IM SR-60 - 1st Build!

[neoGeorge]

Howdy Reefers!

I'm excited to start logging the progress of my first tank and, seeing the attractiveness of Innovative Marine's offerings, had the opportunity to snag a Shallow Reef-60 gallon all-in-one from a semi-local reefer for a good price.

It's interesting to see how I found myself in this hobby as I wanted to teach my children (7 and 5yrs old) about marine biology and ecosystems. I floated the idea of a small, freshwater tank to my wife who quickly turned my "inexpensive and small" idea into a 55gal+ saltwater mixed reef! But I suppose having her on board early will help later since virtually everyone has explained this hobby can get pretty pricey. Thanks for all of your threads, build logs, and information! By far Reef2Reef and its sponsors have been an invaluable resource for someone like me who needs to figure out what questions to ask even before I start asking for answers!

My plan is for a more minimalist aquascape centered around a mixed reef tank with about 4-6 fish, some inverts, and mainly LPS and soft corals.

I've attached photos of the tank (as set up by the prior owner), currently in storage, and rinsing out the locally sourced pukani.


Here's the equipment I have so far:

IM SR-60 tank
IM 317gph return pumps upgraded to 2x Sicce Syrncras at 568gph (flow increased from 10x tank volume to ~20x)
Ecotech MP-10wQP powerhead (1,500gph)
Tunze 9004 protein skimmer
Various 100w-300w freebie heaters
70lbs mixed pukani and other dry rock
2x AI Prime HD lights
BRS 6 stage 75gpd RO/DI
Red Sea Coral Pro salt
refractometer
2 quarts Marinepure ceramic spheres
3/4" line loc extensions to redirect flow
40lbs pink fiji live sand

and to be done:
DIY stand for aquarium
55 gal barrel converted to RO/DI water reservoir
saltwater mixing station
dKH, phosphate, calcium testing supplies
Select livestock (likely a bonded pair of clowns, yellow tang, wrasse, goby, hermit crabs, snails, emerald crabs, feather duster)
Select corals (like hammers, torches, challice, leathers, zoanthids, trumpets, blastomussa)

I'm not sure about needing an aquarium controller just yet...I'd like to do it a bit more old school and get used to checking the tank's parameters before going to that next step. But, I'm happy to hear about any suggestions you all might have for this setup! Happy reefing!

You selected some great equipment! That tank does have a very similar setup to the JBJ 65g...

 

[JMoody]

I like you tank, looks great. How do you like the size of it? I have been torn between the SR60 and SR80.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

I like you tank, looks great. How do you like the size of it? I have been torn between the SR60 and SR80.

@JMoody I like the tank a lot! I found the SR60 used locally and so that pushed me more towards it than the 80. If the 80 had been available I might have opted for that. But, the benefit of the 60 is that it needs less lighting, less flow, etc., bringing the costs down just a bit. The important limiting factor is the height. At just 16" tall, that means only 14" of water in the tank - not a whole lot of room for vertical growth. So, be mindful of that since your SPS up top will eventually get to be poking out.

Update: The battle against the bright green algae and diatoms seems to be swinging in my favor between the valiant efforts of my CUC (tip of the cap to the MVP starfish) and the purigen/carbon chemical filtration combo. I also am running my protein skimmer wet to pull out anything else.

As for fine tuning the tank, I bought another MP10wQD to set up opposing the MP10 already in the tank. I'm also grabbing four @Vivid Creative Aquatics's slip adapters and 4 RFG nozzles to start varying the flow in the tank in preparation for adding more corals in the coming months.

Currently my carbon is just sitting in a media bag in the sump, but I'll be getting an Innovative Marine Minimax reactor to drop in the rear sump. The plan is to use it sporadically running either carbon or carbon/GFO depending on whats going on in the tank.

 

[neoGeorge]

@JMoody I like the tank a lot! I found the SR60 used locally and so that pushed me more towards it than the 80. If the 80 had been available I might have opted for that. But, the benefit of the 60 is that it needs less lighting, less flow, etc., bringing the costs down just a bit. The important limiting factor is the height. At just 16" tall, that means only 14" of water in the tank - not a whole lot of room for vertical growth. So, be mindful of that since your SPS up top will eventually get to be poking out.

Update: The battle against the bright green algae and diatoms seems to be swinging in my favor between the valiant efforts of my CUC (tip of the cap to the MVP starfish) and the purigen/carbon chemical filtration combo. I also am running my protein skimmer wet to pull out anything else.

As for fine tuning the tank, I bought another MP10wQD to set up opposing the MP10 already in the tank. I'm also grabbing four @Vivid Creative Aquatics's slip adapters and 4 RFG nozzles to start varying the flow in the tank in preparation for adding more corals in the coming months.

Currently my carbon is just sitting in a media bag in the sump, but I'll be getting an Innovative Marine Minimax reactor to drop in the rear sump. The plan is to use it sporadically running either carbon or carbon/GFO depending on whats going on in the tank.

@Res_Ipsa Looking forward to your posts regarding the RFGs! Don't recall - did you list your CUC members earlier? Would like some feedback on what works well...

 

[neoGeorge]

Patiently waiting but today was the first day my ammonia levels starting dropping where I can measure them under 2ppm. That’s good I think.

Really like this Cycling Success chart! Also see you have a sand sifting starfish - is this the "star" player in your CUC? I'm definitely interested in a Midas Blenny in the new build...

 

[BeejReef]

Looking really good. I'll try to follow in your footsteps for sure! You've got it made in the shade. All I see pics of is your wife and kids slaving over the tank

 

[Res_Ipsa]

@Res_Ipsa Looking forward to your posts regarding the RFGs! Don't recall - did you list your CUC members earlier? Would like some feedback on what works well...

My cleanup crew is a bit small at the moment since the tank is still pretty young. I put in 10 blue legged hermit crabs, 5 trochus snails, and the sand sifting starfish. I'll also be adding some nassarius snails or a diamond watchman goby; haven't decided which route yet. I didn't want any inverts to starve so there's plenty for them to eat! I lost one hermit crab the other night but so far so good.

Looking really good. I'll try to follow in your footsteps for sure! You've got it made in the shade. All I see pics of is your wife and kids slaving over the tank

Haha! Thanks for the support! And yeah, the wife and kids love the tank. It's definitely taken the place of TV/screen time. There's always something going on in there, even at this early stage. Plus, the wife has basically thrown up her hands at the money being spent on the tank since I reminded her that she wanted the slick, clean lines, and it to be more of an "art" piece in the room than just a practical setup.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics]

@JMoody I like the tank a lot! I found the SR60 used locally and so that pushed me more towards it than the 80. If the 80 had been available I might have opted for that. But, the benefit of the 60 is that it needs less lighting, less flow, etc., bringing the costs down just a bit. The important limiting factor is the height. At just 16" tall, that means only 14" of water in the tank - not a whole lot of room for vertical growth. So, be mindful of that since your SPS up top will eventually get to be poking out.

Update: The battle against the bright green algae and diatoms seems to be swinging in my favor between the valiant efforts of my CUC (tip of the cap to the MVP starfish) and the purigen/carbon chemical filtration combo. I also am running my protein skimmer wet to pull out anything else.

As for fine tuning the tank, I bought another MP10wQD to set up opposing the MP10 already in the tank. I'm also grabbing four @Vivid Creative Aquatics's slip adapters and 4 RFG nozzles to start varying the flow in the tank in preparation for adding more corals in the coming months.

Currently my carbon is just sitting in a media bag in the sump, but I'll be getting an Innovative Marine Minimax reactor to drop in the rear sump. The plan is to use it sporadically running either carbon or carbon/GFO depending on whats going on in the tank.

Can't wait to see this setup running the 4 RFGs.
What's your plan for the return pumps? are you doing one big pump or 2 (or more) pumps?

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Can't wait to see this setup running the 4 RFGs.
What's your plan for the return pumps? are you doing one big pump or 2 (or more) pumps?

I took the stock 300gph IM returns out and put in two Sicce 2.0's @ ~600gph each. I also switched the stock tubing from 1/2"->1/2" Y-split to a 3/4"->1/2" Y-split hoping to reduce some back pressure. I haven't measured flow rates yet but the returns do a really good job of pushing flow that 18" from the bulkhead to the glass, and down towards the sand.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Update: Went to the beach this weekend and the family had a lot of fun picking out new shells for the hermit crabs. We scoured the shore for a few hours and found about 30 shells we liked. Took them home and gave them a white vinegar/RODI soak and a quick scrub. Then another RODI rinse and into the tank! My wife was so excited she was squealing with joy when the crabs started inspecting their new homes. Everyone probably spent an hour watching the crabs scurry over to their new digs, go into the new one, back out to the old one, into the next one, etc.

Keeping up with the 10 gallon water changes as well and the diatoms are nearly all gone - the CUC is rocking it. Rocks are still fairly green but not worried about that. Water parameters are looking real solid too!

pH: 8.2
Alk: 8.7
Temp: 78*F
Salinity: 35ppt
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 2
Ca: 430

Interestingly, the 2ppm nitrates in the tank seem to be slight lower than the 3.5ppm nitrates from the freshly made Reef Crystals. I'll be picking up a magnesium and phosphate checker but so far so good.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

One portion o’ Pods from FloridaPets.com in the tank! Kids loved the show and half the bag put in the sump and half in the DT. Filter socks taken out and skimmer off. Hope some survive!

From their website: “Lately, we have found that our pod portions have contained mostly amphipods. You will likely also see a few isopods and a few assorted other creatures such as: skeleton shrimp, tiny feather duster worms, small sea squirts small ghost shrimp and other forms of micro fauna. Our pods are shipped with oxygen in medium bags for transport.”

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Quick Update: Without a refugium, it seems the large pods were mostly a snack for the fish. I can still see about a dozen or so scurrying around odd places but not sure how much of their population survived. A visit to a LFS to grab some phytoplankton also led to picking up a bottle of juvenile copepods in hopes that some of these species might survive better than their adult counterparts. The LFS was also nice enough to give me a free bag of baby brine shrimp.

We tossed in the phyto, juvenile pods, and bag of baby brine shrimp on the tank last night. The clownfish loved them and quickly began gulping as many down as they could! The blenny was nonplussed and wasn't interested in eating the shrimp. Picky, picky.

Filter socks and skimmer are still off to try and give the new inhabitants a chance to find a safe space to hide. The tank, chock full of brine shrimp last night, was nearly crystal clear this morning. No idea if those clowns could decimate the entire population so fast, or maybe they found refuge somewhere in the tank.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

A trio of springer damsels found their way into the tank! Two are free swimming but one is still cowering inside of a rock. Hope he gets some courage!

I didn't know there were "peaceful" damsel species but my LFS turned me onto these guys.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Not thrilled about finding this bubble algae on my frag. Manually removed and used a stiff bristle brush to get what I could see off. Anything else to do?

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Update: I doubled my CUC after it appeared they weren't keeping up with the brown and green algae. I increased it to 18 blue legged hermits, 5 trochus snails, 5 mexican turbo snails, and a sand sifting starfish. It appears they are finally turning the tide against the algae!

I also installed a second MP-10 and am running one on about 45% constant speed and the other on a 60% max reefcrest mode. It appears to be making some cool flow in the tank! I also used the @Bulk Reef Supply 's customer appreciation day event to order 4 @Vivid Creative Aquatics RFG with slip adapters and some locline extensions - interested to see what kind of crazy flow will be in this tank! Pics to come when they're installed!

Also, a blue legged hermit crab has appeared to be hosting my Acan! He wedged himself right on top of where that bubble algae was growing and has refused to leave. The acan polyps are getting very large and fleshy with him underneath them! It seems they're responding positively to it.

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Adventures in maximum flow continue with today's shipment of RFG nozzles!

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics]

Adventures in maximum flow continues with today's shipment of RFG nozzles!

Awesome! That's going to rock your tank.

If you're plan is to use the loc-line with the Slip-Fit-Drop adapters, I would start setting the adapter face-up on the table and pressing the loc-line on, then then add the RFG nozzle to that. Then install the fully assembled parts to the tank. That way you dont put any undue stress on your tanks outlets.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to just give us a call. We'll bee happy to help. Support number on our website.

 

[cancun]

Adventures in maximum flow continues with today's shipment of RFG nozzles!

I bought one from Vivid Creative Aquatics for my Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL....I absolutely love it!!!

 

[Res_Ipsa]

Nice shots @cancun - beautiful tank!

And good advice @Vivid Creative Aquatics! Put the segments together as advised! I'll give these a shot in the tank and see how they do.

 

[cancun]

Nice shots @cancun - beautiful tank!

And good advice @Vivid Creative Aquatics! Put the segments together as advised! I'll give these a shot in the tank and see how they do.

Thanks! Your tank is looking great by the way! Good choice on those nozzles! When I had my SR80 I wish I would have gone that route! [emoji16]