Shallow Mixed Reef (Maybe. At Least That's the Plan) - IM 25 AIO

[ArabTanker]

Current Full Tank Shot (12/12/2022)

 

 

[ArabTanker]

As of 01/03/23

 

Tank: Innovative Marine Fusion Nuvo Pro 2 - 25 AIO Lagoon

 

Stand: White Aluminum APS Stand

 

Rock and Sand: 

Rock: Approx. 17lbs of Marcos Reef Saver dry rock - broken up and glued together

Sand: 20lbs of Bimini Pink

 

Lighting: EcoTech Marine Radion XP15 Pro Gen 6

 

Flow: 

Return Pump: Stock MightyJet 15W 326 GPH DC Return Pump w/ Controller

Wavemaker: EcoTech MP10QD

 

Temperature Control:

Controller: Inkbird ITC-308S

Heater: Ehime Jager

 

Auto Top Off: Kamoer New ATO One 2 SE

 

Filtration:

• Stock IM Filter Sock
• Stock IM Media Basket with provided cotton balls
• NuvoSkim AIO Protein Skimmer Desktop (not in use currently)

 

Water:

RODI: BRS 4 Stage 75 GPD

Salt: Tropic Marin Pro Reef

[ArabTanker]

Man. It's been a few years since I had a reef tank up and running. Happy to be back!

 

My last tank was taken down right before I moved into my current house and never set one back up. Decided to start one up because I miss the hobby and wanted to try it out again. This time around I know what kind of tank keeper I am (in regards to the regular maintenance I will do) and what I like. That being said, I was inspired by @shaner014's 20 gallon nano cube (TOTM 10/20) and the BRS/WWC hybrid method that he mentions in his spotlight post. I like the idea of a simple and stable tank that is relatively speaking, low maintenance. I also have more patience now than I did 10 years ago - not because I've matured very much, but because I'm way more busy than I once was haha.

 

For the reasons above, I decided on the Innovative Marine 25 gallon lagoon NUVO Fusion Pro 2 AIO with the matching APS aluminum stand. I was between the IM or a comparable WaterBox, but ultimately the APS stand pushed me towards the IM.

 

I'll be putting this build together pretty slowly. That's the plan at least. I want this tank to be super stable and want to enjoy the process of it maturing.

 

So far I've completed the aquascape, but still trying to decide between live sand and bare bottom. I love the aesthetics of a sanded tank along with the creatures that live in them, but I know I probably won't regularly clean it as much as I should. So I'm still stuck between the two. For now I'll start cycling the tank as a bare bottom and add sand later if desired.

 

Let me know what you think about the scape. A single MP10 will be placed on the left side, so the idea is to have SPS and high flow/high light corals on the left side, and lower flow/lower light LPS on the right. I also left one rock isolated in the middle/front reserved for a zoa garden. I tried to emphasize the depth of the lagoon to the best of my ability. The dry rock used was Marco's Reef Saver smashed up into smaller pieces and re glued together to the desired shapes.

 

 

Side note: what's the trick to taking pictures with a phone without them being blown out. Does everyone use an orange UV filter or something?

 

[Gsepanik]

The scape looks great man! I just got back into the hobby a couple months ago and went with the IM 25 lagoon as well. I just love the dimensions on them. Will be following along!

[PJPS]

Great scape!

[ArabTanker]

On 12/13/2022 at 1:59 AM, Gsepanik said:

The scape looks great man! I just got back into the hobby a couple months ago and went with the IM 25 lagoon as well. I just love the dimensions on them. Will be following along!

Thank you and very nice! Welcome back. I really like the dimensions as well. Lagoon is definitely fitting for it. Hopefully they'll look great once filled up. 

 

9 hours ago, PJPS said:

Great scape!

Thank you! Was a bit worried before starting but once I started it just kind of worked itself out 🤷🏽‍♂️

[ArabTanker]

Starting to fill the tank with RODI water.

 

I'd like to hear some opinions on bare bottom VS sand. If you have any experiences that swayed you in a particular direction, please do share! 

[PJPS]

I personally prefer sand.  I always keep a pistol shrimp & goby, and the first year is smoother.  If I wanted bare bottom, I’d start with Ocean Direct sand, then pull 25% per month after 14 months.  My thinking is also that If you’re going bare bottom, you need a refugium to house your pod population long term.

 

Curious how others see it…

[ArabTanker]

On 12/15/2022 at 12:22 AM, PJPS said:

I personally prefer sand.  I always keep a pistol shrimp & goby, and the first year is smoother.  If I wanted bare bottom, I’d start with Ocean Direct sand, then pull 25% per month after 14 months.  My thinking is also that If you’re going bare bottom, you need a refugium to house your pod population long term.

 

Curious how others see it…

I also prefer sand. 

 

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Sand added! Went with 20lbs of Bimini Pink. Excuse the lack of cord management. 

 

 

 

 

Have the MP10 set to 90% Reef Crest and it's not stirring up the sand. So I'm happy with the sand bed. 

 

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The plan was to cycle the tank using the "raw shrimp method", but I decided to try ammonium chloride and Dr. Tim's One and Only. Both added yesterday. 

 

 

 

 

I followed Dr. Tim's advice in this video. Generally he suggests cycling the tank at a higher temp and lower salinity. A few slides for future reference below:

 

 

 

 

 

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Anyone with a desktop mightyjet return pump have issues with a rattling noise? I took the impeller housing off the front of the pump and found the ceramic (I assume it's ceramic) bearing loose. So I pushed it back into the plastic sleeve inside the housing where the impeller rod sits. That solved the issue yesterday but now it sounds like it worked it's way back out. Kind of frustrating how loud it is especially because the tank is in my living room. 

 

[PJPS]

2 hours ago, ArabTanker said:

I also prefer sand. 

 

------

 

 

Sand added! Went with 20lbs of Bimini Pink. Excuse the lack of cord management. 

 

 

 

 

Have the MP10 set to 90% Reef Crest and it's not stirring up the sand. So I'm happy with the sand bed. 

 

-----

 

The plan was to cycle the tank using the "raw shrimp method", but I decided to try ammonium chloride and Dr. Tim's One and Only. Both added yesterday. 

 

 

 

 

I followed Dr. Tim's advice in this video. Generally he suggests cycling the tank at a higher temp and lower salinity. A few slides for future reference below:

 

 

 

 

 

-----

 

Anyone with a desktop mightyjet return pump have issues with a rattling noise? I took the impeller housing off the front of the pump and found the ceramic (I assume it's ceramic) bearing loose. So I pushed it back into the plastic sleeve inside the housing where the impeller rod sits. That solved the issue yesterday but now it sounds like it worked it's way back out. Kind of frustrating how loud it is especially because the tank is in my living room. 

Mine just settled in after 1.5 weeks.  It just stopped one day.

[ArabTanker]

7 hours ago, PJPS said:

Mine just settled in after 1.5 weeks.  It just stopped one day.

Good to know! Did you have to pop that ceramic barring back into place?

[PJPS]

8 hours ago, ArabTanker said:

Good to know! Did you have to pop that ceramic barring back into place?

I just put it in the tank and let it rattle for a week. It seem to sort itself out.  I’ve had the same issue with other pumps so I figured I’d give it a couple weeks. I was very much on the cusp of contacting them though.

 

It’s been over a year and it’s still fine