IM Nuvo 10 help

[Lula_Mae]

On 6/20/2018 at 11:54 AM, jdmcbuilt said:

With kids and work. I dont have time to worry about evaporating water. Lol

 

Work 7a-4p Monday thru Friday

Mon-sons karate

Tuesday- sons swim practice

Wed- sons karate

Thursday- sons swim practice

Friday- duaghters swim lesson

Sat- lawn chores, sons swim, sons karate, daughters swim lesson.

Sun-house duties. 

 

Life is more important than evaporated water. Lol I'm just saying. 10 mins out of my day when something else can manage this for you. Convenience. 

 

But to eaches own. Successful you can be for sure. But time management and my kids are more important than my reefing hobby. 

 

Since he is home it would work for him for sure. 

I mean, I get it. I work 12.5 hour shifts over an hour away, so my work days are 15+ hours long from the time I leave home till I get back. But it literally takes two minutes to go around and top off all my tanks, maybe three if I've gotta get a new jug. I just dislike when people tell newcomers that you "must" have this or that piece of equipment, when you certainly don't. I think it gives off the vibe that if you can't afford expensive equipment, you have no hope of keeping a reef tank. Tanks like Natalia's reef bowl prove that's certainly not the case.  We need to remember that every person is coming from a different place and has a different budget that they can or want to spend (especially when new) and respect that.  Jmo.

 

On 6/21/2018 at 8:36 PM, MrObscura said:

Now, I just have to decide on what rock to go with. I know I don't want to do live rock. The ecosystem that comes with it is nice, but I like the idea of being able to control what is introduced to the tank. So, I am going to go with some type of dry rock not harvested from the ocean so I don't have to worry about curing other than simple cycling the tank with the rock in it. Any recommendation as to what is the best eco friendly dry rock? Is there a difference?

 

As for rock types, I was leaning towards basic rock, but now I'm thinking a combo of base rock, branch and shelf might work best for what I want to do. I know I want to do coral gardens with sectionsof the tank being dominated by a specific species, or type. I'm thinking zoa and  ricordea garden down low, then a micromussa and Euphyllia garden in the middle, topped of with  birdsnest and monti cap near the top. I'll also probably try to make use of the floor space covering the substrate with corals...maybe the zoas and ricordeas, leaving the main rockwork for the other corals. And I also like how some people use the sides and backs to grow coral. Monti cap growing off the glass looks good, and I've seen someone encrust the back of their tank with Cyphastrea and that was awesome.

When I set up my 15L, I ordered some Reef Saver rock from Bulk Reef Supply and told them my size tank and the look I was going for.  They sent me some absolutely gorgeous pieces, and way more weight than I'd ordered (see my thread to see the pieces I chose). 

[jdmcbuilt]

2 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I mean, I get it. I work 12.5 hour shifts over an hour away, so my work days are 15+ hours long from the time I leave home till I get back. But it literally takes two minutes to go around and top off all my tanks, maybe three if I've gotta get a new jug. I just dislike when people tell newcomers that you "must" have this or that piece of equipment, when you certainly don't. I think it gives off the vibe that if you can't afford expensive equipment, you have no hope of keeping a reef tank. Tanks like Natalia's reef bowl prove that's certainly not the case.  We need to remember that every person is coming from a different place and has a different budget that they can or want to spend (especially when new) and respect that.  Jmo.

 

When I set up my 15L, I ordered some Reef Saver rock from Bulk Reef Supply and told them my size tank and the look I was going for.  They sent me some absolutely gorgeous pieces, and way more weight than I'd ordered (see my thread to see the pieces I chose). 

I definitely respect. Just trying to make it easier for new comers. This hobby is always trial and error. What we have learned in this hobby and what means more to us might be good advice to others. If they choose not to have ATO thats great. But in my experience this is 1 less thing I have to worry about 

 And for a new comer will have alot of learning to do to succeed soo if we can help eliminate a process its just to express the luxury or novelty of having something help you manage. You dont need a million dollars to have a reef tank. I get it. Just trying to help a new comer not forcing him to get it. 

[1891Bro]

3 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I mean, I get it. I work 12.5 hour shifts over an hour away, so my work days are 15+ hours long from the time I leave home till I get back. But it literally takes two minutes to go around and top off all my tanks, maybe three if I've gotta get a new jug. I just dislike when people tell newcomers that you "must" have this or that piece of equipment, when you certainly don't. I think it gives off the vibe that if you can't afford expensive equipment, you have no hope of keeping a reef tank. Tanks like Natalia's reef bowl prove that's certainly not the case.  We need to remember that every person is coming from a different place and has a different budget that they can or want to spend (especially when new) and respect that.  Jmo.

 

When I set up my 15L, I ordered some Reef Saver rock from Bulk Reef Supply and told them my size tank and the look I was going for.  They sent me some absolutely gorgeous pieces, and way more weight than I'd ordered (see my thread to see the pieces I chose). 

When you leave town for a few days do you have someone to top off? That’s the best part of an ato, in my opinion. Most of my trips recently are less than a week so food is a non issue but if I didn’t have the ato the return would end up running dry. 

[jdmcbuilt]

3 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

When you leave town for a few days do you have someone to top off? That’s the best part of an ato, in my opinion. Most of my trips recently are less than a week so food is a non issue but if I didn’t have the ato the return would end up running dry. 

Great example of needing an ATO. Lol. Why didnt i think of that. 

[1891Bro]

29 minutes ago, jdmcbuilt said:

Great example of needing an ATO. Lol. Why didnt i think of that. 

Guess you don’t get out enough. 

[jdmcbuilt]

30 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

Guess you don’t get out enough. 

This is one of the reason I got the ATO. Lol we actually travel quite a bit during the summer here in Arizona. Winter time we spend alot of time at home. 

[Tnalp]

I started my reef tank roughly 2.5 months ago. It’s my first tank, I went with a IM nuvo 10. I did lots of research before jumping into the reef side, since I’m more of a fresh water guy. After much research I went with a Sicce .5, Intank media basket, random flow generators with the adapter for our tanks. Sand I went with Carib special grade and brs reef saver. I cycled the tank for a month, starting with bio spira and dr Tim’s ammonia. Through out that time I noticed that t kinda did become a pain to top off the tank. Picked up a Tunze 3155 and a 5g water jug of amazon. Drilled the jug and setup my rodi. Now I go weeks without worrying about the tanks water level. I do hear it turn on from time to time. The Intank media basket is 100% worth it, i keep some marine pure bio balls, nano Chemipure packets, and some filter floss up top. All in all I have about 500$ in that . For a light I went with a nano box tide plus m, so far I love the light! Hope this helps! 

[MrObscura]

Well, I picked up the prime hd today from a local lfs. I toyed for a while trying to put together a more budget oriented lighting option, but not only were they simply not as good of lights, they all lacked the features and still would come to over 100 bucks with mounting and a timer thrown in. And like I said, I've learned that lighting and flow are key. So, the prime it was.

 

It's funny how these things start with a more budget oriented approach and then get out of hand. Last year I set out to build a simple 400-500 dollar budget PC, next thing you know the end result cost 3 times that. Discus tank started with...already have a lot of the equipment, why not start a simple FW tank? Next thing you know discus. And now this nano reef is probably the worse example yet. It started with a space on my desk I wanted to fill. Plan was I could do a cool terrarium with an arboreal tarantula for like100 bucks or so all in... to seeing the marine depot "build a nano for $300"... to primes, upgraded pumps, etc lol.

 

Anyway speaking of which, I'm currently putting together a cart for the other stuff online with pump choices  narrowed down to either the 1.0 or the IM MJ 326(dont need 500gph and not sure it'll fit). I'm also debating if I should go with a jager heater for 25 bucks or spend double that for the neo-therm. I have cheap aqueon heater on the discus tank but they are plugged into a controller, since this tank will not have one I'm leaning towards the neo-therm. And that's why budgets tend to ballon. I research the hell out of things, realize budget can work but isn't optimal nor best bang for you buck in the end, so...

 

What I'm having the most trouble deciding on is which dry rock to go with. I know I don't want live, nor anything that was recently live since I don't want to worry about curing. So, I've narrowed it down to either the caribsea life rock, which looks nice but is pricey for dry rock, or reef cleaners which I've heard very good things about. I thought about reef savers but BRS suggests curing it.

 

Oh, and as for going out of town... that's definitely not anything I have to worry about. lol

[dferrari13]

On 6/21/2018 at 8:36 PM, MrObscura said:

Now, I just have to decide on what rock to go with. I know I don't want to do live rock. The ecosystem that comes with it is nice, but I like the idea of being able to control what is introduced to the tank. So, I am going to go with some type of dry rock not harvested from the ocean so I don't have to worry about curing other than simple cycling the tank with the rock in it. Any recommendation as to what is the best eco friendly dry rock? Is there a difference?

 

As for rock types, I was leaning towards basic rock, but now I'm thinking a combo of base rock, branch and shelf might work best for what I want to do. I know I want to do coral gardens with sectionsof the tank being dominated by a specific species, or type. I'm thinking zoa and  ricordea garden down low, then a micromussa and Euphyllia garden in the middle, topped of with  birdsnest and monti cap near the top. I'll also probably try to make use of the floor space covering the substrate with corals...maybe the zoas and ricordeas, leaving the main rockwork for the other corals. And I also like how some people use the sides and backs to grow coral. Monti cap growing off the glass looks good, and I've seen someone encrust the back of their tank with Cyphastrea and that was awesome.

I would go with a product called life Rock by caribsea

[MrObscura]

Yea, I mentioned life rock in my last wall of text lol. It's between life rock or reef cleaners. 

[Tnalp]

i would would do the Neo-therm. Its what im running. Sicce .5 and 50W Neo fit perfect in the third chamber together. That leaves your second chamber wide open for a skimmer or media, whatever you want. Im happy with my BRS Reef saver, it was easy to work with and i did not experience any po4 leach either. I just added a bottle of ARC Coralline Algae in a bottle, already starting to see some purple on my rock after only 4 days. granted the tank is cycled and slightly mature. 

 

[MrObscura]

Oh, wow, I didn't know you could get coralline in a bottle. I figured I'd have to get a small seed rock from a LFS or wait until I got a frag on a piece of live rock.

 

and I'm thinking for the second chamber I'll just throw whatever rubble is left over from the rock I get in there and add some more bio filtration.

[Lula_Mae]

19 hours ago, MrObscura said:

Well, I picked up the prime hd today from a local lfs. I toyed for a while trying to put together a more budget oriented lighting option, but not only were they simply not as good of lights, they all lacked the features and still would come to over 100 bucks with mounting and a timer thrown in. And like I said, I've learned that lighting and flow are key. So, the prime it was.

 

It's funny how these things start with a more budget oriented approach and then get out of hand. Last year I set out to build a simple 400-500 dollar budget PC, next thing you know the end result cost 3 times that. Discus tank started with...already have a lot of the equipment, why not start a simple FW tank? Next thing you know discus. And now this nano reef is probably the worse example yet. It started with a space on my desk I wanted to fill. Plan was I could do a cool terrarium with an arboreal tarantula for like100 bucks or so all in... to seeing the marine depot "build a nano for $300"... to primes, upgraded pumps, etc lol.

 

Anyway speaking of which, I'm currently putting together a cart for the other stuff online with pump choices  narrowed down to either the 1.0 or the IM MJ 326(dont need 500gph and not sure it'll fit). I'm also debating if I should go with a jager heater for 25 bucks or spend double that for the neo-therm. I have cheap aqueon heater on the discus tank but they are plugged into a controller, since this tank will not have one I'm leaning towards the neo-therm. And that's why budgets tend to ballon. I research the hell out of things, realize budget can work but isn't optimal nor best bang for you buck in the end, so...

 

What I'm having the most trouble deciding on is which dry rock to go with. I know I don't want live, nor anything that was recently live since I don't want to worry about curing. So, I've narrowed it down to either the caribsea life rock, which looks nice but is pricey for dry rock, or reef cleaners which I've heard very good things about. I thought about reef savers but BRS suggests curing it.

 

Oh, and as for going out of town... that's definitely not anything I have to worry about. lol

Reef Saver rock is very clean, as rock goes. I have heard very good things about Reef Cleaners rock as well. 

[Lula_Mae]

On 6/23/2018 at 7:11 PM, 1891Bro said:

When you leave town for a few days do you have someone to top off? That’s the best part of an ato, in my opinion. Most of my trips recently are less than a week so food is a non issue but if I didn’t have the ato the return would end up running dry. 

 Leave town? What's that?  In all seriousness though, if I'm going to be gone more than a couple of days, I have someone stop by since Violet the hedgehog needs to be checked up on too.

[MrObscura]

Just finished placing orders for everything.  I ended up going with reef cleaners... half the price and I liked what I heard about them. And true to what I heard, John emailed me within minutes of placing my order.

 

And Lula, your avatar gets me every time. I've always been a sucker for Audrey Hepburn. lol

[Lula_Mae]

8 hours ago, MrObscura said:

Just finished placing orders for everything.  I ended up going with reef cleaners... half the price and I liked what I heard about them. And true to what I heard, John emailed me within minutes of placing my order.

 

And Lula, your avatar gets me every time. I've always been a sucker for Audrey Hepburn. lol

 Thanks, she's a favorite of mine. The name is also a reference, from the same movie as the avatar.  

[MrObscura]

Of course Breakfast at Tiffany's comes to mind when thinking of Hepburn, but Roman Holiday is the one that hooked me.

[MrObscura]

Well, got everything except for the dry rock which is coming tomorrow.  Then I just need to go get some buckets and  a few other things for maintenance and whatnot. I also think I cut the return hose a little too short(it was too long for the new pump) so the return is up against the baffle and might impede flow. I might have to pick up some hosing. Anyone know what ID the nuvo 10 return hose is?

[Tnalp]

17 hours ago, MrObscura said:

Well, got everything except for the dry rock which is coming tomorrow.  Then I just need to go get some buckets and  a few other things for maintenance and whatnot. I also think I cut the return hose a little too short(it was too long for the new pump) so the return is up against the baffle and might impede flow. I might have to pick up some hosing. Anyone know what ID the nuvo 10 return hose is?

13mm or 1/2"

[MrObscura]

Thanks.