David's Innovative Marine 40L AIO Build

[davidandrzej9]

Hello,

I'm relatively new to reef keeping and I currently have a 13.5 gallon fluval evo. I have a bunch of new equipment coming in as well as the tank + stand. I will be posting about my tank here and I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks as well. Any advice and help will be greatly appreciated :)

Starting Gear

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (200W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: 2x AI Prime
• ATO: Not decided
• Skimmer: Not decided
• Powerhead: Nero 3
• Substrate: 40lb Carib Sea Dry Live Rock, 40lb Special Grade Arag-Alive Reef Sand
• RODI Filter: 50 GPD RO/DI System
• Test Kit: Hanna Phosphate, Hanna Alkalinity, Aquaforest Magnesium, RedSea Calcium, Marine API
• Cycle: Microbacter quickcyle ammonia + nitryfing bacteria

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hello,

I'm relatively new to reef keeping and I currently have a 13.5 gallon fluval evo. I have a bunch of new equipment coming in as well as the tank + stand. I will be posting about my tank here and I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks as well. Any advice and help will be greatly appreciated :)

Starting Gear

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (200W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: 2x AI Prime
• ATO: Not decided
• Skimmer: Not decided
• Powerhead: Nero 3
• Substrate: 40lb Carib Sea Dry Live Rock, 40lb Special Grade Arag-Alive Reef Sand
• RODI Filter: 50 GPD RO/DI System
• Test Kit: Hanna Phosphate, Hanna Alkalinity, Aquaforest Magnesium, RedSea Calcium, Marine API
• Cycle: Microbacter quickcyle ammonia + nitryfing bacteria

Following along!

 

[davidandrzej9]

Here is a Breakdown of the Total Costs of my Starting Gear. I am still deciding between either a Jump Gyre 2k or a Nero 3. Also deciding on a protein skimmer, but I think I will wait to buy one as I don't see a use for it early on. Will
also get an ATO once I have the tank setup

 

[JoJosReef]

Welcome to the IM 40L AIO club! A lot of people starting up this tank after getting started with nano tanks (myself included after an Evo and an IM 10g cube!).

I currently have a Jump 2K on mine, and I am switching this week to dual xf330s, because one gives good flow, but to get it all the way across the tank I have to have the gyre-side under intense flow, so going dual gyres so that the flow is more even on both sides.

 

[davidandrzej9]

Welcome to the IM 40L AIO club! A lot of people starting up this tank after getting started with nano tanks (myself included after an Evo and an IM 10g cube!).

I currently have a Jump 2K on mine, and I am switching this week to dual xf330s, because one gives good flow, but to get it all the way across the tank I have to have the gyre-side under intense flow, so going dual gyres so that the flow is more even on both sides.

I see you have a bunch of SPS and probably require more flow than I would need. I’m looking for a Softie+ Lps Tank. I heard the mighty jett’s already produce some decent flow so I think just a nero 3 or Jump Gyre would be adequate. I like the nero 3 for the small size + phone app, but I heard it’s pretty unreliable.

 

[JoJosReef]

I see you have a bunch of SPS and probably require more flow than I would need. I’m looking for a Softie+ Lps Tank. I heard the mighty jett’s already produce some decent flow so I think just a nero 3 or Jump Gyre would be adequate. I like the nero 3 for the small size + phone app, but I heard it’s pretty unreliable.

SPS wasn't the focus, just kind of happened. Mostly interested in Nems, LPS and zoas. A lot of people use the Nero 3s for 40 breeders and such, so I can imagine it would work well for moving water in the tank. One of my issues with the gyres in the 40L AIO is that the tank is not very tall, so if you have rockwork going 3/4 of the way up the tank, then you don't have much room left for the gyre to perform its gyre function (the flow gets blocked by the rocks). One more thing to consider!

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Following as well. I have the same Fluval 13.5 and considering the IM 40L or 25L (leaning this since I have a nice cabinet)!

Are you getting their NUVO roller manual fleece filter?

 

[davidandrzej9]

Following as well. I have the same Fluval 13.5 and considering the IM 40L or 25L (leaning this since I have a nice cabinet)!

Are you getting their NUVO roller manual fleece filter?

I have not decided on any mechanical filtration upgrades. I believe the tank comes with a fleece sock, which will be sufficient for my first few weeks cycling the tank and transferring my pair of clowns and royal gramma. I will look into it tho.

 

[davidandrzej9]

Following as well. I have the same Fluval 13.5 and considering the IM 40L or 25L (leaning this since I have a nice cabinet)!

Are you getting their NUVO roller manual fleece filter?

Just looked into the NUVO roller, for a 100$ you get an ugly piece of equipment standing out of the display, I’ll pass. It doesn’t offer anything other than saving you 2 minutes of cleaning every couple days. Just save your money, and buy another filter sock to rotate through

 

[JoJosReef]

I got the Intank floss holder instead. Floss is pretty cheap and easy to swap out. I understand the rollers and socks will polish the water better, though.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

I got the Intank floss holder instead. Floss is pretty cheap and easy to swap out. I understand the rollers and socks will polish the water better, though.

Do you buy precut floss or do you cut it yourself?

 

[JoJosReef]

Do you buy precut floss or do you cut it yourself?

I buy it in the 10ft rolls and cut it myself. Usually have a quick look on amazon and ebay to see which has best pricing. Not all are the same quality though--my current roll is much less dense than other rolls, so I think it filters less.

 

[davidandrzej9]

First packages came in! All the starter gear. Tank comes in in 5 days. I want to have the aqua scape ready to go by then. Any tips or advice because these rocks do not look very easy to work with. The cardboard is a layout of the exact size of my tank and i’ll be placing them on it and glueing them together with brs glue.

 

[davidandrzej9]

Thoughts? I got about 10 more pounds to work with

 

[JoJosReef]

Thoughts? I got about 10 more pounds to work with

Looks pretty good to me. Lots of hiding and swimming spaces. Don't forget the 40L isn't tall, so you want room for corals to grow UP.

 

[davidandrzej9]

Looks pretty good to me. Lots of hiding and swimming spaces. Don't forget the 40L isn't tall, so you want room for corals to grow UP.

The tallest part of the rock work, the big center bridge, is 10’. I’ll probably chip away at the rock under it so it can sit at around 9 inches for the tallest part of the tank since the tank is only 13 tall. And yeah I tried to give a bunch of hiding spots, but spots that are easy for me to see!

 

[silent1mezzo]

If you're looking for a good, inexpensive ATO I just did a review on the Kamoer ATO

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Thoughts? I got about 10 more pounds to work with

aquascape looks good!

 

[davidandrzej9]

Tank is here! Filling it up right now, cycle starts tomorrow! Super excited

 

[davidandrzej9]

Welcome to the IM 40L AIO club! A lot of people starting up this tank after getting started with nano tanks (myself included after an Evo and an IM 10g cube!).

I currently have a Jump 2K on mine, and I am switching this week to dual xf330s, because one gives good flow, but to get it all the way across the tank I have to have the gyre-side under intense flow, so going dual gyres so that the flow is more even on both sides.

I'm still deciding on a powerhead I really like the look and dynamic use of the gyres. Did you ever think about just switching the Jump Gyre to a vertical position? I see how a horizontal position could get blocked by the rockwork, but a vertical position could just go around your walls.