IM 40L AIO Build - Beginners Journey

[RageTM]

Hello everyone! My goal with this build of course is to get started in saltwater, didn't know much about R2R but I am definitely glad I have joined. I've kept freshwater tanks over the years and decided now I will work my way to reefing. I am completely new to this and have no prior knowledge than what I have started gathering, so any help is appreciated. My current plan is to gradually start, I would like to take some more time to gather more information, this will hopefully help with my purchases.

I went to many stores in my area until I found one I really liked. I went there yesterday and ordered one of the IM 40L AIOs with the stand through them, should be here in a few weeks. I don't have a set-in-stone build or stocking plan, but now that I have a tank to plan for, I'll start building from there.

Anyway, I am extremely excited. As stated, any help is appreciated, I'm in no rush so for me patience is key with this build.

Tank - Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2 AIO 40L
Stand - Innovative Marine Black APS
Return - MightyJet 22W/24V 538 GPH DC Return Pump w/ Controller
Lights - AI Prime 16HD x2
Cycle - Dr. Tim's One and Only
Skimmer - BubbleMagus MiniQ
Power Heads - AI Nero 3
Heater - Helio 200 Watt PTC Smart Heater
Filtration - CustomCaddy Media Basket
ATO - ReefBreeders Prism Auto Top Off
Rocks - 40lb CaribSea LifeRock
Sand - 20lb CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade
RODI - BRS 5 stage

 

[John Bolden]

Welcome to R2R! Slow and steady wins the race;)

 

[JoJosReef]

Welcome to R2R! And as a fellow new IM 40L AIO builder, will be happy to watch your tank grow!

 

[Superd513]

Hello everyone! My goal with this build of course is to get started in saltwater, didn't know much about R2R but I am definitely glad I have joined. I've kept freshwater tanks over the years and decided now I will work my way to reefing. I am completely new to this and have no prior knowledge than what I have started gathering, so any help is appreciated. My current plan is to gradually start, I would like to take some more time to gather more information, this will hopefully help with my purchases.

I went to many stores in my area until I found one I really liked. I went there yesterday and ordered one of the IM 40L AIOs with the stand through them, should be here in a few weeks. I don't have a set-in-stone build or stocking plan, but now that I have a tank to plan for, I'll start building from there.

Anyway, I am extremely excited. As stated, any help is appreciated, I'm in no rush so for me patience is key with this build.

That is exactly what I didn’t do and I regret it. I just started my JBJ 28 nano yesterday. Went to my LFS and bought 30 lbs live rock and 20 lbs live sand and 25 gal of Brightwell salt water it cost me 550.00.
I wish I would have bought my Live Rock and live sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater. I strongly urge you to check them out before you go buy from your LFS. They have a startup kit You put in how many gal your tank is and they tell you what all come with it and for how much. They quoted me 450.00 and that was for 60 lbs of live rock. They break it down to 30 lbs of base. And 30 lbs of their premium. And 30 lbs of Gulf of Mexico sand! God I sound like a rep! lol.. I’m just so excited about their products. That was my big regret starting my tank. Was not using their rock and sand.
go to YouTube and look up TampaBaySaltwater live rock delivery. Their rock has so much life on it like sponges and corals ect. The one thing about their products is the shipping. In the startup kit. They ship it straight from ocean to their facility to the airport. They direct fly your order in seawater. You will get it less that 12 hours later. Enough about that lol
As far as aquascaping. I didn’t have much luck gluing the rock like some people do. Especially with wet LR. I ended up with more glue on my fingers. Lol. That’s another huge regret is my aquascape. I ended up just throwing the rock in there ticked off. Lol. So now my plan is to redo my rock this week when I do a water change. I am going to use CaribSea's Create-A-Scape Reef Rods. They are 1/2 “ ceramic rods that are purple color and I can drill out my rocks and connect them with this by gently tapping them in with a hammer. I hope. lol. Plus I’m going to use cable ties as needed. It’s really hard to plan out an aquascape when you don’t know the shape of the rocks. Have redundancy plans for when your plan don’t work like mine. Make sure you have all of your testing kits way in advance they are stupid expensive in LFS. I ordered my refractor for 18.00. Fish store wanted 35. For same one. Oh yea get spare heaters and recirculating pumps used from where ever. Get at least 5 5gal buckets. Think about if your close enough to LFS to get their water or make your own that’s another expense. My store is so close I just go there and it cheap. 1.50 a gallon.
mom sorry for such a long post but I wanted to post everything that caused me problems. I’m super new as well I don’t know ****. Hopefully we can be tank mates and help each other out. Oh yea another thing I used was Brightwell Microbacterstartxlp and I got a Brightwell bio block. I will keep you posted on the development of this. I apologize for such a long post.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Best of luck with the new tank and welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

 

[RageTM]

Well, the tank and stand finally showed up at my local store! Brought it home and got it set up to the best of my ability, I forgot I really don't enjoy building things like this LOL but I did it regardless. The problem was leveling, found out where I wanted to put it in the house was indeed not level, solved it with some extra shimming on one side.

Next will be the rest of the equipment, I have 2 AI primes and everything that came with the tank, and that's about it. Going to have to wait til my current semester is over to get it fully set up anyway, but I can order things as I go, just have to figure out what. Found that it's been nice to see other reefers doing the same tank, so I will definitely see what everyone here is doing and watch with extreme interest.

I have to ask if anyone knows, I went to a store the other day to view test kits, and I didn't know there was anything outside of the standard test like Red Sea for example. One of the workers recommended to me the Hanna checker ones instead since he said there were pros compared to the older style. I have no idea if this is true, I've seen people use a mix of both, but again I wouldn't know I've never done this.

 

[JoJosReef]

Well, the tank and stand finally showed up at my local store! Brought it home and got it set up to the best of my ability, I forgot I really don't enjoy building things like this LOL but I did it regardless. The problem was leveling, found out where I wanted to put it in the house was indeed not level, solved it with some extra shimming on one side.

Next will be the rest of the equipment, I have 2 AI primes and everything that came with the tank, and that's about it. Going to have to wait til my current semester is over to get it fully set up anyway, but I can order things as I go, just have to figure out what. Found that it's been nice to see other reefers doing the same tank, so I will definitely see what everyone here is doing and watch with extreme interest.

I have to ask if anyone knows, I went to a store the other day to view test kits, and I didn't know there was anything outside of the standard test like Red Sea for example. One of the workers recommended to me the Hanna checker ones instead since he said there were pros compared to the older style. I have no idea if this is true, I've seen people use a mix of both, but again I wouldn't know I've never done this.

RE: test kits, I have the full suite of Red Sea kits, except for trace elements. Also a bunch of Salifert kits. And I have a Hanna phosphate checker. For Alkalinity, I've switched to going 100% Salifert, because it is so easy to use and easy to tell when the titration is done. For phosphates, if you want anything exact, I think the Hanna is the best, although the test itself is tedious. Problem with the other kits is that the colorimetric reading is ridiculous. I personally cannot tell between zero phosphates, 0.03pm and almost 0.1ppm. What I was doing in the end was just holding the cuvette up to a white board to make sure it wasn't 100% clear. Hanna at least gives you a number. I do Ca and Mg much less frequently and use Salifert, which is as clear a result as their ALK test, just a couple of extra steps. I also prefer Salifert nitrate test over Red Sea. I have not tried Hanna ALK and Nitrate testers, but I don't see any reason to dump my money into them when Salifert is easy and a clear result.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this tank so far, and it's only halfway set up (still pending transfer of livestock from my Evo):

 

[Blopple]

Man, same as you, I love watching/following other people's builds on the same tank as mine. So many great ideas and things I wouldn't have thought of. @JoJosReef is awesome. Been watching @trophyhimbo as well.

 

[trophyhimbo]

Just caught up on @JoJosReef 's and @Blopple 's builds and I am excited to follow everyone's adventures! However, if Jojo's meticulous planning is what it takes to achieve their beautiful success then I fear for my tank's future...

@RageTM I am not too far ahead (wet on March 20) but also a saltwater beginner. I elected for no stand since my tank sits on an existing counter, which leaves little room for storage or additional gadgets and some intense cord management.

I LOVE the Hanna tests for taking the guesswork out of readings. I tend to stay away from colorimetric tests if possible, since in a past life I ran into issues trusting my own eyes at a lab bench. They are more expensive though and at least for the saltwater cycling process it seems there is no need for total accuracy, just time for the initial ammonia to clear. There are even articles suggesting that nitrite isn't as big an issue compared to freshwater fish and inverts: https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php which I thought was interesting. I would definitely let more experienced reefers chime in on that though haha

 

[JoJosReef]

Just caught up on @JoJosReef 's and @Blopple 's builds and I am excited to follow everyone's adventures! However, if Jojo's meticulous planning is what it takes to achieve their beautiful success then I fear for my tank's future...

@RageTM I am not too far ahead (wet on March 20) but also a saltwater beginner. I elected for no stand since my tank sits on an existing counter, which leaves little room for storage or additional gadgets and some intense cord management.

I LOVE the Hanna tests for taking the guesswork out of readings. I tend to stay away from colorimetric tests if possible, since in a past life I ran into issues trusting my own eyes at a lab bench. They are more expensive though and at least for the saltwater cycling process it seems there is no need for total accuracy, just time for the initial ammonia to clear. There are even articles suggesting that nitrite isn't as big an issue compared to freshwater fish and inverts: https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php which I thought was interesting. I would definitely let more experienced reefers chime in on that though haha

Thanks! Not sure how great the plan is, as I'm not much of a DIYer, but there's a few budget-friendly things we can do to make an office tank an easier lift. Just got my feeding system running:

Build Thread - JoJo's No Funny Business Office Tank Thread

Quick pic of the Evo, looking good. Transfer should be happening in the next week or so! BTA is looking especially bubbly this morning :)

www.reef2reef.com

So far it works, but the fish are confused and it looks like I'll have to work out flow patterns again. Still, no fasting on the weekends again!

 

[RageTM]

RE: test kits, I have the full suite of Red Sea kits, except for trace elements. Also a bunch of Salifert kits. And I have a Hanna phosphate checker. For Alkalinity, I've switched to going 100% Salifert, because it is so easy to use and easy to tell when the titration is done. For phosphates, if you want anything exact, I think the Hanna is the best, although the test itself is tedious. Problem with the other kits is that the colorimetric reading is ridiculous. I personally cannot tell between zero phosphates, 0.03pm and almost 0.1ppm. What I was doing in the end was just holding the cuvette up to a white board to make sure it wasn't 100% clear. Hanna at least gives you a number. I do Ca and Mg much less frequently and use Salifert, which is as clear a result as their ALK test, just a couple of extra steps. I also prefer Salifert nitrate test over Red Sea. I have not tried Hanna ALK and Nitrate testers, but I don't see any reason to dump my money into them when Salifert is easy and a clear result.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this tank so far, and it's only halfway set up (still pending transfer of livestock from my Evo):

I think the tank looks amazing so far, excited to see some fish in it. It's gonna be a long journey and stuff like this makes me feel hopeful! :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

Just caught up on @JoJosReef 's and @Blopple 's builds and I am excited to follow everyone's adventures! However, if Jojo's meticulous planning is what it takes to achieve their beautiful success then I fear for my tank's future...

@RageTM I am not too far ahead (wet on March 20) but also a saltwater beginner. I elected for no stand since my tank sits on an existing counter, which leaves little room for storage or additional gadgets and some intense cord management.

I LOVE the Hanna tests for taking the guesswork out of readings. I tend to stay away from colorimetric tests if possible, since in a past life I ran into issues trusting my own eyes at a lab bench. They are more expensive though and at least for the saltwater cycling process it seems there is no need for total accuracy, just time for the initial ammonia to clear. There are even articles suggesting that nitrite isn't as big an issue compared to freshwater fish and inverts: https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php which I thought was interesting. I would definitely let more experienced reefers chime in on that though haha

I thank both of you for your general experience and opinions. I still have a lot of information collecting to do, with this hobby (and many others) it seems like there are so many ways of doing things with different equipment it can be a little overwhelming.

 

[Kellie in CA]

I have this tank too and love it! I run it pretty simple with no skimmer and minimal rock. I'm happy to help with any questions. I transferred most of this from another tank, but this one has been going about 6 months.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

I have this tank too and love it! I run it pretty simple with no skimmer and minimal rock. I'm happy to help with any questions. I transferred most of this from another tank, but this one has been going about 6 months.

Just out of curiosity, why so little LR?

 

[Reef.Raider]

I have this tank too and love it! I run it pretty simple with no skimmer and minimal rock. I'm happy to help with any questions. I transferred most of this from another tank, but this one has been going about 6 months.

Now that is a good looking tank! I run the IM 20 and am battling hair algae. Starting to get it under control with larger more frequent water changes.

You tank is some great motivation!

 

[RageTM]

Well, it's been a bit, but I've been busy, thought I should post something. This was from earlier today when I got everything set in the tank.

I'll hopefully have better photos soon, for now, I start the cycle and plan from there. I have no idea really what I want to stock for the tank so I am really trying to think other than 2 clowns.

I've updated my first post with what I have and will continue with what I plan to add/have added. Not sure if I want a skimmer, feel like I do, have no idea what to add to this in terms of that. I've also been looking around for an ATO, don't have one but I can tell I really will want it.

 

[Blopple]

Well, it's been a bit, but I've been busy, thought I should post something. This was from earlier today when I got everything set in the tank.

I'll hopefully have better photos soon, for now, I start the cycle and plan from there. I have no idea really what I want to stock for the tank so I am really trying to think other than 2 clowns.

I've updated my first post with what I have and will continue with what I plan to add/have added. Not sure if I want a skimmer, feel like I do, have no idea what to add to this in terms of that. I've also been looking around for an ATO, don't have one but I can tell I really will want it.

Exciting day! Looks awesome. Always great to see the tank filled with water and rock and light!

I had a lot of trouble picking and ATO also. The reviews on everything except the Tunze osmolator seem to be terrible. The tunze is pricey, but seems to be the gold standard for now. As far as skimmer we're in the same boat. I am also planning on running a skimmer, but I haven't needed to yet. Nutrients are stable, stocking is light. No need to add one until I need one.

Stocking? All just kinda depends what you like. Goby/shrimp pair is popular - as are cardinals. Picking fish for each area of the tank seems to help. The clowns will host somewhere. Some open water fish, a rockwork dweller, something in the sand etc.

 

[Reef.Raider]

Great looking tank and the rock work is next level!

 

[RageTM]

Another update. I have stocked a bit more in my tank since when I posted clearly, did it slower than expected but nothing wrong with that. Wasn't sure about my rockwork but it has grown on me, wanted something just a bit different. Hopefully, soon I will add some corals, not exactly in a rush (really trying not to be LOL). Not really picky on my fish or corals selection, I wanted a Goby/Shrimp pair which I got, both seem to be doing well. Clowns are doing awesome, they seemed to be the healthiest bunch in the store. I also threw in three hermits to deal with a bit of cleanup before anything major, but I'm sure I will need a bigger cleanup crew soon.

As for my potential problem child, Six Line Wrasse, absolutely love this fish but wasn't totally read up on them. Seen the warnings now, and have been watching him carefully, he "seems" to be a model citizen at the moment. Goby seems to be territorial with him when he gets near potential food but they don't have really any conflicts outside of that and get enough for the both of them. He seems to really enjoy ALL the rockwork, I can tell the Six Line thinks it's his. This proves a problem as with the fish I have now, he has been fine, I'm just worried about the future. If it does become a problem I'll rehome him, and it has definitely taught me a lesson before disaster hopefully. Not the normal store I would go to for buying fish either, interesting how the employee there told me about dottybacks and was silent about this purchase...

Exciting day! Looks awesome. Always great to see the tank filled with water and rock and light!

I had a lot of trouble picking and ATO also. The reviews on everything except the Tunze osmolator seem to be terrible. The tunze is pricey, but seems to be the gold standard for now. As far as skimmer we're in the same boat. I am also planning on running a skimmer, but I haven't needed to yet. Nutrients are stable, stocking is light. No need to add one until I need one.

Stocking? All just kinda depends what you like. Goby/shrimp pair is popular - as are cardinals. Picking fish for each area of the tank seems to help. The clowns will host somewhere. Some open water fish, a rockwork dweller, something in the sand etc.

It definitely felt great to get everything set, so far everything seems to be doing great. Had my eyes on a Goby pair just because I fell in love with them on my first visit to the store near me.

As far as ATOs I know that the Tunze 3155 is praised, I saw the one you got and considered a couple including that, but I am really considered about failure. Not saying it will, anything is the luck of the draw, but if an incident were to occur it would be the end for me. The price is steep, but if I can have peace of mind and reliability then I'm sold. I'm definitely getting annoyed with manually doing it, but it does the job.

Great looking tank and the rock work is next level!

Thanks, hoping to make it look better soon! First time doing anything with rockwork like this, just worked with what I had.

 

[Blopple]

Another update. I have stocked a bit more in my tank since when I posted clearly, did it slower than expected but nothing wrong with that. Wasn't sure about my rockwork but it has grown on me, wanted something just a bit different. Hopefully, soon I will add some corals, not exactly in a rush (really trying not to be LOL). Not really picky on my fish or corals selection, I wanted a Goby/Shrimp pair which I got, both seem to be doing well. Clowns are doing awesome, they seemed to be the healthiest bunch in the store. I also threw in three hermits to deal with a bit of cleanup before anything major, but I'm sure I will need a bigger cleanup crew soon.

As for my potential problem child, Six Line Wrasse, absolutely love this fish but wasn't totally read up on them. Seen the warnings now, and have been watching him carefully, he "seems" to be a model citizen at the moment. Goby seems to be territorial with him when he gets near potential food but they don't have really any conflicts outside of that and get enough for the both of them. He seems to really enjoy ALL the rockwork, I can tell the Six Line thinks it's his. This proves a problem as with the fish I have now, he has been fine, I'm just worried about the future. If it does become a problem I'll rehome him, and it has definitely taught me a lesson before disaster hopefully. Not the normal store I would go to for buying fish either, interesting how the employee there told me about dottybacks and was silent about this purchase...

It definitely felt great to get everything set, so far everything seems to be doing great. Had my eyes on a Goby pair just because I fell in love with them on my first visit to the store near me.

As far as ATOs I know that the Tunze 3155 is praised, I saw the one you got and considered a couple including that, but I am really considered about failure. Not saying it will, anything is the luck of the draw, but if an incident were to occur it would be the end for me. The price is steep, but if I can have peace of mind and reliability then I'm sold. I'm definitely getting annoyed with manually doing it, but it does the job.


Thanks, hoping to make it look better soon! First time doing anything with rockwork like this, just worked with what I had.

I love the the dramatic valley between the two primary structures. I wonder if you might end up with the same issue I have now though. I built a few parts of the scape too close to the surface and now have really limited options of what to put up there.

That goby is so bright in the pictures it almost looks photoshopped in hahaha, love it.

As for the ATO it sounds like you feel exactly like I did. The thing that has really kept my mind at ease was having a really small reservoir. Mine is only a 5L reservoir. Downside is I have to fill it every other day. Upside is that in the event of a fail on my tank still won't flood out.

Might be worth looking into the new ATO/temp/leak detector red sea is coming out with. Looks cool and is slightly cheaper than the Tunze I believe.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

Another update. I have stocked a bit more in my tank since when I posted clearly, did it slower than expected but nothing wrong with that. Wasn't sure about my rockwork but it has grown on me, wanted something just a bit different. Hopefully, soon I will add some corals, not exactly in a rush (really trying not to be LOL). Not really picky on my fish or corals selection, I wanted a Goby/Shrimp pair which I got, both seem to be doing well. Clowns are doing awesome, they seemed to be the healthiest bunch in the store. I also threw in three hermits to deal with a bit of cleanup before anything major, but I'm sure I will need a bigger cleanup crew soon.

As for my potential problem child, Six Line Wrasse, absolutely love this fish but wasn't totally read up on them. Seen the warnings now, and have been watching him carefully, he "seems" to be a model citizen at the moment. Goby seems to be territorial with him when he gets near potential food but they don't have really any conflicts outside of that and get enough for the both of them. He seems to really enjoy ALL the rockwork, I can tell the Six Line thinks it's his. This proves a problem as with the fish I have now, he has been fine, I'm just worried about the future. If it does become a problem I'll rehome him, and it has definitely taught me a lesson before disaster hopefully. Not the normal store I would go to for buying fish either, interesting how the employee there told me about dottybacks and was silent about this purchase...

It definitely felt great to get everything set, so far everything seems to be doing great. Had my eyes on a Goby pair just because I fell in love with them on my first visit to the store near me.

As far as ATOs I know that the Tunze 3155 is praised, I saw the one you got and considered a couple including that, but I am really considered about failure. Not saying it will, anything is the luck of the draw, but if an incident were to occur it would be the end for me. The price is steep, but if I can have peace of mind and reliability then I'm sold. I'm definitely getting annoyed with manually doing it, but it does the job.


Thanks, hoping to make it look better soon! First time doing anything with rockwork like this, just worked with what I had.

Wow, looks awesome!