Help me choose: IM 40 vs IM 25 Lagoon vs Waterbox 35.2

[skey44]

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.

Another not a cube fan here. I went with a double cube 48x24x16.5 Think it’s perfect so far
Quality wise I like my waterbox, though it’s new and I cannot comment on reliability.

 

[jabberwock]

I love the lagoon format. Don't have to get my armpits wet for maintenance. Here is my 25.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

That's my concern too. The dimensions look great, and the tank looks slick when it's empty. But once it's scaped and livestock is in, it'll look small right away.

Definitely.

 

[KK's Reef]

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

I have a G6 blue over my current pico. Overkill, I know, but the acros need it. I also have an AP9X for the next tank, whichever one of the three I go with. After having experienced both the Radion and the Kessil, I think I like the color and shimmer of the Kessil way better.

If I go with the IM40 I will likely keep the DC return pump on the IM. I plan to transfer over the cheapie Amazon wave pump I have now. Low profile, strong, programmable, and has worked great. I don't want to use the sock for mechanical filtration, so I might research and see if someone makes a caddy for it. Filter floss and TBS live rock rubble is what'll go in it.

Trying to keep this next build super simple. No UV, skimmer, reactors, mat roller, etc. Just regular ol' water changes to keep nutrients in check, and AFR for dosing. PH stays above 8, as the room that the tank is in gets plenty of air circulation.

 

[steveschuerger]

I’ll throw in and say get the IM 40 gallon. I’ve had two IM tanks, both AIO-Nuvo 30l(replaced by 40l in the website), and an SR60. Solid tanks, well built and come with intangible niceties such as algae scraper magnet and mesh cover.
30l

SR60

 

[NanoNana]

Another not a cube fan here. I went with a double cube 48x24x16.5 Think it’s perfect so far
Quality wise I like my waterbox, though it’s new and I cannot comment on reliability.

Double cube. Lol. There are many reasons during maintenance that I say bad words, like wet arm pits or water running into my shoulder length gloves or just in general not being able to reach stuff. My next tank will be substantially shorter than 18 inches.

 

[Tamberav]

I’ll throw in and say get the IM 40 gallon. I’ve had two IM tanks, both AIO-Nuvo 30l(replaced by 40l in the website), and an SR60. Solid tanks, well built and come with intangible niceties such as algae scraper magnet and mesh cover.
30l

SR60

what are you using for a stand on those? I ask because it looks like some sort of shelving unit, maybe metal with a top added?

I want some sort of shelving stand thing... for my grow out tanks .

 

[steveschuerger]

what are you using for a stand on those? I ask because it looks like some sort of shelving unit, maybe metal with a top added?

I want some sort of shelving stand thing... for my grow out tanks .

Well I only have my 90 in the LR now. No regular stand cause there was no room. I got an office style table thar was rated for 550 lbs in my computer room/study

 

[skipB]

You can buy the 40L at www.innovative-marine.com without a stand.

I just checked and did not see it without the stand.

 

[skipB]

Im new to this hobby and also looking for a tank. Aesthetically, I really like the IM 50 lagoon but I’ve spent two days trying to source one without a stand. When I reached out to IM I was surprised at how little they cared to sell me one.

 

[Acros]

I don't think they sell the tanks/stands separate anymore. It is a great stand, I would get it.

 

[JohnC86]

I will take another look
But I didn’t see it without the stand.

Sorry, I thought they had it without the stand. My bad, but I still love the one that I have (stand included)...

 

[BristleWormHater]

I love the 25 Lagoon that's my only tank right now, and that's what I would choose here, here's why.
Most fish generally need horizontal space, rather than vertical. The 25 Lagoon has the almost the same footprint length and width wise, so could stock similarly to the 40 cube.
The 11 inch height of the 25 Lagoon makes it perfect for top down viewing and makes it much easier to do maintenance on.
If you want more water volume (40 gallons).
I will die on the hill that the 40 gallon breeder is the best version of a 40 gallon tank. It's 3 feet long! That gives you much more room for more fish!

 

[KK's Reef]

I love the 25 Lagoon that's my only tank right now, and that's what I would choose here, here's why.
Most fish generally need horizontal space, rather than vertical. The 25 Lagoon has the almost the same footprint length and width wise, so could stock similarly to the 40 cube.
The 11 inch height of the 25 Lagoon makes it perfect for top down viewing and makes it much easier to do maintenance on.
If you want more water volume (40 gallons).
I will die on the hill that the 40 gallon breeder is the best version of a 40 gallon tank. It's 3 feet long! That gives you much more room for more fish!

Thanks for the input! Like I said, I do love the footprint of the lagoon as well as the dimensions. But it's not that tall, and I'm afraid after a couple of years, I'm gonna wish I had that vertical water volume. If you scape with any medium sized rock and place acros on top, you only have a couple of inches left before they break the surface.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Thanks for the input! Like I said, I do love the footprint of the lagoon as well as the dimensions. But it's not that tall, and I'm afraid after a couple of years, I'm gonna wish I had that vertical water volume. If you scape with any medium sized rock and place acros on top, you only have a couple of inches left before they break the surface.

Forgot about that, sorry, I'm not a big acro fan so I forgot about that.

 

[KK's Reef]

Forgot about that, sorry, I'm not a big acro fan so I forgot about that.

No worries! Glad to know your perspective.

If only IM made a 30 gallon Lagoon.... 24 x 20 x 15

 

[Chrisv.]

No worries! Glad to know your perspective.

If only IM made a 30 gallon Lagoon.... 24 x 20 x 15

Hey I'm not sure if you pulled the trigger yet, but I just set up an IM 40 fusion pro2 and while I absolutely love almost everything about the tank, I REALLY hate the layout of the baffles. I got mine second hand from a friend-- but I wouldn't buy it new given the "inverted T" formed by the center chamber of the back. When I picked the tank up, it was clear that this is a huge design flaw because it was completely filled with detritus that was essentially impossible to clean with the tank full. It was even hard to clean with the tank empty. Another reefer commented to me that they had an extremely difficult time getting a fish out of there that jumped in.

It's a beautiful tank and the accompanying equipment is really first rate, but man the baffle configuration sucks.

 

[KK's Reef]

@Chrisv. - hey what's up. No, I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Need to reorganize the room before I buy the tank.

Right on for the input. I think any AIO design is going to be hard to clean. That's one of the biggest disadvantages vs. an external sump. With my little Lifegard AIO I vacuum the rear chambers twice a year. Cleaning includes running the return pump and media basket through some Pump Clean. The rest of the time I just ignore it and let it be.

How are you liking the dimensions and footprint of the IM40? Does it look/feel big?

 

[Chrisv.]

@Chrisv. - hey what's up. No, I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Need to reorganize the room before I buy the tank.

Right on for the input. I think any AIO design is going to be hard to clean. That's one of the biggest disadvantages vs. an external sump. With my little Lifegard AIO I vacuum the rear chambers twice a year. Cleaning includes running the return pump and media basket through some Pump Clean. The rest of the time I just ignore it and let it be.

How are you liking the dimensions and footprint of the IM40? Does it look/feel big?

I also have a water box aio and their baffles go all the way to the bottom. This is the first time I've actually seen this design flaw. I do love the dimensions. It's a great little tank. The DC return pump that's included works great, and the first chamber perfectly fits the tunze 9004 DC skimmer.

My set up as as follows:
IM fusion pro2 with APS stand
Included return pump, plumbed through two spin stream rotating nozzles.
Tunze 9004 DC skimmer
Innovative marine Helios heater
6 watt nano UV sterilizer
Included filter caddy running floss and a small bag of chemipure blue
Tunze 3155 ATO
2x Nero 3 power heads
Radion xr30 pro with RMS mount

So far I have zero complaints about ANY of the equipment, other than the baffle layout of the tank itself. Otherwise the tank is super solid and very nice.

Here is a diagram of the baffle configuration. If they just went all the way to the bottom, it would be great.

 

[Chrisv.]

I also have a water box aio and their baffles go all the way to the bottom. This is the first time I've actually seen this design flaw. I do love the dimensions. It's a great little tank. The DC return pump that's included works great, and the first chamber perfectly fits the tunze 9004 DC skimmer.

My set up as as follows:
IM fusion pro2 with APS stand
Included return pump, plumbed through two spin stream rotating nozzles.
Tunze 9004 DC skimmer
Innovative marine Helios heater
6 watt nano UV sterilizer
Included filter caddy running floss and a small bag of chemipure blue
Tunze 3155 ATO
2x Nero 3 power heads
Radion xr30 pro with RMS mount

So far I have zero complaints about ANY of the equipment, other than the baffle layout of the tank itself. Otherwise the tank is super solid and very nice.

Here is a diagram of the baffle configuration. If they just went all the way to the bottom, it would be great.

I will add that as configured, the tank is essentially silent. I love DC pumps!