Is The Coralife 32 A Good Starter Saltwater Tank?

HI guys, I'm thinking of Eventually getting a saltwater tank (in a year or two, id like as much research possible first). I was wondering if the Coralife 32 would be a good starter tank? And what else I would need? I know to get a heater, skimmer, live rock/live sand, and it comes with good lighting. But what type of media should I use in it?

Id like to eventually have some corals, clown fish, hermit crabs OR emerald green crabs, and a goby.

Any advise is appreciated!

 

I have one currently and they are the number 1 best AIO tank (not rated by me lol by the public lol) but be prepared for upgrades.... the stock stuff works.... but isn’t the best for what you can get...

Some of my upgrades:

Changed out pump for MJ1200 (get the real MJ made by Cobalt....not the maxI jet version)
I also purchased a second for mixing as they work amazing and mix really quick and I double use it for blasting my rocks before a water change to get any off of them...

I use instant ocean salt mix... don’t bother asking which is the best... it’s like asking which shade of green the grass is... lol

I have an old spare fluval heater to use when doing water changes to bring new salt water water up to temp I believe it’s the 150w version

I use a neotherm cobalt 100w heater and they are great

My tank has 26lbs of rock... I used Caribsea Liferock Shapes... it is just as good as live rock but you don’t get all the pests... plus you can make so so so many rock scapes it’s unreal! I bought 2 40lbs boxes and then sold the rest and made a lot of my money back...my rock and tank works absolutely perfectly and I never added not even a pound of live rock....

I used Bio-Spira and had cuc in my tank after 2 weeks and fish in there a week later (started with 2 clowns and I have never had an ammonia or nitrite spike.... Now this is a mistake I made... I didn’t have really any algae after my cycle which can happen especially with quick cycles like mine... so I would have been better to add my fish first and then cuc when the algae showed up (and I will lol)
I now have 1 trochus snail, 2 nassarius snails, 3 minI nassarius snails and 3 cerith snails... and they do a fantastic job... Tank is clean and sparkling all the time... so even though they are cheap don’t rush with them to get the first ugly stage out of the way really quickly... it’s better to add them slowly and only for your needs.... it’s better that adding too many and having them die from starvation (you can feed them but once you have fish it’s harder than it sounds lol... not much drops to the bottom of my tank so I use HikarI shrimp wagers... they are made with real shrimp and they don’t disintegrate quickly so they don’t polite your water and they are great for your carnivore snails and then I just take it out after then have had a snack... for the herbivores I use a piece of rock and trap down a small piece of norI seaweed... some of your fish will snack on it as well...

I use 2 wavemakers for flow- I have 2 aqamaI KPS wave makers and they are amazing!!! Expensive but worth every penny because of the options (they can go up to 1050gph each so you will not have any flow issues ever) some people use just one but I like having 2 on a little less power to kill the dead spots

I took out all the stock stuff in the back and replaced it with the InTank media tower (I use floss then purigen then chemipure elite)
I also have the InTank Fuge and I grow Macro algae in there.... I use the Jbj nano Fuge light and I run it opposite the tank lights (it helps avoid Ph swings) my phosphates are (near undetectable (about .02 or less with the Hanna UL checker) and nitrAtes are 0

I use the stock return nozzle and solely keep that pointed straight out at the surface for gas exchange and it works great

I used the Caribsea reef grade sand 1-2nm (and it’s not live either and it’s highly recommended) I used just shy of 30lbs (probably around 25 or so) I didn’t weigh how much but I went for a deep sand bed as there are many benefits (you can research them) but it’s about 2”s or a little better...

The lighting is ... I kept mine stock becaus we only grow softies and easier more forgiving lps but there is an upgrade I will be doing and you will be able to grow ANYTHING with it... it’s called Steve’s LED upgrade... its very very easy to do but I haven’t seen the point yet because I don’t want to grow any high demanding high maintenance corals yet)

I also use the InTank filter floss... it’s great because it catches large and small particles... I have basically no detritus or anything in my rear chambers....

You don’t need a skimmer... not on a nano tank and you will be hard pressed to find one that fits this tank...you either have to cut your tank and go with the tunze 9001 or use the coralife one which is no good.... but skimming in nano tanks like this isn’t necessary... water changes are much more effective...

I use a 32g brute can to store my rodI water and then a 10 gallon brute for mixing as it holds a nice 8 g’s and you won’t need to change more than that weekly- with the 25-26lbs of rock my tank hold about the same in water (25-26g’s including sumo area) then I keep a small jug (it’s like a juice jug that has the white flip up thing for pouring- I can show you a picture if you don’t know what I mean) beside my tank for top offs... don’t top off with salt water... top off using only the rodI water...

One of THE BEST things I have bought is the Scionix digital pen (it reads S.G, salinity, that new percentage thing that no one uses and temp and it’s AMAZING.... I will never ever go back to a refractometer in my life.... watch a video on it and you won’t even look at a price... it’s extremely accurate (I know because I have a brackish tank also and go back and forth) it comes with everything you need and it doesn’t need calibrating very often at all I think I did one at about 6 months and it didn’t even need it... it was still reading dead on... just make sure it’s clean and dry after each use...

The second best thing I bought which has basically eliminated ALL water changes and makes your tank really healthy is the AWC (automatic water changer) it’s made by auto aqua (called auto aqua smart AWC) watch some videos on it... it’s amazing... I have mine set to change a little more than a gallon a day which puts me at about 8 g’s a week... which is perfect for a stocked tank... it’s a game changer... and it also eliminates the need for your regular top offs... you will see when you watch the videos... and it’s about the same price as any GOOD ATO... so you get the best of both worlds for a good price

I use the flipper nano magnet for glass cleaning works great and has a scraper for tougher stuff that can form on the glass after a while it’s so easy to use but the flipping takes some practice lol practice with it before you have fish in your tank... like when your cycling and you will have it down in no time....

Other than that I don’t have anything else except I keep some stuff on hand like (seachems “the bag” and a bottle of phosguard, a couple bags of carbon just in case I ever have to give meds to pull them all out afterwards....)

A few points of advice... DO NOT RUSH.... take things slowly.... if you don’t have patience don’t do saltwater lol

I would use Bio-Spira it dramatically helped my tank get up and running much quicker and use liquid ammonia (the dr tim’s Stuff is great) that way you don’t have to wait for food to start to rot and stuff like that... it’s instant ammonia and I used the chart below to cycle except I didn’t add anything (as in cuc or fish) until the very end not where it shows “add fish” I did 2 100% water changes and then added stuff after testing 1 last time (I was converting 2ppm of ammonia in hours after only getting the tank wet for about 5 days!) but still didn’t add anything as again slow is good because stuff is expensive lol

I use a python to do water changes (to remove the water only (obviously) then got a food grade 1 gallon jug to pour in water from my bucket from amazon... (takes like 10 mins to do a full 100% water change- not including mixing the salt)

To start you will just need the apI saltwater kit when cycling and it’s good for fish only...
However you will want other kits when you get corals and such as the apI reef Kit isn’t great for accuracy... I use a combination of Red Sea, api, seachem, salifert and Hanna checkers (Hanna’s are really expensive and not really necessary for nano tanks as I found out later)


I’m sure there is stuff I forgot but I’ve gave you a few different ideas... from what I used when I started to what I use now (for example I no longer need the jug of rodI water for top offs because it’s run differently with the AWC) I just bought these food grade slI'm but tall (holds 5g’s each and they hide right behind my stand for my disposal water and top off water and then my 10 gallon brute for the new salt water)

You can watch some videos about the products I mentioned or certain sites have “shop by tank” pages... (InTank and marine and feed I think is the other one... but InTank for shredding has one)

Basically you just want simple what I have listed sounds anything but simple but if I showed you my set up compared to some who use all these extra things like UV sterilizers and dosing equipment and even skimmers.... they just are not necessary for nano tanks.... just keep up with water changes and keep your levels the same and you will be just fine....

The last thing I will say is that it’s worse than the fresh water works for “this works better than that and you need this or don’t need that... so a lot of the time you will have to just choose on your own and do LOTS of research and start buying some things now... it’s expensive and the more you can spread it out the better...

Any questions after my novel feel free to ask! And it’s very late so I apologize if I forgot anything or any typos lol

 

Okay... so I have no experience with BioCubes and will admit to a distaste for the look of the canopy, but hey, that's a personal problem.

The thing in my mind is... if you want a full mixed reef someday, and don't want to worry about upgrading stock lighting and pumps, well, why not get what you want from the start? Innovative Marine tanks are more expensive, but in my humble opinion, they look a lot better than BioCubes. They also do not come with stock lighting, which of course factors into the overall price. But again, BioCube stock lighting is not great for anything but the most forgiving corals. If you're anything like me, and a lot of other reefers, you'll start with those easier corals, but it won't stop there. You'll end up seeing a higher light coral, and you just love it, but will the tank support it?

It's a loooong story, but suffice to say that I started my tank with a budget light, and yes, it would do okay. But not too long after, I began to get jealous over the coral growth rates in other tanks. My lighting wasn't sufficient for fast growth, nor would it support branching SPS corals... and yeah, I wanted to be able to support any coral I wanted, and I didn't want them growing as slow as molasses in winter. Less than a year in, the first light, (still works, can still handle an easy reef), was taken down and replaced with a much better light. I view 'buying lighting twice' as one of the worst mistakes I've made so far, so always, always, always recommend that folks buy the right light the first time, because buying it twice only costs more in the long run.

So, if lighting is an extra expense anyway, then I've got what I view as 'better' tanks to look at. Also, I know this is for the future, but even then, don't discount how cheap tanks and lighting can be had at this time of year. Black Friday and other holiday sales offer significant discounts.

If you like the cube look, then I present to you one of my favorite tanks, the IM25 Lagoon.


Personally, I am partial to long tanks because I believe they offer more in the way of scaping, and they certainly offer more side to side swim space (important with Saltwater fish) and more territorial room, (also important because, in saltwater, even nano fish can have big attitudes.) So, personally, I'd want the IM30 Long.

 

Okay... so I have no experience with BioCubes and will admit to a distaste for the look of the canopy, but hey, that's a personal problem.

The thing in my mind is... if you want a full mixed reef someday, and don't want to worry about upgrading stock lighting and pumps, well, why not get what you want from the start? Innovative Marine tanks are more expensive, but in my humble opinion, they look a lot better than BioCubes. They also do not come with stock lighting, which of course factors into the overall price. But again, BioCube stock lighting is not great for anything but the most forgiving corals. If you're anything like me, and a lot of other reefers, you'll start with those easier corals, but it won't stop there. You'll end up seeing a higher light coral, and you just love it, but will the tank support it?

It's a loooong story, but suffice to say that I started my tank with a light that cost about $200, and yes, it would do okay. But not too long after, I began to get jealous over the coral growth rates in other tanks. My lighting wasn't sufficient for fast growth, nor would it support branching SPS corals... and yeah, I wanted to be able to support any coral I wanted, and I didn't want them growing as slow as molasses in winter. Less than a year in, the first light, (still works, can still handle an easy reef), was taken down and replaced with a much better light. I view 'buying lighting twice' as one of the worst mistakes I've made so far, so always, always, always recommend that folks buy the right light the first time, because buying it twice only costs more in the long run.

So, if lighting is an extra expense anyway, then I've got what I view as 'better' tanks to look at. Also, I know this is for the future, but even then, don't discount how cheap tanks and lighting can be had at this time of year. Black Friday and other holiday sales offer significant discounts.

If you like the cube look, then I present to you one of my favorite tanks, the IM25 Lagoon.


Personally, I am partial to long tanks because I believe they offer more in the way of scaping, and they certainly offer more side to side swim space (important with Saltwater fish) and more territorial room, (also important because, in saltwater, even nano fish can have big attitudes.) So, personally, I'd want the IM30 Long.

If I hadn’t liked the biocube so much I would have probably agreed with stella1979
They are decent tanks too... but seeing as most nano reefers are looking for simplicity the biocube has just that.... but either is good...

They would be my top 2 tanks.... but I went with the biocube because (as far as coral growth) even with the tank stand and LED upgrade which allows you to grow absolutely anything (Steve’s) the biocube still comes out cheaper... and as for replacing pumps and such... you don’t have to and IF you do then you have an extra... you always will need an extra with any tank for mixing your new water... so a lot of the upgrades actually can help/save you money...
The biocube has come along way from the old 29’s the 16 and 32’s are build much better... even if you stay stock and if you know what you are doing with corals even with the stock lighting I have seen people successfully grow sos in there.... and it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say you can ONLY grow the most forgiving corals... many many people grow all kinds with the stock lighting... I don’t just have the “most forgiving corals” and mine are perfectly fine... I don’t have sps but I do have softies of all kinds and lps.... (my experience is also that my biocube is run and looked after by a 12 year old... it’s his tank in his room) that’s how easy it is... lol he does it all himself

If it your first time doing anything to do with saltwater (like never had a brackish tank or anything) I would go with the biocube but if you have even a little experience then you could look into the IM... Both are good tanks but you don’t get to be the number 1 AIO/nano tank for just no reason.... and there are a million ways you can customize them or simply leave them as is...
As for fish you may want to think about what you want because yes, long tanks are better for some fish... so that could impact it...

In my 32 I stock:
2x O. Clowns
1x Blue Green Chromis
1x Purple Fire Fish
1x Yellow Watchman Goby with a paired Tiger Pistol Shrimp
And various snails....

Everyone has there own room and a ton of space!
Like I mentioned in my first post the best thing you can do is research research research! And GO SLOW lol if you try and rush things then it will be nothing but problem after problem

 

Francine You are right in that I should have chosen my words more carefully. I'm truly sorry for sounding+ negative. I don't want to debate a subject that comes down to personal preference, only to share an alternate pov. Please recall that I started that post with stating my own personal problem with the looks of BioCubes. I'll not say that they're ugly, because looks are judged in the eyes of the receiver. So, personally, I do not like the encased look given my the tank's canopy, nor the distortion from curved edges. The only reason I bring up my personal taste is for the OP to consider the pov and decide if she agrees with it or not. No harm done I don't think. Also, best to take all things into consideration before a big purchase.

My other point is, every time I read anything about a BioCube, folks are talking about upgrades. There's nothing wrong with that btw. However, while the tank and upgrades might be less expensive, it just isn't my cup of tea to get something brand new with the idea of having to change anything. Seems worth mentioning that I've got the knock-off MaxiJet MJ1200 that's been running a Freshwater tank for two years, and I've got a $6 SunSun wavemaker that is perfectly capable of mixing saltwater. So, because I don't require great equipment for spares, I don't view the leftovers from upgrading as a huge benefit.

I can't speak for every BioCube out there, but I have yet to see thriving branching SPS corals under BioCube's stock lighting. I might be wrong and certainly can't say that I've seen all the internet has to offer on the subject. What I can say is, I came across a seriously sweet deal on a dreamed of SPS, the Green Slimer Acro. I still had my old light, which supported my tank for a year, but this was my first SPS and less than $5, so I couldn't say no. The light upgrade was on the horizon, so I got the Slimer. Less than two months later, I got a bangin' light, but the damage, though not yet visible, had already set in. Soon after the new light, the Slimer started showing signs of STN, (slow tissue necrosis), and I'm positive this started because he wasn't receiving high enough light prior to the upgrade. The new light offers more than enough, but it didn't reverse the issue that already started. It's been 8 months since the light upgrade, and the Slimer still suffers. He'll never grow and although it is seriously slow, it is a very slow death he is experiencing, and... I'll never get another for the same price as I got this guy. So yeah, it makes me a little sad.

So, while I'm not here to argue, my experience has taught me that lighting is not something to mess around with. Nearly two years in, (so not very long at all) I have spent more than I care to admit on lighting because I had to buy it twice. Did I really have to? Nah, probably not, but the old light did hold me back, and that was not what I hoped for when starting this venture.

I also do not find little to no experience to be a good reason for... hmmm, idk the word I want to use here, and seriously, the BioCube is not a bad tank... but if it falls into the category of not being precisely what the aquarist wants, then why should experience level dictate settling on it? Our first salty tanks give us that experience we're looking for, so I think it's best to get the most out of them... instead of settling and hoping for an upgrade in the early days. However, plenty of my reefer buds always look at bigger and better, and can't wait to step up to the next level of reefing. I may be the odd one out, because I do not look for what's next, and want to get the most out of my current tank.

Anyhow, again, I'm not trying to down the BioCube in any way. Any big purchase deserves a hard look and I only hope to help Princethepurplebetta to see all the angles. Personally, the tank and filtration is the cheapest part of my own reef. Shoot, I spend a lot more on the betta's tank, lol. For the reef, I've got a standard 20 gallon long, picked up at a $1 per gallon sale, and put a slightly modified HOB filter/refugium on it. This 'regular' setup is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. A reef build is a big undertaking and a big kick in the wallet, so my goal when advising beginners is only to present as much info as I can. And on that note, there are some excellent stickies in the Saltwater Beginner's forum.

 

Francine You are right in that I should have chosen my words more carefully. I'm truly sorry for sounding+ negative. I don't want to debate a subject that comes down to personal preference, only to share an alternate pov. Please recall that I started that post with stating my own personal problem with the looks of BioCubes. I'll not say that they're ugly, because looks are judged in the eyes of the receiver. So, personally, I do not like the encased look given my the tank's canopy, nor the distortion from curved edges. The only reason I bring up my personal taste is for the OP to consider the pov and decide if she agrees with it or not. No harm done I don't think. Also, best to take all things into consideration before a big purchase.

My other point is, every time I read anything about a BioCube, folks are talking about upgrades. There's nothing wrong with that btw. However, while the tank and upgrades might be less expensive, it just isn't my cup of tea to get something brand new with the idea of having to change anything. Seems worth mentioning that I've got the knock-off MaxiJet MJ1200 that's been running a Freshwater tank for two years, and I've got a $6 SunSun wavemaker that is perfectly capable of mixing saltwater. So, because I don't require great equipment for spares, I don't view the leftovers from upgrading as a huge benefit.

I can't speak for every BioCube out there, but I have yet to see thriving branching SPS corals under BioCube's stock lighting. I might be wrong and certainly can't say that I've seen all the internet has to offer on the subject. What I can say is, I came across a seriously sweet deal on a dreamed of SPS, the Green Slimer Acro. I still had my old light, which supported my tank for a year, but this was my first SPS and less than $5, so I couldn't say no. The light upgrade was on the horizon, so I got the Slimer. Less than two months later, I got a bangin' light, but the damage, though not yet visible, had already set in. Soon after the new light, the Slimer started showing signs of STN, (slow tissue necrosis), and I'm positive this started because he wasn't receiving high enough light prior to the upgrade. The new light offers more than enough, but it didn't reverse the issue that already started. It's been 8 months since the light upgrade, and the Slimer still suffers. He'll never grow and although it is seriously slow, it is a very slow death he is experiencing, and... I'll never get another for the same price as I got this guy. So yeah, it makes me a little sad.

So, while I'm not here to argue, my experience has taught me that lighting is not something to mess around with. Nearly two years in, (so not very long at all) I have spent more than I care to admit on lighting because I had to buy it twice. Did I really have to? Nah, probably not, but the old light did hold me back, and that was not what I hoped for when starting this venture.

I also do not find little to no experience to be a good reason for... hmmm, idk the word I want to use here, and seriously, the BioCube is not a bad tank... but if it falls into the category of not being precisely what the aquarist wants, then why should experience level dictate settling on it? Our first salty tanks give us that experience we're looking for, so I think it's best to get the most out of them... instead of settling and hoping for an upgrade in the early days. However, plenty of my reefer buds always look at bigger and better, and can't wait to step up to the next level of reefing. I may be the odd one out, because I do not look for what's next, and want to get the most out of my current tank.

Anyhow, again, I'm not trying to down the BioCube in any way. Any big purchase deserves a hard look and I only hope to help Princethepurplebetta to see all the angles. Personally, the tank and filtration is the cheapest part of my own reef. Shoot, I spend a lot more on the betta's tank, lol. For the reef, I've got a standard 20 gallon long, picked up at a $1 per gallon sale, and put a slightly modified HOB filter/refugium on it. This 'regular' setup is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. A reef build is a big undertaking and a big kick in the wallet, so my goal when advising beginners is only to present as much info as I can. And on that note, there are some excellent stickies in the Saltwater Beginner's forum.

Nothing to be sorry about lol
It really depends on a lot and the upgrades and negative reviews you see and read are all about the 29 gallon ones and the older ones that came with the bioballs...
They have changed things up quite a bit to make them much better and yes the shape would come down to personal preference...
The upgrades are not “a must have” the reason why we do the upgrades is because it makes things even more easier.... and they are not expensive upgrades... depending on how far you want to go.... like the most popular ones are the InTank replacements and the MJ1200
And you are either 1- lucky because if you do a search on maxI jet 1200 vs MJ1200 you will see where many peoples have not even lasted 6 months... they used to be the same pump however the maxI jets are now made in China and the MJ’s by cobalt are still made in Italy as the originals... so don’t jinx yourself.... but either way the OP will need a second pump for mixing so why not buy the most reliable one (and the one that’s most commonly used) for your tank and then use the stock pump for mixing salt... or as I did and bought 2 MJ1200’s and left my stock pump in the box in my closet in case of emergency.... this way if something goes wrong I can always use the stock pump.... I think with a Saltwater tank (or any tank) you should always have a back up... all my HOB tanks have 2 filters and my canister filtered tanks all have a HOB as well... this way you are never stuck or trapped... that’s why I recommend (as will most others) to use the MJ and not the maxI jet because it’s just more reliable... and when I have thousands of dollars invested into something I want something that’s the most reliable and does not have so many negative reviews... here’s just one example of the amount of people (some of who have had both) the majority is complaining about the maxI jets and ended up replacing them with the MJ or something different all together... so like I said consider yourself lucky lol

Cobalt vs. Marineland MaxiJets -

 

The Biocube will be sufficient for the basic stocking the OP listed, although as I learned with my 36 gallon bowfront tank kit, if you are going to end up replacing most of the components then it makes sense to go with a different option as you end up paying for equipment you won't use much and then rebuying it. The other issue for me personally, is that I am not a fan of the cube dimensions in terms of usable space/stocking options. The cubes definitely are convenient for footprint/space constraints and basic starting equipment, but they can limit stocking options and the later upgrades kind of defeat the practicality of them. In this size range I prefer holding out for a 50% off sale at Petco on their 40 gallon breeder tanks and then buying the equipment that I would want for the set tank. The 40 breeder would give you more stocking options for fish (ie Pygmy Angel, Flasher Wrasse) and you would only be paying for the set items that you buy instead of buying all the equipment and then upgrading.

A 32 gallon biocube comes with most equipment for just shy of $300 from Amazon but will still need a minimum of a separate tank heater and powerhead/wavemaker purchased to have all the mechanical equipment you need to get started. With the cost of these additional items you will be in about the $390 range with all equipment for a 32 gallon biocube. This would be the breakdown for a FOWLR (no corals) setup for a 40 breeder

40 breeder tank $50 (Petco)
Screen top $20-$30 (Amazon)
Fluval 70 HOB Filter $50 (though Petsmart's website), possibly less if they are running a coupon
Koralia Hydor 3rd Gen 1950gph powerhead $65 through Amazon
Eheim Jager 150 watt tank heater $33 through Amazon
Finnex 36 inch LED $60 through Amazon

That's $288 to get you started with the mechanical equipment for the tank and although the light won't be the best for corals, it would probably be comparable to the biocube light (if not slightly better). The other advantage to this setup is that it's much more flexible for upgrades and other than cutting a slot in the screen top for the HOB filter you won't need to modify anything to get it to fit.

 

It all depends on what he wants for simplicity.... again the biocube is the worlds most popular AIO tank and “beginner” tank sold...
When it’s the number 1 tank sold and used in the world there has to be something good about it! Lol... I recently got both the tank and stand for just over 300$ and if you live in that states and look online it’s was even cheaper....
It all depends on what your looking for in a tank... and there are a million ways to change and customize them to make the all different or you can run them all stock

like the ways mentioned above... one (mine) comes with everything except the rock sand and water....(and obvious accessories like a heater ect)

Some you have to buy all separate parts and pieces and some people don’t want to be bothered with that... they just want the plug and play like the biocube

And then you can go full scale and have just a sump the size of the tank we are talking about or bigger.... lo

It honestly is like that saying there are 100 ways to skin a cat.... and unfortunately for the OP no matter what kind of tank you pick and choose you are going to run into this through the WHOLE process.... I find with Freshwater there are some disagreements like tank size for certain fish or number of fish in a school but with saltwater it gets really bad lol I find like 100x worse... you will get like 100 different answers to the same question... all the way from what to run in your tank to how much and what to feed your fish to what testing equipment works the best.... it’s going to be harder that freshwater but it’s a lot of trial and error.... doing a lot of research (not just going by forums but they certainly can help.... or make you more confused lol) but like I said one of the ONLY common things you will hear from EVERYONE is take it slow.... do not try to rush anything... like 10x slower than freshwater lol
That’s my best advice no matter what tank you choose just put in the research.... as silly as it may sound I would start about thinking about what kind of fish and how many you want... same with inverts do you want just snails or hermits or shrimp... what would be your ideal tank and the look at some corals... like don’t expect that you will be able to cycle this bad boy and throw an anemone in and feed it and it will grow.... (I’m sure you know that but you’d be surprised lol)

It’s no joke, I read on a forum the other day...(this will make you both laugh from the stupidity and cry for the poor clown fish)
This lady makes a thread wondering what is possibly wrong with her clownfish so people are spending pages and pages asking about symptoms and such and then (about page 3 or 4 it came out...)
This woman has thought that saltwater was literally table salt in water mixed up... however (yes it gets worse).... she said she read online that it’s usually about a half a cup per gallon of water so she figured that would cost a lot in table salt so she used the salt for her home water softener.... I’m not even kidding....
She literally filled a normal tank with sand and no rock at all.... then she mixed in her buckets of water 1/2 cup of water softener salt per gallon poured it in the tank... ran the hob filter and it cleared in a couple hours and she went the same day and bought a O. Clownfish and just dumped him in the tank (actually I think she MIGHT have temp acclimated him in the bag.... and then dumped him in... and then was posting wondering if she got a sick fish ect ect... and because of the symptoms it was showing people were recommending fresh water dips and all kinds of stuff she was doing it all... and all at once.... so the bottom line to my (funny but really not so funny because that poor poor fish ) is you will make mistakes it’s nearly guaranteed... but figure out what you want from your tank... some people only want soft corals, some want a combo of them and lps, some want all three softies, lps and sps....
Then you need to figure out what and how m at fish/inverts you want and THEN look at ta n options...

You might find the 32 is not suitable for what you want or you may find that it’s exactly what you want... so IMO I’d get a realistic vision of what you want to accomplish and have your tank looking like in about 1-2 years and then pick one out and figure out what upgrades (if any you need...

On a side note for my fellow reefers who commented.... if you guys have not seen the Scionix (don’t know how to spell it lol) pen- it’s like the ice cap one but 100x better.... have a look at it! You will never ever use a refractometer or hydrometer again in your life!!

Same with the autoaqua AWC.... this thing is amazing.... takes like 1/2 hour or less to set up and is sooook tiny your wouldn’t believe how this thing can work.... no more water changes... I just blast my rocks and set it for a manual change like maybe 5 times a year or so to change more water but it is the best invention ever!!

 

WOW - a lot of text here, and some solid advice.

I'll offer my two cents.

I don't think there's an AIO setup (FW or SW) on the market that is out-of-the-box perfect. The Red Sea Max S and Reefer lines come pretty close, but for the price of them, they'd want to be! The Max S 650 is probably the only 'perfect' all-in-one I've seen, everything is spot on in terms of specs of pumps, skimmer and lighting.

Being number 1 in the market, whilst impressive, shouldn't dictate suitability. The Biocube is by no-means perfect, but I think the appeal is in the versatility and ability to upgrade. It's kind of like the Honda Civic being so popular in the street community... Why, because they're affordable, and easy to modify.

The Biocube is a great starter system, as is the JBL Nano, as are the Red Sea Max Nano and E series, as long as your expectations don't exceed the capabilities of the system.

For the OP - what types of corals do you think you want to keep? The Biocube might be better owing to it's adaptability, or if you're not one that likes to tinker, then maybe the Red Sea E series might be better for you (depending on budget).

I think all-in-ones are a great way to start, and are generally more aesthetically pleasing. That said, having owned a number of them, I now prefer to build my own systems, but that's what comes with experience. The only exception is the Max S 650, I would definitely buy one of those and run it stock!

So, to summarise, yes, the Biocube would be a great starter, especially with what you want to stock (depending on which corals), but then, many others on the market are great too. I'd start with which one you think looks the best to you, and go from there.

 

WOW - a lot of text here, and some solid advice.

I'll offer my two cents.

I don't think there's an AIO setup (FW or SW) on the market that is out-of-the-box perfect. The Red Sea Max S and Reefer lines come pretty close, but for the price of them, they'd want to be! The Max S 650 is probably the only 'perfect' all-in-one I've seen, everything is spot on in terms of specs of pumps, skimmer and lighting.

Being number 1 in the market, whilst impressive, shouldn't dictate suitability. The Biocube is by no-means perfect, but I think the appeal is in the versatility and ability to upgrade. It's kind of like the Honda Civic being so popular in the street community... Why, because they're affordable, and easy to modify.

The Biocube is a great starter system, as is the JBL Nano, as are the Red Sea Max Nano and E series, as long as your expectations don't exceed the capabilities of the system.

For the OP - what types of corals do you think you want to keep? The Biocube might be better owing to it's adaptability, or if you're not one that likes to tinker, then maybe the Red Sea E series might be better for you (depending on budget).

I think all-in-ones are a great way to start, and are generally more aesthetically pleasing. That said, having owned a number of them, I now prefer to build my own systems, but that's what comes with experience. The only exception is the Max S 650, I would definitely buy one of those and run it stock!

So, to summarise, yes, the Biocube would be a great starter, especially with what you want to stock (depending on which corals), but then, many others on the market are great too. I'd start with which one you think looks the best to you, and go from there.

I haven't looked much yet into many corals besides what Petco has. I do like the hammer corals, the green stars, torches and I like bubble corals so far (not sure where to place corals yet either, will be continuing my research )

 

Oooh, I love LPS
Just a word of warning, DO NOT get Pulsing Xenia (Waving Hand) - It grows like a weed, and would quickly over-run a smaller tank.
If you want some more ideas about coral care, here's a pretty good reference

 

It all depends on what he wants for simplicity.... again the biocube is the worlds most popular AIO tank and “beginner” tank sold...
When it’s the number 1 tank sold and used in the world there has to be something good about it! Lol... I recently got both the tank and stand for just over 300$ and if you live in that states and look online it’s was even cheaper....
It all depends on what your looking for in a tank... and there are a million ways to change and customize them to make the all different or you can run them all stock

like the ways mentioned above... one (mine) comes with everything except the rock sand and water....(and obvious accessories like a heater ect)

Some you have to buy all separate parts and pieces and some people don’t want to be bothered with that... they just want the plug and play like the biocube

And then you can go full scale and have just a sump the size of the tank we are talking about or bigger.... lo

It honestly is like that saying there are 100 ways to skin a cat.... and unfortunately for the OP no matter what kind of tank you pick and choose you are going to run into this through the WHOLE process.... I find with Freshwater there are some disagreements like tank size for certain fish or number of fish in a school but with saltwater it gets really bad lol I find like 100x worse... you will get like 100 different answers to the same question... all the way from what to run in your tank to how much and what to feed your fish to what testing equipment works the best.... it’s going to be harder that freshwater but it’s a lot of trial and error.... doing a lot of research (not just going by forums but they certainly can help.... or make you more confused lol) but like I said one of the ONLY common things you will hear from EVERYONE is take it slow.... do not try to rush anything... like 10x slower than freshwater lol
That’s my best advice no matter what tank you choose just put in the research.... as silly as it may sound I would start about thinking about what kind of fish and how many you want... same with inverts do you want just snails or hermits or shrimp... what would be your ideal tank and the look at some corals... like don’t expect that you will be able to cycle this bad boy and throw an anemone in and feed it and it will grow.... (I’m sure you know that but you’d be surprised lol)

It’s no joke, I read on a forum the other day...(this will make you both laugh from the stupidity and cry for the poor clown fish)
This lady makes a thread wondering what is possibly wrong with her clownfish so people are spending pages and pages asking about symptoms and such and then (about page 3 or 4 it came out...)
This woman has thought that saltwater was literally table salt in water mixed up... however (yes it gets worse).... she said she read online that it’s usually about a half a cup per gallon of water so she figured that would cost a lot in table salt so she used the salt for her home water softener.... I’m not even kidding....
She literally filled a normal tank with sand and no rock at all.... then she mixed in her buckets of water 1/2 cup of water softener salt per gallon poured it in the tank... ran the hob filter and it cleared in a couple hours and she went the same day and bought a O. Clownfish and just dumped him in the tank (actually I think she MIGHT have temp acclimated him in the bag.... and then dumped him in... and then was posting wondering if she got a sick fish ect ect... and because of the symptoms it was showing people were recommending fresh water dips and all kinds of stuff she was doing it all... and all at once.... so the bottom line to my (funny but really not so funny because that poor poor fish ) is you will make mistakes it’s nearly guaranteed... but figure out what you want from your tank... some people only want soft corals, some want a combo of them and lps, some want all three softies, lps and sps....
Then you need to figure out what and how m at fish/inverts you want and THEN look at ta n options...

You might find the 32 is not suitable for what you want or you may find that it’s exactly what you want... so IMO I’d get a realistic vision of what you want to accomplish and have your tank looking like in about 1-2 years and then pick one out and figure out what upgrades (if any you need...

On a side note for my fellow reefers who commented.... if you guys have not seen the Scionix (don’t know how to spell it lol) pen- it’s like the ice cap one but 100x better.... have a look at it! You will never ever use a refractometer or hydrometer again in your life!!

Same with the autoaqua AWC.... this thing is amazing.... takes like 1/2 hour or less to set up and is sooook tiny your wouldn’t believe how this thing can work.... no more water changes... I just blast my rocks and set it for a manual change like maybe 5 times a year or so to change more water but it is the best invention ever!!

Don't get me wrong, I think the Biocube definitely has it's place and it does simplify things from a beginner perspective. They are a great choice if you have limited space, BUT from a long term perspective, I feel that a person (provided they have the space) would be better off spending the money on a setup and equipment that will offer more flexibility in terms of stocking options and equipment that a person would want from the get go (instead of rebuying it as they go). The only piece of equipment that would be upgraded later on with the 40 breeder setup I mentioned would be the lighting (and the OP could likely sell the old light for close to what they paid for it). Once again, I am not bashing on the biocubes, I am just pointing out that overall there are better long term investments.