Has anyone put a IM Nuvo 20 on their Kitchen Counter (under the Cabinet)? Need Insight!

[pimp4cheddar]

Hello beautiful people!

 

I think I've played out my current setup and I'm 97% sure I'm going to get a Nuvo 20. My only concern is that it'll be in my kitchen...sitting on my counter top right under my cabinet. 

 

Typically the cabinets sit 18 inches above the countertop and mine follow that same law...so I'm looking to see what people have done with the limited clearance they have. What light has been used and how the access is considering the tank sits 13 inches tall. 

 

Is the 5 inches or clearance enough to work on the tank? Have a lighting unit (if so - which have people used)? Is there enough room to remove the filters in the back?

 

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated before I pull the trigger :-)

[makingfilms]

I had a fluval evo 5 under my kitchen Cabinets and it ended up being  a real pita to work in. Especially deep cleaning the tank. it was just hard to get everywhere in the tank while being confined under the cabinet.  I ended up moving it to another area. My suggestion is to hang lights from bottom of cabinet  if you do and have them adjustable so you can pull the up and get them out of your way easily. 

[pimp4cheddar]

26 minutes ago, makingfilms said:

I had a fluval evo 5 under my kitchen Cabinets and it ended up being  a real pita to work in. Especially deep cleaning the tank. it was just hard to get everywhere in the tank while being confined under the cabinet.  I ended up moving it to another area. My suggestion is to hang lights from bottom of cabinet  if you do and have them adjustable so you can pull the up and get them out of your way easily. 

I have a Fluval Edge 6 gallon. Not the best to work with but I can squeeze in everything I need to do. 

 

I'm really looking at IM Nuvo dimensions as that'll be the tank. I think it might be too slim to squeeze in :-(

[natalia_la_loca]

Five inches of clearance is not enough for a Nuvo.  No room to see inside/work on the back chamber.  The harder it is to get to, the more it will be neglected, with negative consequences for your livestock and for your enjoyment of the tank.

[StevieT]

Don't do et

You'll never be able to service the rear chambers, install anything meaningful.

 

Or

 

you cut access on the bottom of the cabinet box.  You could even hide the light in said access hole.  But that's my customize everything to the max brain going at it again.

[Clown79]

It will be a real pain on a counter. A 6g tank is one thing but a 20g IM you will regret on the counter

 

1. Lighting and heat exchange will be an issue. 

 

2. Cleaning/waterchanges  will be difficult with 5" clearance

 

3. Cleaning the back chambers, removing pumps, media basket etc will be really difficult

 

6. Can the counter support the weight of 20g? It about 8lbs per gallon of water plus  the rocks

 

7. The heat from cooking may become an issue with temp control.

 

 

[pimp4cheddar]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

It will be a real pain on a counter. A 6g tank is one thing but a 20g IM you will regret on the counter

 

1. Lighting and heat exchange will be an issue. 

 

2. Cleaning/waterchanges  will be difficult with 5" clearance

 

3. Cleaning the back chambers, removing pumps, media basket etc will be really difficult

 

6. Can the counter support the weight of 20g? It about 8lbs per gallon of water plus  the rocks

 

7. The heat from cooking may become an issue with temp control.

 

 

Great points - the counter can take the weight. Not too concerned with cooking as I've had a tank there for 5 years (less than 10 gallons). 

 

I'm really just looking to see if anyone has specifically a Nuvo 20 on their counter that can add some insight in regards to servicing the tank as I don't plan on getting a skimmer or heater...it'll be carbon and other bagged media in the back...so I'm thinking the access might work but I'd like expert opinion before pulling the trigger. 

 

As for the lights - I'm going LED's and will mount it to the bottom of the cabinet so that's solved for...it's more of a question if I can get the media out from the back chambers. 

[Clown79]

I have a 10g nuvo, cleaning the back chambers, removing media, and the pump is a pain and i have it completely open access. 

 

I wouldn't put it under something with only 5 inches of clearance, just vacuuming/syphoning it would be difficult enough, you'd have an extremely hard time accessing the chambers which should be cleaned every two weeks and the pump and hose should be cleaned monthly.

 

Why are you not using a heater?

[jambon]

I have the above tank... not on the counter though. It could be done but I would mount it on a piece of plywood the same size as tank bottom. That would allow you to slide it out if need be. There ghost skimmer has the small container to empty. I don't use there cartridges anymore in the media baskets... I use floss squares that I cut out and place in the top portion of them. It takes care of mechanical filtration. I just started using one of there reactors... that would be the one big concern as you need to look at it to get it adjusted. It may be possible to pull out the compartment to replace the cartridge for maintenance. You will have 5 or 6 electric wires to deal with though!