mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hey everyone, This is my first post and wanted to say HI to everyone! I have listed my plan for my new tank and would greatly appreciate any suggestions or alternatives you guys can provide! Tank: Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 10 Stand: Biocube 14 Stand? (Or any other suggestions that will also provide a place to keep the maintenance things) Was actually looking into the 29 biocube, but at the moment prefer something smaller (When I finish school and have my own place, then I'll definitely want to upgrade to a much bigger tank) Livestock: 2 Clowns (Probably Black Ice) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp A few snails for CUC Corals: Frogspawn or Torch Zoas Mushrooms Filtration: InTank Media Basket in order (Filter Floss/Purigen/Bag of Carbon) IM MiniMax Desktop Reactor (GFO) Flow: Nuvo Spin Stream Nozzle Jebao WP10 Maintenance: Weekly 1 gallon water changes & change filter floss Every 2-3 weeks replace Carbon & GFO http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-gfo-granular-ferric-oxide.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-premium-rox-0-8-aquarium-carbon.html Every 2-3 months replace purigen Lighting: I wasn't sure whether to get the IM 18 Watt LED that you can purchase with the tank or what. Or would something like this work with the optional mounting kit too? https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-aquarium-lights/35w-programmable-led-aquarium-light-with-remote,-7-band-spectrum/1823/4312/ I really like the idea of having something that is dimmable that I'll be able to leave on like a moonlight setting throughout the night. I have no idea what lighting to get and when I search, most of the current LED's for aquariums are way to expensive for me. With the corals I plan on keeping, are there any other lights that you'd recommend? Misc Questions: I saw that some people get the Ghost Skimmer and Tunze ATO, but if I keep up with the weekly water changes, I figure the skimmer isn't necessary, right? Also, is the evaporation going to be excess where I would really benefit from the Tunze ATO or is just adding RO water throughout the week fine? All in all, I'm looking for any suggestions with a college student budget in mind! Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Welcome to the reef addiction! I have the same tank and they are great! I would not get the IM Skye light. I would suggest checking out the AI prime with wifi built in. It has not hit the market yet, but it's only $199 with WIFI built in. The ATO will make your life much easier(well worth the money), since the evaporation on a small topless tank is very fast, which can also mess with your salinity. Good luck! Link to comment
jolee0722 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 An ATO is recommended for small tanks, but as long as you keep watch over the water level, you should be fine. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Is the filter floss really necessary? Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Is the filter floss really necessary? It helps to remove some of the stuff floating in your water, as the mechanical filtration of your filtering system. It will help maintain the clarity of your water too. So I would say yes. It's also not that expensive either. An ATO is recommended for small tanks, but as long as you keep watch over the water level, you should be fine. That is a PITA. Much easier to just keep an eye on the reservoir for the ATO. Also, it promotes stability of the salinity in such a small tank. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Wow en28so, that AI Light does look nice. Not sure when it'll come out though. Since you didn't recommend getting the IM one, will the alternative one that I provided the link to work for now though? Jolee0722, I suppose I might as well just get the ATO if its going to make life a lot easier and just keep like a gallon of RO water under the tank. VW_TDI_02, I figured the filter floss is not a must, but then would you recommend just getting the media rack with the purigen & carbon or will once a week water changes alone just be sufficient for any actual filtration? Also will the IM MiniMax with GFO make a big difference in terms of filtration? Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Wow en28so, that AI Light does look nice. Not sure when it'll come out though. Since you didn't recommend getting the IM one, will the alternative one that I provided the link to work for now though? Jolee0722, I suppose I might as well just get the ATO if its going to make life a lot easier and just keep like a gallon of RO water under the tank. VW_TDI_02, I figured the filter floss is not a must, but then would you recommend just getting the media rack with the purigen & carbon or will once a week water changes alone just be sufficient for any actual filtration? Also will the IM MiniMax with GFO make a big difference in terms of filtration? Filter floss does help clean up as a mechanical filter and in a sense works as nutrient export as long as you are replacing it regularly (poop and excess food gets caught on the floss which is then removed before it has a chance to break down). It would help with water clarity since it catches the fine particles but as you said, it isn't 100% necessary. It is a bit extra work but not much so it's up to you. With a small tank, you can definitely get away with just carbon, purigen, and water changes. I would actually check out the mini reactor on BRS. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 VW_TDI_02: Well, it won't be a big deal to also just switch out the filter floss during the weekly water changes. If I were to just put gfo & carbon in a IM Minimax would it be about the same as the BRS mini? Just liked the idea of just placing everything in the back chambers and not having to mount anything. Link to comment
GokesReef Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Looks like a fun setup if you're looking to save some money off the start, there's no need for the GFO reactor.. probably won't need one ever with the stock list and WC schedule you're planning. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 VW_TDI_02: Well, it won't be a big deal to also just switch out the filter floss during the weekly water changes. If I were to just put gfo & carbon in a IM Minimax would it be about the same as the BRS mini? Just liked the idea of just placing everything in the back chambers and not having to mount anything. Other than differences in size there isn't really any difference. Forgot you had that space in the back of the tank. The IM Minimax is a bit more expensive but function wise it should be pretty much the same. If you have the space to put it back there then I would go with the IM so that you can hide more stuff. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks Xris and VW I'll have to see whether I get it later down the road depending on the water quality, etc. As for lighting though, does the one I initally thought sound good? https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-aquarium-lights/35w-programmable-led-aquarium-light-with-remote,-7-band-spectrum/1823/4312/ Link to comment
GokesReef Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm not familiar with that light specifically, but if you're looking that price range, I would recommend a reconditioned superluxe: https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux-refurb/ Reviews are great - I'm starting up a new tank and mine arrived 2 days ago and it looks great. edit: looks like the refurbs are out at the moment, but the new version isn't much more and have a look at the value fixtures. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Just called AI and the representative said that within the next week the AI Prime that en28so mentioned will be coming out, so I'll defineitly just get that! Link to comment
kylhcky Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 if you're getting a wp-10, then you really won't need the IM spinstream. if you're keeping 2 fish, let alone 2 clowns in this tank, then water quality should be your biggest priority next to lighting. these fish are poop factories, and i'd highly recommend looking into a skimmer if you're keeping 2 of them. also i agree with en28so on the ATO, unless you want to be married to your tank, they're really worth the investment. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Sounds good kylhcky I won't get the spinstream then. Along with the wp10 is it necessary to also upgrade the stock return pump or should I be good? I suppose if on top of the 1 gallon weekly water changes you still recommend a skimmer I guess I'll look into it as well. Link to comment
kylhcky Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Sounds good kylhcky I won't get the spinstream then. Along with the wp10 is it necessary to also upgrade the stock return pump or should I be good? I suppose if on top of the 1 gallon weekly water changes you still recommend a skimmer I guess I'll look into it as well. i personally have not upgraded mine and it's working out fine, but a lot of people switch theirs out so they don't have to deal with putting a circulation pump in the tank as it takes up space and isn't ascetically pleasing to them. if you do end up upgrading the retunr pump, i'd say shoot for something in the 200-250gph range. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Just called AI and the representative said that within the next week the AI Prime that en28so mentioned will be coming out, so I'll defineitly just get that! Excellent choice! It's always better to get the best equipment that you can afford. In the end, you end up loosing money if you go cheap,since an upgrade would be imminent. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 i personally have not upgraded mine and it's working out fine, but a lot of people switch theirs out so they don't have to deal with putting a circulation pump in the tank as it takes up space and isn't ascetically pleasing to them. if you do end up upgrading the retunr pump, i'd say shoot for something in the 200-250gph range. My stock return pump is doing just fine too. No need to upgrade that. Actually, if I run it at more than 50%,it will start overflowing the INTANK media basket. My WP10 gets the flow done. I would get a JEBAO RW4 instead though. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Sounds good. Thanks everyone for all the advice. I greatly appreciate it all! Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Sounds good. Thanks everyone for all the advice. I greatly appreciate it all! Looking forward to seeing your tank build thread. Good Luck! Link to comment
mheat13 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thanks everyone! Will start ordering the equipment this week. If I wanted to just upgrade the stock return pump instead of putting a powerhead in the display, would I be able to without it overflowing with the inTank media? And since I'm planning on going with the minimax, how much gfo would you recommend? I plan on just running a media bag with some carbon in the media rack, unless it is better to also put it in the reactor. Last question, what do you guys use as sups for the corals? The one I've seemed to hear the most about from the local lfs is the ESV BV-Ionic 2-Part Calcium Buffer. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thanks everyone! Will start ordering the equipment this week. If I wanted to just upgrade the stock return pump instead of putting a powerhead in the display, would I be able to without it overflowing with the inTank media? Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but if I run the stock pump at more than 50%, it will start overflowing my Intank media basket. I have the smallest chemipure elite bag(3.1ounces) that can be bought in there and filter floss. That's it. Link to comment
mheat13 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Oh ok. Then I'll just go with the power head in the display then. And how often do you change the chemi pure? Do you think the blue is really that much better than the elite version? Link to comment
mheat13 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Have you heard anything about the Tunze 6020, I think this would actually work pretty well in the display. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Oh ok. Then I'll just go with the power head in the display then. And how often do you change the chemi pure? Do you think the blue is really that much better than the elite version? I'm currently using Chemipure blue in my 28G Nanocube and Chemipure elite in my fusion 10g. I just started using Chemipure blue, so I still don't know if it's better. Besides, I don't think that they sell a 3.1oz bag, which is what you need for the Intank media basket. Link to comment
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