Aprod's IM Fusion Nuvo 20 Gallon

[Aprod]

Current FTS (11.8.2019)

FTS (6/20/2019)

Hi R2R Community,

On New Years Eve of 2018, I added water to my first ever saltwater aquarium - Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 20 Gallon. I have spent countless hours on this forum and cannot thank the community enough for all the priceless information I have gathered. My foray into reef-keeping has been such a pleasure so far and I cannot wait to see how my ecosystem blooms. With that said, let me give you the overview of my set up. First FTS I ever took (1/1/2019):

Equipment:

• IM Nuvo Fusion 20 Gallon AIO Tank & APS Cabinet Stand w/ 2 shelves
• Marco Dry Rock, Carib Sea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink sand (30 lbs), and IO Reef Crystals
• Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 ATO & Auqa Gadget 5 Gallon Reservoir
• Vortech MP10QD Powerhead
• SUMP: Sicc Syncra Silent 1.5 Return Pump, Cobalt 100W Heater, Cobalt 50W heater, 2 Intank Media Baskets, 1 Intank Fuge Basket, Filter Floss, Chemipure Blue
• AI Prime HD Light
• Bulk Reef Supply RO/DI System

Such a relaxing view laying in bed reading a book and having this to look up

FTS 1/29/2019:

FTS 2/12/2019:

FTS 3/6/2019:

From Left to Right: Hammer Coral, Utter Chaos Zoa, Green (Generic?) Zoa, Fruit Loop Zoa, Green Acan, Red Acan, Green Star Polyp (on island), Scrambled Egg Zoa, Favia

My favorite shot so far - Yellow Watchman Goby resting in his home:

 

[codytbuckner]

Looks good!

 

[kamla]

Nice...

how do you like the light?

 

[Aprod]

Nice...

how do you like the light?

Thanks, @kamla
Love the light so far. IOS interface is great and plenty of other testimonies/ lighting schedules on the internet. I guess the ultimate test will be seeing how my corals grow. Will keep everyone posted in the coming months

 

[Aprod]

Tank has now been up and running for 5 1/2 months and wanted to share a quick progress update since then.

Full tank shot for 5.12.2019

New Euphyllia (4.18.2019):

Rock Flower Anemone:

Zoa Garden (5.12.2019):

Important Notes:
- Bad: About a month ago I realized I had a nuisance algae issue (Dictyota Dichotoma) which was fueled by my overfeeding habits. I was not reading any detectable phosphate or nitrate and feared that it would be an environment ripe for Dino's so I began excessively feeding. I now know that the Dictyota and Corals were consuming all of the measurable nutrients by the fact that I have been battling large Cyanobacteria patches on the sand bed.
- Counter-Action: I cut back feeding to every other day, 1 ~ 2x weekly reef chilli, upped my water change frequency/ volume, changed chemipure blue, and installed a nuvoskim DC. I have noticed a significant reduction in Cyano.
- Bad: No matter the parameter level, the Dictyota thrives.
- Counter-Action: Manual removal is ineffective and actual may make it worse with loose particles lodging new places. I have resorted to Algaefix based off large amounts of research. Starting with low dosages and going from there - hope to have Dictyota resolved in coming months.
- Bad: Most of my CUC has perished after 3 months in the tank. I believe the Dictyota and Cyano were consuming all of the nutrients and therefore there was no edible algae in the tank for the snails. Will not be purchasing additional algae eaters until resolved.
- GOOD: Other than the inverts, i have not lost a single fish or coral (knock on wood!)
- GOOD: Coral growth is exploding! I love watching all of my coral grow!
Trumpet Coral 2.11.2019 --> 4.18.2019:

Fruit Loop Zoa 2.5.2019 --> 5.12.2019

Utter Chaos 3.3.2019 -->

 

[flchamp89]

Great looking tank. Candy cane looks buff lol. zoas look great too. Great job.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Looking good. Like those Fruit Loops

 

[Aprod]

Date - 6.20.2019 (age = ~185 days (1/2 year) old)

FTS 6.20.2019:

Top Down 6.20.2019:

Lot's of great changes have taken place in the last month, so I wanted to share my updates!

Good:

• Free Corals from Local Reefer! Stumbled across a fellow reefer in the Chicagoland area who was moving and had to break down his tank. He literally gave me as much coral as I could fit into a 5 gallon bucket! Lots of SPS and a few LPS. May the coral gods favor him on his next build.

• A new tank member. Purchased a Purple Dottyback and he has been the life of the tank for the last month. So happy I decided to pick him up. Completely docile and swims through the corals and all the little caves.
• Continued LPS / Zoa Coral Growth. Candy cane, Acans, and Zoas are all noticeably growing.
• Dictyota is gone. Finally got rid of the Dictyota algae which was plaguing my tank. Used Algaefix and after a few doses all of the Dcityota had died. I think it led to a spike in nutrients, which has caused my Cyano issues, but I feel it is the less of two evils.

Bad:

• Cyano. I have been battling cyano for a month or two now, which I think started when I destroyed the Dictyota. Trying to limit feedings to every other day, nearly eliminated Reef Chili from my routine, and have invested in a Nuvoskim Desktop DC skimmer & Chaeto reactor.
• No SPS growth & slow growth. Since adding the SPS to my tank I have not noticed any growth. Next month I will be investing in Hanna Checkers and 2 part dosing to provide stability to the Big Three.
• Wrong Pistol Shrimp Purchase. I bought the wrong dang pistol shrimp at the store and he is wreaking havoc on my reef tank. He has removed sand in an entire corner of the tank to create his palace and has not partnered with my goby. I hardly see him and he clicks at night (but not too annoying). Plans to remove him in the not-so-distant future.

Side Shot:

Zoa Garden:

Filtration Chambers:

Chaeto Reactor:

 

[ReeferReefer]

I love the formating on your posts. Ill be following along.

 

[flchamp89]

Looks great. Incredible build.

 

[Aprod]

Looks great. Incredible build.

Wow! Thank you!

I love the formating on your posts. Ill be following along.

Trying to keep it sleek and simple! Give the people what they want. Thank you!

 

[Ky_acc]

Looks great, that cheato reactor is a really cool idea. Might have to give something like that a try...

 

[Aprod]

Date - 9.4.2019 (Age 3/4 Year Old)

FTS 9.4.2019

Top Down 9.4.2019

Many notable changes since my last post (3 Mo. Ago)

Good:

• Cyano no more! Turns out the addition of the Skimmer & Chaeto Reactor have made a significant impact on my nuisance Macro-algae and Cyano problems i was battling. This could also be mainly due to proper husbandry and the tank maturing, but either way I am happy.
• Pink Acro Healing / Growing. I asked the R2R community about discoloration issues i was noticing on my centerpiece, Pink Acro, and received comments that it may be due to LED burn. I turned my Light power down across the charts by about 15% and have seen healing & growth in my acro.
• SPS Encrusting. I was nervous picking up the small SPS colonies from a fellow reefer breaking down his tank because I was unsure of how demanding they would be. They are all starting to encrust the surfaces they were glued to, so that seems like a good indication of progress.

Bad:

• Back-to-Back Extended Vacations. I took a week vacation in the Outer Banks of NC and 2.5 Weeks travelling Europe this summer and had to entrust my tank critters to my roommates. I just asked them to do some basic maintenance (feeding 3x per week, filter floss, skimmer cup, ATO water) and everything went as smooth as could be expected, but was nerve wracking.
• Air Conditioner went out on a 96 degree day. My tank reached upwards of 84 degrees in temperature and would have continued to climb, but I went out and bought fans to blast the water surface. Probably saved my tank from a complete crash. Was a surprisingly effective way of battling the water temp.
• Unsure of Parameters. A big focus for my tank in the next 90 days is to nail down stability. Purchasing a Reef Keeper Lite to control water temp. Looking into upgrading my testing equipment (Hanna, Salifert, etc.). End goal is to hopefully dose Alkalinity and Calcium buffers to keep levels stable.

LPS Garden:

Front Tank Shot:

 

[PR_nano]

Nice progress, looking thru IM builds for ideas as I picked a nuvo 20 yesterday.

 

[Tosareef]

Beautiful tank! How you set up your rock made me realize the benefits of planning long term for coral growth as your last photo really shows how you gave room for growth! Looks balanced and aesthetically looks great!

 

[Aprod]

Date - 11.12.2019 (Age: 11 months old)

FTS - 11.8.2019

Side Shots - 11.8.2019

LPS Garden - 11.8.2019

Zoa Garden - 11.8.2019

Good:

• Hanna & Salifert Test Equipment. Finally had room in my budget to buy Hanna Alkalinity, Calcium (used), Ph (used) and Phosphate checkers. Purchased Salifert Nitrate and Magnesium tests.
• Nutrients Slowly Rising. For the first 9 months of my tank, I never had detectable nutrients. I was terrified of overfeeding causing issues with the SPS and algae, but decided to take the plunge and feed heavy with frequent Reef Chili. Well worth it. Finally started reading Nitrate (6ppm in pics) & phosphate (0.024ppm), which came with noticeable coloration in several pieces and re-invigorating Zoanthid growth
• Dosing. After picking up all the proper testing equipment, I started piecing together equipment for automated dosing. BRS 2 part solutions and Jebao DP-4 dosing pump. Made DIY dosing containers and will be calibrating equipment tonight.

Bad:

• Constant battle with Diatoms (?). There is constantly a dusting of brown particles on my sand bed. I have not taken any drastic measures to combat the algae/ bacteria. I think that since my tank is finally reading nutrients it has the ability to burn through the silicates which have been present since day 1, but only time will tell. I purchased a 20 Gallon Reef kit package with Hermit crabs from @reefcleaners and have been very pleased so far! Hope this will help to combat diatoms and random algae build up.
• Alkalinity & Calcium Instability. I have not been very good about dosing my tank by hand since purchasing the BRS two part - granted the tank is in a much better spot than the 5.2 Alkalinity reading i was getting when I first started (10/1). Hoping to be able to get my tank completely stable before the new year.
• Purple Dottyback is a Jerk! Not much more to say on this than that haha. He terrorizes my Goby to the point where he is almost to afraid to come out and eat during feeding time. The dottyback is a beautiful fish though and absolutely mesmerizing as he weaves through my euphyllia and under the montipora. He brings more life to the tank than my goby, so he gets to stay.

Bonus shot of my Acan during feeding time:

 

[Aprod]

11.20.2019

Picked up some new zoa frags from a local reefer a few weeks back:

• Blue Eyed Blondes
• Rainbow Yodas
• Blue Hornets
• Armor of Gods
• Daisy Cutters
• Utter Chaos
• Pink Zippers

Thanks @littlebigreef !