Orca Or Resun

[civicr]

hello im away to start a nano tank,but i dont no what tank to buy im able to get a resun dms 400t5 for £100 or i have found a orca 450 for £120,i dont no much about nano tank can any 1 suggest what tank would be better?

or provide good or bad points if you own either tank thanks

 

[plutosmate]

civicr,

I own a Orca TL450. (Mine cost me 110 notes from onlineaquarium.com - good bunch of lads, their online chat helped me take the plunge - sorry for the plug if it's againt the rules of the group) It's worth the money if you want to start small, I do have a small log running of my troubles and everyones' thoughts. (http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Reefs/233733/Orca-Tl450-Newbie-Startup-Step-By-Step-Quest/ - blowing my own trumpet - currently @ week 2 with LR and CUC)

Overall in one liner, ideal but the skimmer let's it down - it's a pain in the a$$ to get working but once you have played about it works a dream, I've found a replacment for 30 notes, give it a month and I'll change it. If you have the money go bigger as the amount of water held in this unit makes the chemical balance a tricky tight rope (more water, easier to balance)

Research.....research......research....I know it's boring but you'll learn alot more reading here in the forums. The guys here are gods and know their stuff so ask questions.
Look/read steelhealr thread(s) - he knows his stuff - http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Ree...For-Nano-Tanks/ & also http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Ree...g-Step-by-step/ (dont get scared about what happened here).

Go for it buddy, take the plunge and join the madmen here.
Good luck

 

[CageUK]

Hi civicr

I would just like to echo what plutosmate said re the forums and reading the posts that he has suggested. There is a lot of general info to be gathered here.

On a more specific note. I have an Orca 450tl as well but know nothing about the Resun. I have a journal (entitled Journey from the Darkside) which will show you some of the changes I've made to the default tank.

As a rule, if you are going for a reef tank then you should not use the filter medium supplied with either tank. Substitute it for live rock/rubble. This is not a fault of the tank but just a worthwhile modification.

My own views of the Orca are:

Pros

• Nice looking tank and the bow front gives a kind of magnifying effect.
• There are no joins on the front of the tank glass so no obstruction of view (although the bend in the glass DOES distort the view in the corners).
• Lighting adequate for most corals and is enclosed to minimise damage from the water.
• All in one design gives you just about all you need giving you a skimmer and a UV.
• The filter chambers are hidden from view but still relatively easy to access.
• The lid design is very clever. It hinges in two positions, slides down the back or can be removed completely. It also features a feeding flap.
• There is integral cooling for the lighting.

Cons

• With the standard tank stand there is nowhere to put all the cables and plugs and you end up with a spagetti pile on the floor. This is both unsightly and potentially dangerous. I would recommend getting the cabinet instead although this will cost more. I've had to make up a bespoke housing for the electrics (see my Journal).
• Lots of seperate plugs needed. I've ended up with nine including the modifications I've made.
• The main lights and the nightlights (moonlights) are on the same plug preventing you from setting up a timer...bad design
• The skimmer is dire...I have bought a new one to replace it.
• The standard water circulation is very poor. At the very least, an extra powerhead is needed.
• The filter chambers at the back, although easy to access are extremely difficult to reach to the bottom unless you have child sized hands. If you are messing about with the pump and skimmer this is very frustrating, especially with water in the tank.
• If you upgrade the pumps, it is a bit of a balancing act to get the water levels in the chamber correct
• It is a little difficult to clean the front corners with a mag cleaner so you may be better off doing this with a flexible plastic (non abrasive) scourer.
• The fans for cooling the light can apparently get noisy, although mine are fine at the moment.

I'm sure there are more but these are what spring to mind

Hope it helps

Cheers

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Another orca owner here (and again sorry know nothing about the resun ).

I would agree with most of what Cage and Plutosmate have already said.

Couple of points to add:
The lights are OK for most soft corals but if you want hard corals then they are not good enough (though I have a hammer coral which is doing REALLY well in my tank at the moment).

The fans on the lid are rubbish, they work but are really loud (when mine spin up for teh first 5 minutes they are actually loud enough to be heard 2 rooms away), these are easy to replace though.

The lid has a tendency to vibrate which is another noise problem. Again can be fixed fiarly easierly though.

As mentioned the moonlights and main lights are on the same plug so you cant have a timer to have the main lights go off and the moon lights come on.
The moonlights on my tank are rubbish anyway and have a short circuit (sometimes flicker or turn off), I know other have this issue too.

The skimmer sucks, a lot and for various reasons. I think with enough mods you could get it to work but I gave up and run skimmerless. Has been ok for 8 months now without it.
You can get replacment skimmers which are a lot better for not too much (£20-40)

The stand is nice looking but not practical (no storage space). Try to get it without the normal stand as there is another stand you can buy for it that has a cupboard on (which lets you hide a lot of fish junk out of the way).

Its about 90 gallons too small

I actually really like the orca tank. Its nicely made and finished but the equipment it is packed with let it down. If you strip most of it out and replace it you can have a really nice, easy to maintain system though.

If you can go for a bigger tank then do it. Also if you want hard corals look for a setup that has a MH light (I have seen a few nano system with MH units, etc which are pretty nice looking).

Link to my orca is in my sig if you want to have a look at another setup journal (which reminds me I really need to update it soon ).

 

[nanocubeking]

This is what I could find on the Resun... not to much.
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/RESUN-NANO-DMS-400-M...bayphotohosting

 

[civicr]

thanks for all the info on orce tanks they do look good shame the equipment lets it down,id love to go 4a bigger tank but i dont have the room

i only plan on stocking it with 2 black and white clowns ,corals and clean up crew.

the 0rca seems to have a few let downs
dont no what to do

 

[plutosmate]

civicr,

I my honest views......go with the orca as a starting point.
Mine is running ok, the skimmer is a bummer, but as xxBarneyxx says you can run it without, mine only plays up when there is either not enough water in or too much which cases it to over flow. (the difference in only 1/2 pint of SW).

Give it a go and see what happens, in the worst case you just chuck it on ebay and still get yr money back.
You have to start somewhere and i my case Im starting this one just to see if I want the hassels etc. The looks of the unit is stop on, the only mods I've done is gave the bio balls to the cat (best use for them) the noodles I've kept in the cupbard (use them on my tropical tank) and just replace them both with 2 x bags of LR. Bish, bash, boff yr up and running.

Give it 2 months then start messing about with the skimmer and lights etc.
6 months time......when yr more knowledgable..............6foot tank (have not told my misses this part of the plan yet )

Hope it helps, if not.......... ......
Plutosmate.

 

[CageUK]

civicr,

I my honest views......go with the orca as a starting point.
Mine is running ok, the skimmer is a bummer, but as xxBarneyxx says you can run it without, mine only plays up when there is either not enough water in or too much which cases it to over flow. (the difference in only 1/2 pint of SW).

Give it a go and see what happens, in the worst case you just chuck it on ebay and still get yr money back.
You have to start somewhere and i my case Im starting this one just to see if I want the hassels etc. The looks of the unit is stop on, the only mods I've done is gave the bio balls to the cat (best use for them) the noodles I've kept in the cupbard (use them on my tropical tank) and just replace them both with 2 x bags of LR. Bish, bash, boff yr up and running.

Give it 2 months then start messing about with the skimmer and lights etc.
6 months time......when yr more knowledgable..............6foot tank (have not told my misses this part of the plan yet )

Hope it helps, if not.......... ......
Plutosmate.

Once again I'm finding myself agreeing with plutosmate. I'll have to get myself out of this habit

I've listed my pros and cons as objectively as I can but I still find myself liking this tank a lot.

I knew most if it's pitfalls prior to buying it but got it anyway. It meant that I was prepared for buying the extra powerhead/replacement skimmer etc.

It's a great little tank and has a larger capacity than the Resun you are looking at as well. It also looks like the lighting is a little more powerful as well.
The skimmer and UV are an added bonus (if you can ever get the skimmer to work) but again you don't have to use either if you want.
I would assume that some of the down sides to the Orca would also apply to the Resun (poor water circulation for example). These are limitation of the all-in-one design tanks that have been built to a specific price point.
My biggest issue is the fact that I can't put timers on the lights. In fact I could if I put some additional blue LEDs inside the tank but I don't want to do this. I may just put a timer on the main light and not use the LEDs, I've not decided yet.

Virtually all the issues with the tank can be rectified by you if you wish, depending on your willingness to add modifications. For me, that is part of the fun of the tank.

If you choose the Orca you should be prepared to do something about the electrics. If you are buying the stand then make seperate provision to keep the cables and plugs safe and dry.

Hope this helps and look forward to seeing the photos, whichever tank you choose.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I complete agree, despite the fact that I list a lot of the bad parts of the Orca tank I would still recommend it. Think of it more as buying a very good basic tank with some cheapo equipment thrown in for free In reality all you "need" to do is add an extra powerhead to the equipment and your good to go.

 

[civicr]

thanks for the info guy and gals,looks like a orca will be the 1 for me,im a electrician so oim sure id manage to change the lights to the way i want,

but on a down side theres 2 zebra plecos for sale near me and im struggling to say no to buying them lol

 

[CageUK]

thanks for the info guy and gals,looks like a orca will be the 1 for me,im a electrician so oim sure id manage to change the lights to the way i want,

but on a down side theres 2 zebra plecos for sale near me and im struggling to say no to buying them lol

Are these to be destined for the Orca as a freshwater tank or have you got a freshwater tank as well?? I may have completely misunderstood what you are saying here but to cover all bases I just wanted to ensure that you knew that Zebra Plecs are freshwater tropical fish and will not go into a marine tank.
Lovely fish to be sure and can be quite expensive in the LFS but NOT marine.

My apologies if I have read it wrongly.

Cheers

 

[civicr]

its ok you have read it wrong, i own a colony of zebs already,a nano was going to be a new project 4me,

 

[plutosmate]

CageUK, which skimmer would you recommend as a replacement from the stock unit ?

 

[CageUK]

CageUK, which skimmer would you recommend as a replacement from the stock unit ?

Well the one I got was a WG-308 which I got from ebay for around £14 inc postage. It came from Hong Kong and took about 10 days to get to me so I had to install it after the tank was running (Hence my original comment about access into the filter chambers).
It's not so much a recommendation but I had read on forums that this one was suitable and it fitted the chamber. You have to strip off all of the foam filter etc to fit it in but it's been fine for me and NO microbubbles which is one of the problems with the supplied skimmer. It seems to work adequately and my only whinge is that the collection cup is very tight to get on and off. I think this is by design but you do have to be a little careful with it.

Cheers

 

[CageUK]

thanks for the info guy and gals,looks like a orca will be the 1 for me,im a electrician so oim sure id manage to change the lights to the way i want,

If you do get an Orca and do a modification to the lights then be sure to catalogue the changes along with photos and post a procedure on here (along with the relative warnings about playing around with electricity and water of course).

I intend to pull the lid apart to see if there is anything that can be done about it. If it's just cabling then it shouldn't be a problem to change it. If it's all on a PCB then I probably wouldn't want to touch it.