IM Nuvo SR 60 Build Log

thefrog · Dec 22, 2014

This thread will follow my my first marine aquarium build. Back in the '90s I had a number of fresh water aquariums such as Cichlids,Discus and Oscars; I even built a Koi pond at home. However I never had a marine tank. So fast forward 20 years and I'm all grown up and I've finally decided to dive in and build a reef setup. As it's going to be an expensive and steep learning curve I've decided to keep it reasonably simple. We also live in an apartment so size and space are of concern too.

So I've gone with the Innovative Marine SR60. I like having all the cabinet space in the bottom (because its an AOI) for the equipment I'll need and the rimless design is fresh. I was a bit concerned about the AIO factor and finding space for everything in the back but I'm sure it will be fine. All I've bought so far is:
- Nuvo Shallow Reef 60 (36x24x16)
- IM Ghost Skimmer (Full Size)
- Radion XR30W Pro G3

I'm not sure which ATO to go with yet and I suspect I'll need a chiller soon after it cycles. However the weather will be a little cooler by then so I may not need it until next spring (September). I'll only need to worry about a heater around June. The only other immediate consideration is which powerheads to go with. As I've got the Ecotech Radion already I'll probably go with a pair of VorTech MP10wES and a ReefLink to control the setup via EcoSmart Live.

Next up I need to get some water in it - still deciding whether to make my own or get fresh from the sea considering I live next to the Coral Sea.

mrcoffee2 · Dec 22, 2014

AWESOME I love it. I have the fusion 40 I wish I went with the SR-60.

As for a ATO I would go with the Tunze, I have the from IM which is nice but it is really expensive and you probably wont have problems with inverts getting into it since it will be on the back.

Don't forget a fuge, you can use one of the chambers in back for it. Personally id get a intank submersible light for it so you don't see it but a HOB LED would look equally as nice.

Go with the Mp10's I have two on my 40 and use them at about 65%

shawnriv · Dec 22, 2014

Awesome looking tank, I'm definitely following this build. I have an IM Nuco 38G with a Kessil 360W light and I promise you, LED is the way to go. I agree with mrcoffee2, MP10's is a great choice; I have one on my 38. In regards to an ATO, I am actually going to be receiving the Hydor Smart Level ATO for Christmas: Hydor Smart Level Controller Auto Top Off - Bulk Reef Supply

Have you thought of which fish, invertebrates and corals you plan on housing in this tank?

By the way, welcome to the hobby!

Scubafrog · Dec 22, 2014

Great looking tank. I really like the IM Nuvo SR- series but also being a newbie I went with a Biocube to keep cost down. Good luck with the build.

thefrog · Dec 23, 2014

Thanks for the feedback folks. I've looked at the Tunze, Hydor and Hydrofill. I see Tunze has a Nano ATO system too but it's a little small for the SR60. The full size Tunze seems quite bulky, not sure if it will fit in the back. The Hydor has a small footprint which I like a lot. Yesterday I took a look at the IM Hydrofill at my LFS and it looks ok but is expensive considering there are two parts to buy.

Regarding stocking of the tank I'm taking it pretty slow, just researching each bit as I go. As things are now I'm planning a minimalist look with some SPS and maybe a few softies. I'd like to have plenty of swimming space for fish as I'm not a fan of the very full reef look.

The water is going in this weekend so the cycling will begin.

erictorres0311 · Dec 23, 2014

Tagging along really clean

thefrog · Dec 27, 2014

Substrate and Water

Today I added substrate and water to kick off the cycle. I decided to use Red Sea Reef Pink substrate and went with 2x 10kg bags. I wasn't going to use all the sand and stopped with about 15kg in the tank, but I ended up using it all and have on average 25mm of sand depth. I think this is enough for a shallow tank like this as every inch of height counts I think.

I decided to use sea water for now, until the tank is established and I have a bit more experience. As the tank is rated as 60 gallons I bought 8x 25l containers of water. Much to my surprise I only used 5 3/4 containers, i.e. 144l. If I allow for generous overfilling of the containers to 30l then I end up at 173l. This is closer to 60 gallons but still quite a way off the 227l in 60 gallons. So I'm not sure where the discrepancy comes from as I've filled the tank as per the manual so my water levels are right. The substrate is pretty shallow so that isn't taking up too much space either.

On the topic of seawater I noticed some organic life in there already - what looks like a tiny dandelion seed floating in the water. I've been reading a lot lately and certainly have come across an image of one of these before. I'll see if I can find out what it is again. I'm wondering how much cycling will actually happen in this tank considering I've used live sea water. I also have Continuum bacter gen-M microbe culture to add to dose with in the coming weeks. I'll test the water tomorrow once its had time to settle and circulate overnight and then decide on the next steps - e.g. adding something organic to generate ammonia.

Some general feedback on the system is that it's loud. I swopped out one of the return pumps after I did the leak test as it had a bad vibration and was extremely noisy. The pumps are fine now but the overflows make a lot of noise and so does the skimmer. I partly put this down to everything being new and I recall reading somewhere that I can use some sponge blocks to reduce the overflow noise quite a bit.

So far so good, next steps are to test the water and make sure the cycle is happening; buy a few items to clean and maintain the tank; and work out some aquascape ideas before I buy the live rock. Any comments and advice welcome at this point.

thefrog · Dec 27, 2014

Update, the critter I noticed looks like a hydroid of some kind. Not sure where it is now, seems to have disappeared.

thefrog · Dec 27, 2014

Since last night I've really been worried about the noise level of the tank. It was a mix of the overflows, the baffles and the pumps. There's not currently a whole lot I can do about the pumps (I want to replace them) but I found a few interesting threads and ideas on how to quieten it all down. I bought a square of filter material and cut it to size and covered the filter sock of each side of the tank. This made a significant difference and eliminated the gurgling water noises. I also raised the water level in the central reservoir and this cut the pump noise down and also reduced the baffle noise. It's not perfect but this is a big improvement already.

Rob&Gab · Dec 28, 2014

Looks like a flat screen t.v

Cantwaittoo see it filled with coral.! Looks great man!p

thefrog · Dec 29, 2014

I bought 5.5kg of live rock today to get the cycle going. There are a few nice bits on the rocks - some zoa, some sponges and what looks like a hard coral and a mushroom coral. I'll take some pics once its all settled in.

thefrog · Dec 29, 2014

Temperature is on the high side - averaging 27.4*C, down to 27*C with some airflow through the room. So it looks like I'll need the chiller sooner than I thought.

thefrog · Dec 30, 2014

Today was quite busy. Last night one of the Nuvo pumps stopped working properly. It was the same one that the dealer replaced for me due to excessive noise. The replacement didn't have a full o-ring around the impeller, just two pieces. So I think it just started pushing water past the seal and got noisy too. So I disconnected it and went to look for options this morning. I decided not to waste my time getting replacements of the original pumps and having more of the same B/S. I bought two $40 Aqua One 103 pumps as a test and they're perfect, making no noise at all and running smoothly. I'm deeply disappointed with the junk supplied by Innovative Marine - for a pretty expensive display system these pumps are terrible.

On a better note I also picked up an ATO system and plumbed that in too. I decided on the Tunze Osmolator Nano given the size of the SR 60 and the space at the back. I've hooked it up to 25L container in the cabinet. All running well. I also brought my salinity down from 1.027 to 1.026. Everything seems pretty happy and there are some interesting bits amongst the rocks.

thefrog · Jan 3, 2015

So it had seemed like nothing much was happening in my system. The pH has been a steady 8.2 and all the other numbers tracking 0s. There are a couple of brittle stars, a mini star, some crabs, some snails, sea slugs and a sea cucumber. Yesterday I finally noticed some green algae on the glass and some brown patches on the sand (diatom bloom starting??). Today I added a piece of prawn to help speed things along too. This evening I noticed a heap of small creatures swarming near the bottom, I'm thinking these are copepods?

I'm glad to see things are moving along. I suspect I need more flow over the rocks already so I'll have to get one of the MP10wES I'm planning. The tank temps are still high but I'm not too worried about it yet. I think it should be fine until the cycle is complete.

thefrog · Jan 17, 2015

Three weeks in and there's still not a lot happening. I've been testing regularly and everything is zeros. I've got quite a bit of invert life in the tank at least and I've settled on my aqua scape for now. I added 2 Strombus and 2 Trochus snails to the tank today as it was getting a litte tedious.

I'm planning to put a fuge in the back, in one of the overflow compartments. I need to order an LED and media basket for this setup.

Here's a picture from earlier:

Kan123 · Jan 17, 2015

thefrog said:
Three weeks in and there's still not a lot happening. I've been testing regularly and everything is zeros. I've got quite a bit of invert life in the tank at least and I've settled on my aqua scape for now. I added 2 Strombus and 2 Trochus snails to the tank today as it was getting a litte tedious. I'm planning to put a fuge in the back, in one of the overflow compartments. I need to order an LED and media basket for this setup.

Here's a picture from earlier:

really looks stunning

keep it going

SeahorseKeeper · Jan 17, 2015

Looking good!!

thefrog · Jan 20, 2015

I ran a set of tests this evening and the numbers were:

pH - 8.2
NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 0
Ca - 380
KH - 7
Po4 - 0

I'm still trying to decide where my tank is in it's cycle. I still suspect a mini cycle happened and now it's just maturing. My CUC is doing well but I'm concerned about them having enough food. I'm thinking of feeding phantom fish to help things along and ensure there's enough to eat in the tank. What do you all think, should I bother?

thefrog · Jan 23, 2015

I added some peppermint shrimp earlier in the week to deal with some glass anemones. I also fired up the skimmer (IM Ghost Full Size) to get it run in. Unfortunately the skimmer is crazy loud, I can't run it at night and my wife says she can't even sit in my office during the day. I pulled it out and stripped it - it's the pump that makes the noise, even when running by itself in the tank. Yet another crappy Innovative Marine branded pump. I've cleaned up the skimmer and am returning it to my LFS tomorrow. I think I'll order a Tunze 9004 to replace the Ghost. What a waste of money!

On the plus side we may have some fish and corals tomorrow.. I've been leaning towards LPS now, but we'll see.

thefrog · Jan 26, 2015

The tank's been running for a month now. All the parameters are good and there is plenty of life in the tank. My CUC is happy and keeping things clean so I decided to take another step. I bought a 1/4 HP chiller on the weekend and hooked that up, then I added some livestock.