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Coral Vue Hydros

First Timer IM 15 AIO Cube


crestier18

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Hello everyone!

 

I'm officially starting my first reef tank. I just got back from my honeymoon in the Caribbean and the reefs there were amazing! This will be on my desk for me to watch while I'm studying for my doctorate program.

 

For equipment, I have:

-IM 15 gallon AIO cube

-IM lid

-Stock pump and filter sock (considering changing to a media basket instead)

-Dry rock and access to live rock when I'm ready for it

 

I have ordered but need to receive:

-NooPsyche K7 Mini light

-RO system

-hygger 100w heater with temperature probe

-Instant Ocean salt

-Live sand

 

Equipment I am planning to get:

ATO with 5 gallon bucket reservoir

 

Possible thoughts for stocking:

-2 ocellaris clowns

-some number of sexy shrimp

-CUC

-yellow banded possum wrasse if the tank is big enough or the clowns don't work out

-various softie and LPS corals

 

Is there any other equipment that is recommended? I've read protein skimmers are hit or miss on small tanks like this.

 

This is my scape ATM. I'm actually pretty happy with it, but I feel it may be too short? I'm planning to glue it together and take it out to put sand underneath. Any other thoughts about it?

 

Thank you!

 

IMG_6172.jpg

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Make sure you put your rockwork in first and then put sand. If you put the rocks on top of the sand you run the risk of the sand shifting underneath resulting in a rock collapse. Otherwise I really like the rockwork, I think it’s going to look great with some nice corals on top and sides!

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The Rainy Day Aquarium

I’m a big fan of Noo-Psyche lights.
 

As for the skimmer, IMO they are only useful if you are running a high octane, high energy tank, aka lots of feeding/heavy in, heavy out kind of thing. If you are on top of your water changes and conscientious about how much you are feeding your fish and corals then it’s something you don’t need running on a nano.
 

It all sounds like you’re on the right track though, good luck!

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Welcome. Is this your first reef tank? I think you're going to be very happy with your tank choice. IM builds a quality product. The scape looks great you probably do not need more height so the corals on top have room to grow. 

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5 hours ago, Gsepanik said:

Make sure you put your rockwork in first and then put sand. If you put the rocks on top of the sand you run the risk of the sand shifting underneath resulting in a rock collapse. Otherwise I really like the rockwork, I think it’s going to look great with some nice corals on top and sides!


Thank you! It makes sense the sand could shift. I’m probably going to put a frag rack on the left hand side so I can stick more corals in there eventually lol.

 

4 hours ago, The Rainy Day Aquarium said:

I’m a big fan of Noo-Psyche lights.
 

As for the skimmer, IMO they are only useful if you are running a high octane, high energy tank, aka lots of feeding/heavy in, heavy out kind of thing. If you are on top of your water changes and conscientious about how much you are feeding your fish and corals then it’s something you don’t need running on a nano.
 

It all sounds like you’re on the right track though, good luck!

Lots of people were living that light so I decided to go for it. I think it’ll be a good choice. I was thinking I probably didn’t need a skimmer, especially at first. I can always add one later. Thanks!

 

1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

Welcome. Is this your first reef tank? I think you're going to be very happy with your tank choice. IM builds a quality product. The scape looks great you probably do not need more height so the corals on top have room to grow. 

 

Yes this is my first reef. I’ve had freshwater for many years. I’m very happy with it so far. I was going to do a 20 long but I really like not seeing all the equipment. Thanks for your thoughts!

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Minor update and some questions!

 

I got my scape glued together and it looks really nice. My RODI system and heater were delivered so I can fill the tank up and start the cycle!

 

Now to my questions.

 

1. I've seen many people say they don't like the filter sock and to use a media basket. While I'm cycling, is the filter sock okay to use? And is the IM caddy recommended or should I go with the inTANK one?

 

2. I'm still a little confused on what exactly to put in each compartment in the back of the tank. Does it matter which one my heater goes in? Does anyone with an IM tank have a good set up for a beginner? I'll have the heater, pump, filtration, and ATO back there.

 

Thanks everyone! I'll post some photos when I have it filled:)

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1 hour ago, crestier18 said:

1. I've seen many people say they don't like the filter sock and to use a media basket. While I'm cycling, is the filter sock okay to use? And is the IM caddy recommended or should I go with the inTANK one?

 

2. I'm still a little confused on what exactly to put in each compartment in the back of the tank. Does it matter which one my heater goes in? Does anyone with an IM tank have a good set up for a beginner? I'll have the heater, pump, filtration, and ATO back there.

I used the sock during cycle, it should be fine. The IM media basket came with the tank I have, and it is top quality IMO. After cycle I removed the sock and put the media basket in the first chamber. Either IM or In-tank would be fine. I have carbon on the bottom then filter floss (pillow stuffing in a media bag) with a piece of blue bonded filter pad on top. Making the pad easy to remove and rinse. I do this in between water changes. Second chamber has my heater, the return pump and ATO in the third chamber.

 

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On 1/3/2023 at 10:45 AM, debbeach13 said:

I used the sock during cycle, it should be fine. The IM media basket came with the tank I have, and it is top quality IMO. After cycle I removed the sock and put the media basket in the first chamber. Either IM or In-tank would be fine. I have carbon on the bottom then filter floss (pillow stuffing in a media bag) with a piece of blue bonded filter pad on top. Making the pad easy to remove and rinse. I do this in between water changes. Second chamber has my heater, the return pump and ATO in the third chamber.

 

Thanks so much! I put my heater in the last chamber with my pump like you suggested. My heater was quite large so it probably wouldn't have fit in any other compartment.

 

My RODI system came and I was able to start some water. I'll post a photo tonight or tomorrow morning of it filled. My local store didn't have the Fiji Pink sand I wanted so I ended up getting 10 pounds of Bahama Oolite. I think it's a very pretty color, but if it ends up blowing around too much I'll mix it with some Fiji Pink from amazon. I'm not using an extra wavemaker at the moment, just the return outlet, so I don't think it'll be too difficult.

 

My next big purchase should be the ATO. I'm still waiting on my NooPysche light to show up. I've seen the average shipping time is about 3 weeks so we'll see. It's been a week and a half or so, but it was a holiday.

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less than bread

I have a 20 gallon IM AIO. My set up goes media basket in chamber 1 with filter floss after the overflow, below that is usually empty unless I decide to run a bag of carbon for a bit. Chamber 2 is the heater. Chamber 3 return pump and ATO.

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I finally got my tank filled! I still need to do another maybe gallon or so, but it’s about 35° outside so I’m going to run the RODI tomorrow.

 

I’m hoping mixing salt will get more intuitive as I get used to it. I feel like I either make it way too salty or not salty enough. The salinity in the tank right now is 1.024, so I just need to go up the tiniest amount. Hopefully I don’t overshoot it lol.

 

I’m going to get a small live rock and a cocktail shrimp to toss in this weekend. Then it’s just hurry up and wait:)05C86258-E69A-4236-87AE-2FDFFD94AE82.thumb.jpeg.f591826da3e6c65d87d0a9f2425276f1.jpeg

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15 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Nice little tank. I am so glad they came out with a budget option.

 

I have intank media baskets and they fit my IM tanks very well. 

Me too! I was really limited with price range before I found this tank. I just wish more people had builds on it so I could get more inspiration haha.

 

The sand has settled and the tank has cleared for the most part. There's a cloudy film on the glass which I'm guessing is a bacterial bloom. I haven't put any ammonia sources in though so I could be wrong? I used dry rock and live sand. How should I be feeding the bacteria right now? A local guy told me to do the cocktail shrimp but I'm afraid it'll stink. Should I just do straight ammonia?

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8 hours ago, crestier18 said:

Me too! I was really limited with price range before I found this tank. I just wish more people had builds on it so I could get more inspiration haha.

 

The sand has settled and the tank has cleared for the most part. There's a cloudy film on the glass which I'm guessing is a bacterial bloom. I haven't put any ammonia sources in though so I could be wrong? I used dry rock and live sand. How should I be feeding the bacteria right now? A local guy told me to do the cocktail shrimp but I'm afraid it'll stink. Should I just do straight ammonia?


check threads for the IM10g. The two tanks are very close in size. 
 

The cloud may be from the sand. It has tiny particles that like to stick to stuff at first. 
 

You probably don’t have a ton of bacteria, the live sand is generally not very live if it is the bagged stuff. The bacteria will come one way or another but you can dose some biospira if you want to speed it up. 
 

The Bactria don’t really go away, they can live off the skin cells and dust dropping in from the air even. 
 

That being said if you plan to cycle the ammonia can get it going more then waiting on dust, ha! I have even used a pinch of fish food before and ya the shrimp method can be stinky.  
 

I just set up my 25g again and I used the biospira and some ammonia. I did get a pretty good bacterial bloom but the rock I used was also filthy because I dried out some live rock to store it 🙂 so that is likely why. 

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Finally received my ammonia and bottled bacteria. I ended up using Dr. Tim's. I used the exact amount the bottle suggested (80% of tank volume=12 gallons at 4 drops per gallon=48 drops) but my ammonia was very high. Not sure what happened with that. I tested my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates this morning. I don't have the color card so I am comparing it to one I downloaded to get approximate numbers. I'm attaching the photo below. Ammonia is sky high (higher than yesterday when I tested initially), but I have both nitrites and nitrates. According to my download, 4-8 ppm ammonia, 0.5-1 ppm nitrite, and maybe 10-20 ppm nitrate? I'm aware these ranges are not helpful. I'm going to borrow my MIL's color card while I'm cycling when I get a chance to visit.

 

Any ideas on why ammonia is so high? Hopefully I didn't screw this up already lol.

 

I received my ATO in the mail yesterday as well. I'm very concerned about an overflow so my husband is going to hook it up to an Alexa SmartPlug and have it run for 2 minutes twice a day instead of relying on the sensor. I think that will help keep the salinity and water level more stable and I can adjust it as I need it.

 

My light is in the US so hopefully I'll be getting that soon. Through a friend of my husband's I'll be able to get some corals to start out with for cheap/free. It seems like most things are coming together!

Water Chemistry Readings Day 1.jpg

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We're on Day 6 of cycling over here. I'm up to 40 ppm of nitrates and 5+ ppm of nitrites, but still 4-8 ppm of ammonia. Not really sure what that's about but the nitrites and nitrates are raising so I guess something is happening. According to Dr. Tim's instructions, I should have less than 0.5 ppm of ammonia and nitrites by tomorrow, but I am not expecting that since ammonia hasn't decreased at all the whole cycle.

 

Should I do a 30% water change just to help decrease the ammonia? Or get another bottle of bacteria? I'm worried I stalled my cycle and that's why ammonia isn't decreasing.

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1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

Check either the directions on the bottles or watch DR Tim's video. I am positive he clearly states what level nitrites should reach before doing the first water change. I am pretty sure but not 100% that it's 5+.

Thanks for your reply! The guide I was using didn't say what level but the other one linked on the website did and it did say if nitrites got above 5ppm. I went ahead and did a 5 gallon water change and retested my parameters and they're looking better! Both nitrites and ammonia are down to 2 ppm.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry I haven't updated in a bit, but things have progressed! My cycle completed and I was able to put in my first corals. I got a leather, two zoas and two mushrooms. I also added some CUC, about 12 small hermit crabs and three turbo snails. My light came and it's very nice so far. I've played around with it but ultimately used a schedule someone else uploaded. I also got my ATO but haven't installed it yet.

 

The tank is currently going through the brown dusty algae phase but the CUC and some glass cleaning is keeping it under control. I actually thing it looks pretty nice, lol. I also made a fish order with a local guy and decided to get 1 possum/tanaka's wrasse (whichever is easier for him to find), a high fin red banded goby, and a small group of sexy shrimp. Once those guys settle in, if everyone is happy and I have room, I'd like to add either a green clown goby or a Hector's goby. Overall, things are going very well!

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2 hours ago, Cyprinodont said:

Tank looks like a great start, can't wait to see pics an especially how the possum wrasse works out for you, very interested in those guys!

I have to wait for my yellow/orange filter to come in because all my photos are too blue! I think possum wrasses are super neat and I've read that if they're kept alone or with only very peaceful fish, they can be very active. Let's hope that's the case!

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Are these the dreaded dinos or some other type of algae? This is taken with the lights off and there are bubbles caught in the growth on the rock. This is all over the tank right now.

 

663835799_Algaeordinos.thumb.jpg.db209e93357220dfe2ac273929bfa30c.jpg

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