IM Nuvo Micro 30

[Kangster911]

Hi. I have been checking this website for some time now and decided to start my own journal. I have had a few freshwater tanks for more than 10 years (10, 20, and 72 gallon). I recently moved to a new place and the lease says fish tanks are not to exceed 10 gallons total so I got rid of my beloved 72 gallon bowfront. After settling in for about a month, I noticed no tenant abides by the lease (I saw a few pit bulls and dog breeds that they do not allow and recently ran into a guy that told me he has 65 gallon reef tank) and saw a great deal on used Nuvo 30 (cube) with Kessil A360 WE Tuna Blue only for $250 (leak tested before buying). It was just too good to pass and I always wanted to start a reef tank at some point.

Innovative Marine customer service is really good. The used tank I got was missing the elbow and the hose from the return pump. I emailed IM and they are sending me a replacement again. They sent me wrong replacement the first time since they thought I had the new 30L, but they are resending. I hope I get the right one this time. I cannot wait to start cycling

Will post pictures as it progresses. Open to suggestions. Thanks! Click to choose files

 

Equipment so far

Tank: IM Nuvo Micro 30 (cube, discontinued model)

Light: Kessil A360 WE Tuna Blue

Stand: Biocube 32 stand (Petco had it on sale for $140ish, supposedly a new, less wobbly version, tested by me and my wife sitting on it, more than 300 lbs total)

Misc: IM Self Leveling Mat

 

Equipment in the future

Return pump: IM Mightyjet Midsize

Return nozzle: Spinstream or RFG

Protein skimmer: need suggestions, probably will go in one of the overflow chamber, Tunze 9001 or 9004?

ATO: IM Hydrofill TI ATO set or Tunze ATO 3155

Refugium basket: either InTank or IM Custom Caddy

Refugium light: thinking of Kessil H80 since I am looking to get a used Kessil Spectral Controller

Light controller: Kessil Spectral Controller

Wavemaker: IM Wavelink or Jebao or none (if Mightyjet+Spinstream looks enough)

Media reactor: IM MiniMax Media Reactor or TLF Reactor 150

UV Sterlizer: maybe

Heater/Chiller: not getting one as I keep my apartment's temperature at 74 almost always, never needed heaters for my freshwater tanks as ambient temperature is always warm in the winter or cool in the summer

Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt

 

Livestock

10 lbs of dry rock, will add about 5 lbs of live rock with coralline algae to speed up cycling (probably cycling with raw shrimp or fish food just throw them and wait out for a month or two, my LFS does free water testing and I am very patient)

10 lbs of live sand

Clownfish? Maybe a pair? Don't know what kind yet

Anemone? will wait at least 6 months before adding

Watchman Goby and Pistol Shrimp

Easy corals, do not want something that spreads fast, soft, LPS, SPS, will probably get various frags and see how they grow

Various members of clean up crew

 

[Kangster911]

Tank is finally cycled. I had the tank running for 1 extra week after the tank had been cycled just to make sure.

 

The current residents are

~25 lbs of dry rock & live rock mix

10 lbs of live sand

2 clownfish

1 tiny Acan coral frag (this is my first coral. I am using this as a test. It is only a $5 frag)

 

Current equipment

Nuvo Micro 30 with stock pump and SpinStream

Kessil A360 WE with controller

CustomCaddy 38 with InTank filter floss, Purigen, Matrix Carbon, Phosguard

Filtersock

 

In a week or two, will be adding clean up crew from Reefcleaners, Emerald Crab, Porcelain Crab, and Jebao SOW 4.

In a month or two, will be adding Fire Fish, Yellow Watchman Goby, Pistol Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, and some more corals.

In a year or two, I will be adding Reef Glass Skimmer and Auqa Gadget Reactor.

[Kangster911]

One if the clownfish did not make it. One was out and eating but the other guy was always hiding in the back. On the third day, he laid still and flat.

I had the water tested and Nitrite was very high. Maybe cycling was not completed or it was disrupted when I moved the rocks. No more fish for at least a month or so...but the fish that survived looks healthy and is out.

I gave the tank extra week after I thought cycling was completed. Maybe two fish at the same time was a bad idea? Maybe I should have waited a few more days before I fed them? Nonetheless, I feel bad for the guy that just passed...

[billygoat]

52 minutes ago, Kangster911 said:

One if the clownfish did not make it. One was out and eating but the other guy was always hiding in the back. On the third day, he laid still and flat.

I had the water tested and Nitrite was very high. Maybe cycling was not completed or it was disrupted when I moved the rocks. No more fish for at least a month or so...but the fish that survived looks healthy and is out.

I gave the tank extra week after I thought cycling was completed. Maybe two fish at the same time was a bad idea? Maybe I should have waited a few more days before I fed them? Nonetheless, I feel bad for the guy that just passed...

An unfortunate fact about this hobby is that it's almost impossible to get into it without killing at least a few animals along the way 😞 Don't feel too bad about it. Some specimens are weakened from shipping, or get stressed out while they are netted and bagged, and simply don't make it no matter what you do. You have a nice tank and it looks like you're off to a good start, so I hope you don't get discouraged! 🙂 Just make sure you keep an eye on your water parameters as you continue to add more livestock. Do you have a basic testing kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate?

 

Also I noticed you are not using a heater. Make sure to keep a very careful eye on your tank's temperature, as temp swings from changes in the ambient can be very stressful for your livestock. You might want to check the nighttime temp late in the evening, just to be sure it isn't deviating too far from the daytime average.

[Kangster911]

I do not have a test kit. My LFS does free testing. About a week and a half ago, I had the water tested for Nitrate only. They were closing soon so I felt bad and only tested for Nitrate and I assumed having Nitrate would mean at least cycling is almost completed.

I gave an extra week assuming cycling must have been completed since I had appreciable Nitrate then when I tested. I skipped the full test and added two clownfish. I should have been more carefuk and should have tested before adding fish. Now I know I have Nitrite I will definately test before adding anything.

As for temperature, my place actually too warm and am worried about temp going up to high, but you have a good point. I should check what the tank temp is at late night. When I check in the morning and in the evening, it is at 78.

Thank you for the encouragement. I like this hobby too much for me to give up. Happy Reefing!

12 hours ago, billygoat said:

An unfortunate fact about this hobby is that it's almost impossible to get into it without killing at least a few animals along the way 😞 Don't feel too bad about it. Some specimens are weakened from shipping, or get stressed out while they are netted and bagged, and simply don't make it no matter what you do. You have a nice tank and it looks like you're off to a good start, so I hope you don't get discouraged! 🙂 Just make sure you keep an eye on your water parameters as you continue to add more livestock. Do you have a basic testing kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate?

 

Also I noticed you are not using a heater. Make sure to keep a very careful eye on your tank's temperature, as temp swings from changes in the ambient can be very stressful for your livestock. You might want to check the nighttime temp late in the evening, just to be sure it isn't deviating too far from the daytime average.

 

[Kangster911]

Had the water tested just to be sure and I had zero Ammonia and Nitrite. It must have been when I was rearranging the rocks and stirred up the sand. Nonetheless, it was good to go.The LFS had $6 a frag sale and I picked up some random coral frags. Stupid phone does not show their true color. They look much nicer in real life except they are really really small. I will probably get a CUC from Reef Cleaners next week. There is enough algae growth and the tank seems stable enough now.

[Kangster911]

The second clownfish just died...it passed a long white stringy feces before it died. The combination of nitrite and parasite probably killed him. This guy was tough though. He lived ten more days than the other guy.

I just ordered a CUC from reef cleaners and do not know if the parasite can effect them and/or the future clownfish resident....

[billygoat]

5 minutes ago, Kangster911 said:

The second clownfish just died...it passed a long white stringy feces before it died. The combination of nitrite and parasite probably killed him. This guy was tough though. He lived ten more days than the other guy.

I just ordered a CUC from reef cleaners and do not know if the parasite can effect them and/or the future clownfish resident....

 

Sorry to hear about the clown 😞 I would not worry about parasites infecting your clean-up crew, but I would definitely wait a good while before adding any more fish. Given enough time you should be able to replace your clownfish safely, but you'll want to make sure that whatever infected the first two has a chance to die off and clear out of your system.

[Kangster911]

1 minute ago, billygoat said:

 

Sorry to hear about the clown 😞 I would not worry about parasites infecting your clean-up crew, but I would definitely wait a good while before adding any more fish. Given enough time you should be able to replace your clownfish safely, but you'll want to make sure that whatever infected the first two has a chance to die off and clear out of your system.

Yes. I am probably going to wait a month or two before a new fish...

how did the parasite entet my new tank? I started it from scratch. Maybe the LFS fish has parasite? Thanks for the encouragement

[billygoat]

1 minute ago, Kangster911 said:

Yes. I am probably going to wait a month or two before a new fish...

how did the parasite entet my new tank? I started it from scratch. Maybe the LFS fish has parasite? Thanks for the encouragement

Most fish harbor at least a few parasites no matter where they come from, and stressful situations such as being moved from tank to tank can temporarily weaken the fish and allow these parasites to gain a foothold. There isn't really a lot you can do about this beyond offering them the best care and highest quality diet that you can provide, in the hopes that their natural defenses will be able to overcome the bugs on them.

 

Don't worry too much about it! While it's certainly sad to lose animals, remember that it's a learning process and that your experiences now will help you out quite a bit down the road. 😊

In a month or two your tank will hopefully be much more stable, so the next fish you add will have a better chance of doing well.

[Kangster911]

I just went in to a LFS for some RODI water and  saw a Hammer coral frag was on sale ($5) and I could not resist. The same LFS is having an anniversary sale in May and that is probably when I will add the clownfish.

Ordered a CUC from Reef Cleaners before the clownfish died. The package was supposed to be here on Saturday but it still has not arrived (it is Sunday night now). I hope it gets here on Monday and no DOA.

[Kangster911]

Just received my CUC from Reef Cleaners. It was supposed to deliver on Saturday but USPS screwed up and delivered two days later. Everything came in separate bags and looks like almost everybody made it except a bag of snails and one of the porcelain crabs. The bag of snail had a very funky smell (rotting fish) and porcelain crab was shattered into pieces. I bought four porcelain crabs and only one was shattered into pieces. This bag did not smell at all. Maybe the snails died first and the crab was shattered recently? 

I am probably going to get Chaeto and more stuff from Reef Cleaner so maybe he can ship the replacement with my new order to save on shipping?

I blame USPS not Reef Cleaners. The box was packed well. It arriving late is probably what killed the crab and the snails.

[billygoat]

35 minutes ago, Kangster911 said:

I blame USPS not Reef Cleaners. The box was packed well. It arriving late is probably what killed the crab and the snails.

I'd definitely say it's more than likely USPS' fault. 😄 John at RC is usually very understanding about mortalities and other various problems, so I'd send him a message about it if you haven't already. He'll likely make sure you get plenty of snails next time.

[Kangster911]

1 hour ago, billygoat said:

I'd definitely say it's more than likely USPS' fault. 😄 John at RC is usually very understanding about mortalities and other various problems, so I'd send him a message about it if you haven't already. He'll likely make sure you get plenty of snails next time.

Yes. I will probably order from him again and I plan to stay in this hobby for a very long time. I don't need the replacement right away. He can send with my next order which will probably be in a month or so. A Nano Reef member had a used Kessil H80 for sale and I just bought it. I will have to figure out a way to use it for my refugiun that I plan to have in the back chamber. I am probably going to get Chaeto and Pod mix from Reef Cleaner.

[Kangster911]

John just emailed me now saying he will refund and I replied back offering him to just ship with my next order. 

Will definately order again from him!

[Kangster911]

Just received my wavemaker, Jebao SOW 4 and my refugium light Kessil H80.

Jebao is more quiet than I had thought it would be. I could not really hear anything and had to look at the propeller spin to confirm it was running on the lowest setting. On the highest setting you can hear something but it does not really bother me.

I have to figure out a way to mount Kessil H80 so it is shining the back of my tank. The gooseneck that I came does not look like it is going to work. Once I figure out a way, I am thinking of getting Chaeto and Ulva Macroalgae.

[Kangster911]

Mounted Kessil H80 so it is shining my tank from behind. It wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be. I just used whatever I had laying around. Now, as soon as Reef Cleaner has Ulva algae back in stock, I am ordering that and some Chaeto.

I just checked and Reef Cleaner gave me credit for DOA. Thanks John!

[Kangster911]

Coral frags and crabs are doing well. ReefCleaner is great. So great I just ordered from John again. Can't wait for my macro algae so I can start my refugium. 

[Kangster911]

Just recieved my order from Reef Cleaners. I did not know which macro to get for my refugium so I got the macro frag pack. It was delivered in awsome condition. I might have damaged a few when I introduced it to my refugium but my goal was to get a variety and see which ones survive. 

Three out of two peppermint shrimps and the mini clams were DOA but John got back to me within minutes promising for a refund. Excellent customer service BTW. Thank you John. The mini clams were an experiement anyways.

Florida Ceriths and Money Coweries were attacked by a crew of hermit crabs as soon as they were on the tank. I used my hand and a turkey baster to shoo them away, but are persistent. I hope the snails win this battle.

I will see how the macros perform in the refugium. This order was more for the macros in the refugium. I just added more inverts to get free shipping. Looks like Chaeto and Ulva will be alright and that is what I wanted. 

[Kangster911]

Just realized I have been making a huge mistake. I thought the thermometer was reading 78 since the ambient is always around 78-80, but last night I realized it has always been 68...this might be one of the reasons the clownfish died. Amazon had used Neotherm on sale. I think I bought 100 watts and it will come on Wednesday. I will gradually bring the temperature up to 74.

There must be more evaporation with these types of tanks. My freshwater 72 gallon bowfront tank always had about the same temperature as ambient...

[billygoat]

A cheap digital thermometer can be a lifesaver as well. I grabbed a two-pack of them on Amazon for like ten dollars. They seem to work pretty well and they are battery-powered.

[Kangster911]

 

8 minutes ago, billygoat said:

A cheap digital thermometer can be a lifesaver as well. I grabbed a two-pack of them on Amazon for like ten dollars. They seem to work pretty well and they are battery-powered.

I had one of those for my 72 bowfront. They lasted for about 3 years and gave out. I am actually eyeing one of those heater/cooler controller with a thermometer built in, but my wife does not know this yet. It is only about $35, but I have been buying too many things lately. I don't want to buy too many things in a short time and upset my wife. I saw a reefer once that had to quit the hobby because his wife thought he was spending too much time on his fish tank lol.

[Kangster911]

FTS

Torch? Coral

[Kangster911]

Favia/Favite?  Coral

Zoa Coral

[Kangster911]

Chalice? Coral