Nuvo 10 build- Updated. Now with 10 extra gallons!

[SDK]

Not that it matters now, but your stand looks as if it would have held a 32G JBJ

Thats an ikea bookshelf that I know is good to hold the 10 only. I’m not sure I’d trust it with anything larger. The space is also really tight with the couch and front access is difficult.

I have a 40 gallon freshwater tank on the other side of the tv in an area that is more roomy. I think I will wind up with a larger reef tank over there eventually

 

[actik]

oh wow. the Shipping and american exchange was insane... does anyone have a suggestion where to buy a fish tank online in canada..

 

[SDK]

This will give a better view of the spot. I think the FW tank in the foregrounds days are numbered

 

[A+Aquatics]

Thats an ikea bookshelf that I know is good to hold the 10 only. I’m not sure I’d trust it with anything larger. The space is also really tight with the couch and front access is difficult.

I have a 40 gallon freshwater tank on the other side of the tv in an area that is more roomy. I think I will wind up with a larger reef tank over there eventually

Definitely understanding your concerns. We could fit our 95G acrylic on an eight section ikea bookshelf, it was pretty sturdy.
Just in case you might want an upgrade in the future Good Luck & Happy Reefing!

 

[SDK]

Definitely understanding your concerns. We could fit our 95G acrylic on an eight section ikea bookshelf, it was pretty sturdy.
Just in case you might want an upgrade in the future Good Luck & Happy Reefing!

Thanks and that is good to know. It seems very sturdy and maybe I can take a new stand out of the upgrade budget in that case....

 

[SDK]

My missing holiday box finally showed up. The next picture I post will include water!

 

[SDK]

Interesting side note although I’m sure that I am hardly the first person to discover this. I know that most tank manufacturers can be a bit “optimistic” when calling out volumes, but IM is really pushing the envelope with the Nuvo 10.

I’m guilty of being a bit cavalier with dosing on the freshwater side of the hobby, but have always tried to know precisely how many gallons my marine aquariums are holding. I filled my Nuvo 10 with seawater tonight and measured in each gallon individually. There are currently two empty media baskets, a Sicce .5 pump , an Ehiem heater and a small powerhead in there. No substrate or rock of any kind yet. Just bare tank and minimal equipment.

I maxed it out with exactly 7.6 gallons of water at 1.025 sg. I will measure what I remove once I add rock and sand, but am assuming that I will be working with 7 gallons at the most. Probably a bit less.

I’m not sure what to make of this, other than being glad I checked. I would have figured 8.5 to 9 gallons and been overdosing everything....

 

[SDK]

Testing and getting pumps, temp and systems dialed in.

 

[Captain Quint]

@SDK Welcome to R2R and I've been enjoying your journey and you have certainly made some good choices.

Thanks for sharing and please keep the pics rolling in.

BTW, you're gonna love that smart ATO. Mine has been flawlessly doing an excellent job for ~19 months or so. *Just make sure the line into the tank does not touch the water or you'll end up with a back siphon into your reservoir container of RODI fresh.

 

[SDK]

@SDK Welcome to R2R and I've been enjoying your journey and you have certainly made some good choices.

Thanks for sharing and please keep the pics rolling in.

BTW, you're gonna love that smart ATO. Mine has been flawlessly doing an excellent job for ~19 months or so. *Just make sure the line into the tank does not touch the water or you'll end up with a back siphon into your reservoir container of RODI fresh.

Thank you for the warm welcome and review on the ATO.

I have two kids and get busy during the week with work, after school activities and coaching. I’m so happy that I won’t have to be constantly policing water levels and salinity. It’s a “must have” for me to properly maintain a tank of this size.

 

[SDK]

Here is a quick update with a few photos:

The tank is running, and the Smart Micro ATO is hooked up and working properly. I repurposed an old Brita water container into a reservoir. It fits perfectly into a bottom quadrant of the shelf/stand and even has a small hatch to make refilling easy.

I dropped in some cured rock along am running the Red Sea Reef Mature system to cycle the tank. All looks good so far although I need to finalize the rock arrangement.

I will have the lighting up later this week and the refugium running by the weekend.

That will be it for a while as I am in absolutely no hurry to put anything into the tank. I remember from my prior stint in this hobby that it is 1,000 easier to prevent a problem than to it is to fix one.

Taking the first couple of months slowly...

 

[jd-woodlands]

I have almost the same setup in my Nuvo 10. Here are my experiences over the last 24 months or so...

SmartATO - Can be finicky, keep the sensor clean and maintained monthly. see next issue below regarding ATO...

InTank Basket - When using filter floss, change at least twice a week, a slightly clogged floss will cause the flow to lower enough where your ATO decides to add water. This lowers salinity etc and is a constant battle.

Fuge - Tried this route, never was that successful, even with a dedicated grow light.

Skimmer - Never bothered with a skimmer, too easy to control export with water changes.

Water changes - I do a 5 gallon WC a week... probably a bit excessive but 5 is just as easy as 2 or 3 gallons... this keeps everything good.

Testing - i don't test this tank any more, just LPS and some softies.

Doser - I have a doser on this mainly to keep Mag high for algae control.

Chemical Control - I use Boyd ChemiPure Elite Nano - 2 packets changed out monthly.

Lighting - AI Prime HD - about 35% gets me 220 PAR top and about 100 PAR bottom.

Check your rock work! Looks like you may be too close to the glass to clean, leave yourself some room there to get to the glass.

Sorry for the blues, quick pictures with no filter...

 

[Pbh-reef]

Looking good!

 

[jd-woodlands]

Guess you can't edit pictures in... here is my nuvo 10...

 

[SDK]

Looking good!

Thank you!

 

[SDK]

Guess you can't edit pictures in... here is my nuvo 10...

Thanks for the input and your tank looks fantastic. I am also using a Prime HD light and planning on the BRS recommended spectrum dropped down proportionally. 35% sounds about right after a low intensity acclimation period.

The rocks are just dropped in for now and awaiting final placement. Because this tank is in a corner, I am considering a slope turned 45 degrees to enhance viewing from the front and right...

 

[Pbh-reef]

How did you make a hole in the top plastic of the Brita? I might steal that idea form you!

 

[SDK]

How did you make a hole in the top plastic of the Brita? I might steal that idea form you!

Just carefully used a drill. The trick with drilling brittle plastic is to initially make a small starter hole, then go light and slow with the larger one for the cord and hose. If the bit grabs it can cause long cracks. All in all it took less than ten minutes and was not too hard. Just don't go full ogre on it

 

[Retro Reefer]

Tank is coming along nicely, everything looks great Makes me want to get busy with my little AIO it’s been neglected for a while.

 

[SDK]

Tank is coming along nicely, everything looks great Makes me want to get busy with my little AIO it’s been neglected for a while.

Thanks and yes, get cracking on your AIO build. I need more pics and ideas!