I currently have an IM 40L with matching stand. I love this aquarium, the while setup looks fantastic and my very picky wife even likes it in our family room. The APS stand and aquarium design are very classy and stylish.
Help me choose: IM 40 vs IM 25 Lagoon vs Waterbox 35.2
- Thread starter KK's Reef
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I had the opposite experience and found lighting and flow in the IM 25g so easy.
Even though I love the IM 25g, from your post, I feel like you will need something bigger. The reason you are upgrading is space… but two years you will be out of space again and probably itching for bigger.
I really like the IM 40L, just wish I could get it without the stand. I would like a bigger grow out tank for some captive fish and like the AIOs since they are easy to clean and silent.
I had APS stands and they are okay. Not sure if they are made better now but I hated the foam boards they used as a top and doors. Felt very cheap. Don’t want to pay what they are asking for foam.
I really like the IM 40L, just wish I could get it without the stand. I would like a bigger grow out tank for some captive fish and like the AIOs since they are easy to clean and silent.
I had APS stands and they are okay. Not sure if they are made better now but I hated the foam boards they used as a top and doors. Felt very cheap. Don’t want to pay what they are asking for foam.
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Out of all the aquariums that I have owned since 1997, IM has been the best. I also have an IM 20 for quarantine and am IM INT200. There customer service is AAA+++, I wouldn't own any other tank. And there cost is very reasonable compared to other systems.
You can buy the 40L at www.innovative-marine.com without a stand.
LadyMac
Freshwater sage fish whisperer
I have a WB 35.2 but mine isn’t aluminum stand, just the standard wooden one. I personally love the tank itself. It’s beautifully built. I have three Waterbox systems. No experience with the others you listed though.
KK's Reef
Valuable Member
I'm already itching for a bigger tank, but it's not in the cards. The biggest I can go is a 40 gal with a small footprint. I actually love the smaller tanks. So easy to maintain.
Main reason I'm upgrading is because I've learned a lot about reefing and have done fairly well growing 1 inch acro frags into chunky frags (and lost a handful in the process). In the pico, some tips are already breaking the surface. Leaning towards the IM40 because it's the tallest of the three options.
While the added water volume is nice, you won’t get the full effect of it in a cube tank. Id suggest you look at rectangular tanks. Horizontal swimming space is much more important for fish than overall tank depth.
I will never buy a cube again.
I will never buy a cube again.
yambeezy23
Community Member
I have the WB 35.2 with 2 AI 16s and 2 Nero 3s.
I’m basically out of room coral wise. I added and changed some rock to accommodate more corals.
You can run the same equipment on the 40 gallon I would assume so I would go with that for the extra room and coral. I personally chose the WB because the I really liked the stand lol. I have the aluminum frame stand with the panels. I wasn’t a fan of the IM stands.
What I mean is.. I think the 40 will fit you more than a 25g. While the footprint is similar, it still gives more room for corals, even if it is just vertical.
Especially since you want SPS.
Zoacoral
Valuable Member
I dont see where there offering the tank without the stand
I think they used when it was first released to but don’t any longer.
These look awesome. I don't see tanks on their website, though. Where in CA are they located?
I really like your scape!I just set my waterbox 35.2 up and there are two things I don’t like about it. One, it’s not as wide as I would’ve liked it from front to back. The AIO chambers take up more room than I was expecting. Two, the stand looks great, but regardless of how tight I made sure the screws were, it still has a little side to side creep. Apparently this is common with there aluminum framed stands. Other than that, it’s honestly a well made quality tank and looks great.
I have a 35.2 with the older wooden stand. The stand is rock solid. It seems like a lot of people in the Waterbox user group on Facebook are struggling with the new stands. I would love to have a sump and more front to back depth in the tank, but so far I've been able to find good options for every kind of filtration I've been interested in. This is our first tank, so I honestly can't tell you what, if anything, makes it better than an Innovative Marine, and I like that Innovative Marine continues to make so many good accessories.
gregrock68
New Member
After being out of the hobby for 15 years I am back. The hobby has changed a good bit too, AIO, led lighting, filtration just to name a few, needless to say I am excited. I just purchased the innovative marine 40 gallon you are lo at. I liked the size but more importantly the depth so I can have sps up high and soft corals down lower. For lighting I purchased the Kessil A9x. Plenty of power but most importantly adjustability. I am debating on the filtration still (skimmer type etc), let me know know your setup so we can compare notes
Thx
Beautiful tank. TBS rocks working wonders for you.
CurrentUSA sold to saltwateraquarium.com. these are the production line tnaks they were making before selling. Got mine from the ex CEO's house in Escondido. I went down to pick it up and bring it back from Irvine.
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