thinking about setting up a small tank

[dine]

so im thinking about setting up a small tank and wanted to see some opinions on which way to go.

things i know...

i want a rimless tank (was thinking somewhere in the 20-30 gal range)
i want led lighitng
it has to be as CLEAN as possible. wires hidden, heaters hidden, etc...

things i want to hear about from you guys...

1.what brands should i be looking at (light and tank)

2.how should i handle flow. is an mp10 too much on a tank this size?

3.what sort of filtration should i be looking at (in tank, hob, or will i need to break down and do a sump)

4.anything else you wanna add?

 

[thanh386]

Solona 34 or the ecoxotic 25 are both rimless AIO units

 

[bulkrate]

There's also the NuvoNano series from Innovative Marine, which weighs in with a couple of 16-34 gallon AIO tanks with hidden heater, filter and refugium compartments in the back. Their own lighting's not the best for SPS but the styling is pretty top notch.

Some people have reported build quality issues with the early batches, but IM seems to be standing behind their product with free replacements and good customer service...most threads online seem to end with a happy owner.

I was thinking about the 16 myself...opted to go smaller due to limited placement options in my living room. Premier Aquatics/Marine Fish & Reef in Marietta have a couple of the larger ones on display (dry), I think.

For that small a size and for your statement of wanting it as clean a look as possible, I'd avoid a sump on this tank. I'm not saying that they aren't incredibly useful... they look like they're great for allowing you to move life-support and maintenance "futzing" into something more convenient (and for adding some urgently desired water capacity), but at the cost of having more to go wrong.

 

[jiungerich]

I have an innovative marine 16 gallon that i love. i know its a little smaller than what youre thinking but they have a 30 gallon too. the 16 gallon comes with lights, the 30 does not.

if you are going for a separate lighting system i know the evolution LED lights are amazing!
and they are not too expensive.

check out my 16 gallon if u might be interested in innovative marine.

 

[dine]

i actually do like those alot. anyone have any pics of their 16 gallons in action?

 

[jiungerich]

 

[reefknight]

I just picked up a Deep Blue Pro 30gal Rimless frag tank (24"x24"x12" reef ready. It has Opti clear glass, a low iron glass blend. Pretty sweet little tank in all and for the price I was impressed. Running a Hydor 3 on it now, will have a Tunze 6055 soon. Maybe a MP10 later down the road. Lighting is an AI Sol Blue and I'm running a sump to contain all the filtration.

 

[gmpolan]

I ran an mp10 on my rimless starfire tank and it was perfect, same dims as above. Check out my build thread on my old tank to see if youd like..great little set up that i will hang onto if i ever decide to downsize.

 

[dine]

Jiungerich;751301 wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2cXb9uC8og">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2cXb9uC8og</a>[/QUOTE]

looks like you violated some copyright there

 

[jiungerich]

thats dumb. it says i dont own the music. ill take the music out, but here is a shorter clip.