IM Nuvo 30L ~ Alphaeus

[Kyl]

Nice setup, hope you have a rocking tank with as few issues as possible!

 

If you're up to it, replacing that mesh in the lid with some black bridal tulle really cleans the look up, and is a cheap mod (like 3 bucks in tulle). Really don't understand some of the things IM does with their tanks, that mesh is one of them. You're going to love the lights when the tank is stocked and that actinic shimmer at night fires off all the yellows, pinks, oranges and greens.

[al_flood]

Nice setup, hope you have a rocking tank with as few issues as possible!

 

If you're up to it, replacing that mesh in the lid with some black bridal tulle really cleans the look up, and is a cheap mod (like 3 bucks in tulle). Really don't understand some of the things IM does with their tanks, that mesh is one of them. You're going to love the lights when the tank is stocked and that actinic shimmer at night fires off all the yellows, pinks, oranges and greens.

Hey Kyl,

 

Thanks for the post!

 

Ill definitely look into the black bridal tulle and I can't wait to see the corals under the actinic lighting. I really like the Kessil lighting.

 

I agree with you in regards to IM, I'm looking for a way to increase the water level in the main display, maybe its just me but it seems like the water in the tank is too low. After doing some searching, I found a inTank Universal Surface Skimmer - http://shop.mediabaskets.com/inTank-Universal-Surface-Skimmer-M90SS.htm

[Kyl]

Keep in mind, if you raise it too much then you will get salt creep through the mesh lid clips. I'm not sure how high the 30 is with the stock pump, but mine sits about 1/4" below the lip of the clip and I need to clean them every few months.

[al_flood]

Keep in mind, if you raise it too much then you will get salt creep through the mesh lid clips. I'm not sure how high the 30 is with the stock pump, but mine sits about 1/4" below the lip of the clip and I need to clean them every few months.

 

I currently have a 5/8" gap from the water line to the lip of the clip.

[al_flood]

Quick update on the tank before the skimmer arrives.

 

Temp: 80

Salanity: 1.025

PO4: 0

NO3: 5

 

I am noticing that the dry rock is starting to change color, everything else in the tank is the same. My sand is still white and I don't have algae anywhere which I know is not going to last.

 

I am still contemplating the input I received from everyone in regards to the CUC, but I know that I will start off with a very minimum CUC and then get more as needed. More than likely I will start off with the following:

 

Scarlett Hermit Crabs - 2 or 4

Nassarius Vibex Snail - 2

Trochus Snails - 2

Nerites Snail - 2

Pods

 

The Conquest Onyx clown is still alive and loves the corner of my tank. It's always hanging out by the overflow upside down.

 

 

[al_flood]

Today I received the AquaMaxx HOB-1 Protein Skimmer from Marine Depot. I initially ordered the skimmer during the Labor Day holiday and received a 25% discount, free shipping, and no tax. I paid $173.24 ($230.99 is the original cost) and it was packaged and shipped out on Tuesday and arrived today. The skimmer was packaged really, really well and arrived without any damage to the product.

 

Upon opening the box and seeing the skimmer for the first time my initial impression is that it looks and feels well built, it does not feel like a cheaply built skimmer. The parts used to construct the skimmer is tells me that AquaMaxx was trying to build a quality HOB skimmer. What I really like about the skimmer is the blue acrylic used on the body and the Spears schedule 80 PVC elbows and Tees. These items give the skimmer a nice touch and best of all easy replacement if you need to replace an elbow or Tee.

 

Unpackageing the skimmer and assembly took me approximately 15 minutes. I washed and wiped down the skimmer and all its parts before assembling it. The skimmer was not dirty but I always wash all equipment before I put them in my tank. The assembly instructions were pictures showing what the skimmer looks like assembled and a picture showing where the parts are supposing to be installed. I would say the instructions are lacking but I assembled the skimmer without any issues.

 

Current the skimmer is breaking in. There's a lot of micro bubbles getting into my tank but that expected because the skimmer has to break in. In time the micro bubbles should decrease so I'm not worried about it. I didn't get the bubble stopper because that one thing extra item I have to break down and clean. It's my goal to keep maintenance easy because if its hard then I will not want to do it and I won't do it.

 

The skimmer fits perfectly at the back of my Nuvo 30L and it gives me something I always wanted, more flow in the back chamber. It looks rather nice, with the blue color and it is also very quiet. I like the fact the skimmer comes with an attachment that connects to the collection cup drain so water does not end up on the floor. I still plan on getting the Reef Octopus Waste Collector but that will be sometime in the distant future.

 

Sorry for the long rant , but my goal is for anyone who is on the fence with purchasing this skimmer could read this post and have a general idea about it. As of right now, for the price and built quality of the Aquamaxx HOB-1 it has the potential of becoming great skimmer but I will not know for sure until I use it for a while (6+ months) and after I clean it a couple of times. If anyone has any question about this skimmer please let me know, Ill do my best to answer them.

 

Also the Trigger System ATO Reservoir is pretty nice....

[al_flood]

Got my clean up crew today. I went with the following:

 

Scarlett Hermit Crabs - 2

Nassarius Vibex Snail - 2

Trochus Snails - 2

Nerites Snail - 2

Pods

 

In the distant future I plan on adding the following:

 

Fire Shrimp - 1

Cleaner Shrimp - 1

Pom-Pom Crab - 1

Sexy Anemone Shrimp - 1

[al_flood]

The last couple of days have been very busy at work and I have not been able to check my tank parameters. I did a 5 gallon water change on Sunday which equates to about 17%. I do not have any algae growth in my tank, last week I started running the light from 0900-2100 with the highest intensity of 50% from 1100-1300. The clean up crew I added is fine but I am a little concern for the snails. There's no algae on my rocks or on my glass for them to eat and I do not want them to starve to death. If anyone has any suggestions let me know, I may take them back to my LFS.

 

Started noticing my temperature in the tank is climbing towards 82 degrees during the evening and somethings during the day even when the central air is running. I ordered two fans from fishstreet.com for about ~$50.00 (http://www.fish-street.com/aquacool_master_fan_f2800) just for the moment. I hope this will stabilize the temperature and keep the tank cooler.

 

I am very tempted to purchase the new Apex for this system but I am holding off because I already have the Apex Jr but it's in storage in California. I feel that installing the new Apex on this nano tank will be over kill. Additionally, I am not trying to put a lot of equipment on this tank because I will have to move everything in the next couple of months when I move into my own place. So the Fish Street fans are just temporally but if they piss me off by being loud or not able to keep my tank cool, I will order the CSXC-1 Aquarium/Hydroponic Chiller. Does anyone have any experience with this chiller? It seems to have some good reviews.

 

Hopefully tonight I will have a chance to check my parameters and if I do I will post.

 

[davidrod8]

Very interesting thread. I'm still on the fence about whether I want to buy this tank or not. I guess my concern is that it feels very skinny although I do like the length of it. Decisions decisions

[al_flood]

Very interesting thread. I'm still on the fence about whether I want to buy this tank or not. I guess my concern is that it feels very skinny although I do like the length of it. Decisions decisions

LOL, Decisions Decisions.........

 

This is my first AIO tank and I would purchase again. Before I purchased this tank I shared your concern about the viewing width of the tank and after I saw the tank in person my concerns subsided, I concluded that the length of the tank makes up for the width. I was on the fence between this tank and the Nuvo 40 but I feel I make the right decision.

 

Checked my parameters last night...................

 

Temp: 80

Salanity: 1.025

PO4: 0

NO3: 5

[davidrod8]

Well, yesterday I pulled the trigger and bought it, same place as you, also got the starter set. In my 2 previous tanks I had gone with live rock, this time I'm going with this, trying to do things "right" from the start and have some patience....

 

My first tank was a 55g which was tall but didn't have much space, specially with the big black column in there. That was 10 years ago... About 6 years ago I went with a biocube thinking I would like the depth, but it felt so small, even if I could aquascape a little bit in there... Looking forward to having length once again...

 

I'm still going back and forth with the lights. I love your set up, but I feel like the lights are too big on top and take away from the tank. I'm thinking something more in line with the nano box quad or the hydra 52.

 

Thinking back to the time when I was single and had time to do maintanence (I hate it) I'm thinking of adding an Apex controller with the dos, so whichever lights / pumps I get need to be compatible, if that's such a thing...

 

As you can see it's been a while for me, so I'm trying to catch up on the new toys....

 

Tank will be here on Monday...

[al_flood]

Well, yesterday I pulled the trigger and bought it, same place as you, also got the starter set. In my 2 previous tanks I had gone with live rock, this time I'm going with this, trying to do things "right" from the start and have some patience....

 

My first tank was a 55g which was tall but didn't have much space, specially with the big black column in there. That was 10 years ago... About 6 years ago I went with a biocube thinking I would like the depth, but it felt so small, even if I could aquascape a little bit in there... Looking forward to having length once again...

 

I'm still going back and forth with the lights. I love your set up, but I feel like the lights are too big on top and take away from the tank. I'm thinking something more in line with the nano box quad or the hydra 52.

 

Thinking back to the time when I was single and had time to do maintanence (I hate it) I'm thinking of adding an Apex controller with the dos, so whichever lights / pumps I get need to be compatible, if that's such a thing...

 

As you can see it's been a while for me, so I'm trying to catch up on the new toys....

 

Tank will be here on Monday...

 

Congrats, I'm excited for you, I cant wait to see your tank and the equipment you put on it. Do you plan on doing a built thread? This is my first built thread and actually blogging (I believe this is considered blogging). This is also my first time using dry rock and I will never use live rock again.

 

The Apex controller makes life so much easier. Having the capability to control your system and being able to see the status of your tank anytime is invaluable. I have a Apex Jr that I previously had on my 50 gallon and I cannot wait to get it back so I can put on my current tank. I also have the DOS but never used it, I was going to use it on my 120 Gallon tank but I had to move and I placed all my equipment in storage. There are light and pumps that are compatible with the Apex and allows the Apex to control them, check out: https://www.neptunesystems.com/apex-ready/

 

You mentioned about having patience, I decided to do the same with this tank but patience is something I do not have especially when I am excited. I am reluctantly writing this, I made a couple of purchases today :o :

 

Fire Shrimp x1

Phantom Oscelaris Clownfish x1

Helfrichi Firefish x2

 

My GOAL for the rest of this month is not to add any life stock in my tank.

 

I do plan on adding the following in due time.

 

Benggai Cardinalfish

Midas Blenny

Sexy Shrimp x2

Carpet Anemone or RBTA (only when my tank reaches 4-5 months)

 

This will finish my stocking list.

[davidrod8]

Not sure on the build thread yet, I do enjoy reading others so maybe I will. Thanks for the link, I think that narrows my choices and the air hydra 52 is at the top of the list, only concern is coverage on a 36 but it seems most owners of this tank have 4-6" spaces on both sides which would bring the main area down to 24" anyways.

 

I can't believe you started the tank and are planning in moving soon, that sounds like a lot of work! Good luck!

What part of south Florida are you at? I loved there for 8 years and remember the stores, very nice compared to what I saw here in Texas 5 years ago. I need to start making the rounds, although it seems most people are happy with buying online.... if only amazon sold coral

 

I'm sold on the apex controller, need to get the lighting ordered and then I'll concentrate on that. I'm a big fan of automation, specially with 3 kids and not always having all the necessary time for it.

 

I do have a question for you about filtration, how big are socks you are getting? I have seen many people go with the intank caddies and I'm surprise you didn't. I feel this part is my weakest nad where I need to do the most research. At this point I just want to get the tank set up and running as I hate looking at plain water

 

Congratulations on your purchases, the fire shrimp and the fire fish are some of my favorites and will definitively be an addition to my tank along with a diamond blenny, I can spend hours looking at that guy!

 

 

 

Congrats, I'm excited for you, I cant wait to see your tank and the equipment you put on it. Do you plan on doing a built thread? This is my first built thread and actually blogging (I believe this is considered blogging). This is also my first time using dry rock and I will never use live rock again.

 

The Apex controller makes life so much easier. Having the capability to control your system and being able to see the status of your tank anytime is invaluable. I have a Apex Jr that I previously had on my 50 gallon and I cannot wait to get it back so I can put on my current tank. I also have the DOS but never used it, I was going to use it on my 120 Gallon tank but I had to move and I placed all my equipment in storage. There are light and pumps that are compatible with the Apex and allows the Apex to control them, check out: https://www.neptunesystems.com/apex-ready/

 

You mentioned about having patience, I decided to do the same with this tank but patience is something I do not have especially when I am excited. I am reluctantly writing this, I made a couple of purchases today :o :

 

Fire Shrimp x1

Phantom Oscelaris Clownfish x1

Helfrichi Firefish x2

 

My GOAL for the rest of this month is not to add any life stock in my tank.

 

I do plan on adding the following in due time.

 

Benggai Cardinalfish

Midas Blenny

Sexy Shrimp x2

Carpet Anemone or RBTA (only when my tank reaches 4-5 months)

 

This will finish my stocking list.

[al_flood]

Not sure on the build thread yet, I do enjoy reading others so maybe I will. Thanks for the link, I think that narrows my choices and the air hydra 52 is at the top of the list, only concern is coverage on a 36 but it seems most owners of this tank have 4-6" spaces on both sides which would bring the main area down to 24" anyways.

 

I can't believe you started the tank and are planning in moving soon, that sounds like a lot of work! Good luck!

What part of south Florida are you at? I loved there for 8 years and remember the stores, very nice compared to what I saw here in Texas 5 years ago. I need to start making the rounds, although it seems most people are happy with buying online.... if only amazon sold coral

 

I'm sold on the apex controller, need to get the lighting ordered and then I'll concentrate on that. I'm a big fan of automation, specially with 3 kids and not always having all the necessary time for it.

 

I do have a question for you about filtration, how big are socks you are getting? I have seen many people go with the intank caddies and I'm surprise you didn't. I feel this part is my weakest nad where I need to do the most research. At this point I just want to get the tank set up and running as I hate looking at plain water

 

Congratulations on your purchases, the fire shrimp and the fire fish are some of my favorites and will definitively be an addition to my tank along with a diamond blenny, I can spend hours looking at that guy!

 

 

 

 

I built this tank knowing I would be moving, as much as I love my Mother In Law I cannot continue to live with her longterm. I spent the last 12 years of my life moving from place to place and this should be my final move. Hopefully the tank move will not be too bad fingerscrossed . I decided to build this tank because I work from home mostly (Real Estate Agent) and I got the Reef Tank Syndrome really bad. I live in Orlando, I was going to move to Dallas and work for the DEA but once I felt the heat my wife and I decided against it and we moved to Orlando.

 

Amazon selling corals will be it's final frontier, they sell just about everything, hopefully someone working for Amazon will read this thread see your comments and make it happen. I put my kids to work on my tank and they enjoy doing it. I allow them to pick out some of the fishes and so when time comes to do maintenance they are willing to help me because they want to make sure their fishes are happy. It's a win, win for me.

 

The socks I purchase for my system are: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/midsize-30-40-filter-sock-w-custom-holder-innovative-marine.html, let me know if I answered your question. I didn't go with the in tank caddies because I was trying to reduce on maintenance. In my head I thought that if I purchased 4 pairs of filter socks I will be able to use 2 pairs per week. Once I replace the socks, I washed it out and place them into a bucket mixed with bleach and water and allow it to soak for a day. After they are done soaking I would rinse them out and put them in another bucket with fresh water and allow them to soak for another day. Once that was done, I would take them out and allow them to dry and then they would be ready to be placed back in my tank.

 

I regret not purchasing the caddies because it would be so much easier. Just purchase a bag of filter floss and put into your caddies and throw out when dirty. I found some filter floss on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDZ5GT4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2XU57CEZWMMS. From what I read going this route instead of buying the other filter floss will save you lots of money and this filter floss is just as effective. I have NOT tried this filter floss so I cannot say its true, hopefully someone on this thread can verify.

 

I will be purchasing the caddies when my filter socks start getting old and unusable or if I see them on sale. I guess things in my mind does not work out all the time. The other problem with the filter socks is that it leaves a gap when you place it the back compartment of the tank, I hate seeing that gap and at times it tends to float, therefore your water do not get filtered. I'll post a picture of the gap later with pics of the new additions.

[al_flood]

Looks like i'm starting my diatom bloom. I started noticing brown spots on my sand bed and some brown spots on my rock earlier this week. Now it looks like it is starting to spread........

Here are some pics of the new fish addition. Everyone survived the night and is eating.

[davidrod8]

Hahaha, I was just in Orlando last month and can't tell the difference in heat between there and here.... The wife keeps telling me that she wants to move somewhere with the 4 seasons, maybe the Carolinas... I guess we'll see...

 

Today has been a busy day... I have placed so many orders I can't hardly keep track of what's coming when... I guess it is time for me to start a build thread to help keep things in perspective...

 

I was at Petsmart today looking at feeders for my turtles and saw some cheap socks in there for less than a buck. I picked up a few, figured I'll fill them up with carbon and when I'm done with them they'll go in the trash, not doing any of that process you described

 

Ok, going to start working on my own build thread.... hope you stop by and visit... I'll keep checking yours...

 

I built this tank knowing I would be moving, as much as I love my Mother In Law I cannot continue to live with her longterm. I spent the last 12 years of my life moving from place to place and this should be my final move. Hopefully the tank move will not be too bad fingerscrossed . I decided to build this tank because I work from home mostly (Real Estate Agent) and I got the Reef Tank Syndrome really bad. I live in Orlando, I was going to move to Dallas and work for the DEA but once I felt the heat my wife and I decided against it and we moved to Orlando.

 

Amazon selling corals will be it's final frontier, they sell just about everything, hopefully someone working for Amazon will read this thread see your comments and make it happen. I put my kids to work on my tank and they enjoy doing it. I allow them to pick out some of the fishes and so when time comes to do maintenance they are willing to help me because they want to make sure their fishes are happy. It's a win, win for me.

 

The socks I purchase for my system are: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/midsize-30-40-filter-sock-w-custom-holder-innovative-marine.html, let me know if I answered your question. I didn't go with the in tank caddies because I was trying to reduce on maintenance. In my head I thought that if I purchased 4 pairs of filter socks I will be able to use 2 pairs per week. Once I replace the socks, I washed it out and place them into a bucket mixed with bleach and water and allow it to soak for a day. After they are done soaking I would rinse them out and put them in another bucket with fresh water and allow them to soak for another day. Once that was done, I would take them out and allow them to dry and then they would be ready to be placed back in my tank.

 

I regret not purchasing the caddies because it would be so much easier. Just purchase a bag of filter floss and put into your caddies and throw out when dirty. I found some filter floss on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDZ5GT4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2XU57CEZWMMS. From what I read going this route instead of buying the other filter floss will save you lots of money and this filter floss is just as effective. I have NOT tried this filter floss so I cannot say its true, hopefully someone on this thread can verify.

 

I will be purchasing the caddies when my filter socks start getting old and unusable or if I see them on sale. I guess things in my mind does not work out all the time. The other problem with the filter socks is that it leaves a gap when you place it the back compartment of the tank, I hate seeing that gap and at times it tends to float, therefore your water do not get filtered. I'll post a picture of the gap later with pics of the new additions.

[al_flood]

Hahaha, I was just in Orlando last month and can't tell the difference in heat between there and here.... The wife keeps telling me that she wants to move somewhere with the 4 seasons, maybe the Carolinas... I guess we'll see...

 

Today has been a busy day... I have placed so many orders I can't hardly keep track of what's coming when... I guess it is time for me to start a build thread to help keep things in perspective...

 

I was at Petsmart today looking at feeders for my turtles and saw some cheap socks in there for less than a buck. I picked up a few, figured I'll fill them up with carbon and when I'm done with them they'll go in the trash, not doing any of that process you described

 

Ok, going to start working on my own build thread.... hope you stop by and visit... I'll keep checking yours...

 

:D My method with filter sock cleaning is way over kill. Let me know when you start your thread and I will definitely visit. Can't wait to see what equipment you decide to go with and how you stock your tank.

[al_flood]

 

Helfrichi Firefish pair together in their cave.

 

 

 

 

Barnacle I ordered from reefcleaners.org. Preparing to get a Blenny at the end of the month.

[al_flood]

Purchased a couple of items from MarineDepot.com.

 

1. AquaMaxx on Point Coral Feeder - I plan on getting a pistol shrimp / Yasha Goby pair and will use this to place food near their home. I also plan on using this feeder to feed my corals.

 

2. EcoTech Marine Vortech Battery Backup - Safety, in the event the electricity goes out my MP10 can continue running, which can save my lifestock.

 

3. Innovative Marine AUQA Gadget CustomCaddy x2 - Getting tired of the filter socks, they float too much and constantly move backwards therefore not doing their job and filtering the water. I plan on putting some of the Filter Floss, Carbon, GFO (Big Maybe) and Seachem Matrix in the caddys.

 

4. Seachem Matrix - I do not like having a lot of rock in my tank, therefore I only have ~15 pounds of rock in the tank. I bought this media to help control my nitrates. I do not plan/want to dose any nitrate/phosphate reducing chemicals in my tank.

 

5. American Marine Selcon - Keep my fish healthy. Plan on using only twice a week.

[Alain]

Great thread, very detailed and well-thought out! Good luck with the tank! I've purchased two of the surface skimmers and waiting for them to arrive

[al_flood]

Great thread, very detailed and well-thought out! Good luck with the tank! I've purchased two of the surface skimmers and waiting for them to arrive

 

Thanks Alain,

 

Let me know your thoughts on the surface skimmer when you get them. I'm thinking of doing the same.........

[al_flood]

Here are my parameters as of today:

 

Temp: 80

Salinity: 1.024

NH4: 0

NO3: 5

PO4: 0

Cal: 420

Alk: 7

Mag: 1350

 

Here is the ugly:

 

Currently going through an ugly diatom bloom. It started late last week and only spread on the sand. Today I decided to keep my lights off in order to keep it from spreading. Yesterday it was a dark brown color and today with the lights being off for most of the day it is starting to clear up. The skimmer has been working good, took about a week and a half to finally start skimming. The first week all it did was overflow, so I took it off the aquarium and washed it in hot water again, then I placed it back on the tank. Its finally somewhat pulling out some skimmate but I don't think it has completely broken in yet.

 

I lost one snail. RIP. I found one of my hermits eating the snail and I removed him from the tank. I was planning on keeping the shell but he stunk and I didn't want to keep a dead snail inside the house or outside so I threw him away. I always get free shells whenever I go to my LFS.

 

 

 

Here is the good:

 

Got an email from MarineDepot.com that the items I ordered last night will be delivered on Saturday 24 September. Talk about fast free shipping. I am falling in love with Marine Depot :wub: :flower: . I only wish they would have a point system like BRS does. :D

 

I should finally be receiving my aquarium fans sometime this week or early next week. If you all don't remember, I ordered the fans from fish-street.com about a week ago and they finally arrived in New York today. Hopefully they are delivered soon so I can keep my temperature down. I like my temperature around 78 degrees.

 

All my aquarium habitats are doing well, there is no life stock issues and everyone gets along. At times the two clown fish get into their disagreements and they hash it out, but that's normally short lived and then they go back to doing whatever clown fish do.

 

I am looking at adding two Sexy Shrimps very soon and corals as soon as this diatom bloom goes away and I stabilize my temperature. I plan on starting off with some mushrooms and other soft corals.

 

That's all folks. If you have any suggestions or ideas leave me a message.

[al_flood]

Totally forgot here are some pics:

 

 

 

[davidrod8]

Looking good! I always like to peek around here to see what you have been up to!

 

I see that you finally decided to go with the caddies. I received mine form intank and have to say they look awesome. Only problem is no tank yet

 

I did get the stand which I started building late last night. Will finish up today and rearrange the furniture in my office accordingly. If everything goes to plan (which so far it hasn't) I will receive the tank on Monday, do a leak test and hopefully by tuesday I can move it into its permanent home.

 

When are you planning on getting corals?

[spectra]

Nice looking set up! Looks like things are coming along.

 

I set one of these up for my wife and I got the InTank baskets they are great. I also have an IM basket in a 10 and it works well also.