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Hello everyone,
I am new to salt water aquariums but am looking to start with either the Red Sea max 34 gal or the Biocube 29gal and am looking for an opinion on what everyone thinks would be the better option.

The local aquarium store is having a sale and i can currently get:

Red sea max with starterkit and stand for: $749.99 (without tax or live rock)

Biocube with protien skimmer and live rock for: $583.99 (includes tax)

Ive heard good things about the red sea max but is it really worth 200+ more dollars?

Sarah84

I have the red sea max...... I am very happy with it.. I was in the same dilemma as you are.. you can see pictures of it here.. http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p...scs/Saltwater/
It's an all in one.. it's ALL glass.. 55lbs.. heavy tank.. but.. comes with protien skimmer, good lighting (T5 PC's), heater, the lid has arms.. that holds the lid up for cleaning etc.. all the componants plug into a hidden power bar.. which makes it one cord for everything.. all the cords are hidden.. and it has switches on the side to control power to all the components.. built in timer for the lights..

The lights that the RSM comes with is definitly better than the biocube.. and
if you plan on keeping a reef tank.. you need to consider the lighting.

Also the back of the tank on the RSM is tinted glass vs, biocubes which are plastic material ... and coraline algea is REALLY hard to get off of it if.. i had a 12 gal nano.

the only cons.. I had to buy a chiller (depends where you live, my house gets really hot in the summer), but.. any cubes are known for getting to warm because there's no where for the heat to go.. I've also had to put an additional power head on the tank for water movement.

I'm sure i'm missing some more pros.. I'm very happy with my RSM
Good luck!
Sarah

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34 Gal SW Reef
55 Gal FW

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Any other comments, is there anything that makes the biocube a bad tank?

Sarah84

I don't think biocubes are bad.. but vs the red sea max.. depends on what you are wanting to keep.. you're going to end up spending the money to upgrade the lighting/adding protein skimmer.. etc. especially if you want a reef tank down the road..
Sarah

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34 Gal SW Reef
55 Gal FW

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I was looking to set it up as a reef tank. But would the lighting need to be changed for coral to survive?(in the biocube) also, i definitly would be considering the RSM if it were more close to my price range. It seems the Biocube is cheaper then setting up a 30gal tank myself(buying everything seperate)

Sarah84

I would imagine you'd have to change the light in the biocube.. what does it come with? Power Compact will sufice for low light corals.. softies.. like mushrooms, antheillia, and some zoos.. but you're limited. the rsm has Power compact as well, but they're a better T5 Power compact... and you're able to keep a wider range of coral speices. You would probably be ok starting with the Biocube (depending what kind of lighting it comes with) being your first tank and all.. however you'll find you're gunna want to upgrade down the road.. but i'm sure you can do mods on the lighting.. I'm not sure what the cost of that is.
Sarah

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34 Gal SW Reef
55 Gal FW

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I got the biocube, and about 10pounds of live rock today. i will be setting it up tommorow morning for the new year . I only planned on getting a few soft corals any way so lighting shouldnt be a huge issue, as the store i went to had a biocube on display with very nice corals in it.

The live rock seems really good (fiji) and may even contain some corals as there were some things already growing on it.i will definitly continue to use this forum as reference for how to set it up. Thanks for some help with the comparisson sarah!

Sarah84

good luck with your tank! Keep us upated!
Sarah

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34 Gal SW Reef
55 Gal FW

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Set it all up thismorning, including live rock. Will be going in tommorow to LFS to get some more (i only have 10pounds right now) Both Salinity and Temp are great right now.