Sapling's Nano

[sapling]

Hey everyone so I've been on here a while but never documented my DIY 25g since I started it back around march last year, well I regret not documenting it, and lately I've been wanting to start up a smaller tank, so I thought, why not make a thread so I can record it so I can look back on it? I figure this way I can also learn from others and try to keep my questions in at least a lesser amount of threads.

So its been official, I took the plunge on buying 14 ibs of BRS reef saver along with some hanna reagent about an hour ago.

I made my tank DIY last time, and although I am still interested in doing that since I can tailor it to my needs, Im not the best craftsman wise. So I am currently looking into a couple tanks before I pull the trigger later tonight. it seems I have a couple options Im most interested in;
 

• the waterbox 7g or 10g
   
• IM nuvo fusion 10

 

I am a bit torn between the nuvo 10g or waterbox 10g. the fact they are plug and play is a nice bonus, compared to when I did my DIY, as doing a false wall is a bit frustrating when attempting not to shatter acrylic from drilling or scoring. the two are essentially the same price, although the IM nuvo comes with the lid, so I am leaning towards that. How does everyone who has one of these feel about the back chambers?

I am currently debating between a Bare bottom tank or at least shallow sand. I never tried a Bare bottom tank and I think I'd really enjoy the look and cleanliness of it since Im already bad at vacuuming my sand in my tank. what do you guys suggest?

my planned inhabitant will be either my Rainford's Goby or my Tail Spot Blenny from my 25g. Lately I've seen some random aggression from the blenny towards the Rainford, and Im planning to take one of them out, leaning towards the Rainford. I feel conflicted about putting the rainford in the 10g if its a Bare bottom, since he hasnt taken prepared food (live BBS, frozen, pellet) yet but picks at rocks and sifts the sand. I'm not sure if its refusal of prepared food or rather him being so passive, my other fish take it from him before he has a chance to eat?

Besides hopefully the goby once cycled, I do plan to stock with coral, although Im not sure which yet, I know I have a few frags of zoas in my 25 without a home yet, but I also do really like the look of euphillia, and ricordeas.  maybe euphillia on the top with zoas and rics mid to low?

the lighting will be my finnex 12" Planted+ until I am sure about which Light i want, I am currently thinking of a par LED bulb to hang over, but I might get another nanobox light, just depends what I end up doing, and feels better to me.

For my Filtration, I feel like I dont have too much space to play with like I did in the 25g. what would you guys suggest here? I imagine a skimmer would be useful for phosphates, plus a small bio pellet reactor for nitrates, but I am interested to see what others would say instead. maybe purigen and phosguard? not sure yet, but plenty of time to think. Maybe just cut a portion of my chaeto and carry it over, with activated carbon.

~~

anyways Im sure that might be TLDR but thanks everyone who read, I love seeing other peoples journals for reference, and learning from their experiences with their tanks, I'm hoping mine can help someone elses once it matures. 

[Jenisiz7]

That's a pretty small tank and depending on what you decide to stock, you may not need a skimmer. Especially if it's Zoas and Ricordia. If you do decide in one, I like the compact Reef Glass Nano Skimmer.

[sapling]

thats what I've gotten the impression of, since water changes will be easier with a smaller tank, there isnt necessarily a need to have a skimmer in the tank, unless heavily stocked.

[falcooo]

I'm far from a saltwater expert, as I am only a few months into my first reef tank. But I have the IM Nuvo Fusion 10 with the AI Prime light, and am extremely pleased with both. The tank is of great quality and the black trim really makes it look sharp. If you go the Nuvo route, the custom caddy is a must-do upgrade. Also, I love the customization and control of the AI Prime and it looks and fits great on the tank.

[sapling]

the AI prime was actually my first pick before I went with a discounted Nanobox Duo M for my 25g! I think that could be a really good choice, but might be overkill with only euphillia or other LPS at the most demanding of coral. what do you keep stocked?

[BostonReef]

I agree they’re both really small for skimmer, where would you even put it, although I don’t know what those come with.. if they have a mini one, why not use it.  Maybe biopellets on a HOB reactor, though my trust in them isn’t great, I don’t like anything HOB, but at 10g or less it’s a trade off.

 

I’d agree BB is best except you have a fish who appreciates a sandbed.. ultimately your choice.  I also like a cheap LED (Hydra maybe?) over other lighting options, especially if you go for harder to keep corals, which if it goes well, I think you’ll want to.  Good luck, eager to see what you do!

 

edit: agree with the Al Prime as well.  Good option.

[falcooo]

Just now, sapling said:

the AI prime was actually my first pick before I went with a discounted Nanobox Duo M for my 25g! I think that could be a really good choice, but might be overkill with only euphillia or other LPS at the most demanding of coral. what do you keep stocked?

Mixed. Softies, LPS, and recently added a digi monti....all appear to be doing well and my light is dialed down to 7% at the moment. I plan to increase intensity slowly over time.

[sapling]

Hey everyone just an update today, I decided to go with the IM Nuvo 10 tank only and I just ordered it, now it’s time to wait until it arrives with the rocks from BRS! I’m not sure of the layout I want to do yet, but I do know in general I enjoy a triad rock formation, but it depends really what I get in the order.

 

This is the first time I’ve used reef saver since I’ve only used LR from petco beforehand. I decided against LR because I didn’t know everything on my rocks and had to deal with some pests for it, but maybe I can scoop some sand in my 25 to seed my new tank? Or maybe cut half my chaeto in my 25 to place in the caddy to seed? Options options, 

 

@falcooo I’ve seen people mention the custom caddy but I’m not familiar with it much, why is it considered better than the stock option? 

 

 

[falcooo]

3 hours ago, sapling said:

 

@falcooo I’ve seen people mention the custom caddy but I’m not familiar with it much, why is it considered better than the stock option? 

You'll see as soon as the tank comes in. The stock filter sock is probably good, but its only the filter sock. Versus the custom caddy which gives you three separate compartments you can put any mix of filtration media you choose. I run filter floss and phosphate removal pad in the top, more filter floss in the middle, and chemi-pure blue in the bottom chamber. Also, its only $20...can't beat that. 

[sapling]

7 minutes ago, falcooo said:

You'll see as soon as the tank comes in. The stock filter sock is probably good, but its only the filter sock. Versus the custom caddy which gives you three separate compartments you can put any mix of filtration media you choose. I run filter floss and phosphate removal pad in the top, more filter floss in the middle, and chemi-pure blue in the bottom chamber. Also, its only $20...can't beat that. 

 

oof, the picture was a bit misleading then, I was under the assumption there was a clear plastic caddy from the pictures of the sump on brs, but in the Q&A it says it is the filter sock. I was wondering why it didnt mention the caddy in the features.

Im not too big on socks now 😕
 

looking around the site, it seems the custom caddy desktop is the one your mentioning? how well is it with flow, does the water go through the chambers easily or some around the sides from your experience? btw thanks so much for the heads up!

[falcooo]

I see the picture you're talking about, that's not at all what came with mine and I ordered from BRS also. Mine came with the filter sock. And yeah the flow isn't an issue whatsoever, water flows through great. Absolutely worth it.

[sapling]

13 minutes ago, falcooo said:

I see the picture you're talking about, that's not at all what came with mine and I ordered from BRS also. Mine came with the filter sock. And yeah the flow isn't an issue whatsoever, water flows through great. Absolutely worth it.

If only I realized this sooner though lol, I could've added it to the order on BRS! Would you think this one from Amazon is the same? it seems to be as far as I know, since I see the same price and what not,

https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Marine-Customcaddy-Included-Desktop/dp/B07BH7ZGJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527284427&sr=8-1&keywords=customcaddy+desktop

 

[falcooo]

Looks to be the same. But why not just order off BRS, surely you'll need something else soon anyway as you setup. Plus you can use your points from the tank order to discount the caddy, and free shipping.

 

Also, what're you doing for flow. I went with a powerhead but am currently wondering if I should ultimately just upgrade the main pump and bail on the powerhead.

[sapling]

3 hours ago, falcooo said:

Looks to be the same. But why not just order off BRS, surely you'll need something else soon anyway as you setup. Plus you can use your points from the tank order to discount the caddy, and free shipping.

 

Also, what're you doing for flow. I went with a powerhead but am currently wondering if I should ultimately just upgrade the main pump and bail on the powerhead.

yeah thats actually a good point, there's no need to rush it even though I am a prime member and it's on prime. I dont think the caddy will be necessary yet now I think about it.


Well for flow, in my 25g I use 2 regular koralia nano 425gph powerheads  plus a return from the AIO sump, but in the 10g, I would probably lean towards 2 small powerheads if possible. But if not possible/practical I do know i was looking at the sicce synchra 0.5 as a stronger return, not entirely sure yet. Maybe a IM spin stream Nozzle for the return with the stronger pump for flow?

[falcooo]

From my SpinStream experience of about 3 days, it significantly decreases the flow of the main pump. I'm shopping for upgrade pumps now haha

[sapling]

Just an Update,

I was supposed to receive my tank 2 days ago on the 30th, but due to an error from BRS, I recieved a package that wasnt even mine! I was all excited when I heard the UPS truck stop by, only to be confused when I saw a little box, I was very confused!

 

Anyways after opening, I only saw a hanna thermometer, some BRS filter replacement catridges, and some filter socks, and I was like this isnt right at all. I saw the packing slip, which was for a person in CA. After a call with BRS, they quickly helped me with my issue and sent a new tank out, and even said I could keep whatever was in the package. I felt like I was looking a gift horse in the mouth a bit, when I actually ordered my filter's replacements already just 2 weeks ago, so I didnt actually need the contents, as well as me already owning 4 assorted thermometers. But, the nice thing about the BRS cartridges is they are already packed in, so I dont need to use my refill kits I bought, so thats nice. 🙂

So now, I have to wait until tuesday for my tank. I did receive my BRS reef saver rock so thats good. Has anyone had mishaps like this happen before?

@falcooo but is the flow turbulent? I liked the idea of it creating flow that wasnt laminar even if at the cost of some speed itself. seems like a more realistic option for smaller tanks than wavemakers, or more expensive options like AC pumps iirc.

[Lula_Mae]

On 5/24/2018 at 6:22 PM, sapling said:

the AI prime was actually my first pick before I went with a discounted Nanobox Duo M for my 25g! I think that could be a really good choice, but might be overkill with only euphillia or other LPS at the most demanding of coral. what do you keep stocked?

Some people put AI Prime over a pico.  Check out Gena's IM10, she's got LPS and softies and uses the same AI Prime she had over her 20g drop off tank. I have an IM14 coming and will be using the Prime over it as well. 

On 5/25/2018 at 12:32 PM, sapling said:

Hey everyone just an update today, I decided to go with the IM Nuvo 10 tank only and I just ordered it, now it’s time to wait until it arrives with the rocks from BRS! I’m not sure of the layout I want to do yet, but I do know in general I enjoy a triad rock formation, but it depends really what I get in the order.

 

This is the first time I’ve used reef saver since I’ve only used LR from petco beforehand. I decided against LR because I didn’t know everything on my rocks and had to deal with some pests for it, but maybe I can scoop some sand in my 25 to seed my new tank? Or maybe cut half my chaeto in my 25 to place in the caddy to seed? Options options, 

 

@falcooo I’ve seen people mention the custom caddy but I’m not familiar with it much, why is it considered better than the stock option? 

 

 

 Since you're waiting on your tank, you could go ahead and start cycling the rock in a bucket with ammonia (like Dr.  Tim's) and a bacterial source like Microbacter7. Regarding the custom caddy, I have seen many people say that the inTank version is much better than the IM version. InTank was also founded by Nano-Reef's very own StevieT.

[sapling]

18 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Some people put AI Prime over a pico.  Check out Gena's IM10, she's got LPS and softies and uses the same AI Prime she had over her 20g drop off tank. I have an IM14 coming and will be using the Prime over it as well.  

 Since you're waiting on your tank, you could go ahead and start cycling the rock in a bucket with ammonia (like Dr.  Tim's) and a bacterial source like Microbacter7. Regarding the custom caddy, I have seen many people say that the inTank version is much better than the IM version. InTank was also founded by Nano-Reef's very own StevieT.

wow that idea for the rock went right over my head, the wasted time!

I do have prodibio biodigest, but no ammonia. I could just phantom feed, no? I've done phantom feeding to cycle my tanks before, but never with an ammonia product. I'd imagine I could also put the rocks in a bucket with old SW from my 25g tank and dose prodibio to help

[sapling]

Update for everyone, I have opened the box and made the aquascape!

after receiving the aquarium and leak testing I noticed I had a chipped connector from the pump elbow return and the flare nozzle, the clear plastic one, and had messaged BRS. They were very prompt though, and quickly got me with IM support to see about replacing such a small part BRS doesnt carry individually. IM responded within 24 hours, and told me they sent the request in. today I recieved a message the replacement connector is on the way. the part itself isnt anything critical but it was the principle of receiving a new item damaged, and them fixing it that made me happy.

I was doing some thinking however on the design of the tank during the wait, and came to a few conclusions,

I will be using a shallow coarse sand bed instead of bare bottom. I feel this is best because the current planned inhabitant will be a goby that sifts. In quarantine these past 2 weeks due to aggression from my tail spot blenny, it has shown to prefer sifting to eat, and so I feel its better to accommodate the inhabitant than my own want in the end. I decided to use special grade arag alive reef sand.

I still feel like I want the tank to be LPS dominant, so now I have been thinking of the coral placement. so far, its been having chalices to seem like pseudo montipora(if I dont frag my own plating monti) or actual monti, I also am thinking about possibly a stylophora I am keeping in my 25g atm I could place towards the top. Besides that, I also thought about just making a majority euphillia, and have rics on the foreground.

I have a couple zoanthid colonies i would like to add but i've never fragged them before and a bit afraid to split them. I have been struggling on some ideas where to have them however placement wise, as I know the 10 is more cramped than my 25 footprint wise. I rather err on the side of caution with the sweepers

anyways  here is a photo of the scape!

I feel like it might be on the shorter side, but I do like the layout itself. the rocks I recieved from BRS were just too big to add into the aquarium as is, and their shape was just not very interesting to me except one. another issue was they would be against the glass or very close to it, only adding 2 rocks. So I had broke almost all of them to something more appropriate size, but as a result my aquascape got about 2-3 inches shorter. I do feel like the rock, it blends a little too strongly in photos to the sand, but Im hoping coraline will alleviate this over time.

 

 

[sapling]

Hello Nano-reef, just an update

I will start the dose of prodibio biodigest soon! I plan to phantom feed daily to cycle. My 25g I used LR so this is the first time with no LR.

 

 

Also, for the light, I decided on using a nanobox tide! I've been happy overall with my nanobox duo plus on my 25g, and I decided to give the hardware section a chance on the forum, and found a used one at a great deal. I'm hoping it gets here safely and we can get it up on the tank. Besides that, I hope by keeping the same type of lights to mirror my 20, the corals wont experience any sort of bleaching due to lights. of course im sure there's PAR variation, but still.

I am currently on the fence on transferring which of my corals over once the tank is ready. so far the biggest contenders one of my euphillia, a candy cane coral, and 2 mushrooms.

anyways, as for the scape, I have still been working on it a bit, trying to look into other's using the tank here for compositional ideas, as well as the featured tanks in TOTM. It's actually a bit hard when Im trying to consider flow, the ability to clean the glass, the actual rocks available and possible areas for frags. i especially feel really impressed by some of the rockwork I seen in other's tanks in the IM10 since Im feel its so cramped! I used stone under the sand to help stablize the rocks on top more, but I am hoping once I get to a point Im happy with the hardscape, I will glue the rocks I feel are susceptible to falling.

 

 

as for an update on my rainford, I've been feeding 2-3 times a day about ~5 crushed pellets per session.  it has accepted seaweed extreme by hikari and readily eats it moments it hits the ground. it has seemed to still ignore marine s but I am still trying to help teach it to take a more varied diet. I was so worried for it that it would starve when I took it out 5/24 , but I am so glad it has learned to accept food that isnt GHA, as I was seriously running out of any to give from my 25g

 

[sapling]

Hello everyone! My Nanobox tide light has come in and it’s on! I decided to use the same settings from my Nanobox duo on the 25

 

It was funny, we actually had a mishap, the seller forgot to send the power supply in the package and had to send another package with it. I actually received the light yesterday, but the power supply today. Let me tell you I was looking around the house all day yesterday for a power supply I could use on the light because I was so excited!

 

anyways here’s a picture of it currently with the midday lighting!

 

 

As for the scape I’m still thinking about the left behind the main rock, directly below the overflow as I want to put a smaller rock there to help with more space for coral placement. I feel like it’s starting to look pretty good with that new rock there on top, much more proportioned to the tank’s height!

[sapling]

Today just wanted to give a small update so far, 

 

Brown diatoms are now appearing in small spots throughout the sand bed and rock, awesome to see some life starting to appear.

 

I am phantom feeding as usual and only topping off the tank with my rodi

 

my court jester goby is eating like a champ, eating whole pellets of hikari extreme seaweed without them needing to be crushed and coaxed to it, hoping I can mix a few marine s in there to help it vary the diet, since it will only eat the one type of pellet currently