand sifting goby or other sand dwelling creature that you would need a deeper sand bed. If not I like to run a thinner bed, maybe 25 -30 mm <---- see that I am converting it to Canadian for you... lol. One other thing that I don't think has been mentioned is getting a variable speed power head. That is, I feel a must. There are many out there, and because it is a small tank you do not need a lot of power. I use an MP10 on it's lowest setting in tidal mode. Again if you get something like an ecotech MP10, that can go with you to your bigger tank in the future. An ATO is a must because the evaporation makes a significant difference with your salinity. I use a ReefBreeders ATO but I had to cut out a circle of vinyl because it is the laser/prism version. There are many ATO's out there, you just have to find the one that works for you.
Hope this helps.

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

I would vote yes on the custom caddy. The filter socks 2" on nanos are really a pain to wash. Although I am not sold on the fiber-ball thing that comes with the caddy, filter floss or a pad works great. The pump that comes with the IM15 is a downgraded pump so that might be the reason he mentions that. On my fijicube 10g I run a Sicce .5 and that provides a great amount of flow. I am not sure of the relevance of a DC pump in a nano, some ppl. run DC pumps because of the noise/hum with an AC pump. That may not be an issue with you. Also most AC pumps especially Sicce are bulletproof. As far as a skimmer goes. I use skimmers on all my nanos, they are also the eshoops nano. That skimmer is amazing, always great skimmate right out of the box. Some ppl. say that why do you need a skimmer if you are doing weekly water changes? Well for one, it is a great way to improve your PH and two, it is pulling out stuff even with the water changes. For a light, I would go with a AI prime HD, A bit more money, but you might be able to find one used. At least with this light you can use it later if you upgrade, and be able to control it with a AI, Mobius or Apex fusion app. For sand I use the CaribSea Ocean Direct and have had good luck with it. It comes with various grading and even little shells. Hence the name. But I have also used their special grade which I like in a higher flow tank. As far as how much, that depends on if you are going to be putting a sand sifting goby or other sand dwelling creature that you would need a deeper sand bed. If not I like to run a thinner bed, maybe 25 -30 mm <---- see that I am converting it to Canadian for you... lol. One other thing that I don't think has been mentioned is getting a variable speed power head. That is, I feel a must. There are many out there, and because it is a small tank you do not need a lot of power. I use an MP10 on it's lowest setting in tidal mode. Again if you get something like an ecotech MP10, that can go with you to your bigger tank in the future. An ATO is a must because the evaporation makes a significant difference with your salinity. I use a ReefBreeders ATO but I had to cut out a circle of vinyl because it is the laser/prism version. There are many ATO's out there, you just have to find the one that works for you.
Hope this helps.

thanks for the info

yeah i noticed majority people don't like the socks

good to know on the filter floss/pad... i will check out the sicce... definitely want the quietest pump possible... it actually going to be standing next to my couch like a couple feet away.

eshopps skimmer is $180 up here in canada... magus mini Q is $90... quite a price difference lol

AI prime HD... umm a bit more money? lol ... it $300 here, wished noopsych sell their light here ..it 1/3 of the price

I thought some nanos with upgraded pump get enough juice that it doesn't need a wavemaker

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

thanks for the info

yeah i noticed majority people don't like the socks

good to know on the filter floss/pad... i will check out the sicce... definitely want the quietest pump possible... it actually going to be standing next to my couch like a couple feet away.

eshopps skimmer is $180 up here in canada... magus mini Q is $90... quite a price difference lol

AI prime HD... umm a bit more money? lol ... it $300 here, wished noopsych sell their light here ..it 1/3 of the price

I thought some nanos with upgraded pump get enough juice that it doesn't need a wavemaker

Well if you want a quiet pump than a DC pump should do it. Sicce also makes a DC pump and they have a 5 year warranty.
Yes, the Eshopps skimmer is expensive now, and that is in the last year. I bought all mine between $100-120 USD. Now they are $150 here. I do not have any experience with the Magus so I can not give an opinion, but the first skimmer I bought was the Fluval to go with the 13.5. well that was pretty much a waste of $40 because you can not tune it. So I guess look at other peoples experience with the magus.
Most return pumps on the smaller scale are going to be a constant flow. But you can use a VCA random flow generator that attaches to you output. Again, it depends on what you want to put in your tank, SPS, LPS, mixed...

 

[Aaron75]

I checked these items if they are available in canada

- noopsyche doesn't sell in canada, i contacted the company, no retail/distributor sell their product unfortunately
-kraken lid with feed cup is $163 CDN plus tax i assume plus custom border tax as well... I might just get the IM mesh lid which probably going to be like $45 CDN
- what type of caribsea reef sand to look at? is it the usual 1lb of sand per gallon?
- autoaqua ato... are you talking about this one? https://fragbox.ca/product/autoaqua-smart-ato-nano/
- bubble magus mini is $90 here... is it necessary to have this?

why future purchases for custom caddy and mightyjet 356 (i assumed you meant 326)

Ok, I'll address these one at a time.
-The IM lid will totally work, it's a nice lid. I just chose the Kraken lid for the feed cup.
-The Noopsyche I ordered online, it has almost identical specs to the AI HD16 that everyone runs for half the price. The HD16 is really the ideal light unless you go with something else like Smatfarm.
-I bought a 20 pound bag of Caribsea Aragalive "reef sand". As opposed to "Fiji pink" or "Oolite". I will fill the tank to where I'm happy with the depth.
-The ATO, that's the right brand but I bought the Auto Aqua Lite. I have no experience with it, or any ATO so we'll see how it works.
-The Bubble Magus, I actually think I'll run the tank without it and add it if I need the help with PH or nutrients. I bought it from China on Aliexpress, same with the ATO. Both came to $90ish total.
-The Mightyjet 326, I'm going to use this pump because I like the controller and I plan on getting all my flow from it, no extra wavemakers. Still contemplating the RFG or the dual nozzle.
-The custom caddy because I don't care for socks, they're extra maintenance. I want to run a filter pad and probably some carbon and the caddy makes it organized, but the same can definitely be accomplished without it.

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

Ok, I'll address these one at a time.
-The IM lid will totally work, it's a nice lid. I just chose the Kraken lid for the feed cup.
-The Noopsyche I ordered online, it has almost identical specs to the AI HD16 that everyone runs for half the price. The HD16 is really the ideal light unless you go with something else like Smatfarm.
-I bought a 20 pound bag of Caribsea Aragalive "reef sand". As opposed to "Fiji pink" or "Oolite". I will fill the tank to where I'm happy with the depth.
-The ATO, that's the right brand but I bought the Auto Aqua Lite. I have no experience with it, or any ATO so we'll see how it works.
-The Bubble Magus, I actually think I'll run the tank without it and add it if I need the help with PH or nutrients. I bought it from China on Aliexpress, same with the ATO. Both came to $90ish total.
-The Mightyjet 326, I'm going to use this pump because I like the controller and I plan on getting all my flow from it, no extra wavemakers. Still contemplating the RFG or the dual nozzle.
-The custom caddy because I don't care for socks, they're extra maintenance. I want to run a filter pad and probably some carbon and the caddy makes it organized, but the same can definitely be accomplished without it.

- understandable with the feed cup. it would be nice...at least save $100 and get IM lid
- AI prime is crazy... its $300+ bucks here in canada... noopsyche is 1/3 of the cost... crazy mark up... need some local sources for us canadians lol
- good to know on the sand
- can't find autoaqua lite yet in canada... will keep searching the net for other places
- oh wow... thats a good price for both items from aliexpress... a little nervous to order from aliexpress because I never order from there before... wow! just check their delivery time for ato, approx Dec 11... long time
- good to know on the mightyjet 326
- good to know on the caddy

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

Oh forgot to ask... what about heater?

Cold canadian weather here lol ... my place can go down like to 68... I remember some people suggested two smaller heater so one big heater won't mess up and go beyond 78 degree and fry the livestock

 

[Aaron75]

Oh forgot to ask... what about heater?

Cold canadian weather here lol ... my place can go down like to 68... I remember some people suggested two smaller heater so one big heater won't mess up and go beyond 78 degree and fry the livestock

Personally I'm going to use the Helio 100w. It's supposed to have redundancy built into it, we'll see. The problem is space allocation if you insist on the heater being in the back chambers. I'm holding off on purchasing the heater until I get a better idea of how much space I have and what my tank naturally runs at in my house. If I can swing it I'll just run a 30w helio.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The Helio is nice! Probably going to upgrade to that for a few of my tanks. You can start with a single element and add another element if you like. The controller is the same whether it is a single or a dual.

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

Regarding the rock..

Dry vs live rock... I know dry basically got nothing, no live critters coming out

Where live rock can speed up the cycling and potential bad critters

 

[Aaron75]

Regarding the rock..

Dry vs live rock... I know dry basically got nothing, no live critters coming out

Where live rock can speed up the cycling and potential bad critters

Live rock is definitely the preferred choice. Despite knowing this, I went with Caribsea Life Rock because of price and I actually really like the shapes and appearance.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I have done both, and each has their own pluses and minuses. But if this was my first tank, I definitely would go with live. Its like cooking a frozen dinner over making something from scratch. It may not be the tastiest but it's dinner. Live requires less of a learning curve over dry, and you are up and running faster.
Plus for the 15g the amount and cost almost the same.

 

[Vladikus]

20g

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

20g

What is your reason?

 

[The Deaf Reefer]

Live rock is definitely the preferred choice. Despite knowing this, I went with Caribsea Life Rock because of price and I actually really like the shapes and appearance.

I have done both, and each has their own pluses and minuses. But if this was my first tank, I definitely would go with live. Its like cooking a frozen dinner over making something from scratch. It may not be the tastiest but it's dinner. Live requires less of a learning curve over dry, and you are up and running faster.
Plus for the 15g the amount and cost almost the same.

Can I just use live sand and use dry rock since I won't know what pests come with the live rock?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Can I just use live sand and use dry rock since I won't know what pests come with the live rock?

That's Part of the adventure! I think the pluses outweigh the minuses. The tank is small enough that getting rid of the pests are fairly easy. I personally feel that live sand is pretty much the same as soaking dry rock in live bacteria, Which I believe is what the live sand companies do, but with sand.
This type of thing is a personal decision. But I also feel that the pest stories are a type fear mongering. You hear of a few bad experiences vs. 100's of good ones.