Ky's Nuvo 30 Journal/Build

[Creeper Ky]

Hello Nano-Reef...

 

I have been lurking through your forums for quite some time now. I have been a member on another forum but most of my research is done over here. All of a sudden the idea hit me. Since I spend more time creeping over here why don't I join in on the fun? I have owned a larger tank in the past and I was constantly screwing things up. We had to move so I just sold everything off and recently decided to start a nano in hopes of being able to care for it better.

 

I started this tank about 4-5 months ago and I believe it is coming along nicely (a heck of a lot better than my last tank did anyways). My plan was originally to pack in all my favorite corals (which is pretty much all of them) but I am now realizing this goal cannot be met (even though I will probably still try). My stocking goal will consist of euphylia around the middle, encrusting monti on top, favia and welso on bottom, mushrooms in the shadowed areas and zoas/palys all over.

 

I am currently battling cyano but I believe I am winning the fight!

 

I'm going to post a bunch of pictures of my set up as it was evolving and a few pictures of what it looks like now. I hope you guys don't mind

[Creeper Ky]

Current equipment:

IM Nuvo 30

Razor Nano LED
IM Skimmer

IM GFO Reactor

IM "create a fuge" filter basket upgrade

IM Spin Stream

Koralia Nano

Smart ATO

And my most prized possesion ... The Turkey Blaster

 

Current stocking list:

 

Fish and inverts:

2 O. Clowns

Watchman Goby

Tiger Pistal Shrimp

Purple Porcelain Crab

CUC

 

Corals - mostly frags:

Monti Setosa

Encrusting Monti

Cyphastrea

Candy Cane

Torch

Hammer

Frogspawn

Favite

Favia

Rhodactis

Blasto

Zoas/Palys

[Creeper Ky]

Pics setting up the tank.

 

I went for the two column and bridge look. I seen something similar before and I thought this would create an interesting scape when everything had grown out. It also allows for water movement behind the rock structure and allows the sides of the columns to be decorated for side viewing as well. The bridge gives me the ability to house SPS up closer to the light. The use of the columns allows the tank to have more rock but appear to have less because of more sand showing. (I need to get a frag rack to get all of those frag plugs off the ground) I used putty on the lower half of the columns to keep them solid and just stacked the upper half of the columns so I would be able to make adjustments if absolutely necessary.

 

Rocks are set directly on glass since I am housing burrowing animals.

 

Pic 1 shows where the tank is located. This short hallway leads to two bedrooms on both sides of the tank. We have a 6 year old on the right and a baby boy on the way for the left. The tank at night is like one big night light/sound maker I wish I would have had one of these as a kid.

 

Pic 2 is right after filling the tank with water.

 

Pic 3 is right after istalling the light and adding the "seed" rocks.

[Creeper Ky]

On to equipment, which can sometimess be just as awesome as the living stuff.

 

Pic 1 shows the tank as a whole.

 

Pic 2 shows the skimmer side of the sump.

 

Pic 3 shows the fuge side of the sump.

 

Pic 4 shows my ghetto fuge light. But hey whatever works. Pic 4 also shows my cord mess and the Smart ATO.

 

Pic 5 and 6 show the amazing Razor Nano. I really like this light and I don't think I'm the only one here that feels the same

[Creeper Ky]

Fish and inverts.

 

Pic 1 is of the two little sh*ts AKA clowns. They have already started nipping at me. Oh well I love how they look and how they swim thru the corals so we will just have to try to get along....

 

Pic 2 is of the purple porcelain crab. Cool little guy always waving at me a hundred miles per hour.

 

Pic 3 is of the best buds. They have successfully tunneled under the entire scape and changed things up probably 500 times. Now if I could just keep the shrimp from stealing my frags...

 

 

 

[Creeper Ky]

Corals.

 

Pic 1 is the FTS as of 5-20-14.

 

Pic 2 is left side.

 

Pic 3 is right side.

 

Pic 4 is surface left.

 

Pic 5 is surface right.

 

 

Misc coral shots.

[Creeper Ky]

And here are the last two pictures. I got this coral from a local reefer tearing down their tank. It looked really bad when I got it but she said it was a Tyree War and Peace so I thought what the heck I'll give it a try. When I placed it into the tank it smelled horrible. The hermits immediately went to work on it. It has been in the tank for about a month now and looks like it may make a comeback. Fingures crossed it makes a full recovery and colors up nicely.

 

Pic 1 when I added it to the tank.

 

Pic 2 as of 5-20-14.

[shaverto]

Gotta say when i looked at the first "bare" pictures with the scape I hated it, but with the tank maturing and the corals it looks pretty cool. Nice tank

[Creeper Ky]

Thank you. I wanted something unique this time around and the scape does have some limitations.

[Creeper Ky]

Just added a jaebo wp-10 to the tank. I really like this power head. It is really powerful even at the 50% setting. I have it set to create a small wave. I wish I could set it at a large wave but that makes the overflows splash pretty good and I have a feeling salt creep would be a nightmare.

[Creeper Ky]

Not much to update on this. I was able to get the phosphates down to zero recently and my reactor stopped working. Amazon will be refunding me the purchase price and I will be buying another reactor. Any suggestions on a reactor? Or should I get another IM one?