trido Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I'm back! After a 10 year hiatus to the hobby, I've decided to disregard all logic and start up again. This time around, I'm trying to do everything on a budget. With the exception of a few key components and livestock, I am trying to find everything second hand so I don't feel as bad at the end of the day. Things in this hobby tend to have a way of emptying bank accounts if you aren't careful. That being said, here is my first tank journal in a little over a decade. First thing I needed to do was find a tank... at first I was looking for a used 28 Gallon Nanocube as that's the last tank I had with great results. However, after digging around on Craigslist I found a really good deal on a Nuvo 16 so I picked it up. I will post pictures later after I am finished cleaning it up. It looked like it had seen better days, but I'm positive I can make it look brand new again. Anyone have any experience with this tank? Any tips or hacks? Looking for decent skimmer for it. I see that IM makes a "Ghost Skimmer" that fits in the filter area but I am seeing mixed reviews. I would love to keep a skimmer in the filter area as the hang on type isn't as clean looking. I really like the minimalist look of the tank as it is. Wait... People still use skimmers right? I've been doing a lot of reading, so much new technology is available, it's a little overwhelming. 2 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Welcome back @trido! The hobby has evolved a lot on the equipment side since you've been away. Skimmers are still in use, but they remain optional depending on what livestock you plan to keep and your maintenance habits. Partial water changes still accomplish a lot! There are lots of IM Nuvo owners here in the community, I'm sure you'll get some good tips soon! Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 If I remember correctly polarcollision has a nuvo 16. Quote Link to comment
trido Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 56 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said: Welcome back @trido! The hobby has evolved a lot on the equipment side since you've been away. Skimmers are still in use, but they remain optional depending on what livestock you plan to keep and your maintenance habits. Partial water changes still accomplish a lot! There are lots of IM Nuvo owners here in the community, I'm sure you'll get some good tips soon! 56 minutes ago, vlangel said: If I remember correctly polarcollision has a nuvo 16. Nothing beats a good water change! Thanks for the advice on the Nuvo owners, I’ll start to search out their posts. 2 Quote Link to comment
trido Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Finally got a chance to clean the dust and dirt off of the Nuvo 16. A pair of 8 watt IM Skkye Lights came with the tank. However, when I was assembling the tank, I noticed one of the power adapters for the white lights was missing. I out a call over to IM and found out that it would be $30 shipped to get a replacement adapter. So I thought I would hold off and see what I could find on Craigslist. After searching around, I scored a Current USA Orbit 18 watt light with arm for a great price. This little light is pretty cool. As promised, here is a picture of the tank. Stoked to start adding rock and sand to the tank soon. 3 Quote Link to comment
BigMikeSD Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Nice looking tank! 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Sharp looking tank @trido, it looks like you have your weekend plans cut out for you! Quote Link to comment
sublunary Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Looks like you're off to a great start! I'll pass along some advice I got when I started mine. There were isses with Nuvo 16s cracking, which is probably why they aren't made anymore. I was told the biggest risk factors seemed to be the pedestal base and the use of powerheads on the glass. So think about that before you fill it up. I got the advice after I filled the tank and did not feel safe removing the base, but had i heard earlier i would have just placed the tank on a pressure mat on the stand. I'm avoiding adding extra powerheads in case the vibrations would cause stress to the glass. Not all 16s had problems, and these are basically guesses based in what other people saw. But it's worth thinking about. Looking forward to seeing it filled! Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment
NanoRox Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Looks good. I think you made a good decision going with the IM Nuvo. looking forward to watching your progress. Quote Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I personally would not put an old Nuvo 16 in my house. While I am sure that many people have had no issues, I had a buddy who had one...came home to water flooding his floors and a very, very upset neighbor lady below him...Water soaked her curio cabinet of antiques as I recall. I'd strongly recommend not adding a powerhead to the tank attached to the side glass...making sure you have homeowners or renters insurance, and having a 10g rubbermade container somewhere stored away. Quote Link to comment
NanoRox Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 19 minutes ago, burtbollinger said: I personally would not put an old Nuvo 16 in my house. While I am sure that many people have had no issues, I had a buddy one...came home to water flooding his floors and a very, very upset neighbor lady below him...Water soaked her curio cabinet of antiques as I recall. I'd strongly recommend not adding a powerhead to the tank attached to the side glass...making sure you have homeowners or renters insurance, and having a 10g rubbermade container somewhere stored away. I think it might be helpful for him and all of us if you share what exactly caused the flood. Quote Link to comment
trido Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Thanks for all the comments guys, as far as I know this is a second gen Nuvo 16. Not sure if that makes a difference in the glass or not. I was told when I picked it up that it was about 2 years old. Luckily I live in a single floor house but my floors are hardwood and I’d hate to see this on my floor when I got home. As I’m sure we all would! I really didnt plan plan on adding a power head to the glass as I like my viewing angles clear. I did however plan on attaching it to the back wall of the tank. You guys think it would be safe there? The other option would be to move this tank to my office at work and let our maintenance guys deal with the clean up if it does break lol. But I really think this would make a great addition to my living room where it’s at. Hopefully you guys can shed some light into what exactly causes the glass to shatter. Quote Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Duane Clark said: I think it might be helpful for him and all of us if you share what exactly caused the flood. it cracked. does that help? Quote Link to comment
NanoRox Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 1 minute ago, burtbollinger said: it cracked. does that help? yes it does thank you Quote Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, trido said: I really didnt plan plan on adding a power head to the glass as I like my viewing angles clear. I did however plan on attaching it to the back wall of the tank. You guys think it would be safe there? 3 I do thnk it would be safer there than vibrating anywhere near the side panels where the glass bends. Quote Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Unless your pinching the pennies I concur with others above. That thing is a risk. Plus options for other equipment is more limited vs newer models. I'd pick up a tank only Fusion 20, or Lagoon 25 if you want the same look. Much less risk of a flood and loss of livestock. If you do get this Nuvo 16 wet, DO NOT use that base. 2 Quote Link to comment
trido Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 I will take this all into consideration! It looks like I may be moving to a new Fusion 20. I guess I should have done more homework on this model. I guess if all else fails, I now have a new quarantine tank. ? Quote Link to comment
trido Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 I decided to keep the tank and take my chances. I spoke with the former owner who had the tank up and running for about a year or so with no issues. Only reason he took the tank down was due to the fact he wanted a bigger tank. I just ordered everything I need to at least start the cycling progress. When I bought the tank, it came with 10lbs of live sand and 9 lbs of dry rock. I ordered another 10lb bag of sand and want to order another 20lbs of rock. Here is my question, I am having mixed thoughts on whether to order 20lbs of Caribsea “Life Rock” or if i should go with 20lbs actual of live rock? I have never dealt with dry rock before. All of my tanks in the past were all Marshall Island live rock and I loved it... mind you this was over a decade ago. Is that even a thing anymore? I notice a lot of people use dry rock and just seed the tank and wait. I really do like the idea of the dry Life Rock over traditional live rock just for the steril aspect of it, but does dry rock really perform the same as real live rock? If so, anybody like the Caribsea Life Rock? I really like the established coralline look it comes in. I’ve started messing around with the 9lbs of rock I have to try and get an idea of what 20 more pounds would look like and to get an idea of how I want to aquascape everything.. Quote Link to comment
trido Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Just an update, started the tank up into the cycling process. I ended up going with 6 pounds of dry rock and 10 pounds of live rock from my LFS along with 12 pounds of live sand. The tank has been running for about a week. I’ve been ghost feeding the tank with no sign of ammonia. to get the ball roling I added Dr. Tim’s Ammonium Chloride along with a bottle of Purple Helix Coralline in a Bottle from ARC, and a 3/4 dose of Dr. Tim’s one and only yesterday. The Coralline in a bottle is supposed to have live bacteria in it as well as Coralline spores that’s why i only did a 3/4 dose of Dr Tim’s One and Only. Hoping when I get home today I see a change in the water parameters. I’ve included some pictures. On on another note, I originally bought this tank for my office however, I couldn’t let my office go without a tank, so I broke down and picked up a new IM Fusion 10... So much for slowly making my way back into reefing. I think I’m going to start another tank journal on that one. 1 Quote Link to comment
angelahoward Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 This tank looks really amazing! Do you use a fluval q2 air pump or something else? Quote Link to comment
trido Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 22 hours ago, angelahoward said: This tank looks really amazing! Thank you! Unfortunately its all covered in green algae and macro algae now, however I just received my CUC from the guys over at Reef Cleaners. Excited to put them in the tank today. 1 Quote Link to comment
trido Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 Update: Tank is flourishing with life. I wasn’t expecting things to go that fast. The dry rocks are starting to show signs of green, white, red, and, purple coralline so I’m assuming the Arc Coralline in a bottle is working. However, here is my dilemma, anybody know how I can keep my macro algae in check? I have all kinds of different species and the CUC seems to be leaving it behind. Looking for a coral safe solution. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment
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