Red Sea MAX Reef 34 Gallon Tank

[jonboyb]

I have been looking at the Biocubes, Nanocubes, etc. and someone mentioned I should look at the Red Sea MAX Reef 34 gallon (actually a 29 with 5 gallon filter volume) and I have to say it looks very nice, 110 watts of T5 lighting, dual power heads, built in protein skimmer, a chiller chamber built in to the filter housing, and heater included. It also has a built in timer ciruit and just looks very nice from the pics. However, it is a good bit more than the other inclusive cubes. No LFS keeps it, so I can't see it in person but even though it's more expensive, I'm really considering it/

Anyone have one, seen them, or have any general opinions?

http://www.redseamax.com/redseamax/index.html

 

[Steppa]

I'm also looking into this now. Is this over-kill for a beginner or worth the price?

I see a lot of people with the Oceanic systems (and they seem to like it) but this setup seems slightly better with the built-in skimmer and better lighting..?

TIA!

 

[mr86mister]

Well bigger the better of course with any type of aquarium. A dream of mine is to actually have one of those eventually. Right now I have the 14gal Bio-Cube which works great but I'm very limited of what I can have in it. With the Red Reef the lighting comes out to about 2.82 WPG which will limit you to lower light corals. (I don't have an issue with that wattage). If you are looking at BigAlsOnline then the Red Sea Max runs you about $750(free shipping) with all of these items included I would have to say it's worth the cost.

 

[newfound77951]

The one thing I would worry about is that 110 watts of PC light over a 34 is not a lot of light for a reef tank, unless you are happy with low light corals only. It's possible the hood could be modded to accept a metal halide, but now you're talking even more cost.

 

[jonboyb]

Since it appears others are in the same boat as me about an all-in-one tank selection, I thought I'd share some of the +/- of the tanks I've been comparing (lots of wasted life on the internet). The 3 I really considered were the Red Sea Max, the Current Solana, and the JBJ Nanocube 29 HQI. I'm likely to choose the JBJ.

Red Sea MAX Reef (Best price I found $739 for tank and stand internet)
+ Has heater included and place for chiller in back housing
+ Has 24-hour timer
+ Good stand
+ 5 gallon filter volume (aquarium itself is only 29)
- Pricey
- Only 110 watts of PC/T5 lighting (roughly 3.9 w/gal)
- In my area LFS's, Red Sea not supported as much as the other brands

Current Solana (Best price $799 for tank and stand internet)
+ Most attractive tank IMO
+ 150 Halide pendant lighting (but my local LFS doesn't really like it, 5.2 w/gal)
+ Pendant lighting keeps temps lower
+ Water recharge system (but bottles very small)
- Pricey
- No hood
- No built in heater location or chiller location
- No night light system

JBJ Nanocube 29 HQI (Best price $500 tank and stand at a store)
+ Cheapest of the 3 I like
+ 150 Halide lighting (5.2 w/gal)
+ Supported at every LFS I visited
+ Available stand designed for add-on chiller
+ I can get it reasonable at my local LFS instead of online. I feel it's better to support the little guy if possible since they provide most of the info I will need down the road.
- The hooded lighting system has some heat issues to some owners
- I will likely need the chiller so add significant $$$

Again, I can't vouch for the 100% accuracy of my list but it's close at least. Since I can get the JBJ local and it's halide lighting, I'm 99% sure it's my choice. I'm not sure I want hard corals yet, but if I decide I do I won't be limited due to lighting.

 

[lbostons]

I am actually considering the three or as a substitute buy my own in pieces from a local shop. I am considering a 47 gallon priced out at ~$547 but I am unsure what type of lighting comes with the unit. I would like to hear from some of the experts in here on these and others for the money.

 

[Caige]

I have the Solana and love it. Oh, and it does have a built in heater section in the back. It also has a glass top. The "top off" system is way too small if you have a lot of evap...

I went with the 150W MH (has lunar and moon lights also) and love that too..

All and all seems like a very solid tank . I am using for a Reef.