20 GAL IM Nuvo fusion 20 update

[Reefer1485]

Hey everyone one!

So since setting up my tank “thanks to you all for help” cycled and putting in two clowns, cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, goby which jumped out and died and a few coral. Well here lately I have had a little bit of cloudy water not to cloudy but just enough. I did a 4 gal water change today checked water and all is good. New coral come in the mail today and they are looking happy just as the rest of the tank friends are. I believe I am dealing with a little Bactria bloom which from reading thread after thread should work it’s self out. I hope. I am gonna test my water again in the morning and post. I will also post a picture of my tank as well. Either way this has so far been a fun process. I will not be adding anything else in the tank until mid January when the fish I ordered are done QT and shipped to me. I have another pistol coming along with two more yellow gobies and a fire fish. I also ordered my CUC in that same shipment. I am too afraid to go to petco and get my CUC because I don’t have a QT setup. I received my new protein skimmer today as the other one just wasn’t working for me. I went with the IM skimmer since my tank is IM lol. So far this thing seems to be working good. No brown stuff yet in the cup yet but it’s looks to be skimming nicely just need to dial it in. My sand bed is nice and clean and has been the whole time but have a little bit of brown algae growing on the rock and a couple of coral. I blow it off with my feeder Baster and it comes right off but comes back. Will let it ride for now.

 

[blaxsun]

When you have a chance, visit IM's website and jot down their toll-free number. Keep it somewhere handy as you'll be needing it for a replacement skimmer pump sometime in the next 4-6 months.

Out of curiosity, what was the protein skimmer you ditched in favor of the IM? (I'm looking for something to eventually replace my NuvoSkims, so I'm actively paring down my list of potential replacements).

 

[Reefer1485]

When you have a chance, visit IM's website and jot down their toll-free number. Keep it somewhere handy as you'll be needing it for a replacement skimmer pump sometime in the next 4-6 months.

Out of curiosity, what was the protein skimmer you ditched in favor of the IM? (I'm looking for something to eventually replace my NuvoSkims, so I'm actively paring down my list of potential replacements).

My other one is the ice cap nano. I just couldn’t get it to work for me. I had to hit glue the airline attachment to the base of the pump as it would come out freely. Had to zip tie the air tubing to the little White inlet due it coming off really easy. Had to put hot glue in some of the whole in the breather as it was getting way to much are. Just too much work something that cost 100. Just crap to me.

o and the pump that is on it is the same one that is in the IM haha.

 

[blaxsun]

I'm looking at the Eshopps Nano, because I can't jury rig the Tunze 9001 to fit in the pump chamber (I'd need 2 replacement pump, and I'd still have space/access issues with my Radion tank mount). There's the Fluval mini skimmer, but it's also only rated for 20 gallons (and I have a high bio load).

Personally I'd like to get rid of both my skimmer and reactor. Maybe an InTank fuge basket for Chaeto is in my future...

 

[Reefer1485]

I'm looking at the Eshopps Nano, because I can't jury rig the Tunze 9001 to fit in the pump chamber (I'd need 2 replacement pump, and I'd still have space/access issues with my Radion tank mount). There's the Fluval mini skimmer, but it's also only rated for 20 gallons (and I have a high bio load).

Personally I'd like to get rid of both my skimmer and reactor. Maybe an InTank fuge basket for Chaeto is in my future...

Take a look at this:

inTank Fuge Basket for for Innovative Marine Fusion/Pro Nano 10 | Fusion 15 | Fusion 20 | Lagoon 25 | Fusion Peninsula 14 & 20

Fuge Basket for the Innovative Marine Fusion Nuvo

intankaquatics.com

I will be upgrading all my baskets to these. Also are you running chem blue in yours and if so what chamber did you stick it in? I feel that the bag is lot in the smallest tub you can get.

 

[blaxsun]

Take a look at this:

inTank Fuge Basket for for Innovative Marine Fusion/Pro Nano 10 | Fusion 15 | Fusion 20 | Lagoon 25 | Fusion Peninsula 14 & 20

Fuge Basket for the Innovative Marine Fusion Nuvo

intankaquatics.com

I will be upgrading all my baskets to these. Also are you running chem blue in yours and if so what chamber did you stick it in? I feel that the bag is lot in the smallest tub you can get.

That's the refugium basket I'm thinking of getting, yes. I have 4 InTank Caddies arriving any day now, and I'm going to try running one with Chemi-Pure Blue and the other with Chemi-Pure Elite along with some of the CerMedia biocubes.

Right now I've got a IM filter sock and IM caddy with just Chemi-Pure Blue in each tank (I had to remove the middle partition, so the 5.5oz bag takes up the bottom 2/3s of the caddy). I have an IM NuvoSkim and the MiniMax reactor, but I'm leas than thrilled with either (both in terms of performance but also noise and maintenance).

I think the InTank Fuge basket+Chaeto is probably the way to go long-term.

 

[Reefer1485]

That's the refugium basket I'm thinking of getting, yes. I have 4 InTank Caddies arriving any day now, and I'm going to try running one with Chemi-Pure Blue and the other with Chemi-Pure Elite along with some of the CerMedia biocubes.

Nice!! So what I have is:
Filter sock on one side with the skimmer next to it.
Other side I have the standard caddy with floss, original phos pack that same with the caddy and bio balls in the bottom chamber. Right next to that I have a bio cube small from petco, bio brick from Amazon “pack of six” and On top of that is chem pure blue

with all that I still have a little bit of cloudy water haha. In the morning I will take new readings and pictures. I did get a little spike in nitrites but no ammonia. Here is my water readings prior to putting in the new coral and after the water change:

temp: 78
PH 7.8
Salinity 1.024 “ trying to raise it to 1.025-26
ALK 7.8 dkh “ dropped from 9 after 4 gal water change”
Cal 460
Mag 1440
Nitrates 10
Nitrates .2 not sure how after water
Ammonia 0
Phos not sure yet just got my test kit in. Too tired to test right now will in the morning

so I am not sure why the water has been cloudy like hazy just not super clear.

 

[Reefer1485]

Okay checked my water again this evening and here is my readings on my tank:

Temp: 79
PH: 7.89 " Read from Hanna Pen checker"
Salinity: 1.023 " dropped one point"
ALK: 7.6 DKH " dropped one point"
CAL: 440 " dropped 20 points"
MAG 1400 "Dropped 40 points"
Nitrates 10
Phos: .03
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .2?


The readings are compared to my 16th DEC readings after I did a 4 gal water change and added 6 new coral frags. My water has been a hazy even before I added the frags. I believe it was that way after I started adding items. I did a fishless cycle " separate thread on that one" and waited almost two months before adding anything. Water at that point was nice a clear. I have a little bit a brown algae that I am trying to find out what it is and continue to keep it under control. My lights I run at 49% blue and 10% white on the Red Sea Reefer 50. I think the little bit of cloudy water is from a bacteria bloom

Here is my youtube video I just took for your guys review to help me troubleshoot and get some feedback on how I am doing. Also I will post pictures. I had to turn up the whites to get the video and pictures to come through.

 

[Reefer1485]

Here are the pictures of my coral and the YouTube video. Forgot to add the link.

 

[Reefer1485]

Okay so took so better pictures of the brown algae that I am dealing with. I am gonna do another water change tomorrow which would be two with 3 days of each other. Will test water again tomorrow prior to the water change and then after. Also my skimmer went out after only having it in one night! Think it’s the power cord. They are sending me a new plug and along with a new pump just in case.

 

[Reefer1485]

Update!! Well I went on vacation for two weeks. I was so nervous leaving a still fresh 4 month old tank. Before I left I did a good size water change, took out my carbon and put in a new filter floss and filter sock. I set up my auto feeder to feed once a day pellet food. Prior to me leaving, I was dealing with brown algae hair /stringing. Well I get back today after two weeks and wow does the tank look so clear. All my coral have grown like crazy. Put it this way. I have a zoa that had like 5 heads on it now it’s close to ten! My torch looks like it’s about to split into two heads, my hammer is fat!! Haha. My clowns are just crazy good looking and my pistol has created massive mounds around part of my rock work haha. I am about to do a water test to see what all my levels are and will use that as my go to point since no water change in two weeks, nothing filtering out Phosphates or nitrates. Need to see what my CAL, MAG, point of sale etc is. Either way I will be doing a little water change tomorrow! Stand by for my water test updates

 

[Reefer1485]

Okay Folks, here is my water test after being on vacation for two weeks:

Temp: 78.9
Salinity 1.024 No Change
PH: 7.95 No Change
ALK: 6.2! Dropped from 8.1
CAL: 450 No Change
MAG: 1200 Dropped 200
Nitrate: 10 or 15
Phos: .15
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0

I am not sure why my ALK dropped so much and nothing else really changed much. I added 2 mil of RedReef ALK dose to slowly bring it back up. Gonna do a 15% water change in the morning and check again the ALK. Will continue to Dose ALK until I am back up to 8.1. Its crazy how everything is looking great! Well almost everything. I took another look at my Torch and it looks a little stressed and I believe it may be due to the low ALK. I hammer looks nice with rich color. O and after counting again on one of my Zoas. It has 12 heads now. so in two weeks it went from 5 to 12 and all my other Zoas have grown at least one or two. Based on all this, would you recommend changing any other numbers or just raise my ALK and stick with all the other numbers? I may bring the mag back up since it dropped 200.

Please let me know.

Thanks and Happy New years for Reefing 2021!!!