Jay's IM Nuvo 24

[Jay Wee]

How long did it take for your microbubbles to stop? My skimmer is going on 14 days, and while the bubbles have decreased, they're definitely still there.

 

I'm also thinking about trading the one IM stock media basket that I still have in my tank (InTank basket on the other side) for the MiniMax reactor. It only makes sense to add as many gadgets as possible, right?

Microbubbles decreasing is a good sign. I say wait one more week for it to clear. Mine cleared up after about 3 weeks. One thing I did notice was I've constantly reposition the skimmer over the course of 3 weeks and found it's sweet spot. I shimmy it a little to the right. and then left and then adjust the height, and then flip it and the shimmy it again.

 

Why wouldn;t you be able to add the minimax without removing the IM Media basket?

[Jay Wee]

I definitely think I'm going to try the MiniMax Reactor with GFO. I'm having a green film algae outbreak that hasn't gotten better with decreased light, so I'm pretty sure my Nitrates and Phosphates are just too high. I'm doing the simple things to reduce them first, like ordering Purigen and Chemipure for my stock filter boxes, but if I don't see improvement I'm definitely going to start running GFO soon.

Get on that Purigen and Chemipure. I had it since day one and I never really had any major algae outbreak. I have purigen on both basket, a Chemipure-Elite (I recommend this cuz it has traces of GFO in it) on one basket and regular Chemipure on the other basket.

 

I had a mini green film algae problem and I stop my pump. Scrub the shit outa my rock with a toothbrush and hardcore scrub my glass and then magnet scrub it again. I'm talking about major scrubbing untill you see your water turning green then syphoning all the debris out and change 50% of my water. 2 days later no more green film algae. then I've been doing 30% weekly water change and no problem so far. Water is crystal clear and rocks are encrusted in coraline algae now.

[Jay Wee]

I think I might have to go big. Big as in a ####ing Red Sea Max S-500. A good friend of mine bought me 2 fishes as a gift. A Watanabe Angelfish and a Evansi Anthias.

 

Bless him for getting me these 2 beautiful fishes but DAMN no way will they work out in a 24 gallon Nuvo. I'll have to temporarily house them then figure out a permanent solution. Which is to get a BIG tank!

 

 

[rdck99]

Microbubbles decreasing is a good sign. I say wait one more week for it to clear. Mine cleared up after about 3 weeks. One thing I did notice was I've constantly reposition the skimmer over the course of 3 weeks and found it's sweet spot. I shimmy it a little to the right. and then left and then adjust the height, and then flip it and the shimmy it again.

 

Why wouldn;t you be able to add the minimax without removing the IM Media basket?

And you're saying the repositioning helped reduce the bubbles? I find myself constantly tweaking the air control valve and the height of the skimmer, not to help with microbubbles, but because I keep having issues with the water/bubble level in the skimmer itself. It'll run smooth for a couple days and then all of a sudden it'll decide to go crazy and overflow. Then, I have to readjust, just to have the same episode a few days later. Hopefully three weeks is the sweet spot.

 

I have four chambers in the back of my tank - heater, skimmer, InTank basket, IM stock basket, so I was saying I'd probably remove the IM stock basket to fit the MiniMax, but I suppose I could lay the heater in the bottom of the tank...is that what you do?

[BadCrab]

Livestock gifts are always a double-edged sword! I tell all my friends and family to get me dry goods just for this reason. I'd check out other systems over the Red Sea though. Elos-USA is shutting down, but the tanks are still being made (and look damn good with those stands); personally I'd do a big custom - probably out of acrylic but starphire is very nice too. Check out Miracles too (prices are really reasonable and they have a great reputation.)

 

I, for one, am excited you "have" to build a multi-thousand dollar tank system to house your two new fish

[Jay Wee]

And you're saying the repositioning helped reduce the bubbles? I find myself constantly tweaking the air control valve and the height of the skimmer, not to help with microbubbles, but because I keep having issues with the water/bubble level in the skimmer itself. It'll run smooth for a couple days and then all of a sudden it'll decide to go crazy and overflow. Then, I have to readjust, just to have the same episode a few days later. Hopefully three weeks is the sweet spot.

 

I have four chambers in the back of my tank - heater, skimmer, InTank basket, IM stock basket, so I was saying I'd probably remove the IM stock basket to fit the MiniMax, but I suppose I could lay the heater in the bottom of the tank...is that what you do?

 

yeah somehow repositioning helped. You shouldn't have to tweak your air control valve that much. The sweet spot is where the level sits just right at the bottom of the collection cup. You'll know when you see big bubbles starting to form and collect towards the top. The water level in your sump chamber where the skimmer sits should never change. The middle pump chamber should be lower than the other chambers to create the waterfall effect. All you do is top up everytime it falls too low. But never top it up to the level where the skimmer is. And yes please put the heater in the pump chamber. you can tilt it. Heaters don't deserve a spot. Leave that for a minimax reactor or a fuge.

[Jay Wee]

Livestock gifts are always a double-edged sword! I tell all my friends and family to get me dry goods just for this reason. I'd check out other systems over the Red Sea though. Elos-USA is shutting down, but the tanks are still being made (and look damn good with those stands); personally I'd do a big custom - probably out of acrylic but starphire is very nice too. Check out Miracles too (prices are really reasonable and they have a great reputation.)

 

I, for one, am excited you "have" to build a multi-thousand dollar tank system to house your two new fish

 

I've always love Elos. So damn pricey though. It has transfered it's distribution partnership to CoralVue and they've only been selling the Elos Mini. Thanks for the Miracles reccomendation. They make some amazing tanks at pretty amazing prices.

 

First I have to find the space! haha. Looks like the 2nd bedroom has to go. But a big tank system will be worth it for the two new fishes. And their dwarf lion buddy , maybe couple of yellow tangs, and Emperor angelfish? Or a snowflake eel and maybe some triggers.

[rdck99]

yeah somehow repositioning helped. You shouldn't have to tweak your air control valve that much. The sweet spot is where the level sits just right at the bottom of the collection cup. You'll know when you see big bubbles starting to form and collect towards the top. The water level in your sump chamber where the skimmer sits should never change. The middle pump chamber should be lower than the other chambers to create the waterfall effect. All you do is top up everytime it falls too low. But never top it up to the level where the skimmer is. And yes please put the heater in the pump chamber. you can tilt it. Heaters don't deserve a spot. Leave that for a minimax reactor or a fuge.

That's kind of the weird thing. The bubbles will be sitting nicely at the bottom of the collection cup for a few days, then out of nowhere, something will happen causing the water level to rise drastically and overflow out of the top of the cup - then I'm forced to tweak the air valve/height of the skimmer to get it back in balance. This has happened three times now. I think all is well with my level/position for a few days, then boom, overflow city!

 

In between these overflows, I'm getting pretty good skimmate (considering I only have a CUC). And yeah, I've got the middle chamber water level lower, so I get the waterfall and I have the Tunze Nano Osmolator maintaining that line.

 

Come reactor time, I'll be moving my heater!

 

Thanks for the comments!

[defender.TX]

I've always love Elos. So damn pricey though. It has transfered it's distribution partnership to CoralVue and they've only been selling the Elos Mini. Thanks for the Miracles reccomendation. They make some amazing tanks at pretty amazing prices.

 

We really need better Elos distribution in the US, that's for sure. Those tanks and stands are just gorgeous.

[Jay Wee]

As promised, here's a picture of my IM Skimmate Protein skimmer. I actually cleaned the collection cup so you guys can kinda see the stuff it's pulling out. Before you couldn't even see anything cuz it was covered in gunk! Did a water change on saturday so this is pretty much 2 days worth of skimmate. So it definitely is working well.

 

Tried to take a pic of the tank with my phone. sorry for the shit quality. Here you can see micro bubbles have cleared significantly. It's hardly there. But there's always some after a water change but it'll clear up in a day.

 

So for those who's having troubles with your IM skimmer, hang in there. it takes time for this guy to break-in and really work it's magic. It took me about 3 weeks to get it working great.

 

 

[livewyr25]

i was very curious about the IM protein skimmer, its working well? I ended up finding a used aquamaxx hob-1 skimmer. It's working, but loud as hell. How is the noise level with the IM?

[Egginis]

I have had no noise from the IM Skimmer. Could just be you need to reposition the skimmer in the chamber and have the sponge filter sit a little more than half way in the water. It's been working great and it took about 3 weeks to break in. There were excessive micro bubbles at the start but have all since dissipated. I do however get small bubbles when I feed the tank which usually lasts about 5 minutes. Just lets me know the skimmer is working.

[rdck99]

I have had no noise from the IM Skimmer. Could just be you need to reposition the skimmer in the chamber and have the sponge filter sit a little more than half way in the water. It's been working great and it took about 3 weeks to break in. There were excessive micro bubbles at the start but have all since dissipated. I do however get small bubbles when I feed the tank which usually lasts about 5 minutes. Just lets me know the skimmer is working.

How long does it take for your collection cup to fill? Jay, how about yours?

[Egginis]

I have a Nuvo 16 with the following fish and inverts. Feed twice per day. I empty the cup every 4 days.

Red Scooter Blenny

Tail Spot Blenny

Yellow Citron Goby

Neon Blue Goby

Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby with Shrimp

Firefish

2 fire shrimp

2 porcelain Crabs

Red legged crab

Snails

[Jay Wee]

i was very curious about the IM protein skimmer, its working well? I ended up finding a used aquamaxx hob-1 skimmer. It's working, but loud as hell. How is the noise level with the IM?

I don't think i hear any noise. My pump is quite noisy so it probably masked the noise of the skimmer.

 

How long does it take for your collection cup to fill? Jay, how about yours?

Fill up to the brim? I never let it do that cuz I'm paranoid with overflow so I always empty when it's half full. I think it takes about a week for it to fill half.

 

I have a Nuvo 16 with the following fish and inverts. Feed twice per day. I empty the cup every 4 days.

Red Scooter Blenny

Tail Spot Blenny

Yellow Citron Goby

Neon Blue Goby

Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby with Shrimp

Firefish

2 fire shrimp

2 porcelain Crabs

Red legged crab

Snails

Your tank looks amazing.

[Egginis]

I also do not let the skimmer cup fill up completely for fear it will spill over. The picture of my IM skimmer is 4 days worth which fills up about half the cup. I feed my tank twice a day with mysis, brine, Rod's Reef mix, and liquid phyto feast (32 drops per day).

 

Thanks for the compliment on the tank. I use LED lighting. Two stock IM 14,000k hang on lights, and supplement with 1 Finnex 24" Fuge Ray 2 actinic blue light on the front, and 1 Finnex 24" Fuge Ray 2 red spectrum on the back. This make fish and coral colors pop!

 

The lights are thin and sleek. I also have the IM minimax reactor on the back with bio pellets for extra filtration.

[rdck99]

Fill up to the brim? I never let it do that cuz I'm paranoid with overflow so I always empty when it's half full. I think it takes about a week for it to fill half.

 

I have a Nuvo 16 with the following fish and inverts. Feed twice per day. I empty the cup every 4 days.

Red Scooter Blenny

Tail Spot Blenny

Yellow Citron Goby

Neon Blue Goby

Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby with Shrimp

Firefish

2 fire shrimp

2 porcelain Crabs

Red legged crab

Snails

Another skimmer question...what kind of livestock did you guys have in your tank when the skimmer was introduced? I've been told by IM that if you don't have much livestock/bioload, the skimmer can't really break-in properly and micro bubbles will persist. I only had a CUC when the skimmer was added, after 14 days and some repositioning of the skimmer body, I had the micro bubbles almost knocked out (even wrote a nice little write-up on my tank's build thread). However, I added a goby, shrimp, and 3 frags a few days later and the bubbles are back and worse than ever. I'm wondering if I should wait until I get some serious poopers (i.e. two clowns) and see if they can break it in better/faster before I let myself get too frustrated?

[Egginis]

There were only about 10 small snails and 2 red legged hermit crabs when I first started up the skimmer. Never actually feed them as they were eating the diatoms and algea blooms which persisted for the first 2-3 months.

 

Now that you mentioned it, the skimmer did work better after I introduced the fish to the system. When feeding the fish now, micro bubbles do enter the water for a brief five minute period and then all is normal.

 

Stay patient, the skimmer will reward you. I too wanted to toss it after the first 3 weeks.

[akma]

Your name and bulldog look familiar. Are you ahreums bf?

[Jay Wee]

Come to think of it, YEAH! My skimmer started working well after I added a pair of clowns, a algae goby and a Blood Shrimp. Yeah, like what Eggini said, patient will pay off. I for one was so impatient I too almost threw out the skimmer. I actually ordered a new Tunze but cancelled my order in time when I see my IM skimmer puking out all that gunk.

Your name and bulldog look familiar. Are you ahreums bf?

Oh shit, fancy meeting you here. Yeah, ahreum told me about a friend that's nuts about corals and fishes. And we found that out through Eddy and Soo. I'm following your Elos 70 thread.

[Jay Wee]

Hey guys, so I have this super large galaxia colony encrusted on my rock. It's on the far right of this image.

 

This thing's a beast and at night it's tentacles extends freakin' long. But anyways it stung my Pink stylo (You can see it on the left of the rock) to death. Now it has these neon green spots on it and slowly turning brown. I've sinced moved it away. What should I do to nurse it back to health?

 

 

 

[farkwar]

Check out Miracles too (prices are really reasonable and they have a great reputation.)

I don't know what I did besides ask for a quote. And Derek the sales rep at Miracle came back with crazy numbers for my build.. Canadians are usually laid back and easy going. I think I found one of the pent up uptight crazy ones.

 

They have a price sheet on the site. His quotes were coming back at 4 times the price list price.

 

/shrug

[Jay Wee]

I don't know what I did besides ask for a quote. And Derek the sales rep at Miracle came back with crazy numbers for my build.. Canadians are usually laid back and easy going. I think I found one of the pent up uptight crazy ones.

 

They have a price sheet on the site. His quotes were coming back at 4 times the price list price.

 

/shrug

That's good to know. Wow so they quote you an Elos pricing.

[farkwar]

That's good to know. Wow so they quote you an Elos pricing.

$1000 for a 24" cube

$900 for a 24"x20" short cube

 

Delivered price. But he steadfastly wouldn't itemize the shipping cost when I asked.

I was going to get a stand and sump at the same time. But no sale for Miracle.

 

I found another vendor in the States to do the build. Came real close to getting the Elos though.

 

I need itemized pricing on everything I buy, just the way I am.; its how my brain works.

[Jay Wee]

$1000 for a 24" cube

$900 for a 24"x20" short cube

 

Delivered price. But he steadfastly wouldn't itemize the shipping cost when I asked.

I was going to get a stand and sump at the same time. But no sale for Miracle.

 

I found another vendor in the States to do the build. Came real close to getting the Elos though.

 

I need itemized pricing on everything I buy, just the way I am.; its how my brain works.

Totally agree.