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TeenyReef's 10g Fusion - ATO Disaster


teenyreef

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Established: November 2014

Five years old on November 12th!

 

Featured in Reef Hobbyist Magazine:

http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com/

 

2020-08-04 FTS:

2020-08-04 IM10 FTS

 

2020-08-04 Top Down:

2020-08-04 IM10 Top Down

 

 

2020-05-24 FTS:

2020-05-23 IM10 FTS

 

2020-04-25 Top Down:

2020-04-25 IM10 Top Down

 

2019-12-31 FTS:

2019-12-31 IM10 FTS

 

2019-12-31 Top Down:

2019-12-31 IM10 Top Down

 

2019-06-28 Top Down:

2019-06-29 IM10 Top Down

 

 

 

FTS History:

2019-02-09 FTS:

2019-02-09 IM10 FTS

 

2018-12-09 FTS:

2018-12-09 IM10 FTS

 

 

 

2018-09-14 FTS:

2018-09-13 IM10 FTS

 

2018-09-08 Top Down:

2018-09-08 IM10 Top Down

 

 

2018-07-04 FTS:

20180704-untitled-015-2.jpg

 

2018-07-04 Top Down:

20180704-untitled-016-2.jpg

 

 

2018-03-25 FTS:

2018-03-25 IM10 FTS

 

2018-03-25 Top Down:

2018-03-25 IM10 Top Down

 

 

2017-12-31 FTS:

2017-12-31 IM10 FTS

 

2017-12-31 Top Down:

2017-12-31 IM10 Top Down

 

2017-07-25 FTS:

2017-07-25 IM10 FTS

 

2017-07-25 Top Down:

2017-07-25 IM10 Top Down

 

 

2017-04-30 FTS:

2017-04-30 IM10 FTS

 

 

2016-12-07 FTS:

31127015220_e9fb1ac824_b.jpg2016-12-07 IM10 FTS by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

 

2016-10-02 FTS:

29451504033_feec563c9e_b.jpg2016-10-02 IM10 FTS by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

2016-10-02 Top Down:

 

29964353882_d336d6d3fc_b.jpg2016-10-02 IM10 Top Down by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

2016-08-18 FTS:

 

29078439705_2d9a105471_b.jpg2016-08-18 IM10 FTS by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

2016-07-31 Top Down:

 

28093123673_5892ee7cd8_b.jpg2016-07-31 IM10 Top Down #1 by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

FTS: October 2014:
15585707567_9b8b818619_b.jpg

I finally got my 10g IM Fusion wet tonight, so it's time to start another build thread. I'll be trying some new things with this tank including soft cycling with uncured live rock. I'm really interested to get feedback on my plans and progress!

Display: 10g Innovative Marine Fusion 10
Lighting: Nano Box Reef Mini Tide Plus
Filtration: filter floss and carbon
Heater: Finnex 50w
Circulation: Jebao DCS-1200 with IM Spinstream, Aqamai KPS
ATO: Tunze Nano ATO
Controller: Neptune Apex
Skimmer: Eshopps Nano

Dosing: BRS dosers with ATI Elements Pro

  • Like 37
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Marine Depot shipped promptly and the packing was great:

15585456828_c221209b93_c.jpg

 

 

After removing 32,000 Styrofoam peanuts:

15585711987_32746c6fa4_c.jpg

 

15150923674_ff596b4304_c.jpg

 

 

The factory media caddy versus the InTank:

15150921674_c96185cc14_c.jpg

 

 

10 lbs of uncured live rock from KP Aquatics arrives on Thursday. Woo hoo! I've researched the soft cycling thread and I think I have everything ready to go.

 

20g of saltwater, ready for large water changes:

15770867435_eaaacb72ec_c.jpg

 

I've got a big bottle of Prime, all my test kits, and plenty of carbon and GFO. I've also got Phosguard if necessary.

 

Everything is wired up and ready to run in the cabinet underneath the tank:

15769001361_2f89269692_c.jpg

 

 

For now, I've got about an inch of Caribsea Sea Floor Special Blend sand in the tank, running filter floss just to clean up the water.

15770867645_288ac55a14_c.jpg

  • Like 10
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Looking really good so far! What are your plans for livestock?

That's a great question. First I'm going to move some frags out of my 4g CAD Lights that need more room, like the yellow scroll coral and the Idaho Grape Monti.

 

Second, I'd like to keep a couple fish that are a little bigger than the gobies I've got now. Something my kids would enjoy. Clowns seem so common but there's a good reason they're so popular.

 

I'm also interested in trying some flower nems. Beyond that I've got a lot of research to do but I plan to go slow. I want to be very selective and have a purpose for everything I add instead of just getting whatever is on sale.

 

Let me know if you have any ideas!

  • Like 3
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That's a great question. First I'm going to move some frags out of my 4g CAD Lights that need more room, like the yellow scroll coral and the Idaho Grape Monti.

 

Second, I'd like to keep a couple fish that are a little bigger than the gobies I've got now. Something my kids would enjoy. Clowns seem so common but there's a good reason they're so popular.

 

I'm also interested in trying some flower nems. Beyond that I've got a lot of research to do but I plan to go slow. I want to be very selective and have a purpose for everything I add instead of just getting whatever is on sale.

 

Let me know if you have any ideas!

A Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse would be pretty sweet, or maybe a swissguard basslet

  • Like 1
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Thanks, Gena! I'm really happy with it so far. I plan to upgrade to a Nanobox soon, but for doing the soft cycle and getting things started the PAR30 should work great.



A Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse would be pretty sweet, or maybe a swissguard basslet

 

Thanks! I'll keep both of those in mind. They both look beautiful.

  • Like 1
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Water is mostly cleared up other than microbubbles from the new skimmer. Since I plan to soft cycle I'll be skimming constantly. I got my shipping confirmation - live rock shipped out this evening and will be here tomorrow. KP Aquatics promised to pick out some smaller pieces with interesting shapes for a 10g, and they waited until today for their latest batch of fresh rock. Here's hoping for minimum die-off! fingerscrossed

 

15593582230_56fe9eee09_c.jpg

  • Like 3
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I also took a little time to set up a mini refugium in the media caddy tonight. I had some chaeto in my old 4g Evolve but I haven't really found a good place for it in the new 4g CAD Lights. So I moved it over to this tank. I scraped off the film on the back to expose the chaeto:

 

15776515861_4b420d5262_c.jpg

 

15593582670_68bd526691_c.jpg

 

Homemade refugium light fixture:

 

15779998332_59f1db9b02.jpg

 

I put in a small CFL bulb and used some Velcro strips to stick it on the back of the tank right over refugium window. You can't see it at all from the front of the tank.

  • Like 7
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Busy day today. The live rock arrived in the afternoon, packed well, still fresh, smelling like the ocean. They are nicely encrusted with macroalgae. There were four rocks for a total of 11 lbs.

 

I cut a cardboard template the size of the tank to play with aquascaping. Don't think they're going to fit:

15783629291_23a5bf0b76_c.jpg

 

So I got a hammer and chisel and started making little rocks out of big rocks:

15166063983_b2646fd05e_c.jpg

 

In the process of breaking up the rocks, I found this guy, who did not go into the tank...can anyone ID? My guess is Pistol Shrimp but what do I know?

15761844956_cacc1437de_c.jpg

 

After spending an hour trying different arrangements I panicked because I was worried everything was dying out of the water, so I just threw most of the rocks in the tank. I ended up using all the rocks except a portion of the fourth rock. The leftovers are in a bucket with a heater and a power head just in case anything survives.

 

Here's a cell phone shot of the tank after a few hours of blowing off detritus and running the MP-10 to stir things up:
15600360727_f6220f65ec_c.jpg

 

After 8 hours, ammonia was at 0.5, so I did a 50% water change, and replaced the floss and carbon. The skimmer is running but it's still breaking in and making microbubbles.

  • Like 5
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zamboni200000

Tank looks great! Very nice aquascaping. My nuvo 10 arrives today... I'm very excited to start working on it this weekend.

 

That crab that came in your live rock looks like a gorilla crab.. And if it is, it's bad news!.. They're notorious for killing fish and snails.

 

Good luck with the tank,

 

Danny

  • Like 1
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Very pretty so far, following along as my plans are to pick up the same tank in the next few months as well.

 

Thanks! Let me know when you start a build thread so I can follow along too.

 

Tank looks great! Very nice aquascaping. My nuvo 10 arrives today... I'm very excited to start working on it this weekend.

 

That crab that came in your live rock looks like a gorilla crab.. And if it is, it's bad news!.. They're notorious for killing fish and snails.

 

Good luck with the tank,

 

Danny

 

Thanks, the aquascaping just kind of happened when I dumped everything in at random. I fine tuned it a little tonight and will post some pictures.

 

Turns out the crab was an Red Mithrax. I found two of them but unfortunately neither one of them made it. Hopefully there is another survivor or two still in the tank. Here's a picture of what it looked like out of it's burrow. It's funny how a tight zoom with the flash can make something look a lot bigger and scarier.

 

15605554038_347543e074_c.jpg

 

Good luck on your build this weekend! I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

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Came home from work, checked ammonia, and it was pretty much 0.0. What the heck? Checked it with:

API: the usual light green that doesn't match the card's colors and everybody agrees really means 0.

Salifert: 0. Completely white.

Red Sea Pro: Not sure, the color looked like it was between 0 and 0.2.

 

So maybe at most it was at 0.1. I've been pretty aggressive in blowing off the rocks and I've kept the MP10 blowing pretty high. Maybe there just hasn't been much die off yet.

 

I did a 50% water change anyway, just in case.

 

The IM Desktop Ghost skimmer is still breaking in. There are still microbubbles, although there are noticeably fewer, but no skimmate yet.

 

I spent a little time fine tuning the aquascaping. I'm fairly happy with this arrangement, at least for tonight, but I won't be gluing anything until I know I can stay happy for more than a day or two. If anyone has any suggestions for improvements, please let me know.

 

15606469858_1a6fedef06_b.jpg



Here's picture of the macroalgae on the front rock:

 

15606058159_b74069ee0a_c.jpg

  • Like 6
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That's a very nice setup you have! I really like the IM Nuvos. I almost bought one but just decided to get a normal ten gallon... Maybe i shouldve went with the IM lol!

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
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I am by no means a rock-work expert, but that small rock in the front right on the sand might look great if u stuck it top left of your main scape in the back so it doesn't look like it slants so steeply from right to left there in the back? You are only moving that one rock, so not much time taken to check it out? I don't know though, take it with a grain of salt. I did not get a single iota of the artistic side of my family, just tossing it out there as a random 2 cents kinda thing. :P

  • Like 1
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Polarcollision

I also took a little time to set up a mini refugium in the media caddy tonight. I had some chaeto in my old 4g Evolve but I haven't really found a good place for it in the new 4g CAD Lights. So I moved it over to this tank. I scraped off the film on the back to expose the chaeto:

 

15776515861_4b420d5262_c.jpg

 

15593582670_68bd526691_c.jpg

 

Homemade refugium light fixture:

 

15779998332_59f1db9b02.jpg

 

I put in a small CFL bulb and used some Velcro strips to stick it on the back of the tank right over refugium window. You can't see it at all from the front of the tank.

 

THIS is a great idea! I'm copying you

  • Like 2
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That's a very nice setup you have! I really like the IM Nuvos. I almost bought one but just decided to get a normal ten gallon... Maybe i shouldve went with the IM lol!

Thanks! So far I'm very happy with the IM 10. Build quality was great and it's a nice setup.

 

Looks very good. I also have a IM nuvo 10 running for about a month now and quickly filling up with corals. :P

Awesome! Do you have a build thread? I'd love to check it out.

 

Me likeeee!

Thanks! Please start a new tank so I can follow it fingerscrossed

 

 

THIS is a great idea! I'm copying you

 

 

Thanks! I copied it from somebody else, of course :)

Just make sure your outlet or power strip is GFCI protected. This isn't exactly a properly grounded and waterproofed electrical box :huh:

 

 

I am by no means a rock-work expert, but that small rock in the front right on the sand might look great if u stuck it top left of your main scape in the back so it doesn't look like it slants so steeply from right to left there in the back? You are only moving that one rock, so not much time taken to check it out? I don't know though, take it with a grain of salt. I did not get a single iota of the artistic side of my family, just tossing it out there as a random 2 cents kinda thing. :P

 

 

Thanks for the idea. I played with it for a little while but couldn't get it to work. That rock is too big and it doesn't fit well on top of the rock on the left. So I'm going to leave it as is for now, but I do have a few more pieces in the garage sitting in a bucket with a powerhead and heater, just in case I need them. Nothing's set in stone (literally) until I glue it up, and I won't do that until I'm ready to start putting in corals.

 

Rockscape turned out GREAT!!!! I like the finely tuned aquascape best :).

 

Thanks, Gena. I'm pretty happy with it so far after looking at it for a few days. I actually wanted something with a little less rock and more exposed sand but I think this work OK. I'm still thinking about removing that small rock in the front right like da1001 suggested, but it's got some nice macroalgae and I kind of like it right up front.

  • Like 2
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Pretty much no change over the last two days. Still no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates. Skimmer is still breaking in, still have some microbubbles. The first week or so after getting the tank wet really tries my patience :scarry: I keep reminding myself to take my time and let the tank do its thing. I'll do a 50% water change tomorrow no matter what the tests say just to be safe.

 

The biggest challenge I've had so far is placing the sensor for the ATO. I started with it in the third compartment with the return pump, but the water level there goes up and down every time the MP10 speeds up or slows down. With the media caddy and the skimmer taking up most of the space in the first and second chambers, there's really not much room for it there either.

 

So far the best I could do is to remove the mounting bracket from the sensor and cram it in between the caddy and the back wall in the first chamber. If it works OK there, I'll have to make some kind of custom mounting bracket to hold it there.

 

I really hate the look of an ATO sensor in the display tank so I hope this works...

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