Stoops718's Nuvo 10 Mixed Reef - Updates

[Stoops718]

Update for 12/29/20

 

So I'm jumping back into the hobby after a few years, sorta. My first nano was a Fluval Edge 12g. Let me just say it was a learning experience and PITA to maintain. A couple of years after breaking that one down I got a JBJ Cubey 3g. Also a PITA but I managed to have it last up until now with 2 rock nems and a small frogspawn that survived. After 2 horrible tanks to maintain as reef tanks I am here again now. I started the cycle on 4/29/18.

 

Here's my equipment list:

 

Tank:
Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 10

 

Stand:

Ikea Sektion Wall Cabinet

Filter & flow:
InTank Media Basket. Using Filter Floss, Chemi-Pure Blue Nano, and Seachem Matrix, 2x Brightwell Xport Bio Blocks, 2x Xport NO3 Cubes and 3x Xport PO4 Cubes.
10lbs of MarcoRocks Key Largo Dry Rock

6-8lbs 5lbs-ish of CaribSea Ocean Direct Natural Live Sand

Added a bag of Bio Pellets that was in my JBJ Cubey
2x Hydor Aqamai KPS Power Head

Innovative Marine AUQA Gadget Spin Stream - Return Nozzle

Sicce Syncra 0.5 Return Pump

InTank Universal Aquarium Surface Skimmer

Reef Glass Skimmer w/ AP-3 Air Pump Innovative Marine NUVOSkim DC Desktop Protein Skimmer

 

Auto Top-Off:

Smart ATO Micro

One Gallon Beverage Dispenser Reservoir

Lighting:
MicMol Aqua Mini G3

Heating & Cooling:

Inkbird Dual Digital Aquarium Heater Controller (ITC-308S)

Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Aquarium Heater 75w

Generic Amazon Double Fan Aquarium Chiller

 

LIVESTOCK

 

Fish:

1 Captive-Bred Misbar Percula Clownfish

1 Captive-Bred Mocha Percula Clownfish (Dog and Beth Chapman- waiting for them to finish bonding to figure out which is male and which is female.)
Wheeler's Shrimp Goby & Tiger Pistol Shrimp Pair R.I.P.

Tailspot Blenny R.I.P.

Pink Streak Wrasse R.I.P.

Inverts:
1 Rose Snowflake Bubble Tip Anemone (Dakine Bailbonds)

2 Rock Flower Anemones (transplanted from my JBJ Cubey) R.I.P.
3 Sexy Shrimp (Planned)

1 Cleaner Shrimp (Planned)

1 Porcelain Crab (Planned) R.I.P.

1 Peppermint Shrimp (Leland Chapman)

1 Porcelain Anemone Crab (Planned)

1 Pom Pom Crab (Planned)

Rock Flower Anemones (Planned)

Snails:
2 Nerite Snails
3 Florida Cerith Snails
5 Dwarf Cerith Snails
2 Nassarius Snails

1 Trochus Snails

Corals:
Kenya Tree

Neon Green Nepthea

Hairy Mushroom (Recovering

Orange Florida Ricordea

Red Mushroom

Pom Pom Zenia

Branching Hammer (transplanted from my JBJ Cubey) R.I.P.

Frog Spawn R.I.P.
Candy Cane R.I.P.

Acan R.I.P.

GSP (transplanted from my JBJ Cubey)

Duncan (Recovering)

Various Zoas

 

Macro Algae:

Shaving Brush R.I.P.

Mermaids Fan R.I.P

Halimeda R.I.P.

(May got some Dragon's Breath to add more color

 

4/29/18 FTS

 

5/31/18 FTS

 

12/29/20 FTS

Edited December 29, 2020 by Stoops718
Added content

[Stoops718]

Excuse the crappy cellphone pic. All suggestions and advise will be greatly appreciated. Already researching skimmers, algae reactors and new lights. Since I've been out of the hobby for a bit can anyone let me know the best new tech that's out there. Also, just regular maintenance supplies and tools. What tests are everyone using?

[Type-H20]

Looks like a good setup.  Why were your previous tanks so much of a pita?

[ReefGoat]

The next thing I would buy if I were you is an RO/DI unit and an auto top off. ATO is an absolute must IMO

[Stoops718]

30 minutes ago, Type-H20 said:

Looks like a good setup.  Why were your previous tanks so much of a pita?

Thanks! The size of the opening on the Fluval Edge was so small. It made it really hard to clean, aquascape, remove livestock, etc. The JBJ Cubey was just poorly made. Lights were horrible and back Chambers too small to do anything with.

[Stoops718]

2 minutes ago, ReefGoat said:

The next thing I would buy if I were you is an RO/DI unit and an auto top off. ATO is an absolute must IMO

Forgot to add my ATO to the list. I have the Smart ATO Micro. I'm lucky enough to live near a few LFS. So I'm just gonna buy RO/DI water and jugs of the Nutri-Sea water for water changes.

[ReefGoat]

oh yeah and I think that's the packaging foam you left on your mp10. I could be wrong but I'm almost positive. Mine came with that on there too. 

[1891Bro]

7 minutes ago, ReefGoat said:

oh yeah and I think that's the packaging foam you left on your mp10. I could be wrong but I'm almost positive. Mine came with that on there too. 

Lol. They come with a foam guard to prevent critters from getting blended into soup.  

[ReefGoat]

Soup=not good

[Stoops718]

I decided on the Reef Glass Skimmer based on the simplicity of it and ease of maintenance. Premium Aquatics had a great deal for the skimmer, air pump and tubing for $89.99. Hopefully the pump works fine. Also ordered some various supplies from Amazon, including a test kit and refractometer. Going to test the water this Sunday. Not expecting to find much going on as far as ammonia or nitrite since I've only been feeding the tank a pinch of fish flakes every other day. Really trying not to rush things this with this build.

 

I've pretty much decided on the AI Prime HD solely on the price alone. To everyone running one which arm mount are you using? Any non-aquaillumination solutions to mounting? That bracket just seems so bulky clamped onto the back. I was really leaning towards the NanoBox Tide M but can't justify that expense right now. I've been searching all over for a used one with no avail. I figure people love that light too much to let them go.

[teenyreef]

Nice start! I agree, it's hard to find used Nanbox lights. They get listed every month or two and get snapped up pretty quickly.

 

For testing, I like the Hanna checker for alkalinity (because it's so quick and easy to use). I also use the Hanna checker for low range phosphate mostly because I have trouble reading the colors on other test kits. I like the Red Sea Pro nitrate kit for nitrates less than 5 because the color wheel makes it easy to read the result, but it's a pain for anything higher because you have to dilute the sample. I use Salifert for everything else.

 

I had two clowns in my IM10 for about two years. After that they got too big. They're much happier in the 40g tank now. And there former tankmates are even happier.

[Stoops718]

2 minutes ago, teenyreef said:

Nice start! I agree, it's hard to find used Nanbox lights. They get listed every month or two and get snapped up pretty quickly.

 

For testing, I like the Hanna checker for alkalinity (because it's so quick and easy to use). I also use the Hanna checker for low range phosphate mostly because I have trouble reading the colors on other test kits. I like the Red Sea Pro nitrate kit for nitrates less than 5 because the color wheel makes it easy to read the result, but it's a pain for anything higher because you have to dilute the sample. I use Salifert for everything else.

 

I had two clowns in my IM10 for about two years. After that they got too big. They're much happier in the 40g tank now. And there former tankmates are even happier.

Thanks @teenyreef For now i just got an API kit just to test during the cycle. Eventually I'll grab some Hanna Checkers and Saliferts. Was thinking of snagging a used RKL for the salinity and pH probes.

 

I know clowns can get big and aggressive but i just love the idea of at least one hosting a BTA. I was also thinking of just going all gobies.

 

I haven't had a chance to go through your entire Nuvo 10 Build, did you dose with anything and should i wait for livestock before running the skimmer?

[teenyreef]

I use API for ammonia during the cycle, since I never need it again after that (hopefully). But the API ammonia kit is notorious for indicating low levels of ammonia when it's actually zero. Just do one test of freshly mixed water so you know what it looks like at zero. And good thinking on the RKL, I use my Apex for temperature control and Ph monitoring.

 

I think you'd be fine with one clown. Two were just a little too much after they got big.

 

I dose with ATI Elements now, after using Seachem Fusion for a long time. I like getting the trace elements and the magnesium that Elements offers. Plus it's cheap.

 

As far as the skimmer goes, it shouldn't hurt to start running it after the cycle is over, since air powered skimmers aren't super strong. But if you have really low nutrients before you get fish, I'd leave it off.

[Stoops718]

1 minute ago, teenyreef said:

I use API for ammonia during the cycle, since I never need it again after that (hopefully). But the API ammonia kit is notorious for indicating low levels of ammonia when it's actually zero. Just do one test of freshly mixed water so you know what it looks like at zero. And good thinking on the RKL, I use my Apex for temperature control and Ph monitoring.

 

I think you'd be fine with one clown. Two were just a little too much after they got big.

 

I dose with ATI Elements now, after using Seachem Fusion for a long time. I like getting the trace elements and the magnesium that Elements offers. Plus it's cheap.

 

As far as the skimmer goes, it shouldn't hurt to start running it after the cycle is over, since air powered skimmers aren't super strong. But if you have really low nutrients before you get fish, I'd leave it off.

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm sure i'll be bothering you as I slowly move along.

[teenyreef]

Just now, Stoops718 said:

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm sure i'll be bothering you as I slowly move along.

Any time!

[Stoops718]

I got my API test kit today. I tested for ammonia only. Got a little bit darker result than 0.5 ppm. Threw in another pinch of fish flakes and will continue to patiently wait out this cycle.

[ClownFizz]

Congrats ur new tank start up. Hope to hear some good things  

 

for ur test kit... i reckon red sea or salifert have more accurate readings. From exp. im using red sea atm. And like u said... im thinking of the hanna digital test kits to same time from testing

[ClownFizz]

I actually had the skimmer on pretty much from day one. Never had a diatom bloom. But then again i had lights out for 2 weeks. I got my ai prime but slowly increased the lighting period. Tank works a charm with no problems. 1 year in so far.

i scrapped my ato unit and stuck to daily top offs. 

[ffoott]

Correct if I'm wrong, but your rock scape seems a bit tight for that tank...cleaning the glass or just allowing enough space for the coral do grow might become troublesome? 

[Stoops718]

2 hours ago, ClownFizz said:

I actually had the skimmer on pretty much from day one. Never had a diatom bloom. But then again i had lights out for 2 weeks. I got my ai prime but slowly increased the lighting period. Tank works a charm with no problems. 1 year in so far.

i scrapped my ato unit and stuck to daily top offs. 

My reef glass skimmer comes into today. I may run it to break it in and stabilize the water level. I'm leaning towards the AI Prime HD but have been researching the MicMol G3 Aqua Mini but there only a handful of reviews on Amazon about the light. If I can find a cheaper used NanoBox Tide Plus M anywhere I'll jump on that. Any specific reason you stopped using an ATO?

2 hours ago, ffoott said:

Correct if I'm wrong, but your rock scape seems a bit tight for that tank...cleaning the glass or just allowing enough space for the coral do grow might become troublesome? 

I was thinking the same when I first put the rock in but I wanted the maximum surface area for natural filtration and corals. It also looks more crowded than it is. I can run my flipper nano scraper on all 3 sides with no problem. I may push the main piece back further towards the back wall.

[dferrari13]

Nice start...looks great

[ClownFizz]

Hey stoops,

Did use an ato anymore cuz the tunze ato keeps malfunctioning. I wld still prefer an ato but it is gonna cost more for a digital ato. 

As long as i do a 0.5 gall manual top off daily in winter, should be fine. Just the cold temps will cause my open top tank to lose water. I dislike closed top tanks... means less oxygen and more salt creep.

 

 

Show me some pics of ur lovely tank so far

[Stoops718]

Tested water today.

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 10ppm

 

Is my cycle done? Water change is my next step. 2 gallons good enough or should I do a 50% change? Took advantage of the reefcleaners.com Spring cleaning sale and ordered a quick crew and some display macro algae.

 

I also ordered the MicMol G3 Aqua Mini light and that's coming Wednesday. Haven't found too much hands on info about it but it's good looking light and the specs seem great for what I'm trying with this tank.

 

My MP10 hasn't gotten louder due to the warped magnet. Still deciding whether I should replace the wet side or get the IM wavelink powerhead.

 

 

[Stoops718]

On 5/8/2018 at 7:44 AM, ClownFizz said:

Hey stoops,

Did use an ato anymore cuz the tunze ato keeps malfunctioning. I wld still prefer an ato but it is gonna cost more for a digital ato. 

As long as i do a 0.5 gall manual top off daily in winter, should be fine. Just the cold temps will cause my open top tank to lose water. I dislike closed top tanks... means less oxygen and more salt creep.

 

 

Show me some pics of ur lovely tank so far

Just saw your post now. I'm using the smart micro ATO. It works great and is so compact.

 

Nothing's changed with the tank looks wise. I'll post some soon when my cycle finalizes and I start getting some livestock.

[ReefGoat]

37 minutes ago, Stoops718 said:

Tested water today.

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 10ppm

 

Is my cycle done? Water change is my next step. 2 gallons good enough or should I do a 50% change? Took advantage of the reefcleaners.com Spring cleaning sale and ordered a quick crew and some display macro algae.

 

I also ordered the MicMol G3 Aqua Mini light and that's coming Wednesday. Haven't found too much hands on info about it but it's good looking light and the specs seem great for what I'm trying with this tank.

 

My MP10 hasn't gotten louder due to the warped magnet. Still deciding whether I should replace the wet side or get the IM wavelink powerhead.

 

 

We started very close to each other. Mine was May 1st with Life Rock, Microbacter7 DAILY and Dr. Tim's ammonia 4ppm ONCE...I tested my ammonia and nitrates on may 11th and the nitrates were spiked up to around 20ppm and the ammonia at 0ppm. I did a 75% water change at that point. I have been watching the nitrate and ammonia levels once a week since, along with starting a routine of 2.5 gallon water change on Saturdays and a dose of Microbacter7. I tested the biofilters ability on one occasion with 1ppm of the ammonia and it brought it down in 24hrs. But i'm still waiting until the 30th to add anything just because that was my target date. There's a cycling guide that was a very interesting read that this guy keeps posting every time someone has a cycling question.........

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

 

Check it out because i'm just commenting from my experience and there are some heavyweights in that thread LOL. I'd listen to them.

I'd go the route of saving 40 bucks and get a new wet side for the MP10. Looking forward to those pictures of the tank with the first livestock!!