Banasophia's Fresh Start: The IM Nuvo 12 g Atoll

[banasophia]

Hello, everyone! Thanks for checking out my new build thread. As some of you may know, I'm a regular member of nano-reef, and I've always been passionate about keeping saltwater nano tanks. Our fellow reefer, @A.m.P, sold me his IM Nuvo 12 g Atoll a while back because he knew how much I loved the tank. Instead of using it for saltwater, I've decided to challenge myself by adapting it for freshwater use.

 

I'm excited to explore the unique challenges of adapting a saltwater tank for freshwater use, and to learn about the different types of fish and plants that thrive in freshwater. I'll be documenting my journey in setting up and maintaining this tank, sharing my successes, challenges, and everything in between.

 

While I've kept saltwater tanks for a while now, I know that adapting this tank for freshwater use will be a completely new experience. I'm up for the challenge, I'm excited to share my progress with all of you, and I’ll probably need lots of help since this is the first time I’ve kept a freshwater tank aside from my daughter’s glow fish tank I set up for her five years ago, that really got me interested in fish tanks in the first place.

 

So, let's dive into this new adventure together! Thanks for reading, and I can't wait to share my progress with you all.

 

[banasophia]

Okay, I ordered a light. But I have to admit, I feel kind of like that person that chooses a car based on the color or cup holders. I ended up going with a light that caught my eye because of its shape and taller height of the gooseneck, which I think will clear the top of my scape nicely. Plus, the lower price tag was definitely a factor, especially since the Kessil A80 Tuna Sun I had my heart set on is a bit out of the budget I’d set for this tank. 

I'm hoping the light will work out well, but I do have 30 days to return it if I'm not happy with it. Fingers crossed that it does the trick!

 

 

We’ll see how it fits. Anyone have experience with this light?

 

[banasophia]

Next decisions: substrate and pump.
 

Based on recommendations by my new bestie chatGPT (which doesn’t mind my nonstop questions), I’m looking at Seachem Flourite for the substrate and a 90 gph pump. What do you humans think? 🤗

 

 

 

[A.m.P]

I think seachem's stuff is usually a bit overpriced, and I'd probably go with a sicce nano pump since they're built like tanks. 
The Lomini I think have a decent reputation here, but I honestly can't quite remember lol.

[banasophia]

Thank you! I don’t mind the price on the Seachem, if it’s good… I like and trust the brand.
 

Let me check out the Sicce pump options… I was totally cheaping out on the pump figuring I could replace as needed, but I do also like and trust the Sicce brand.
 

 

[debbeach13]

I have one of those little amazon pumps. For the price can't beat it. 

[banasophia]

Hmmm…. the Sicce Syncra Nano is a lot more pricey and doesn’t have great reviews compared to the other one I was considering… thinking maybe for a low flow pump for freshwater it may not be the best option, even though I always use Sicces in my saltwater tanks. I think I might try the cheap one first and just be ready to replace if it’s totally crummy. 

 

[banasophia]

15 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I have one of those little amazon pumps. For the price can't beat it. 

Okay, good to know, thanks. I do really love Sicce, but I think with this tank since I don’t need a powerful one, it might be a good option to try out.

 

[growsomething]

Make sure to throw a few pics on the fw tand thread here on NR.

[debbeach13]

I used it in my JBJ picotope. They are packed together, with ac50 mini, heater and custom acrylic top. Everything but a light until next time.

What forum is the freshwater thread in? 

[NatureGuy]

10 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I used it in my JBJ picotope. They are packed together, with ac50 mini, heater and custom acrylic top. Everything but a light until next time.

What forum is the freshwater thread in? 

Off topic lounge 

 

[banasophia]

On 3/31/2023 at 9:55 AM, growsomething said:

Make sure to throw a few pics on the fw tand thread here on NR.

 

23 hours ago, NatureGuy said:

Off topic lounge 

 

Great idea… I’ll plan to do that once I have it up and running. 
 

 

What else do I need to get this tank up and running? I think I have an extra heater and thermometer lying around. I was thinking I would possibly want floss, the type of chemipure for planted freshwater tanks, and matrix media…??? @A.m.P, how did you do your media in this tank? It doesn’t look like there’s a rack?

 

[Lebowski_]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:09 AM, banasophia said:

Okay, I ordered a light. But I have to admit, I feel kind of like that person that chooses a car based on the color or cup holders. I ended up going with a light that caught my eye because of its shape and taller height of the gooseneck, which I think will clear the top of my scape nicely. Plus, the lower price tag was definitely a factor, especially since the Kessil A80 Tuna Sun I had my heart set on is a bit out of the budget I’d set for this tank. 

I'm hoping the light will work out well, but I do have 30 days to return it if I'm not happy with it. Fingers crossed that it does the trick!

 

We’ll see how it fits. Anyone have experience with this light?

 

 

I've seen this light used and recommended many times on The Planted Tank forum, you made a good choice. It usually just referred to by the series name "Asta". I think a lot of people use it for low to mid light tanks, sometimes using the Walstad method.

 

Flourite was all the rage 15 years ago, and is still a top seller. I think a lot of the more hardcore hobbyists go for ADA stuff now, but both will grow plants well. The flourite will be "dusty" and can be a big sharper so just keep that in mind - I generally tried to not stir up my gravel bed when I used it. The Seachem rep told us not to rinse it and to just use a fine filter sock after first adding water but I am not sure if that advice is still used.

 

One product I swore by in my last planted tank was Thrive (there is a normal version and ThriveS for shrimps). I had some incredible growth using it.

 

Honestly I think you have set yourself up for success, looking forward to watching your progress!

[NatureGuy]

6 minutes ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

I've seen this light used and recommended many times on The Planted Tank forum, you made a good choice. It usually just referred to by the series name "Asta". I think a lot of people use it for low to mid light tanks, sometimes using the Walstad method.

 

Flourite was all the rage 15 years ago, and is still a top seller. I think a lot of the more hardcore hobbyists go for ADA stuff now, but both will grow plants well. The flourite will be "dusty" and can be a big sharper so just keep that in mind - I generally tried to not stir up my gravel bed when I used it. The Seachem rep told us not to rinse it and to just use a fine filter sock after first adding water but I am not sure if that advice is still used.

I use ADA aqua soil powder in my tank, it works well. I’ve never used anything else though, so I don’t know how good it is in comparison.

 

It does leech a ton of ammonia when it’s new. 

[banasophia]

3 minutes ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

I've seen this light used and recommended many times on The Planted Tank forum, you made a good choice. It usually just referred to by the series name "Asta". I think a lot of people use it for low to mid light tanks, sometimes using the Walstad method.

Okay great! 😅 I’m not familiar with the Walstad method yet… I have A LOT to learn!!

 

Just checked out this article, looks interesting:

https://aquariumbreeder.com/walstad-method/

[banasophia]

11 minutes ago, NatureGuy said:

I use ADA aqua soil powder in my tank, it works well. I’ve never used anything else though, so I don’t know how good it is in comparison.

 

It does leech a ton of ammonia when it’s new. 

So that would be a substrate to use instead of that seachem fluorite I ordered? I’m sure I can return the fluorite if it’s not the right thing. 
 

My LFS/Reptile store had a really gorgeous planted tank with tiny floating plants I really like that I will check out when I go to get some crickets for our lizards today. I’ll see if I can get a pic to show you guys cuz I think I want to go for a similar look. 

[NatureGuy]

8 minutes ago, banasophia said:

So that would be a substrate to use instead of that seachem fluorite I ordered? I’m sure I can return the fluorite if it’s not the right thing. 
 

My LFS/Reptile store had a really gorgeous planted tank with tiny floating plants I really like that I will check out when I go to get some crickets for our lizards today. I’ll see if I can get a pic to show you guys cuz I think I want to go for a similar look. 

I didn’t realize you’d already ordered. Fluorite’s probably fine, I doubt there’s a significant difference tbh 

[Lebowski_]

2 minutes ago, NatureGuy said:

I didn’t realize you’d already ordered. Fluorite’s probably fine, I doubt there’s a significant difference tbh 

I agree with NatureGuy here. Maybe if you are planning to go C02 and wanted to try glosso or one of the difficult rooted plants I might suggest it. Since you haven't recieved it yet, you could always take a peak around and see if you like the visual aesthetic more. Aqua Soil can also lower your pH and alk apparently.

 

Performance wise, I doubt you see a different in a mid-low tech tank.

[Lebowski_]

@banasophia here are some pictures from a 60g low tech planted tank I had back in 2018. It had a mix of Flourite and regular river rock gravel. You can see the val took over - all of that growth is from 4 stems! The lotus also had some absurd growth and roots.

 

I like the black flourite more than the red, but both are nice.

 

I had to include my blue angelfish because they were my pride and joy. Mated pair 🙂

 

 

[banasophia]

26 minutes ago, NatureGuy said:

I didn’t realize you’d already ordered. Fluorite’s probably fine, I doubt there’s a significant difference tbh 

 

19 minutes ago, Lebowski_ said:

I agree with NatureGuy here. Maybe if you are planning to go C02 and wanted to try glosso or one of the difficult rooted plants I might suggest it. Since you haven't recieved it yet, you could always take a peak around and see if you like the visual aesthetic more. Aqua Soil can also lower your pH and alk apparently.

 

Performance wise, I doubt you see a different in a mid-low tech tank.

Okay, thanks. I’ll plan to post pics of my LFS tank I like later today… I think the first step is figuring out if it that style will be an easy or difficult type of tank to set up and maintain. I’m hoping to keep this new tank pretty simple and low maintenance since I have my two saltwater nanos running already.
 

I liked what I saw in the Walstad article about having a midday siesta with the lighting to help with CO2 levels. Also thinking this could potentially be a good fit if I decide to stock honeycomb catfish, which @A.m.P had mentioned, since they come out more when the lights are out… 

 

 

I really like black and white patterned fish. When I was first deciding what kind of tank I wanted five years ago, I really wanted a zebra pleco tank, but decided they were too expensive and I ended up getting into saltwater instead… haha little did I know the even greater expense I would be getting into when I made that decision! 😬😂🤣

[banasophia]

1 minute ago, Lebowski_ said:

@banasophia here are some pictures from a 60g low tech planted tank I had back in 2018. It had a mix of Flourite and regular river rock gravel. You can see the val took over - all of that growth is from 4 stems! The lotus also had some absurd growth and roots.

 

I like the black flourite more than the red, but both are nice.

 

I had to include my blue angelfish because they were my pride and joy. Mated pair 🙂

 

 

Oh wow, that is gorgeous! And I love angelfish!! I was assuming they would not be an option in a 12g tank, but they sure are beautiful fish. 

[Lebowski_]

15 minutes ago, banasophia said:

 

Okay, thanks. I’ll plan to post pics of my LFS tank I like later today… I think the first step is figuring out if it that style will be an easy or difficult type of tank to set up and maintain. I’m hoping to keep this new tank pretty simple and low maintenance since I have my two saltwater nanos running already.
 

I liked what I saw in the Walstad article about having a midday siesta with the lighting to help with CO2 levels. Also thinking this could potentially be a good fit if I decide to stock honeycomb catfish, which @A.m.P had mentioned, since they come out more when the lights are out… 

 

 

I really like black and white patterned fish. When I was first deciding what kind of tank I wanted five years ago, I really wanted a zebra pleco tank, but decided they were too expensive and I ended up getting into saltwater instead… haha little did I know the even greater expense I would be getting into when I made that decision! 😬😂🤣

 

I've never seen those - beautiful! Panda cories might interest you as well. (edit forget the cory idea, I don't know if they will love the flourite substrate).

 

Also...Mollies are the best algae control fish out there. People always go for Otos and snails but Mollies will take care of even the worst hair algae outbreaks. Dalmatian molilies would fit your colour scheme, maybe 2 females?

 

 

[Lebowski_]

2 minutes ago, banasophia said:

Oh wow, that is gorgeous! And I love angelfish!! I was assuming they would not be an option in a 12g tank, but they sure are beautiful fish. 

You can save the Angel idea for when planted tank mania hits and you buy that next 75g 😄

[banasophia]

23 minutes ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

I've never seen those - beautiful! Panda cories might interest you as well. (edit forget the cory idea, I don't know if they will love the flourite substrate).

 

Also...Mollies are the best algae control fish out there. People always go for Otos and snails but Mollies will take care of even the worst hair algae outbreaks. Dalmatian molilies would fit your colour scheme, maybe 2 females?

 

 

Yes, I LOVE corydoras!! Pandas and salt and peppers are super cute! There were some black and white fish that may have been loaches that I was scoping out at my LFS too. And my daughter is really lobbying for guppies so she can name them after the bubble guppies haha. 
 

In addition, I think it would be nice to have some shrimp and some African dwarf frogs if they are compatible with my other choices. 

[banasophia]

I was just looking through pics in my phone from last weekend… look at how cute this little salt and pepper cory is, I think it’s the one swimming upward in the photo, right in a beam of light.

 

And this was how I decided to go ahead with my tank setup… I saw the bin with ghost wood and couldn’t pass up that piece that was practically front and center, as if it was waiting for me to catch a glimpse of it: