IM NUVO Fusion 40

[SaltyAndy]

By the way it looks to me looks like your tank has diatoms and is finished cycling. I know your excited but I would slow down. Other than that your landscape looks great!

[snowflake_clown]

Posted a new video with a few different FTS angles, as well as a closer view to some of the inhabitants. Video finishes with a look in through the side of the tank!

 

I tried to get a good shot of the pods on the front glass. Super happy to have these in my tank.

 

[snowflake_clown]

Video below for those that just want eye candy.

 

Coral added since last update:

Mystic Sunset Montipora

Meteor Shower Cyphastrea

Golden Torch

 

Calcium: 450 - 465

Magnesium: 1320 - 1360

Alkalinity: 10 - 12 dKH

PH: 8.2

 

Go ahead and blast me for having my alkalinity too high, but I'm going to follow Red Sea's recommendations for ideal parameters that encourage fast and strong coral growth. Want to learn more, check out their website and videos.

 

Glad to say my reef tank is doing great. Diatoms are still an issue, but definitely not any more than are usually expected with a new tank. I'm dosing with nopox (Red Sea's NO3-PO4-X) to control nitrate and phosphate levels. Currently nitrates run about 0ppm to 0.25 ppm, and phosphate levels are around 0.02ppm. Although Red Sea does not recommend running additional nitrate or phosphate removal media, I could not phosphate levels down to 0.02ppm without my nitrates falling to 0ppm. A common misunderstanding in this hobby seems to be that undetectable nitrates is actually a good thing. However, ideally, I'm aiming for nitrates to hover around 0.25ppm. I added Seachem's phosgaurd media in a filter bag, and phosphate levels are now getting to where I want them to be while still having ideal nitrate parameters for accelerated coral growth.

 

I was hoping to have more coralline algae growth by now. I've been against trying to add a supplement to get it going in my tank, but it seems I may be to the point of considering one of them. Anyone have recommendations on something they actually used (not just read about) and had a good experience with?

 

I now feed the tank LRS Reef Frenzy every 2 to 3 days, and the everyone loves it. Goniopora's, torch's, and the anemone all love getting spot fed this stuff. Fish and shrimp all eat it up as well.

 

Everything is stable and I'm seeing new growth from everything in the tank. I chose the two encrusting SPS because of my rather high rock structure. This was they both get the med-high light they like, yet won't grow up to the top of the water like an acro would.

 

Next thing I want to add are some more fish. I'm going to go ahead and prepare myself for the inevitable onslaught of tang police on this one, but I am dying to get a very small juvenile yellow tang in here. Before you start typing your disapproval, I am already on the books with my LFS in here Houston to get the new Red Sea Reefer 450 (approx 120 gallons), which the tang can always be moved to in the future. Also wanting to add a royal gramma. I don't want an overstocked tank, but I do want a fully stocked tank.

 

So there is my update for now. Everything is stable and healthy, and I'm really enjoying my first reef tank experience so far.

 

[reefernanoman]

Nice update! My next tank for sure! but in like 5 years

[CrushtheTurtle]

nice, very clean, do u have any CUC or inverts?

[snowflake_clown]

nice, very clean, do u have any CUC or inverts?

Thanks! CUC consists of:

• 3 Spiny Star Astraea Snails (these guys are workhorses, but I hate that I got the spiny star ones)
• 4 or 5 Trochus Snails
• 5 Cerith Snails
• Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
• Peppermint Shrimp (I regret adding this guy because he really gave my RBTA a hard time at first)
• 3 Sexy Shrimp

[Coolhandreefer]

Thanks for the video man, your tank is looking great.

[reefernanoman]

 

Thanks! CUC consists of:

• 3 Spiny Star Astraea Snails (these guys are workhorses, but I hate that I got the spiny star ones)
• 4 or 5 Trochus Snails
• 5 Cerith Snails
• Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
• Peppermint Shrimp (I regret adding this guy because he really gave my RBTA a hard time at first)
• 3 Sexy Shrimp

Peppermint shrimp are bad news. That little sucker was munching on my corals. He is out of my tank, and never again.

[snowflake_clown]

Peppermint shrimp are bad news. That little sucker was munching on my corals. He is out of my tank, and never again.

Funny you mentioned that, mine is doing the exact same thing now almost every night. My electric blue torch has been looking roughed up and not fully extending the past few days and for two nights now I've gone in there around midnight and the peppermint shrimp has been perched on top of the coral picking at it.

 

I'm getting an ORA Yellow Assessor and an ORA Yellow Watchman Goby on Friday. Plans are to catch the peppermint shrimp and the three sexy shrimp and take them back to the LFS when I go to pick up the new fish.

 

Any suggestions on how you caught yours?

[reefernanoman]

Funny you mentioned that, mine is doing the exact same thing now almost every night. My electric blue torch has been looking roughed up and not fully extending the past few days and for two nights now I've gone in there around midnight and the peppermint shrimp has been perched on top of the coral picking at it.

 

I'm getting an ORA Yellow Assessor and an ORA Yellow Watchman Goby on Friday. Plans are to catch the peppermint shrimp and the three sexy shrimp and take them back to the LFS when I go to pick up the new fish.

 

Any suggestions on how you caught yours?

Luckily, I don't have too much LR. What I did was to lift one of the small rocks that he was holding on to and just scooped him up with my net before he darted again. I have heard of people putting a clear plastic bottle with bait inside of it(or something like that). Yeah, getting him out is a good decision.

[snowflake_clown]

Yup, the plastic bottle approach is the way I'm going to go since my rock is all glued together. Round one tonight, we will see how it goes.

[reefernanoman]

Yup, the plastic bottle approach is the way I'm going to go since my rock is all glued together. Round one tonight, we will see how it goes.

Good luck. At night, he was always swimming in the open where there was no LR.

[snowflake_clown]

Caught the peppermint shrimp pretty easily last night. Unfortunately, looks like I'm going to lose the torch he's been picking at each night.

 

Still have hope though. One of it's heads looks ok, the other looks like it's in bad shape. Dipping it in SeaChem Reef Dip (iodine) this afternoon to try and help it out.

[snowflake_clown]

Added two new fish a few days ago! One is an ORA Yellow Assessor, and the other is an ORA Yellow Watchman Goby. Posted a video below showing the fish and a few macro shots of some of my corals. The yellow watchman goby is still white with small blue spots. Anyone have experience with this fish and how long it will take for him to get his yellow color?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvk-YCeEBRQ

[reefernanoman]

Caught the peppermint shrimp pretty easily last night. Unfortunately, looks like I'm going to lose the torch he's been picking at each night.

 

Still have hope though. One of it's heads looks ok, the other looks like it's in bad shape. Dipping it in SeaChem Reef Dip (iodine) this afternoon to try and help it out.

Sorry to hear that. Yeah, that little bastard left a couple of my frogspawn heads pretty beat up.

[bdare]

There is nothing wrong with keeping your CA and ALK that high as long as you keep Mg up. Mg is the key to helping to prevent precipitation. I didn't see if you were dosing for alk or not. If you do, be sure to use a baking soda solution vs. baked baking soda. The localized high ph spike can cause precip. Just be sure to check your pumps often for the first 6 months to make sure you aren't having any issues while you develop a routine.

[PuppyHorton]

How is the tank doing? I have the same set up.

[reefernanoman]

How is the tank doing? I have the same set up.

+1

[snowflake_clown]

Tank is doing very good.

 

Gripes

• I can't seem to dial in my midsize ghost skimmer to do anything but a very wet skim
• I've added IM's media reactor running BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon and while I'm very happy with the carbon itself, the media reactor sponges that it comes with are complete garbage if you try to turn up the reactor. The media just ends up tumbling. I've hacked it a bit by cutting a straw and using it to hold down the sponges that sit on top of the carbon.
• I have a red film that I cannot get rid of. It's not terrible, but it covers my sand almost daily. It's never on the live rock or anywhere else. I use a turkey baster to loosen up the sand and it makes it look better for a few days, but it always comes back. I've read it may be from my carbon dosing (Red Sea NO3-P04-X). I've called Red Sea and I'm following their entire program as recommended. So I don't know.
• My clownfish stay in the back of my tank. I know it's just where they picked, and I'm glad they are happy, but I wish they came to the front more.

Likes

• Emerald crabs are awesome
• My RBTA is huge now and is definitely my favorite thing in the tank
• Rock Flower anemones are a lot of fun too (I now have two and want more)
• Everyone hates on Xenia, but I like it. Always the first thing anyone not in the hobby notices when they look in my tank
• I love letting my son (4 years old) hold the hermit crabs and be a part of feeding/caring for the tank

 

Possible Changes

• I want to add more sand to the tank. I've read suggestions to just buy live sand and add it directly in, but I don't trust that. I think I'm going to buy more of the "dead" sand, and use some extra MarcoRocks and cycle it in a bucket with a powerhead with some Dr. Tim's. Then add the sand once it's fully cycled.
• I have no pods, and the LFS here in Houston doesn't seem to have the Algagen station thing anymore. Wanting to figure out how to get some in the tank.
• Want more Rock Flower and mini maxi carpet anemones

[ml86743]

Hey man the tank looks great! Love seeing other IM 40's out there.