Dymax IQ3 Unboxed: A Big Look At A Little Aquarium

It was not that long ago that Dymax IQ3 Aquarium was just something to admire from afar. That changed when 3reef Sponsor Big Al's Online became a USA distributor. Right away I knew I had to pick one of these up and placed my order. Upon arrival, I was struck by two things right away: the thickness of the acrylic and the weight as I removed it from the box - this is not a flimsy kiddie tank.








































As you can see from all these pictures I was pretty excited with this little Dymax. The polish and attention to detail exceeded my expectations. The core - that is, the aquarium - feels rugged and should last for years with proper care. Even the LED lamp has some weight to it, had a lot of polished metal and even a dim switch. The rounded corners with the thick 1/4" acrylic, the stylish back and side panels and an uncommon built-in overflow all were nice touches. Together it gave a nice impression of a finished, well thought out aquarium. I was impressed. Sure it only holds a little over 2 gallons of water, but the details are so nice that you feel like you are getting a lot for just $70.

After I admired it, I quickly disassembled the whole thing in about a minute - removing the pump and the wet/dry filter plate and sponge filter media and realized that this little unit is not only easy to clean, but easily upgradeable for the people that like to push the boundaries. I could see people trying different pumps and replacing the light with a CREE LED retrofit for demanding corals.

The LED lamp on the IQ3 as mentioned is polished like the rest of the kit and I think the dial dim switch is pretty cool. As shown below, it has a range of light intensity. The spectrum is a cool blue/white.



Low Light Setting


High Light Setting

Thomas and the staff at Big Al have some nice planted tanks going and I can't wait to see what the salt crowd does with these. This could be the ultimate office desk tank. Just show up to work! You will need to stay up on evaporation with this unit. Small price to pay for such a cool factor though.

Bottom line is this little Dymax aquarium should be a big hit. And a big thanks to Big Al's Online for picking it up.

Dymax IQ3 at Big Al's:
Dymax IQ3 Acrylic Aquarium - Tanks - Aquarium Kits at BigalsOnline

Big Al Dymax Threads:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/big-als-online/big-als-dymax-planted-pico-new-update-89451.html

http://www.3reef.com/forums/big-als-online/dymax-contest-bigalsonline-com-91192.html

Original 3reef Thread:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/fish-tank-brands-kits/dymax-iq3-pico-aquarium-77902.html

 

Thats one cool tank!, How about a florida ric overload!

 

Good call. I was thinking of a bunch of ricordias.. maybe this bubble I have already and a shrimp.

 

About the filter - the wet/dry is that big black sponge and the prefilter is the white pad. I was thinking that bio-balls might work, but they would have to be to scale for this thing - I think the sponge would be fine in hindsight. Kicking myself for getting rid of my small heater. This thing did not come with instructions by the way. Not that they are really needed, but I did think that was a bit odd.

matt

 

that is a really retro looking tank there Matt, im interested in seeing what you can do with it

As you said, only downfall is that you have to watch top off... on nanos/picos it gets tedious after a while :-/

 

Great write up, thanks

 

No problem. I really like this tank.

Yeah I hear ya. I wonder if I can stick a Tunze ATO above the pump on this. I might have an extra one soon and it just might fit.

I am determined to set this up. However I am facing resistance on two fronts. One from the boss at home that is already surrounded by aquariums and one from my boss at work that is worried about it spilling on the computer. I will break one of them down.

matt

 

Matt,

I got the same pushback from my boss at work about starting my planted aquarium, and got her to say, "Well i wouldn't feel comfortable if that was on your desk, but otherwise i'd be ok with it."

The next day I showed up with a steel utility rack that's now between my desk and the wall, where my 10 gallon sits. =) I mean... it's technically not on my desk....

 

Fantastic Matt! Excited to see the end result!

 

Thanks Thomas! I am excited to get it going.

Smart man.

I am pumped. I just got the green light from my boss on this. I have to put it opposite my computer on the desk and velco it down and put a lid on it as our office is an old ferry boat in San Francisco Bay that rocks a bit from wake waves. I think I can handle that!

matt