Nyos has released information on their latest generation aquarium model – the Opus G2 300. Like its predecessor the Opus 300, The new Opus G2 300 will come in just one 35.4” x 21.7” x 20.9” (90x55x53cm,) model size, only this time with a larger reservoir, purple pipework and two cabinet options – Slim-Line, and Pro-Line.
When Nyos made their aquarium debut at Interzoo 2018, the reefing world stood up and took notice. Like their skimmers and reactors, the Opus aquarium had the design worked into it that made the rimless reef tank manage to stand out from its competitors. The weir was recessed into the rear glass, the background navy blue, and the low-iron glass lined in clear, not standard black silicone.
Most different however was the look of the cabinet. Oversized when compared to the aquarium dimensions, the Opus cabinet was designed so that the tank would travel inside it for safety during shipping, but would then sit inside a chunky recess when placed on top.
Less impressive was the small, basic sump inside with an even smaller gravity-fed top-up reservoir. But with the doors shut the new, different design of the Opus 300 made it shine in isolation, versus a sea of similarity from other manufacturers.
Slow start
Fast forward to the first production models however and that chunky cabinet proved not to everyone’s taste. Instead of hiding ugly algae the recessed cabinet top collected drips and at just 127cm total height on a 76cm tall cabinet, it looked dumpy and out of place when lined up next to taller, more standard height tanks. And it cost more too.
The design tweaks that should have made it stand apart from its competitors clearly did that, but enough to make people choose the more familiar rimless designs, black background, silicone, and weir boxes of other manufacturers instead, despite the success of the Nyos brand in other areas. Opus spread from Europe into the UK but no further, not making it across the Atlantic to the US.
The G2 300
Now the Opus 300 has had a relaunch, the biggest change is that you now have a choice of two different cabinet designs. The chunky one reminiscent of the Gen 1 cabinet now becomes the Pro-Line cabinet option, with a more conventional design being offered as well called Slim-Line.
Both cabinet options have grown in height taking tank and cabinet from 50-55” (127-140cm,) total height and both are epoxy coated and available in either matt white or basalt grey. The Pro’s credentials are then further enhanced with adjustable feet, double-thick 1 ½” (38mm,) doors and 125-degree soft close hinges. The larger footprint of the Pro-Line also offers more internal space versus the Slim Line.
Sump redesign
The sump has also had a revamp, replacing the tiny 1.7 gallons (6.5 liters,) top mounting reservoir with a 5.8 gallons (22 liters,) side-sitting one, and the float valve has gone too, meaning a top-up device will be necessary to utilize it. The sump has been redesigned to enable a larger area for skimmer and reactor (not supplied,) the 4” sock is now nylon for greater longevity between cleans and the pipework is now in fetching purple, with a different precision valve to before.
So is this enough of a change to enable Opus 300 2.0 to compete better in the global reef aquarium marketplace and make it appeal to more potential buyers? The Slim-Line cabinet will be much more in keeping with most reefkeeper’s tastes and we hope there will be a price reduction versus the Pro-Line to boot.
Taller cabinets mean more room inside although we would prefer the centrally mounted sump to be pushed either left or right, enabling a dry chamber for electricals. And for a tank to be fit for 2022, we would like to have seen better provision for roller filter attachment in that sump area, a way of fitting a single mounting arm that doesn’t get in the way of the rear weir, and a double return line instead of a single, forward-facing one.
Of the two cabinet designs, we predict the Slim Line will be the most popular of the two, which will then hopefully pave the way for both smaller and larger Opus aquarium models in the future. And a wider reach.
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