IM Nuvo Fusion 10 BT - Denise's Office Tank - 3/25 FTS and Rhodactis

[dmw913]

I'm Denise and I've kept reef tanks off and on (mostly on) for 18+ years. I have a IM Nuvo Fusion 20 at home as a main tank and recently got a job where I now spend most of my time at my desk - what a great excuse to get a tank at the office! As I've been mostly happy with the Nuvo 20, I opted for the Nuvo 10. This build thread follows:

Hardware

Tank: Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 10
Lights: AI Prime HD (white)
Mount: AI Prime tank mount (black)
Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent .5 (187 GPH at max)
Heat: Finnex HMO-100 w/digital controller
Thermometer: JBJ DigiTemp 2
Flow: Ecotech MP10QD & IM SpinStream
Media Mgmt: IM Custom Caddy 20
ATO: Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152
Skimmer: Reef Glass Nano skimmer
Controller: Reefkeeper Lite w/pH

Filtration

BRS Pukani dry rock - 8 lbs
Caribsea Arag-Alive in Hawaiian black - 5 lbs
Marine Pure bio-balls 3 (broken in 1/2 and housed in bottom section of media caddy)
Polyester batting (in top of custom caddy to catch large detritus)
BRS Rox carbon and GFO
Instant Ocean Bio-Spira to start the whole thing off

Salt

HW-Marinemix Reefer mixed to 1.24-25

Livestock
Sustainable Aquatics Black Frostbite - Chilled Clown (named Bob)
Fire Goby (Sparky)
CUC
Acan frags - 2
Duncan frag
Mushroom
Zoanthid frag
Blasto frag
Ricordea Yuma

Monti Cap

Maintenance

Sand stirred / rocks blown off with baster and polyester batting changed every weekday.

Thanks in advance for any feedback (positive or negative).

Best,
Denise

2/9/17: FTS with some frags off plugs and mounted. Second pic showing Reefkeeper mounting.

 

1/25/17 New rockwork & Bob the fish front and center! Broke up the monolith rock into several pieces. Some improvement to be sure.

[teenyreef]

Looks like a great start, congratulations on starting the new tank!

[teenyreef]

I think you should be fine going skimmerless. I didn't like the desktop ghost either, but I've been able to get the Eshopps Nano to fit in the second chamber. But like you said, the light bracket may block the skimmer. There's pictures of how mine is set up in my IM10 thread.

 

With bad wifi some of the benefits of the Apex go away like monitoring temp while you are gone from the office. I'd wait until you run the tank for a while before deciding. But I love my Apex

 

Same for the MP10, I love mine but with no sps it's not as critical. And I do wish it was smaller!

[dmw913]

Hmmm, @teenyreef, I found your pic in your thread and it looks like you have a light mount in your second chamber and still got things to work out. I always prefer a skimmer so that's an excellent option to consider. How's the noise?

 

I also found a bunch of folks using MAME or Reef Glass skimmers that appear to be working well.

[VW_TDI_02]

I have the same tank and while it's only been up for about two months, I don't plan on adding a skimmer. Limit feeding and water changes are just so simple on a small tank that it really isn't necessary.

 

You could also look at getting a used Reef Keeper Lite. You can get them for about $80 used and are very helpful even without web connection. I have mine set up so that it will cut off the heater if the tank gets too warm and it will also cut off my dosing pump if my pH is too high in case of an accidental alk dump.

 

I wouldn't bother with an MP10. Right now I still have the stock pump and no powerhead in the tank and I haven't had any issues. I originally had a Jebao RW-4 and my torches were closing up even at the lowest setting. I might get a weaker powersupply for it and give that a shot but that's about it. I'd imagine with the upgraded return pump you shouldn't have any issues with flow.

[teenyreef]

Hmmm, @teenyreef, I found your pic in your thread and it looks like you have a light mount in your second chamber and still got things to work out. I always prefer a skimmer so that's an excellent option to consider. How's the noise?

 

I also found a bunch of folks using MAME or Reef Glass skimmers that appear to be working well.

Mine is pretty much silent. But my light bracket is pretty thin on the side that protrudes into the chamber. I recently compared notes with another reefer that had a newer model Nanobox light with a thicker bracket, which prevented the light from being right in the center of the tank because of the skimmer.

I have the same tank and while it's only been up for about two months, I don't plan on adding a skimmer. Limit feeding and water changes are just so simple on a small tank that it really isn't necessary.

 

You could also look at getting a used Reef Keeper Lite. You can get them for about $80 used and are very helpful even without web connection. I have mine set up so that it will cut off the heater if the tank gets too warm and it will also cut off my dosing pump if my pH is too high in case of an accidental alk dump.

 

I wouldn't bother with an MP10. Right now I still have the stock pump and no powerhead in the tank and I haven't had any issues. I originally had a Jebao RW-4 and my torches were closing up even at the lowest setting. I might get a weaker powersupply for it and give that a shot but that's about it. I'd imagine with the upgraded return pump you shouldn't have any issues with flow.

I agree, all good thoughts. Everyone who's tried an RW-4 in an IM10 has had to get the reduced voltage power supply to make it work. The MP-10 does work well, on the other hand - I run mine at about 50% peak. But it's a lot more money, and for just softies I think the upgraded return pump with a spinstream will be enough.

[VW_TDI_02]

I agree, all good thoughts. Everyone who's tried an RW-4 in an IM10 has had to get the reduced voltage power supply to make it work. The MP-10 does work well, on the other hand - I run mine at about 50% peak. But it's a lot more money, and for just softies I think the upgraded return pump with a spinstream will be enough.

Yea, I have a few SPS towards the top myself and I think I'm going to get the spinstream nozzle for the return in order to get some variation. I'd love to have an MP10 but as you said, they're rather pricey and I can't quite afford one right now.

 

On a side note, your 10 gallon was/is the inspiration for my tank. I haven't uploaded a picture but I added a red planet to the top of my rock work. I'm hoping to have the montis plate out and kind of surround the red planet. Crazy how many corals you managed to fit in such a small tank.

 

OP, any reason why you stacked the rockwork so high? It appears to be nearly at water level and I don't think you can even put any coral on top of it.

[dmw913]

Short answer: There are only 2 pieces of rock in that tank (lol). That larger one sitting on top of a bit of flat base which I flattened out by chipping apart with a hammer. Apparently, BRS missed my note about needing smaller pieces for the IM 10. By the time I was done chipping the bottom, I was worried my office mates were ready to have my head so I quit hammering. Can always break up that bigger piece before putting coral in the next time I'm the only one in my hallway!

 

PS: BRS sent what HAD to be more than the 10lbs I ordered. Took a couple of smaller pieces home to the IM 20. Love them!

[VW_TDI_02]

Short answer: There are only 2 pieces of rock in that tank (lol). That larger one sitting on top of a bit of flat base which I flattened out by chipping apart with a hammer. Apparently, BRS missed my note about needing smaller pieces for the IM 10. By the time I was done chipping the bottom, I was worried my office mates were ready to have my head so I quit hammering. Can always break up that bigger piece before putting coral in the next time I'm the only one in my hallway!

It's definitely tough finding good rocks for small tanks. I actually was sitting on the floor in the store piling up the rocks and snagged a few extra just in case.

[dmw913]

Thanks for the feedback on the aquascape, VW. I really like the bottom where the two rocks join because it creates a pretty cool cave but looking at the pic after your feedback, I am wondering if I take a wide flat screw driver to the office and remove a little of the bulk of the big rock near the top to give it a less monolithic look and make some room for some SPS if the wild hair ever grabs me.

[teenyreef]

Yea, I have a few SPS towards the top myself and I think I'm going to get the spinstream nozzle for the return in order to get some variation. I'd love to have an MP10 but as you said, they're rather pricey and I can't quite afford one right now.

 

On a side note, your 10 gallon was/is the inspiration for my tank. I haven't uploaded a picture but I added a red planet to the top of my rock work. I'm hoping to have the montis plate out and kind of surround the red planet. Crazy how many corals you managed to fit in such a small tank.

 

OP, any reason why you stacked the rockwork so high? It appears to be nearly at water level and I don't think you can even put any coral on top of it.

Thank you! A red planet on top should look awesome! I wasn't following your thread for some reason, time to fix that problem

Thank you! A red planet on top should look awesome! I wasn't following your thread for some reason, time to fix that problem

I've had great luck with a hammer and an old blunt flat screwdriver. You can always glue chunks back together so it's just the way you like it

[dmw913]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Top post has been modified to reflect following:

 

Skimmer: Reef Glass Nano skimmer. Quite frankly, I just feel better about my water quality when I run a skimmer but I don't think I have room for the Eshopps given my light mount. Additionally, I think the Reef Glass looks pretty cool and appears really easy to maintain.

 

MP10: For now, I'm going to see if the Sicce/SpinStream combo keep enough water moving while keeping an eye out for a decent used deal if I change my mind.

 

Damn, building new tanks is a BLAST!

[VW_TDI_02]

Thanks for the feedback on the aquascape, VW. I really like the bottom where the two rocks join because it creates a pretty cool cave but looking at the pic after your feedback, I am wondering if I take a wide flat screw driver to the office and remove a little of the bulk of the big rock near the top to give it a less monolithic look and make some room for some SPS if the wild hair ever grabs me.

Thanks. In total I think I used 5 rocks and just dumped a bunch of super glue in there in order to get them to stick. The big thing was that I wanted plenty of space to put coral and so far it's working pretty well.

 

I do think you should take a hammer to the top rock. I really like the ridge on the upper part of the top rock and I think you could make that the new "top" of the rockwork. Below I highlighted a rough line of what I'm referring to. It would allow for a good bit of space on the left and the right and a nice higher section so it's not a completely flat top. This is just a rough line since it's hard for me to draw in 3 dimensions (I really struggled with the right side, lol). Also not sure about the back of the rock.

 

One way to crack/cut the rock would be with a drill. If you take a drill with a masonry bit you should be able to drill into the rock along where you want the cracks to be. This will form a line of weakness and using a hammer and chisel/screwdriver you should be able to break off some sections.

 

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Love the setup and will be following along. Where are you placing your Bio Balls? In the media basket or in the second chamber?

 

 

[dmw913]

Funny you should ask, Surveyman! They just arrived via UPS and I was wondering the exact same thing. I'm thinking I'll toss in lowest media basket section until skimmer arrives and I can see how much space the skimmer uses. Ultimately, I also think I may start making my own filter media bags like I do for my 20 and jet the ChemiPure. I mix 2/3 rox carbon and 1/3 GFO in 1/2 of a nylon knee-high and discard the entire thing after use. The ChemiPure nanos are pretty expensive and I feel like the water could be clearer.

 

1/23/16 Update: Did first 10% water change. Bob the fish seemed to tolerate it well. Really, really need that ATO to arrive (scheduled tomorrow) as evap drains the return area over the weekend and the pump starts spitting air.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Very cool! I wasn't sure if you would add them in the final tray or the middle. I'm thinking the bottom would be best. For my canister on my Cichlids tank the water hits my sponges and pads first, carbon, then the bio before heading back to the tank. For our nanos it would be the same idea just upside down.

 

I must know more about your own media. How about we call it "Denise-Pure"? Haha

[dmw913]

Lol! It's really pretty easy. I bought a bunch of old school knee-high nylons like grandma used to wear on Amazon. I cut in 1/2 so each nylon makes two filter bags. I fill it with about 6-8 tbs of rox carbon from BRS and 4 tbs of GFO also from BRS, tie the top in a knot, rinse, toss in middle section of each caddy of the Nuvo 20 (it has returns on both sides). When it's time to replace, take the entire thing and toss it in the trash, replace with new one. Very cost effective, high quality media and the nylons don't let even the small particles out while allowing good water flow. I also use the nylons to hold my Purigen when I run it.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Awesome! This is something I'm going to have to try for myself.

[dmw913]

ATO installed in third chamber. Couple of frags added for fun. . Bob the fish is eating well and seems well adjusted after his flight from Tennessee. Planning to re-scape the top monolith rock on Friday when less people are at office.

 

Question: Tank is a little cloudy. Thoughts? I'm going to switch out the ChemiPure for one of my own filter socks mentioned above and see if it helps. Floss is changed daily. May clean up also when skimmer gets here and is operational.

 

Controller decision (feedback welcome): I have decided that I'm not willing to risk the health and safety of the tank and gamble that my heater never fails. Thus, some type of controller needs to be obtained if for no other reason than to act as insurance against heater failure. In as much as the office wifi sucks, I am leaning toward the Reefkeeper which appears easier to program on the control pad. Additionally, Marine Depot has an exclusive package which gives the Lite version with the pH module for $199 and you get 10% back in rewards right now. Seems like a reasonable solution and I get to watch temp as well as pH just for sport. .

 

MP10 Update: Now that I have the frags in the bottom of the tank, I can watch the flow better and it does not appear that the MP10 is mandatory right now. Corals are moving in a reasonable manner and appear to be getting plenty of circulation. Holding off on MP10 for the time being.

[VW_TDI_02]

ATO installed in third chamber. Couple of frags added for fun. . Bob the fish is eating well and seems well adjusted after his flight from Tennessee. Planning to re-scape the top monolith rock on Friday when less people are at office.

 

Question: Tank is a little cloudy. Thoughts? I'm going to switch out the ChemiPure for one of my own filter socks mentioned above and see if it helps. Floss is changed daily. May clean up also when skimmer gets here and is operational.

 

Controller decision (feedback welcome): I have decided that I'm not willing to risk the health and safety of the tank and gamble that my heater never fails. Thus, some type of controller needs to be obtained if for no other reason than to act as insurance against heater failure. In as much as the office wifi sucks, I am leaning toward the Reefkeeper which appears easier to program on the control pad. Additionally, Marine Depot has an exclusive package which gives the Lite version with the pH module for $199 and you get 10% back in rewards right now. Seems like a reasonable solution and I get to watch temp as well as pH just for sport. .

 

MP10 Update: Now that I have the frags in the bottom of the tank, I can watch the flow better and it does not appear that the MP10 is mandatory right now. Corals are moving in a reasonable manner and appear to be getting plenty of circulation. Holding off on MP10 for the time being.

Can't help you with the cloudy tank but I can with the other two. I do recommend the reefkeeper lite but I will say you can probably save a bit of money buying it used if there are any in the marketplace. I did end up getting the lab-grade pH probe from BRS new. While the Apex units are fantastic, that doesn't mean ReefKeeper is bad. It is a bare bones system and very affordable. For the heater I set the heater to 78 and then I set an alarm on the ReefKeeper that will shut off that outlet if the temperature reaches 80. This way you don't have to worry about the outlet turning off and on repeatedly.

 

In regards to flow I actually just received the spinstream nozzle as well as a 12v power supply for my RW-4. I have them both in there and it is adding a nice bit of variation to the flow. The only thing I don't like is that the spinstream clicks a bit as it spins. Almost like a rollercoaster going up the first hill but obviously a lot quieter. Even with the weaker powersupply I am still keeping the RW-4 at the lowest setting but I'm definitely going to play around with it. I put it up to about 5-6 before I noticed it was a bit too much for the corals so I know I can increase it a bit if I want more flow.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Love the new scape. I will be following along and molding mine similar to yours.

 

A couple of questions. Did you add your clown after adding the bio-spira? Basically the same day you added water to your tank?

 

Have you used the Tunze ATO before? I hear good and bad things about it. I have never run an ATO before and I am considering the Tunze.

[dmw913]

I dosed the Bio-Spira in small doses over 2 days prior to adding fishie, then added large dose morning he was to arrive via FedEx. He seems to be doing great. This is also how I started IM 20 but used Dr. Tims. Same result. No probs. The tank had been running with water, rock and live sand and small amount of ghost feeding for about 10 days prior to the adding of the fish. I also continued to add small doses over the next couple of days just to help continue bacteria reproduction as Bob was producing waste. Who knows if I did it right, sort of made it up...

 

I have the Tunze ATO on my IM 20 at home and I quite like it. Has run like a champ for well over a year on that tank. Float did get stuck once but It has a built in auto-shut off if it runs for 5 minutes without the float kicking it off which is nice. The pump can be a little loud but it's only on for a few moments so not a deal breaker. I guess the fact that I ordered the same one I was already using is pretty good recommendation.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Awesome. I've heard mixed reviews due to the float valve that is why I asked.

 

As for the Bio-Spira I may grab some but still run a fishless cycle.

[dmw913]

Reef Glass skimmer fits beautifully in the IM 10 second chamber and took less than 5 minutes to set up. Quite frankly, it would fit anywhere in the back section and even fits with my big AI Prime mount. It's still breaking in so I'll let you know if it actually skims anything. The other plus is that with the recommended Denner air pump, it is absolutely silent.

 

 

[dmw913]

Came in to the office this morning to a small amount of skimmate and plenty of foam in the skimmer! Go, Reef Glass!!! Corals are all very happy and Bob the fish is hungry (as always). Between changing filter media and adding skimmer, water has cleared up too. Things are progressing nicely.