pfcjackson0716's nuvo 10

[ajackson1217]

Currently on vacation, but can't wait to tear open the boxes waiting for me at home. So far I've got:

• nuvo 10
• aps stand
• spinstream
• ghost skimmer
• hydrofil ato container, pump, controller, and return bracket
• im glass cleaner
• mightyjet 326 gph
• wavelink 1500 gph
• customcaddy
• neotherm 50w
• reefrack 102
• nanobox mini tide m plus

I couldn't splurge on a controller, but will in the future. Plan is for a bb with just the frag rack, starting off with the couple softies and lps I have already in my 12x12 cube, and of course a new home for my pair of ocellaris clowns. Might eventually delve into sps, hence why I got the light I did, and the skimmer and the wavemaker. Currently not sure where to put the ato bracket and heater, as it's going to be a bit cluttered. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Pics to come Wednesday, hopefully!

[ajackson1217]

Finally got around to taking some pics. Sadly, the ato didn’t fit in the tiny stand, but it looks pretty slick still. I cancelled the nanobox and am waiting for a Kessil a80, mount, and controller. Don’t ask why; I know the box is better, but I saw a setup similar to mine and just thought that giant puck looked sick over the 10. Also, I only kept about half the rock, and sold the few frags I had. Once again, maybe a silly decision, but I wanted to start fresh with this setup for whatever reason. Pics as promised. 

[ajackson1217]

Also, I’ve got a new in box cobalt mj900, and a new without box reefrack 102 and spin stream if anybody wants to steal them off me.

[ajackson1217]

Skimmer was too loud, so it got the axe. Got the light in!

[MuffinMonster]

Looks awesome man. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of this build. I like clean simple set ups. My OCD is flaring up though because the stand isn’t lined up evenly with the tile though....

[Nano Nano Boo Boo]

You’ll love this tank and it’s looming fantastic. 

[Nano Nano Boo Boo]

Looking*

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome to the community! 👋

 

Congrats on your new nano reef @pfcjackson0716, it looks like a great setup! 

[Lawnman]

Nice start!!! Look forward to coral pictures. 

[ajackson1217]

Marimedepot won’t return the skimmer even though it’s loud as hell, so I said screw it and tossed it back in, and even added the spinstream again. I figure if it’s gonna be loud, why not make it really loud. Once Dakoda pointed out the tile, I had to move it. In the process I threw a level on the it and noticed it wasn’t perfect. 10min later and we’ve got this:

[Christopher Marks]

Go Team OCD! 🙏

 

@Dakoda 😄 

 

That's too bad the skimmer is noisy. Have you searched for any tips on quieting it down? Sometimes there are little tricks.

[MuffinMonster]

Haha!!!! Looks much better now that it’s even in the tile:) 

 

I would hope the skimmer quiets down a bit after break it? I don’t know about that one. I have a nuvo 30L and I run the Aquamax WS-1 and it’s fairly quiet. Of course that’s the only skimmer I have ever owned. So I am not too sure I know the difference between a loud or quiet skimmer lol. 

 

Looking forward to to see this thing get full of livestock! 

[ajackson1217]

I took the pump apart and reassembled but it’s still pretty noisy. Not nearly as much so as the spinstream tho, and that thing has grown on me; something about having as much same brand gadgetry as possible in the tank makes me happy. I wish I could have done the bare bottom and reefrack as originally planned, but I just can’t bear the look of glass. I just hope the fish appreciate how much I spent on their new home lol

[TatorTaco]

Looks good man. 

[ajackson1217]

Haven’t updated in a while but the gsp is really spreading. Just in time to move. I’m thinking about upgrading to the sr80 for the next place. 

[Seanano]

Everything looks great.  How do you like the mightyjet?  How far is it turned up?

[ajackson1217]

Works fine, I think. I’ve had it set on 1 since any higher and the water seems to fly through the back chambers and I end up with a sandstorm. The wave maker is also on the lowest setting. If I set this tank up again in the new place it’ll be bare bottom with the reef rack for sure so I can really crank both up. 

[ajackson1217]

So, as it turns out the new place is smaller and won’t allow for anything bigger than what I’ve already got. Sold the tank to save time cleaning it out, and bought a new one for $20 more haha. Using the reefrack this time around, barebottom, with the new NuvoSkim dc skimmer after the cycle is complete. Plan to stock some more advanced stuff and get the clown a bubble tip to call home. 

[ajackson1217]

So, the move did not go as smoothly as predicted, and the fish and rock had an extended stay at the local fish store (shout out to Boardroom Aquatics in fort Myers for being patient with me, and always steering me in the right direction). The princess (girlfriend) didn’t like the barebottom look with the reefrack, so we opted for sand and ironically ended up purchasing the same green star polyp/mushroom/cabbage that I sold them a few weeks earlier, for only a very mild premium over what they gave me for it (I went in totally expecting to pay out what it was worth). Not to mention, they watched our clown, Sushi, and our skunk cleaner, Jay, for free, and kept them healthy and well fed. I wanted a simplistic design this time, after having controllers mounted externally beforehand, and having the auto top off reservoir on the outside. I still have yet to purchase the section of 3/16” rigid tubing to finish off the ato, but I plan on simply using gallon jugs of distilled water from Publix or Walmart for my water source, as nothing over a gallon will really fit into this tiny stand. I could also purchase slim gallon hdpe containers, and possibly even fit two in there, if anyone has any reasons why not to use the store bought water? If not, then that seems like the most convenient option. My ocd was strong this time, and I was happy to find the floor perfectly level, and placed the tank square in the middle of the tiles (as this was an issue in the past). At 4” from the wall I have great access to everything and it still doesn’t look like an island. In order to fit everything in the stand I used an enormous amount of Velcro tape, and did away with all zip ties with the expecting of some tiny 4” ones on the light to secure the power cord and link cable. Notice, I went with the super slick 90 degree link cable (I have no idea why this isn’t standard equipment as it’s way more aesthetically appealing). As I was saying, instead of zip ties on cords, I used Velcro fasteners. The stand still has the bottom panel modded as a wall in the rear of the stand, with the ato controller and pump attached, but I moved it down to accommodate two surge protector/power strips. The left controls the lights and heater, while the right the main pump and ato (and possibly Wavemaker down the road if needed). I did this so with a flip of a switch I’m good to do water changes. For now, I’m really liking the looks of a clean, open tank, with no Wavemaker, and the additional cord running over the back compartments. I still only plan to keep softies and some lps, so hopefully the mightyjet cranked up all the way will suffice (I managed to point the stock outlet towards the left front corner, and the way in which it diffuses doesn’t displace sand like before. I remember someone on here in the past asked about the mightyjet, and the sandstorm issues I was experiencing were because of the spinstream, which was loud and bulky anyway, so it got the axe). All in all, I achieved what I wanted; as minimalistic as it can be, while still being as maintenance free as possible, without a controller. I can keep the simple corals me and the girlfriend enjoy, and keep our two residents happy. Also, since everyone wants to know “what’s in the back”, I ditched the loud ghost skimmer and the media rack; there’s going to be nothing but biological filtration for the foreseeable future, as that’s all I’ve pretty much ever run, with the addition of a skimmer on only a couple of many past builds. I firmly believe water changes are all you need, with a light bioload, to succeed with these tiny tanks. That said, I haven’t always been diligent, and over the course of five neglectful months, with zero water changes, and an ever creeping salinity and nitrate, that the ghost desktop only pulled out maybe a cup or so of tea colored skimmate. Plus, Sushi is a real b*tch and doesn’t like other fish as we’ve found out in the past, so the bioload will remain minimal. Go bacteria! Oh, and I threw in an 8oz bottle of Fritz Zyme 9 for sh*ts and gigs. I can hardly contain my excitement, as one could tell, but that’s the end of my rant, and here’s the pics:

 

[ajackson1217]

Apparently 3/16” rigid doesn’t fit into 1/4” id vinyl, so I ordered some 6x10mm tubing and plastic hose clamps off Amazon 😬

[ajackson1217]

Couldn’t sleep; cords needed organizing, and rock needed moving. This thing’s practically held together with Velcro at this point. Plan is to pickup some prime, and break my previous rule with a media basket and purity pack to see just how clear we can get this water. Might just break yet another rule as well, and grab a juvenile clown too. Definitely getting more rock though; it looks straight barren at the moment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ajackson1217]

Finishing touches added: base rock, second clown named “tank”, and ato set up. Still need the media rack when funds allow, but now it’s time to sit back and let things be. 

[Christopher Marks]

Feeling more settled in your new place @pfcjackson0716? How are things in the GSP reef? 🙂

[ajackson1217]

It’s nothing short of a catastrophe, of previously unimaginable proportions. Months of neglect has led to an all out occupation of cyano, with strands stretching the height of the tank, weeving back and forth, so deceptively calm, while simultaneously choking the life out of this once beautiful ecosystem. If that weren’t enough, the aiptasia have grown to epically large proportions; rivaling that of even the great heteractis magnifica. They kill everything and anything. Finally, there is a stray wire somewhere within the system that initially started as a mere shock when one’s hand was submerged within the tank, but has graduated so far beyond what even my rather imaginative mind could conjure: our poor, poor maid, Joserita, bless her blissfully ignorant soul, was electrocuted, to death, meters from the tank itself. Now, the aquarium wallows in a state of disarray, with absurd volumes of cyano and goliath, shock-resistant, aiptasia, and literal football fields of caution tape and dozens of pairs of rubber booties to protect all those who venture near. My god, what have I done. 

 

jk tank still looks pretty legit for just gsp and that cauli 

[TatorTaco]

I was reading your last post thinking, “omg, where do you even start?”  I’m glad things are still trucking along for you. 

 

I see that you ended up ditching your spin stream. Could you explain why you came to that decision? I’ve been thinking about doing the same, as they restrict the flow and my powerhead pretty much negates their purpose. At least, that’s the case for me.