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Innovative Marine Nuvo 24 - Complete failure. Do not buy. Ever.


AthenaAndApollo

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AthenaAndApollo

I am a beginner in the saltwater world, and previously ran a 30g freshwater tank with an angel and pleco. I recently purchased the Innovative Marine 24 gallon nuvo, as it is beautifully designed and an easy set-up. This particular tank cost me $400. After buying pre-cycled water, liverock, and pre-ordering fish, the bill came up to $980. Cha-ching! Well, I had the tank installed last Monday, and the LFS owner tested it for leaks beforehand (48 hours.) Here I am one week later with a torn down tank.

I woke up this morning, turned my T5 lighting on, fed the fish, and went to get breakfast. Everything was fine, nothing was out of the ordinary. 20 minutes later I come back to find water all over my desk and pouring out of the back of the tank onto the carpet. I quickly got help moving my two clownfish and various clean-up crew into a bowl and started siphoning out the water. (I had unplugged that sucker pretty fast.) The tank is now sitting on the patio still leaking. It seemed to be leaking from the right side and the front, through the bottom of the tank. It had been fine for a week and all of the sudden it needs to be torn down?

My fish are currently in a quarantine tank at a store near the LFS that I usually went to, but it was closed. I cannot believe what happened. I called Innovative Marine and the man sounded like he wasn't surprised and just casually asked for the serial number of the tank and so on.

I have to find a different brand of tank, and bigger than the last one as well. Do you have any reccomendations as what I should get next?

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aviator300

I have a recommendation that you're probably not going to like but I promise, if you don't take it seriously your going to end up one unhappy camper in the world of salt water tanks.

 

Dont buy anything at all yet until you have read, asked questions, scanned this forum, bought a book on Reef-keeping and studied it, learned everything about the nitrogen cycle as it relates to saltwater, and ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS do your own leak testing and tank instalation.

 

From what you said in your post, I get the feeling you know very little about saltwater reef tanks and you need to learn about them before setting another one up.

 

Example: You had the tank installed last monday and you had fish and a clean up crew in it already?

I read you bought "pre-cycled water" Do you know what the Nitrate, phosphate, calcium and

Magnesium levels were? There is no way that tank was cycled and ready for any sort of life

yet.

 

These things are all the kindergarten basics of reef-tanks and you need to learn them before you start again.

 

And BTW, why disrespect Innovative Marine with a heading like that. Their tanks are quality and well respected and many forum members use them. Tanks fail and so do most things every so often. If you want to blame someone, blame your LFS person who leak checked it and set it up and yourself for not.

 

I have not meant to offend you (although i probably have) and I really hope you do gain some knowledge but the last thing you need right now is to go out and immediately get another tank without significantly increasing your knowledge base...Good luck.

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Did your LFS charge you for "pre-cycled" water? If so, don't go back. Rock and sand cycle not water.

 

I also had a nuvo24 that failed recently, but IM made it right. Great customer service from them.

 

You should definately read some more, and take your time. Good luck with the next tank, I went with the fusion 30L, so far I like it much better.

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And BTW, why disrespect Innovative Marine with a heading like that. Their tanks are quality and well respected and many forum members use them. Tanks fail and so do most things every so often. If you want to blame someone, blame your LFS person who leak checked it and set it up and yourself for not.

Because as Stevie so aptly put it:

The IM24 is discontinued because of this. Look into the fusion 30 if you want an IM tank.

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AthenaAndApollo

We fixed the problem. There are two LFS around the same area, and I brought my fish to another one to hold. They told me that the owner of the other LFS has been in this business for 30+ years, and used to love what he did, but now could care less. The store itself looks run-down, but I thought I was getting quality. Until, upon further inspection, I found tanks near the back of the store with dead fish still in them, and close to 50 clowns in a 2 gallon tank. The owner there said that he wanted the live rock and sand back so that we could put it in the new 30g tank that IM is sending us. He also wanted us to bring the clowns back as well. (I didn't, of course.)

 

Aviator300, I was not offended. You are most definitely right. I should have done more research. I just assumed that the LFS owner knew what he was talking about. I had done tons of research before and had come to the conclusion that I needed to wait a month before I put anything in the tank, and had tested for spikes in ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. I went to the LFS knowing that this was what I needed to do, but the owner kept convincing and convincing me that he was to sell me "pre-cycled water, rocks, and sand" so I just took it. The clowns went in two days later, and thank god they're alright. They're now in a quarantine tank until IM can send us a new one. No livestock was lost, they're all fine and happy in a well-cared for 30g tank (all the inverts.)

 

I do have to say I am disappointed though that the IM 24 broke after one week. That shouldn't happen. It's a fish tank. It's supposed to be built to hold water. And, after spending $400 on that tank plus $500 in supplies from the could-care-less LFS owner, I am a little bit more than disappointed. $400 should ensure that I am getting a good tank, and I didn't. I am hesitant to get the new IM 30 but from what I've heard around the 'net, I think it'll be better than the 24.

 

This time, I plan to only consult with the LFS that my clowns and other livestock are. They are absolutely 100% engaged in a conversation with their customers and they genuinely care what they have to ask and say. The inside of their store is spotless, the fish are super healthy and happy, they have live feed stations which is great! (Plankton, Copepods, Mysis, etc., It's wonderful!) and three or four tanks full of lively happy LPS and SPS corals including giant clams! These people genuinely have a passion for what they do, and I'm going to listen to whatever they say. I plan to just wait a month for the new tank to cycle with their water, their rock, and their sand, and then add Athena and Apollo (the two clowns) back into the new tank. I really want to keep some SPS corals later on as well.

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Sounds like you are taking all of this in stride which is good. My guess is your 24 was one of the early, thinner glass versions. We had two of those and IM was GREAT in working with us. The third 24 they sent came on a pallet and had the thicker glass. We have had no issues with the tank. Glad you at least have a quality LFS and obviously the collective wisdom of this forum to assist with your new tank.

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Sorry to hear about the tank. I was gearing up to buy a nuvo 16 or 24 until i read all of the stories about cracking. Even one cracking is enough to deter me. I went with a Fusion 30L and I'm enjoying it so far, hope to be stocking soon.

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aviator300

We fixed the problem. There are two LFS around the same area, and I brought my fish to another one to hold. They told me that the owner of the other LFS has been in this business for 30+ years, and used to love what he did, but now could care less. The store itself looks run-down, but I thought I was getting quality. Until, upon further inspection, I found tanks near the back of the store with dead fish still in them, and close to 50 clowns in a 2 gallon tank. The owner there said that he wanted the live rock and sand back so that we could put it in the new 30g tank that IM is sending us. He also wanted us to bring the clowns back as well. (I didn't, of course.)

 

Aviator300, I was not offended. You are most definitely right. I should have done more research. I just assumed that the LFS owner knew what he was talking about. I had done tons of research before and had come to the conclusion that I needed to wait a month before I put anything in the tank, and had tested for spikes in ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. I went to the LFS knowing that this was what I needed to do, but the owner kept convincing and convincing me that he was to sell me "pre-cycled water, rocks, and sand" so I just took it. The clowns went in two days later, and thank god they're alright. They're now in a quarantine tank until IM can send us a new one. No livestock was lost, they're all fine and happy in a well-cared for 30g tank (all the invert

I do have to say I am disappointed though that the IM 24 broke after one week. That shouldn't happen. It's a fish tank. It's supposed to be built to hold water. And, after spending $400 on that tank plus $500 in supplies from the could-care-less LFS owner, I am a little bit more than disappointed. $400 should ensure that I am getting a good tank, and I didn't. I am hesitant to get the new IM 30 but from what I've heard around the 'net, I think it'll be better than the 24.

 

This time, I plan to only consult with the LFS that my clowns and other livestock are. They are absolutely 100% engaged in a conversation with their customers and they genuinely care what they have to ask and say. The inside of their store is spotless, the fish are super healthy and happy, they have live feed stations which is great! (Plankton, Copepods, Mysis, etc., It's wonderful!) and three or four tanks full of lively happy LPS and SPS corals including giant clams! These people genuinely have a passion for what they do, and I'm going to listen to whatever they say. I plan to just wait a month for the new tank to cycle with their water, their rock, and their sand, and then add Athena and Apollo (the two clowns) back into the new tank. I really want to keep some SPS corals later on as well.

I'm glad you weren't offended. When I read your original post, I was having a not so good day and I should not have let that cause me to go off on you like I think i did. Anyway, I wish you the very best of luck with your new tank and look forward to following your thread.

 

AVIATOR300

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Polarcollision

Sorry to hear your 24 leaked. The last I read was that serial numbers lower than 400 were made from the thinner glass that has all the problems. If you still have it I'd be curious if your serial number puts it in the thicker glass model range--hopefully the later model tanks aren't also failing... Both of my Nuvo 8 and 24 tanks have been model citizens so far.

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Steensj2004
I have a recommendation that you're probably not going to like but I promise, if you don't take it seriously your going to end up one unhappy camper in the world of salt water tanks.

 

Dont buy anything at all yet until you have read, asked questions, scanned this forum, bought a book on Reef-keeping and studied it, learned everything about the nitrogen cycle as it relates to saltwater, and ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS do your own leak testing and tank instalation.

 

From what you said in your post, I get the feeling you know very little about saltwater reef tanks and you need to learn about them before setting another one up.

 

Example: You had the tank installed last monday and you had fish and a clean up crew in it already?

I read you bought "pre-cycled water" Do you know what the Nitrate, phosphate, calcium and

Magnesium levels were? There is no way that tank was cycled and ready for any sort of life

yet.

 

These things are all the kindergarten basics of reef-tanks and you need to learn them before you start again.

 

And BTW, why disrespect Innovative Marine with a heading like that. Their tanks are quality and well respected and many forum members use them. Tanks fail and so do most things every so often. If you want to blame someone, blame your LFS person who leak checked it and set it up and yourself for not.

 

I have not meant to offend you (although i probably have) and I really hope you do gain some knowledge but the last thing you need right now is to go out and immediately get another tank without significantly increasing your knowledge base...Good luck.

 

Couldn't disagree more, seasoned water, seasoned/cured live rock and good sand when settiNg up a tank yield almost zero cycle. What is there to cycle? Done it many times, you gain a little bacteria in the water, and a large amount in quality liverock. He stated the tank was leak tested, and if the LFS is reputable, starting a tank this way is fine. Inverts put little bio load on the system to begin with.

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  • 1 month later...

Couldn't disagree more, seasoned water, seasoned/cured live rock and good sand when settiNg up a tank yield almost zero cycle. What is there to cycle? Done it many times, you gain a little bacteria in the water, and a large amount in quality liverock. He stated the tank was leak tested, and if the LFS is reputable, starting a tank this way is fine. Inverts put little bio load on the system to begin with.

 

Wouldn't this be almost the same as moving an existing tank? That's what I did and had no problems. I added corals right away, but I did wait a couple weeks before adding fish just to be sure.

 

No problems yet...

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Innovative marine: worst company ever

Nope not even close I could name a few if you like but IM has a good reputation, I bet the car you drive is made by a company that has had a recall that has killed people ... Yes killed people. Where as iM tank failures may have ruined your carpet and killed some corals and live stock if you weren't there but nobody is dead. So your statement is completely false and if they truly were the worst company they wouldn't be making thousands of dollars off of good tanks where one series was a failure... You can check the AIO thread because IM has the second largest index thread containing over 100 tanks just on rn and just the registered ones.

 

Also any tank can fail so just because their company experienced problems isn't entirely their fault at all most if it was due to transportation methods, curved glass doesn't move well and this caused micro cracks to form.

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We fixed the problem. There are two LFS around the same area, and I brought my fish to another one to hold. They told me that the owner of the other LFS has been in this business for 30+ years, and used to love what he did, but now could care less. The store itself looks run-down, but I thought I was getting quality. Until, upon further inspection, I found tanks near the back of the store with dead fish still in them, and close to 50 clowns in a 2 gallon tank. The owner there said that he wanted the live rock and sand back so that we could put it in the new 30g tank that IM is sending us. He also wanted us to bring the clowns back as well. (I didn't, of course.)

 

Aviator300, I was not offended. You are most definitely right. I should have done more research. I just assumed that the LFS owner knew what he was talking about. I had done tons of research before and had come to the conclusion that I needed to wait a month before I put anything in the tank, and had tested for spikes in ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. I went to the LFS knowing that this was what I needed to do, but the owner kept convincing and convincing me that he was to sell me "pre-cycled water, rocks, and sand" so I just took it. The clowns went in two days later, and thank god they're alright. They're now in a quarantine tank until IM can send us a new one. No livestock was lost, they're all fine and happy in a well-cared for 30g tank (all the inverts.)

 

I do have to say I am disappointed though that the IM 24 broke after one week. That shouldn't happen. It's a fish tank. It's supposed to be built to hold water. And, after spending $400 on that tank plus $500 in supplies from the could-care-less LFS owner, I am a little bit more than disappointed. $400 should ensure that I am getting a good tank, and I didn't. I am hesitant to get the new IM 30 but from what I've heard around the 'net, I think it'll be better than the 24.

 

This time, I plan to only consult with the LFS that my clowns and other livestock are. They are absolutely 100% engaged in a conversation with their customers and they genuinely care what they have to ask and say. The inside of their store is spotless, the fish are super healthy and happy, they have live feed stations which is great! (Plankton, Copepods, Mysis, etc., It's wonderful!) and three or four tanks full of lively happy LPS and SPS corals including giant clams! These people genuinely have a passion for what they do, and I'm going to listen to whatever they say. I plan to just wait a month for the new tank to cycle with their water, their rock, and their sand, and then add Athena and Apollo (the two clowns) back into the new tank. I really want to keep some SPS corals later on as well.

 

I'm glad they sorted everything out, they became aware of the problem quite early (probably why he sounded casual on the phone) they probably should have called a complete recall on them but most people were aware and got a new tank. You shouldn't be disappointed with the 30.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I too went through a failing nuvo 24. Mine was leaking at both bottom corners on the front curved area. Unfortunate yes but IM and marine depot did good and now rocking a fusion 30l. The build quality is amazing on this tank IMO and the low iron glass is worth every penny. Would never go back and almost in a way glad it happened after the struggle of course. Good luck with the new tank and welcome to reefing. It'll get better from here

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  • 4 weeks later...

What kind of process did the two companies (IM/MD) go through to replace your tank?
Was there any out of pocket expenses on your end?

Are you expected to just throw away your current setup or did they ask you to pay to ship it to them?

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What kind of process did the two companies (IM/MD) go through to replace your tank?

Was there any out of pocket expenses on your end?

Are you expected to just throw away your current setup or did they ask you to pay to ship it to them?

My understanding is that MD is out of the picture once you have the tank and warranty set up. I have no personal experience with replacing a tank (though IM was very helpful in getting a tank that was backordered through a different vendor), but a number of people on the internet report having to pay to return the OLD broken tank, pay for a NEW tank and shipping, and then if IM decides that the failure of the OLD tank was a legitimate failure on their part, they refund the cost of the NEW tank. I hope that this is not really true, just angry BSing of the few that have written about this... If so, it's a really poor practice.

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Well, I have been experiencing a slow leak from my tank IM NUVO 16- I hope I didn't jinx myself by chiming in on conversations about these issues, but my concerns have now just smacked me in my face. I'd be hard pressed to send back my tank just to wait for them to get me another one to replace while I play Russian Roulette each day to finally come home to my apartment being flooded, fish lost and all corals gone.

 

I'll have to make my inquiry with BRS/IM today... I will not be shelling out money upfront for shipping costs if that is their request. The cost of shipping this thing will be absurd, and how am I supposed to send them the tank back without the original packaging.. I'd be shocked if it got back to them in tact-- I bet it would be in pieces.

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Paandemonium

Well, I have been experiencing a slow leak from my tank IM NUVO 16- I hope I didn't jinx myself by chiming in on conversations about these issues, but my concerns have now just smacked me in my face. I'd be hard pressed to send back my tank just to wait for them to get me another one to replace while I play Russian Roulette each day to finally come home to my apartment being flooded, fish lost and all corals gone.

 

I'll have to make my inquiry with BRS/IM today... I will not be shelling out money upfront for shipping costs if that is their request. The cost of shipping this thing will be absurd, and how am I supposed to send them the tank back without the original packaging.. I'd be shocked if it got back to them in tact-- I bet it would be in pieces.

Considering the fact that they pay basically nothing for shipping what you would be spending on sending it back + getting the new one could pay for a new tank. It's not cheap to package these properly and send them out from a regular hobbyist's end. Seeing that they've been making you guys do this on returns/ exchanges seems absurd. I'm sure you paid top dollar for that tank and now you get to pay even more because they couldn't build a tank properly? Nope.

Also, since my nano cube cracked a couple years ago I'll never buy anything with rounded glass.

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I found why I had a slow leak in the tank, or may I say the lack there of. Someone in my household ..ahem.. I should put her on blast for messing with the tank :) Tampered with the Wave Mode on my RW-4, thus causing spillage over the rear ledge. I noticed this when I got home to what looked like a tidal wave going from tide to side in my tank. Thankfully my tank (for the moment) is not experiencing any leaks.

 

How will I go about making sure I don't have this issue going forward. Well... Im going to buy a Fusion 20 from a local vendor that is also (slash) a distributer for IM- and offers 15% off all IM products; which brings my cost down to 170$ I will be selling my IM 16 locally for a decent price with all OEM parts, and the possibility for someone to take almost all of my corals and livestock (except my Picasso clowns & RBTA). At least Ill be able to hold onto all of my aftermarket parts, and they will transfer over to the Fusion 20.

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I found why I had a slow leak in the tank, or may I say the lack there of. Someone in my household ..ahem.. I should put her on blast for messing with the tank :) Tampered with the Wave Mode on my RW-4, thus causing spillage over the rear ledge. I noticed this when I got home to what looked like a tidal wave going from tide to side in my tank. Thankfully my tank (for the moment) is not experiencing any leaks.

 

How will I go about making sure I don't have this issue going forward. Well... Im going to buy a Fusion 20 from a local vendor that is also (slash) a distributer for IM- and offers 15% off all IM products; which brings my cost down to 170$ I will be selling my IM 16 locally for a decent price with all OEM parts, and the possibility for someone to take almost all of my corals and livestock (except my Picasso clowns & RBTA). At least Ill be able to hold onto all of my aftermarket parts, and they will transfer over to the Fusion 20.

 

Is there any chance your local vendor ships? I'll be replacing my nuvo 16 soon as well.

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Is there any chance your local vendor ships? I'll be replacing my nuvo 16 soon as well.

Not sure if they do or not... it would only be worth while if they shipped for free, or if the extended cost is lower than $200

That being said.. if there are other products that you want for the Fusion 20.. ie: Ghost Skimmer.. etc.. then it may make a big difference to have 15% across the board... Do you ever make it up to the Philly area?

 

I'll be calling them today to figure out there stock for this tank, and get back to you.

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Okay.. just gave them a shout, and they're expecting a shipment of the 10/20 Fusions any day now. The guy mentioned that there would be shipping charges that would apply- not sure how much that would be, but considering Marine Depot is 1-2 weeks wait.. it might pay off to order from them : http://fishnews.thehiddenreef.com/ Their website is certainly outdated, but I can vouch for their products.

 

I'll be picking mine up as soon as they are in stock.. also keeping my fingers crossed that they will be on sale (15%) along with all of the other IM products.

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