Planted aquarist first reef(IM Nuvo 10)

[Lula_Mae]

On 5/6/2018 at 4:48 AM, Toxic enigma said:

Not to be mean but I don't consider biospria anything more than a waste of money. Refrigerated stuff like Dr. Tims or turbo start might be okay depending an how well it was treated from source to tank but ime it's hit and miss. It's just better to supply some form of ammonia, test and wait.

 As far as sps go start with some soft corals unlike plants corals react to any little thing instantly. Plants  can melt and come back, macro algea will as well from almost nothing. Coral will pretty much just give up over little things.  I have a mushroom that got from a not so local Lfs as a single loose polyp, placed it where I wanted and within a few hours it was balled up in a rock crevice after a few days moved it a few inches and it's been attached to that spot since

I used biospira and microbacter7 to help cycle my 15L from dry rock in 3 weeks flat, along with Dr. Tim's ammonia.  I was very pleased with it.

 

On 5/6/2018 at 3:17 PM, Tnalp said:

Id consider my self a very meticulous person. While this is the start of my first reef.. I can say that I have researched this side for around a year on and off. I’ll see what I decided as far as corals go. I’m using a refr. meter that I calibrated with ro. Yes I have purchased a cheap power head, bucket and Eheim Jager to pre mix water prior to water change. I have added 2ppm of ammonia so if the bio sp. does not work then that should kick start the cycle. Not a problem I greatly appreciate the help! 

On 5/6/2018 at 9:37 PM, Tnalp said:

While I don it doubt your experience. I will say that most people said the same thing when going straight into planted aquariums. “Don’t start with high light, co2 etc”. I did so and did well. I will mention that I was meticulous about testing etc. Not one of those jump in and “guesstimate” type of hobbiest. Now I’m not 100% on a full sps dominant, yet I will incorporate them in the future plans.

I think you're off to an excellent start.  Being a meticulous person will make SPS a much better fit for your tanks than for someone like me who is very, shall we say, laid back about testing, etc.   If you do decide to jump into SPS, I'd recommend starting with something fairly easy, like a montipora.  Monti's come in a wide variety of growth patterns so you ought to find something you like!  Alternately, you can try starting with LPS, give it a few months and then start working your way into SPS.  I'm a big fan of blastos, personally, and have about a half dozen varieties at present.  Of course, you can always try the quintessential zoas and palys or other softies as well, and I'm a big fan of macroalgae personally but I believe they don't usually work well with SPS (too differing requirements).  You've got the right idea going for the good equipment from the get-go; when I started in this hobby on an extreme budget, I skimped all over the place and things were never as nice as they could have been, and I always had to replace them later.  Your scape is very nice and I look forward to seeing how this tank develops!

 

[Lula_Mae]

Oh, for a look at a tank that incorporates SPS along with other varieties of coral, check out @teenyreef's IM10, I believe he also runs a Nano Box over it.

[teenyreef]

15 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Oh, for a look at a tank that incorporates SPS along with other varieties of coral, check out @teenyreef's IM10, I believe he also runs a Nano Box over it.

Thanks, @Lula_Mae!

 

I run an MP10 in mine and I don't consider it overkill at all. It takes up less space, and as your corals mature, they block more flow. I ran my MP10 at about 30% when I started it, and now it runs at 70%. 

 

I have recently experimented with the Aqamai KPS because I won it in the creative container contest. The Aqamai is nice because ti's smaller than the MP10 and can be hidden in the corner. But it's way less flow than the MP10 even at 100%, and the software is terrible. I'll almost certainly switch back to the MP10 soon. The other advantage of the MP10 (or any other additional pump) is that you don't have to rely on a high level of flow through the back chambers. Most of the things you put in the back chamber (skimmer, refugium, etc.) benefit from less flow, so I've had great success using just the stock pump.

 

Personally, I wouldn't run the surface skimmer. I tried one in my IM10 and had the same problem you did, it restricted the flow too much and lowered the water level in the back chambers. It's not a big deal since the IM10 already has a surface skimmer, as long as the flow from the return pump is set at the right rate. To further break up the water flow on the surface, I adjusted the output nozzle for the return pump so that one corner of it just barely breaks the surface. It woks perfectly that way.

 

An ATO is extremely important in a small tank. Keeping salinity stable without having to do daily manual topoffs makes a big difference in the long, and saves a lot of time.

 

Don't be afraid to try sps early, but limit yourself to cheap test frags. Montipora is good, and so are stylos. But the main reason to wait on sps is that it just takes time for the tank to mature and get in balance. You can get all the parameters and lighting just right and still not be able to grow sps well, simply because they're so dependent on the ability of your tank to process nutrients. But every tank is a little bit different, and it doesn't hurt in the least to try a few to see how they do!

[Tnalp]

On 5/19/2018 at 7:04 PM, Lula_Mae said:

I used biospira and microbacter7 to help cycle my 15L from dry rock in 3 weeks flat, along with Dr. Tim's ammonia.  I was very pleased with it.

 

I think you're off to an excellent start.  Being a meticulous person will make SPS a much better fit for your tanks than for someone like me who is very, shall we say, laid back about testing, etc.   If you do decide to jump into SPS, I'd recommend starting with something fairly easy, like a montipora.  Monti's come in a wide variety of growth patterns so you ought to find something you like!  Alternately, you can try starting with LPS, give it a few months and then start working your way into SPS.  I'm a big fan of blastos, personally, and have about a half dozen varieties at present.  Of course, you can always try the quintessential zoas and palys or other softies as well, and I'm a big fan of macroalgae personally but I believe they don't usually work well with SPS (too differing requirements).  You've got the right idea going for the good equipment from the get-go; when I started in this hobby on an extreme budget, I skimped all over the place and things were never as nice as they could have been, and I always had to replace them later.  Your scape is very nice and I look forward to seeing how this tank develops!

 

Thank you for the kind words and believing in me! As time has gone on and the more I think about it.. it’s is going to be a mixed tank. I’m think softies towards the bottom. Sps up top.  Frog sp, zoas, gsp.. etc in the lower mid section of the tank and sps(not sure what) is towards the top. I did learn the hard way in the planted tank side of aquariums that cheating out sometimes either bites your in the butt or you end up spending extra money because of the later on upgrade any way. Minus well bite the bullet the first time. 

 

On 5/20/2018 at 10:39 AM, teenyreef said:

Thanks, @Lula_Mae!

 

I run an MP10 in mine and I don't consider it overkill at all. It takes up less space, and as your corals mature, they block more flow. I ran my MP10 at about 30% when I started it, and now it runs at 70%. 

 

I have recently experimented with the Aqamai KPS because I won it in the creative container contest. The Aqamai is nice because ti's smaller than the MP10 and can be hidden in the corner. But it's way less flow than the MP10 even at 100%, and the software is terrible. I'll almost certainly switch back to the MP10 soon. The other advantage of the MP10 (or any other additional pump) is that you don't have to rely on a high level of flow through the back chambers. Most of the things you put in the back chamber (skimmer, refugium, etc.) benefit from less flow, so I've had great success using just the stock pump.

 

Personally, I wouldn't run the surface skimmer. I tried one in my IM10 and had the same problem you did, it restricted the flow too much and lowered the water level in the back chambers. It's not a big deal since the IM10 already has a surface skimmer, as long as the flow from the return pump is set at the right rate. To further break up the water flow on the surface, I adjusted the output nozzle for the return pump so that one corner of it just barely breaks the surface. It woks perfectly that way.

 

An ATO is extremely important in a small tank. Keeping salinity stable without having to do daily manual topoffs makes a big difference in the long, and saves a lot of time.

 

Don't be afraid to try sps early, but limit yourself to cheap test frags. Montipora is good, and so are stylos. But the main reason to wait on sps is that it just takes time for the tank to mature and get in balance. You can get all the parameters and lighting just right and still not be able to grow sps well, simply because they're so dependent on the ability of your tank to process nutrients. But every tank is a little bit different, and it doesn't hurt in the least to try a few to see how they do!

I’ve lurked your thread hard, I think I’m on page 30 or so haha.

 

MP10 is mostly for space saving/ adjustablility. Glad to see you’re having success with it. The flow from the sicce .5 I think is perfect for the time being. For the softies I’ll firstly introduce. 

 

I ended up returning the skimmer, I want a fan. The water level drop kinda sketched me out. 

 

Right now I’m stuck on the micro smart ato and the tunze 3215 I think that’s the one with the senor. The nano just has a float and being that it is in my room/ second story.. over filling a tank with a bad ato would be rough. 

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

A word of caution-keep GSP isolated to its own rock or the tank wall, else it may stage a coup and overrun everything else! 

[teenyreef]

20 hours ago, Tnalp said:

Thank you for the kind words and believing in me! As time has gone on and the more I think about it.. it’s is going to be a mixed tank. I’m think softies towards the bottom. Sps up top.  Frog sp, zoas, gsp.. etc in the lower mid section of the tank and sps(not sure what) is towards the top. I did learn the hard way in the planted tank side of aquariums that cheating out sometimes either bites your in the butt or you end up spending extra money because of the later on upgrade any way. Minus well bite the bullet the first time. 

 

I’ve lurked your thread hard, I think I’m on page 30 or so haha.

 

MP10 is mostly for space saving/ adjustablility. Glad to see you’re having success with it. The flow from the sicce .5 I think is perfect for the time being. For the softies I’ll firstly introduce. 

 

I ended up returning the skimmer, I want a fan. The water level drop kinda sketched me out. 

 

Right now I’m stuck on the micro smart ato and the tunze 3215 I think that’s the one with the senor. The nano just has a float and being that it is in my room/ second story.. over filling a tank with a bad ato would be rough. 

 

 

I have both ATO's and the micro smart ato is much better. It's smaller and has no float for snails to get stuck in. They both have a timer to prevent overflow, but the micro smart is, well, smarter. It stops automatically if it runs for more than two or three times as long as it took to run when it was first turned on. So no more than a second or two.

[Tnalp]

1 hour ago, teenyreef said:

I have both ATO's and the micro smart ato is much better. It's smaller and has no float for snails to get stuck in. They both have a timer to prevent overflow, but the micro smart is, well, smarter. It stops automatically if it runs for more than two or three times as long as it took to run when it was first turned on. So no more than a second or two.

I’m waiting to see if there’s any good memerial day weekend sales..

[Subsea]

On 5/22/2018 at 3:26 AM, Lula_Mae said:

A word of caution-keep GSP isolated to its own rock or the tank wall, else it may stage a coup and overrun everything else! 

Xenia would probably do it faster.  I like both of them and will cover a back wall on a 55G with some Red Sea Xenia.  

 

In very close  proximity of each other, you will see Xenia, GSP, and Grecilaria Hayi.  Hayi is sporting a dark burgundy outer jacket with a ruffled design.

[Tnalp]

Something came in the mail...

[Lula_Mae]

On 5/23/2018 at 12:46 PM, Subsea said:

Xenia would probably do it faster.  I like both of them and will cover a back wall on a 55G with some Red Sea Xenia.  

 

In very close  proximity of each other, you will see Xenia, GSP, and Grecilaria Hayi.  Hayi is sporting a dark burgundy outer jacket with a ruffled design.

It depends on the variety as well. I've had about four different varieties and the most prolific grower was a metallic blue green color (the one that grew all over the wall of my jar).

[Subsea]

Metallic blue green sounds wicked

 

I have only maintained one type that I liked.  Pom Pom from the Red Sea.

 

 

[Subsea]

1 hour ago, Tnalp said:

Something came in the mail...

Let me know how that works for you.  I need two of them.

[Lula_Mae]

1 hour ago, Subsea said:

Metallic blue green sounds wicked

 

I have only maintained one type that I liked.  Pom Pom from the Red Sea.

 

 

 Oh, I meant gsp, not xenia lol. Blue green metallic xenia would be rad. 

[Subsea]

@Lula_Mae

Help a reefer out!  Where is Nawth Cackalacky?

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, Subsea said:

@Lula_Mae

Help a reefer out!  Where is Nawth Cackalacky?

That would be a nickname for the great state of North Carolina. 

[Subsea]

2 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

That would be a nickname for the great state of North Carolina. 

Beautiful country there.  Having four seasons in the year is very nice.  We get little fall foliage in Texas or Louisiana and Spring happens fast in Texas.  Our winters are mostly Spring like with few freezes..  I grew Swiss Chard & spinach from Oct thru April with two light snowfalls, very unusual for Austin.  

 

I thought I was a country boy as I enjoy walking barefoot outdoors.  The problem with the Texas Hill Country, when you get close, everything either  sticks, stings or bites you.  

 

[StinkyBunny]

You can get blue Cespitularia from some people. mine slowed down growing, now it's growing like a weed.

 

To the OP, if you want to try some SPS, try some Montipora, they're MUCH more forgiving than a lot of Acroporas. With all of the different collecting stations around the world bringing in new and oddball stock, there's probably something there that would tickle your fancy. Montiporas aren't all plating, there are a few that grow in pillars and some with leaves like Merulina. There's always tough customers like Turbinaria as well. The only Acro that I keep is Green Slimer that I got from Kat, I can't be bothered to be testing every day to make sure everything is on track.

[Tnalp]

Installed the Tunze 3315 today. Drilled out a 5 gallon jug to use as a reservoir.  Optical sensor is set at the highest point so that the float goes off faster just Incase the optical goes out. Turned down the flow rate on the pump down almost all the way down. Very happy I spent the extra change on this rather the the nano. Now i can sleep with peace of mind. 

[Ranjib]

Do you have to openup and change something in the circuit for the ATO ? I have heard they require some tuning for nano tank usage (to control the start up behavior)

 

Tank is looking great.

[1891Bro]

11 minutes ago, Tnalp said:

Installed the Tunze 3315 today. Drilled out a 5 gallon jug to use as a reservoir.  Optical sensor is set at the highest point so that the float goes off faster just Incase the optical goes out. Turned down the flow rate on the pump down almost all the way down. Very happy I spent the extra change on this rather the the nano. Now i can sleep with peace of mind. 

Unless I’m seeing it wrong it looks like your ato sensor is in the second chamber. It’s basically useless there. It needs to be in the third chamber with your return pump. 

[Tnalp]

30 minutes ago, Ranjib said:

Do you have to openup and change something in the circuit for the ATO ? I have heard they require some tuning for nano tank usage (to control the start up behavior)

 

Tank is looking great.

If you open up the circuit there is a red knob that allows you to adjust the rate at which the water comes out. 

 

26 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

Unless I’m seeing it wrong it looks like your ato sensor is in the second chamber. It’s basically useless there. It needs to be in the third chamber with your return pump. 

I’ll swicth it over! Thanks ! 

[1891Bro]

17 minutes ago, Tnalp said:

If you open up the circuit there is a red knob that allows you to adjust the rate at which the water comes out. 

 

I’ll swicth it over! Thanks ! 

NP. 

there’s an easy explanation but I’m not gonna type it all out. TLDR: The return chamber, barring any wierd goings on, is the only chamber the water level will drop so put the ato sensor in there. 

[Lula_Mae]

9 hours ago, Subsea said:

Beautiful country there.  Having four seasons in the year is very nice.  We get little fall foliage in Texas or Louisiana and Spring happens fast in Texas.  Our winters are mostly Spring like with few freezes..  I grew Swiss Chard & spinach from Oct thru April with two light snowfalls, very unusual for Austin.  

 

I thought I was a country boy as I enjoy walking barefoot outdoors.  The problem with the Texas Hill Country, when you get close, everything either  sticks, stings or bites you.  

 

Technically our four seasons are Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Football. I lived in East Texas for a while and the weather wasn't that much different than here except a bit hotter in summer and a bit colder in winter.  And less humid lol.  We have a good number of overwintering crops that are grown in the state since even at its coldest, we're never below the 20's for more than a few days (and that's usually at night).

 

But the fire ants.  Hoo boy, East Texas has some mean ones!

[1891Bro]

3 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Technically our four seasons are Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Football. I lived in East Texas for a while and the weather wasn't that much different than here except a bit hotter in summer and a bit colder in winter.  And less humid lol.  We have a good number of overwintering crops that are grown in the state since even at its coldest, we're never below the 20's for more than a few days (and that's usually at night).

 

But the fire ants.  Hoo boy, East Texas has some mean ones!

Mmmmmmm Carolina tobacco. 

[Tnalp]

3 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

NP. 

there’s an easy explanation but I’m not gonna type it all out. TLDR: The return chamber, barring any wierd goings on, is the only chamber the water level will drop so put the ato sensor in there. 

Thats great to know, that you. I moved the sensors over to the 3rd earlier!