IM Nuvo 30L ~ Alphaeus

[al_flood]

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.

 

Thanks Spectra, really appreciate your comments.

[al_flood]

I received my package from Marine Depot today. Was so excited that I opened it before taking a pic. Now I have to wait until Wednesday for me to put the caddies into the tank because I am waiting for the filter floss which I ordered on Amazon.

[spectra]

You might be able to just run to a petco or a pet smart and get some generic floss.....

[al_flood]

You might be able to just run to a petco or a pet smart and get some generic floss.....

 

Honestly that idea didn't even cross my mind. Thank you. :bowdown: :happydance:

[al_flood]

Following Spectra advise, I went to my LFS and picked up some MarineLand Filter Pads and Pura Filtration Pad. Both caddies are installed and my mechanical filtration is as follows: tank water has to flow through a piece of MarineLand Filter Pad, then through the Pura Filtration Pad, and finally through 1-Liter of Seachem Matrix for biological filtration. Additionally I have 1.9L of MarinePure 1.5" Spheres in the second chamber of the AIO tank for additional biological filtration.

 

Due to the MarinePure being so brittle, every time I move them to clean the back compartment of the tank, very small pieces break apart. This has me wondering if the spheres would work better inside a mesh filter sock. The water would still be able to flow through the spheres and it would make cleaning the back compartment much so much easier for me. I do not want to remove the spheres due to the limited amount of rock in my tank and I believe that the spheres in addition with the Seachem Matrix can help keep phosphates and nitrates in check.

 

If anyone has any ideas let me know.......

[al_flood]

Did a quick check of my perimeters:

 

Temp: 81

Salinity: 1.025

NH4: 0

NO3: 2.5

PO4: 0

 

Finally my nitrates are going down. Still waiting on my fans from fish-street.com, can't wait for them to get here. I checked the status today and it made it to Miami, Florida yesterday evening so hopefully I will get it tomorrow. Once I install the fans and it's able to keep my temperature stable for at least two weeks, I will be adding corals, starting with with soft corals. Once I start adding corals I will then start dosing the ZeoVit Nano pack in order to take pics of the corals for a before and after comparison.

[al_flood]

Finally got the aquarium fans, they are low profile and smaller than I expected. I purchased them from Fish-Street.com for approximately $50 shipped. I installed them on my aquarium and within 20 minutes took my temperature from 80.9 to 79.0. IMO they are not too noisy, you can tell they are on but it doesn't bother me, yet. What I like about them is they come with a thermostat and once your aquarium cools down to your desired temperature they automatically shut off. I currently have my heater set at 74 and the fans should cut off once the temperature is 78. I will keep an eye on it since I don't really trust the thermostat on the fans, I really miss my Apex and can't wait to get it out of storage.

 

Off the bat one thing I dislike about the fan is that it measures the temperature in Celsius. Its not that big of a deal but it would be nice if you could have switched between Celsius and Fahrenheit. I Google a Celsius to Fahrenheit converter chart to get the desired temperature I want. It is currently set at 26 degrees Celsius. Only time will tell how durable these fans are. Before purchasing them, I scowed the internet for reviews, couldn't find any, so I decided I wanted to be a pioneer and journey into uncharted territory. Ill keep everyone updated as to the performance of the fans if anyone is interested.

 

Here are some pics.

[al_flood]

Just wanted to give a quick update on the aquarium fans. They are doing a great job keeping my temperature down in the tank. The tank temperature has been stable at 78.1 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday evening and the whole day today and I have not seen it decrease or increase. Currently I have them both aquarium fans set at different temperatures, the aquarium fan on the right is set at 26 degrees Celsius while the other is set at 27 degrees Celsius. The reason for this is because I do not need both running at the same time and also every minute or two minutes one will turn on for a couple of 10 to 20 seconds to keep the temperature stable. Another reason why I have them set at different degrees is because if one burns out due to constantly turning off and on then I have another for backup until I can replace the burned out one.

 

I was going to purchase the Tunze AquaWind but due to me not having my Apex Controller I had no way of controlling it. These cheap fans came with a built in thermostat that detects when it should cut on and off. Overall I know that it is just day 1 but I am really happy with this purchase and as of right now I will purchase them again.

 

This weekend I will purchase some soft corals, starting with some mushrooms and Zoas.

[al_flood]

New pics of the aquarium.

 

[davidrod8]

Nice! Looking very good!

[al_flood]

Nice! Looking very good!

 

Thanks Davidrod8!

[kellerexpress]

Looking good! I just set-up the same tank and its going through the cycle now. I had increased temps at first too until I realized it was the stock return pump causing it. I switched it out with a MJ I had lying around and now my temps are normal.

[al_flood]

Looking good! I just set-up the same tank and its going through the cycle now. I had increased temps at first too until I realized it was the stock return pump causing it. I switched it out with a MJ I had lying around and now my temps are normal.

 

Thanks Kellerexpress!

 

I was thinking of changing the stock return pump for completely different reasons, but now that you mentioned the stock pump may be the cause of my heat issues I will definitely change it. I was thinking of going with the Jebao DCS 3000. I'm looking for a DC pump where I can control the flow.

[kellerexpress]

I read other reports of that pump causing heat issues, and it was totally my problem. Plus it was loud, sounded like a small diesel engine back there lol. I have been looking at the Jebao dcs 3000 as well, I like the idea of the controllability. The MJ 1200 is more of a temp solution as I don't think its quite enough flow.

[al_flood]

I am going to start with the ZeoVit Power Pack tomorrow. My initial dosing I am going to start with is the following:

 

Coral Vitalizer – 1 drop daily (Morning)
Phol's Xtra – 1 ml every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday )
Amino Acids LPS – 1 ml 2 x weekly (Tuesday, Thursdays)
Sponge Power – 1 drop daily (Afternoon)

 

Here are the corals I have so far:

 

Pink Rainbow Cloves

Orange & Green Ricordia

Rasta Zoas

Crazy Smurfs Zoas

 

Starting off here is what my corals look like:

 

 

 

 

I just dipped and added some more corals but Ill take pics tomorrow before I start ZeoVit.

[al_flood]

I read other reports of that pump causing heat issues, and it was totally my problem. Plus it was loud, sounded like a small diesel engine back there lol. I have been looking at the Jebao dcs 3000 as well, I like the idea of the controllability. The MJ 1200 is more of a temp solution as I don't think its quite enough flow.

 

I have the same problem in regards to the pump being loud, I'm constantly in the back of the tank tinkering with the pump to try and quiet it down. My only concern about Jebao is its longevity. I've read a lot of mixed reviews about it both positive and negative, but I do believe if you clean and take care of the pump, it SHOULD last.

 

The fans that I have on my tank works great but my water evaporation increased dramatically. I'm all for low maintenance so if I don't have to fill up my 5 gallon ATO what it seems like every 5 days then getting the Jebao will be worth it.

[Michael_Price]

 

I have the same problem in regards to the pump being loud, I'm constantly in the back of the tank tinkering with the pump to try and quiet it down. My only concern about Jebao is its longevity. I've read a lot of mixed reviews about it both positive and negative, but I do believe if you clean and take care of the pump, it SHOULD last.

 

The fans that I have on my tank works great but my water evaporation increased dramatically. I'm all for low maintenance so if I don't have to fill up my 5 gallon ATO what it seems like every 5 days then getting the Jebao will be worth it.

 

 

Let us know what happens with the temps on a new pump! I Have a Nuvo 30L with the same pump of course, and my temp was at a solid 80 for a few days. I dropped my AC in the house to help and its down to 77 which is better. But if I can lower it with a better pump that would most likely be a cheaper option then paying extra on my electric bill to keep the whole house cooler! I'll be waiting to see what you find out.

 

Great start with the tank by the way! My tank has been running one week now, not much longer and I'll be adding a fish and coral!

[al_flood]

 

 

Let us know what happens with the temps on a new pump! I Have a Nuvo 30L with the same pump of course, and my temp was at a solid 80 for a few days. I dropped my AC in the house to help and its down to 77 which is better. But if I can lower it with a better pump that would most likely be a cheaper option then paying extra on my electric bill to keep the whole house cooler! I'll be waiting to see what you find out.

 

Great start with the tank by the way! My tank has been running one week now, not much longer and I'll be adding a fish and coral!

 

Thanks, I will let you know about the pump. I am on Amazon right now ordering it.

Let me know if/when you start your build thread.

 

 

 

 

 

ZeoVit Day #1

 

Perimeters as of 3 October 2016 prior to dosing ZeoVit are:

 

Temp: 78.1

Salinity: 1.025

NH4: 0

NO3: 2.5

PO4: 0

 

 

Here are pics of the other corals I purchased yesterday evening. I started dosing ZeoVit after I took the pictures.

 

 

I believe this is a Montipora but I'm not sure, my LRS told me what type of coral it was but I forgot. If anyone can identify it please let me know.

 

Pink Tip Torch Coral

 

FrogSpawn Coral

 

Duncan Coral

 

Hammer Coral

[al_flood]

ZeoVit Dosing Day # 2, here are my perimeters:

 

Temp: 78.1

Salinity: 1.025

NH4: 0

NO3: 1

PO4: 0

 

Tomorrow I will be doing my mid week maintenance which is changing the filter floss in my overflow. I will also be testing for Alk, Cal, & Mag.

 

For the past two weeks I've noticed an explosion of pods in my tank. I can mostly see them when the actinic lights come on during the evening. At first they were only in the back chamber (sump) of the aquarium, then they spread to the back acrylic sheet of the tank, then they spread sides of the tank, now I see them crawling all over the front of the glass. The fish only eat the ones that are on the front glass and leave the ones on the side and back of the aquarium.

 

I ordered the Jebao DCS 3000 return pump yesterday from Amazon.com and it should be delivered by next week (I don't like paying for shipping). One of the aquarium fans that I bought is now making this squeaky sound at times, which maybe because of the constant turning off and on. Hopefully with the Jeboa DCS 3000 the fan will not have to work as hard. I will keep you all updated.

[Michael_Price]

 

Thanks, I will let you know about the pump. I am on Amazon right now ordering it.

Let me know if/when you start your build thread.

 

 

Good deal, looking forward to that update. If it makes a worth while difference I'll do the same and just use the pump it came with to pump fresh saltwater into the sump when I do water changes so I don't have to dump a 5 gallon bucket into the display tank ha ha.

 

And I have started a build thread! Check it out Here

[al_flood]

 

Good deal, looking forward to that update. If it makes a worth while difference I'll do the same and just use the pump it came with to pump fresh saltwater into the sump when I do water changes so I don't have to dump a 5 gallon bucket into the display tank ha ha.

 

And I have started a build thread! Check it out Here

 

Haha, I was thinking of doing the same, using the old pump to pump fresh saltwater into the sump during water changes. I'm getting tired of the manual approach.

[Michael_Price]

 

Haha, I was thinking of doing the same, using the old pump to pump fresh saltwater into the sump during water changes. I'm getting tired of the manual approach.

 

Yeah, and once the tank is full of coral and fish there really is no nice way of dumping it in without disturbing everything in the display side of the tank. filling back up on the sump side is the best way to go!

[al_flood]

ZeoVit Dosing Day #4

 

Here are the results of my testing:

 

Temp: 78.1

Mag: 1440

Calcium: 450

Alk: 7.3 dKH

 

The strange noise from my aquarium fan magically disappeared.

 

About to make a couple of final purchases for the tank:

 

-Brightwell Aquatics PhytoChrom - Color Enhancing Phytoplankton 1-30 microns

-inTank Universal Surface Skimmer

[al_flood]

Today I suffered my first lost, my long tail fairy wrasse mysteriously died. On Thursday, when I fed the tank in the morning, he was out and about eating, nothing unusual. Later in the afternoon he was no where to be found. He normally has a cave he sleeps in and stays in at times during the day. I checked the cave but he was not in there, I then thought I saw a glimpsed of him in a hole in the rock. I thought he was just hiding but I found it unusual because he never goes into that hole. On Friday morning I fed the tank to see if he would come out, he didn't. I again started to search the tank to see if I could find him, but he was no where to be found. I checked the hole like I did the previous day and I couldn't see him in there. Saturday morning at 0400 I finally saw him, he was in the shape of a ball and floating dead. No clue what happened to him. He was my favorite fish in the tank brought a lot of personality to the tank and I loved the way he flashed when he was swam.

 

I tested my perimeters to see if something was out of wack.

 

Temp: 78.1

Salinity: 1.025

NH4: 0

NO3: 2.5

PO4: 0

 

I have no clue what happened, one minute he was fine and eating, the next he went into hiding, then he died. Guess it was his time to go.

 

I will do a water change tomorrow morning and take a few pics.

[Michael_Price]

Today I suffered my first lost, my long tail fairy wrasse mysteriously died. On Thursday, when I fed the tank in the morning, he was out and about eating, nothing unusual. Later in the afternoon he was no where to be found. He normally has a cave he sleeps in and stays in at times during the day. I checked the cave but he was not in there, I then thought I saw a glimpsed of him in a hole in the rock. I thought he was just hiding but I found it unusual because he never goes into that hole. On Friday morning I fed the tank to see if he would come out, he didn't. I again started to search the tank to see if I could find him, but he was no where to be found. I checked the hole like I did the previous day and I couldn't see him in there. Saturday morning at 0400 I finally saw him, he was in the shape of a ball and floating dead. No clue what happened to him. He was my favorite fish in the tank brought a lot of personality to the tank and I loved the way he flashed when he was swam.

 

I tested my perimeters to see if something was out of wack.

 

Temp: 78.1

Salinity: 1.025

NH4: 0

NO3: 2.5

PO4: 0

 

I have no clue what happened, one minute he was fine and eating, the next he went into hiding, then he died. Guess it was his time to go.

 

I will do a water change tomorrow morning and take a few pics.

 

 

Sorry to hear, looks like everything was fine. Sometimes we lose something in the tank mysteriously. at least he was not in there too long to trigger a spike on your parameters, never a good feeling to walk out and see half your coral in the fritz