Info on cube aquariums

[windcoast reefs]

Hey Everyone!

I found a giant cube aquarium ( around 90 gallons) that I was looking at purchasing. I do have a few questions that I hope everyone can help me out with! It looks like a really nice set up, but it runs metal halides and does not have a chiller. Do you think I will need a chiller for this tank or would it be fine without? Also have you ever had a tank that has the refugium and sump all built in to the back of the tank? Does this design have any benifits or flaws that you have heard of?

Thanks for you input!

[sphelps]

Chillers aren't usually needed if you can properly vent out the heat from the canopy and your house doesn't get overly hot in the summer. I did fine with halides in previous tanks without the need for a chiller.

With the sump attached to the back you're looking at an AIO (all in one) setup similar to Red Sea Max and other brand setups. They work OK but you are pretty limited to things like return flow rate and skimmer setup. I think 90 gallons would be too big of a tank for a typical AIO setup but I haven't seen the tank in question.

[lastlight]

My setup is just a few gallons larger and in my livingroom. With a single 250w halide 3 x 120mm fans could keep it at 80 on a warmer day. Hot days I had a window AC unit running so it was still ok.

Now I run 2x250w and the fans alone were not enough and I felt I was evaporating far too much into my living space. Rather than add more fans and make my humidity issues worse I opted to run a chiller. Not a green solution but I'm very happy I've done this.

If I had central AC I'll bet I'd be fine without the chiller.

[windcoast reefs]

Well That gives me something to think about about. It isn't so much like a red sea max, its has around a a 90 gallon display and then a 30 gallon sump in the back. Plus it has a huge skimmer, but I will have to look more into the flow to see if that will be an issue or not. I think the biggest show stopper is the evaporation and the heat.