aggiejames IM 40 Build Thread

[James Jordan]

Howdy!

After a few months of planning and shopping for deals I am ready to assemble my first tank. I ordered the final touches from BRS yesterday and it should arrive Monday. I think by Tuesday everything will finally be up and running. My original budget was $700 and I stayed pretty close to that with the exception of a controller. It wasn't on my original shopping list but I added it for a convenience factor.

Equipment:
Innovative Marine 40 Gallon AIO (pics to come)
Custom Stand (pics to come)
Kessil 360W Light
2 MJ1200 Cobalt Aquatics Return Pumps
2 Hydor Rotating Head
40 pounds Pukani Rock
30 pounds Tropic Eden Reefflakes
1 inTank 3 Tier Media Basket
1 inTank Fuge Basket
2 IM Filter Socks
1 Submersible Fuge Light
1 Apex Controller

Livestock:
I have no idea at this point. Some ideas:
Flame Angelfish
2 clowns (black and white or Wyoming White)
Lawnmower Blenny
Royal Gramma

Corals:
Zoas - Rastas, Fruit Loops, too many to mention!
Mardi Gras Acan from @AcanLord.com since I feel invested in it!

Stay tuned for photos and pictures as it all develops!

 

[James Jordan]

Apex Plan:
Power Bar Slot 1: FUTURE USE
Power Bar Slot 2: FUTURE USE
Power Bar Slot 3: Cabinet Light (tied to magnetic switch)
Power Bar Slot 4: Submersible Fuge Light
Power Bar Slot 5: ATO Pump (tied to float switch)
Power Bar Slot 6: Heater
Power Bar Slot 7: Cobalt Aquatics MJ1200 Pump 1
Power Bar Slot 8: Cobalt Aquatics MJ1200 Pump 2

Future Expansions: Slot 1, Slot 2, combine Slots 7/8, Slot 7

DIY Break Out Box Plan:
Switch 1: Float Switch for ATO control
Switch 2: Cabinet Lights Magnetic Switch
Switch 3: Leak Detector Switch
Switch 4: NEED IDEAS
Switch 5: Feed Button (30 minutes)
Switch 6: Clean Button (60 minutes)

Apex Kessil Program:
Please provide guidance if you have a IM 40 and Kessil 360W. I have no idea what to set this at.

 

[James Jordan]

Does anyone know if there is a site out there with a basic Apex script repository?

 

[AcanLord.com]

Going to be an awesome tank James! Can't wait to see it!

 

[ATMABQ505]

Sounds like a solid plan looking forward to seeing it.

Their forums have a good section seperated into different needs. https://forum.neptunesystems.com

I saw something at one point with an all in one list but I cannot seem to it. I will see if i can find it later tonight.

 

[bdare]

I'd love to see some pictures of this. I'm thinking of setting up the same tank / light.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Awesome! Following this build!

 

[coreysreef123]

My setup is pretty similar to yours except I'm not running an Apex or any controller at all actually. Plan to in the future though. Following along! If you have any questions about the IM Nuvo 40 don't hesitate to ask. [emoji1303]

 

[James Jordan]

Started a imgur account for the tank. All photos can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/Mhlix

 

[James Jordan]

She's up and running. I poured in a bottle of BioSpira and ghost fed. Away we go....

 

[Reef man 89]

Likening the set up dude I also am running the IM40 decently a beautiful looking tank

 

[James Jordan]

PH 8.1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20 ppm

Cycle seems to be going OK. Really glad I used the Bio Spira.

If things are down closer to 0 on Monday it might be time to add a livestock purchase.

 

[LetItReef]

How do u like the gooseneck? I had those and changed it with the mounting arm.

 

[James Jordan]

I guess I'm sort of neutral. It was cheap and it works to keep the light out of the water.

 

[coreysreef123]

Gooseneck with the 90 degree adapter works pretty well!

 

[James Jordan]

PH 8.1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10 ppm

Apparently the cycle is working!!! Nothing has caught on fire, the floor is dry. It looks like this might end up better than my wife expected!

 

[James Jordan]

Well everything continues to point toward the cycle going well.

Added the Tunze ATO and got it working. I tested it extensively and will add an auto off float switch later.

I got the Apex unit in today and played around with it. It's pretty amazing but I'm adding a level of difficulty I wasn't ready for. The probe reads that my ph is 7.75. The Hanna checker says 7.0. The junky API kit says 8.1. I don't know what to trust anymore!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Well everything continues to point toward the cycle going well.

Added the Tunze ATO and got it working. I tested it extensively and will add an auto off float switch later.

I got the Apex unit in today and played around with it. It's pretty amazing but I'm adding a level of difficulty I wasn't ready for. The probe reads that my ph is 7.75. The Hanna checker says 7.0. The junky API kit says 8.1. I don't know what to trust anymore!

Did you calibrate the probe? If so, I'd trust it over the API or Hanna...but smarter people than I may weigh in to verify or refute that.

 

[James Jordan]

I did indeed @mdbannister

The Hanna checker was brand new out of the box. The cond probe was also brand new and calibrated.

The API is old and past expiration. It's easy to rule out. I'm tending toward trusting the APEX but that means the Hanna is WAY off.

 

[James Jordan]

This morning I also woke up to an alarm that my temp was high. Apparently the heater I got in a lot of stuff was bad. Temp hit 84.4. Anyone know how that will effect the cycle?

I'm glad that happened now rather than after I went with fish and corals.