Comments on: Custom vs All In One (AIO) nano reefs http://www.nanoreefblog.com/features/custom-vs-all-in-one-nano-reefs the small side of reef aquariums Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:10:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: jeffry r. johnston http://www.nanoreefblog.com/features/custom-vs-all-in-one-nano-reefs/comment-page-1#comment-42 jeffry r. johnston Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:29:43 +0000 http://dev.nanoreefblog.com/?p=66#comment-42 I am a fan of the all-in-one plug & play systems. We have one up and running in the office (JBJ 28-gallon quad) and it's never given us any headaches. We used to the a Red Sea Max in our old building and it was beautiful. I like the look of the Max better but never really got hands-on with it. There are certainly advantages of going with an all-in-one but disadvantages as well. I think a lot of it boils down to your level of experience. For someone just entering the hobby an all-in-one is an ideal choice so you know all the components will play nice together. Of course, once you know what you're doing and want to go big there isn't a whole lot of big all-in-one options aside from the Red Sea Max 250 and some ELOS offerings. Another advantage of DIY is you are only limited by your imagination. I am a fan of the all-in-one plug & play systems. We have one up and running in the office (JBJ 28-gallon quad) and it’s never given us any headaches. We used to the a Red Sea Max in our old building and it was beautiful. I like the look of the Max better but never really got hands-on with it. There are certainly advantages of going with an all-in-one but disadvantages as well. I think a lot of it boils down to your level of experience. For someone just entering the hobby an all-in-one is an ideal choice so you know all the components will play nice together. Of course, once you know what you’re doing and want to go big there isn’t a whole lot of big all-in-one options aside from the Red Sea Max 250 and some ELOS offerings. Another advantage of DIY is you are only limited by your imagination.

]]> By: Curvball http://www.nanoreefblog.com/features/custom-vs-all-in-one-nano-reefs/comment-page-1#comment-15 Curvball Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:50:49 +0000 http://dev.nanoreefblog.com/?p=66#comment-15 Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I see you mentioned the Elos Mini - amazing little system, but opted not to include it in this post as it's not really an all-in-one system in terms of the others because it has an external sump. Thanks again for stopping by and adding your thoughts to this post. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

I see you mentioned the Elos Mini – amazing little system, but opted not to include it in this post as it’s not really an all-in-one system in terms of the others because it has an external sump.

Thanks again for stopping by and adding your thoughts to this post.

]]> By: LH http://www.nanoreefblog.com/features/custom-vs-all-in-one-nano-reefs/comment-page-1#comment-14 LH Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:46:17 +0000 http://dev.nanoreefblog.com/?p=66#comment-14 The spaceship comment couldn't be more true lol! They're great setups for less demanding corals and can be fairly easily maintained with simple water changes. They do look "ok" when not modified, but once the lids start coming off it's trouble. I have seen halide in modified hoods, but without a chiller, rather pointless. I've had 2 "Star Trek" all in ones, and both turned into hacked bits and Frankenstein type rigs with wires, plumbing and flood / safety hazards galore. Granted, this was not an area of the house that needed to look nice. Now that I have the nano in a higher traffic area of our home, I did decide to go with another all in one... but the Elos mini fits in much better with the decor. Nice lookin site! Look forward to more. The spaceship comment couldn’t be more true lol! They’re great setups for less demanding corals and can be fairly easily maintained with simple water changes. They do look “ok” when not modified, but once the lids start coming off it’s trouble. I have seen halide in modified hoods, but without a chiller, rather pointless.

I’ve had 2 “Star Trek” all in ones, and both turned into hacked bits and Frankenstein type rigs with wires, plumbing and flood / safety hazards galore. Granted, this was not an area of the house that needed to look nice. Now that I have the nano in a higher traffic area of our home, I did decide to go with another all in one… but the Elos mini fits in much better with the decor.

Nice lookin site! Look forward to more.

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