Innovative Marine Fusion Pro AIO

[camachoalex71]

Hey everyone! I am new to reefing and I am so excited!!! I have decided to get the Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2 AIO (40 gallon) tank for my setup. (Preferably, I don't want to break the bank either with the extra equipment I need) I had a couple questions I hope you guys could provide some answers to:

- What type of heater should I get?
- What lighting should I get? I do plan on adding corals eventually.
- Are protein skimmers necessary? I have read that for a tank my size it's not a big deal if I do or don't.
- Is there any other equipment that I should get or is recommended?

Any information helps, thank you so much for all of your responses!

 

[Troylee]

Ehiem is a decent heater. Skimmer isn’t needed but I prefer them! I would say on an all in one with a hang on back the skimmers don’t really work the greatest so I’d bypass that. You’re gonna need flow and the prices range drastically! Jaebo are cheap “work great” Nero is decent and vortec are one of the top choices but pricey! Lighting you have tons of possibilities and being your tank is only 13” deep it won’t need top of the line lighting.. I’d look for some used Hydras or something along those lines.

 

[shakacuz]

firstly; welcome aboard the r2r board! hello from PA!

secondly;

1. since you're going the IM route, why not just get the IM heaters? if they're out of stock, the BRS titanium, and finnex are good alternatives. and the eheim is a tried and true affordable option.
2. lighting depend son what type of corals you want to keep. are you planning a mixed reef, and SPS, or a softie/LPS tank?
3. with an AIO a sump is not needed, but definitely still recommended. provides more room for equipment, and water stability.
4. auto top off will save you a LOT of water swings. mainly temp/salinity.

outside of this you'll likely need something to move water in the tank like a wavepump or gyre. i am very partial to the aqua illumination brand because of the ease of access and controllability you have with the myAI app. although, ecotech is basically the same, just more expensive(i don't have experience with their equipment, so i can only judge based on reviews/posts i've seen).

 

[slowwrx137]

I've had the the IM 40L setup for a little over a year now, below is what I went with:

• I went with the IM 200 Watt Helio PTC Smart Heater
• For lighting I started with 2 AI Prime 16HD lights and ran that with zoas/LPS for a year with good growth. I ended up adding a 3rd AI Prime over Black Friday in preparation for some higher light corals/a clam
• For skimmer I went with a Tunze 9004, I'd say its only necessary depending on how much livestock and how often your doing water changes. I do weekly 10% water changes and am lightly stocked but it still pulls out a little bit of waste each week.
• If you get the IM tank get the Filter Roller, It's way better than cleaning filter socks every few days and makes weekly maintenance way faster/easier . Also an ATO so your not manually topping off water everyday and your salinity stays stable.

 

[camachoalex71]

Ehiem is a decent heater. Skimmer isn’t needed but I prefer them! I would say on an all in one with a hang on back the skimmers don’t really work the greatest so I’d bypass that. You’re gonna need flow and the prices range drastically! Jaebo are cheap “work great” Nero is decent and vortec are one of the top choices but pricey! Lighting you have tons of possibilities and being your tank is only 13” deep it won’t need top of the line lighting.. I’d look for some used Hydras or something along those lines.

So how many wave makers should I have for a tank this size? 1 or 2?

 

[camachoalex71]

firstly; welcome aboard the r2r board! hello from PA!

secondly;

1. since you're going the IM route, why not just get the IM heaters? if they're out of stock, the BRS titanium, and finnex are good alternatives. and the eheim is a tried and true affordable option.
2. lighting depend son what type of corals you want to keep. are you planning a mixed reef, and SPS, or a softie/LPS tank?
3. with an AIO a sump is not needed, but definitely still recommended. provides more room for equipment, and water stability.
4. auto top off will save you a LOT of water swings. mainly temp/salinity.

outside of this you'll likely need something to move water in the tank like a wavepump or gyre. i am very partial to the aqua illumination brand because of the ease of access and controllability you have with the myAI app. although, ecotech is basically the same, just more expensive(i don't have experience with their equipment, so i can only judge based on reviews/posts i've seen).

I definitely want a mixed reef, I have heard good things about the AI Prime 16 HD. Would that be a good start?

 

[camachoalex71]

I've had the the IM 40L setup for a little over a year now, below is what I went with:

• I went with the IM 200 Watt Helio PTC Smart Heater
• For lighting I started with 2 AI Prime 16HD lights and ran that with zoas/LPS for a year with good growth. I ended up adding a 3rd AI Prime over Black Friday in preparation for some higher light corals/a clam
• For skimmer I went with a Tunze 9004, I'd say its only necessary depending on how much livestock and how often your doing water changes. I do weekly 10% water changes and am lightly stocked but it still pulls out a little bit of waste each week.
• If you get the IM tank get the Filter Roller, It's way better than cleaning filter socks every few days and makes weekly maintenance way faster/easier . Also an ATO so your not manually topping off water everyday and your salinity stays stable.

Do you think 2 of those are absolutely necessary? Or is one enough?

 

[shakacuz]

I definitely want a mixed reef, I have heard good things about the AI Prime 16 HD. Would that be a good start?

for a 40G, i would say 2 would be better. and supplement with LED bars if needed. i currently use two hydra32hd’s with each having a reefbrite xho kit. it has grown everything for me, however i just saw that the plastic on my lens did burn off and that’s something common with AI lights(not sure of their blades though). if i were to do it again, i would’ve gone with kessils. only reason i went with AI was because they had a refugium light and was app controllable(i wanted ease of access)