Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 20 Sump/Filtration Setup, Hacks & Upgrades (SHOW ME YOUR SETUP!)

alexnarvaez

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Hello All!

I am posting this thread to provoke discussion about the Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 20 (and other desktop models) filtration, setup, hacks and upgrades. I will begin the discussion by presenting my filtration setup and hopefully you guys can give me pointers and discuss your own setups. What creative ideas do you guys run on your tanks?

Currently I am running...
Left Chamber:inTank Filter Floss Holder

MarinePure 1.5” Biofilter Media Spheres (14)
Middle Left Chamber:MarinePure 1.5” Biofilter Media Spheres (28)
Middle Chamber:
(bottom)
Innovative Marine 211 GPH Return
Middle Right Chamber:Innovative Marine AUQA Gadget SkimMate Ghost Protein Skimmer
Right Chamber:Innovative Marine AUQA Gadget CustomCaddy Media Basket

- Total I run 42 MarinePure Spheres
- My skimmer is running 24/7
- In my caddy, I run filter floss and carbon

Does anybody put anything on the bottom on the sump? where the middle chamber extends under the baffle chambers?

(my tank is too close to the wall to take photos right now but I will aim to update this post by the end of the week)
 

Reef.

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I have the 14g, I have...

1st media basket floss, carbon, Purigen and rowaphos

2nd media basket with siporax and heaters

3rd return and ato

I did remove my bio media thinking it wasn’t needed, but saw my nitrates go up, now replaced the media, hopefully they will return to past lvls
 

kev.2013

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Left chamber: InTank filter floss holder, with an eshopps biolux.
Second left: UV skimmer. The Universal one that IM sells.
Right chamber: InTank media basket with filter floss/biolux/2 packets of chemipure blue nano.
seclnd right: eshopps nanoskim

center: the midsized mightyjet that IM sells, going to 2 RFG’s/ heater / ATO sensor / dosing tube / ATO tube
 
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alexnarvaez

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I have the 14g, I have...

1st media basket floss, carbon, Purigen and rowaphos

2nd media basket with siporax and heaters

3rd return and ato

I did remove my bio media thinking it wasn’t needed, but saw my nitrates go up, now replaced the media, hopefully they will return to past lvls
what did your nitrate level test at?
 

Reef.

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what did your nitrate level test at?

it was a very constant 10-12 before removing the media, dropped to 5 for a couple of days, guessing because I also removed a lot of detritus, then raised to 25 over the next week or so, now at a steady 25, I’ve added the media back but it’ll be a while for it to get to where it was being new media.
 
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alexnarvaez

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Left chamber: InTank filter floss holder, with an eshopps biolux.
Second left: UV skimmer. The Universal one that IM sells.
Right chamber: InTank media basket with filter floss/biolux/2 packets of chemipure blue nano.
seclnd right: eshopps nanoskim

center: the midsized mightyjet that IM sells, going to 2 RFG’s/ heater / ATO sensor / dosing tube / ATO tube
I like the idea with the Bio-Lux. I am running something similar but under my inTank filter floss holder and into the second chamber i and running 2 qts of MarinePure bio spheres (42 balls in total). Definitely a good amount of biological filtration. Where do your nitrate and phosphate levels sit?
 
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alexnarvaez

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it was a very constant 10-12 before removing the media, dropped to 5 for a couple of days, guessing because I also removed a lot of detritus, then raised to 25 over the next week or so, now at a steady 25, I’ve added the media back but it’ll be a while for it to get to where it was being new media.
Are you dosing anything for algae? i.e Red Sea Algae Management? My nitrates sit at about 10 ppm normally but with Algae Management I can hit 0 ppm (which i try to avoid). My Skimmate Ghost is running 24/7 so I'm weening off Algae Management and looking to go natural.
 

Reef.

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Are you dosing anything for algae? i.e Red Sea Algae Management? My nitrates sit at about 10 ppm normally but with Algae Management I can hit 0 ppm (which i try to avoid). My Skimmate Ghost is running 24/7 so I'm weening off Algae Management and looking to go natural.

I don’t have an algae issue, have a little but nothing bad, if I can get my nitrates back down to 10 and my PO4 stays as it is, below .1 I’ll be happy.

I do feed heavy, not planning on sps so my lvls once back to normal should be ok.
 

kev.2013

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I like the idea with the Bio-Lux. I am running something similar but under my inTank filter floss holder and into the second chamber i and running 2 qts of MarinePure bio spheres (42 balls in total). Definitely a good amount of biological filtration. Where do your nitrate and phosphate levels sit?
I haven’t checked those in a little bit tbh, but everything looks healthy.
 

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I have a Nuvo Fusion Pro 20 setup with APS stand. For filtration I use two Intank Media baskets in both overflow chambers. In the top on both sides I use two pieces of filter pad, the middle has filter floss in both sides. The bottom of the right chamber has a Brightwell Bio-xport cube, and the left side has Marine Pure gems in a media bag. The second chamber on both sides has some rock rubble from a cycled tank I got from my lfs and the left side has a bag Brightwell Purit carbon. The return chamber houses a Finnex TH-300s, Sicce 1.5, XP Aqua Ato senor. So far my nitrates have not got above 20. For phosphates I have seen them up around .6 but normally stay between (.05 - .1 ).
 
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alexnarvaez

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I have a Nuvo Fusion Pro 20 setup with APS stand. For filtration I use two Intank Media baskets in both overflow chambers. In the top on both sides I use two pieces of filter pad, the middle has filter floss in both sides. The bottom of the right chamber has a Brightwell Bio-xport cube, and the left side has Marine Pure gems in a media bag. The second chamber on both sides has some rock rubble from a cycled tank I got from my lfs and the left side has a bag Brightwell Purit carbon. The return chamber houses a Finnex TH-300s, Sicce 1.5, XP Aqua Ato senor. So far my nitrates have not got above 20. For phosphates I have seen them up around .6 but normally stay between (.05 - .1 ).
I like the idea of rock rubble. I wonder if small pieces of live rock would do well on the underside of the sump. Seems to be some dead space down there (the space the extends under the overflow chambers). How do you like the inTank media baskets? have you tried the IM media baskets? Are the inTank baskets really that much better?
 
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alexnarvaez

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I don’t have an algae issue, have a little but nothing bad, if I can get my nitrates back down to 10 and my PO4 stays as it is, below .1 I’ll be happy.

I do feed heavy, not planning on sps so my lvls once back to normal should be ok.
I've heard of reefers who dose Red Sea algae management, not because they have algae, but because it is good at feeding microbiology in the tank, specifically anaerobic bacteria which help with nitrate reduction. Somebody even recommended dosing it daily but in very tiny amounts (anywhere from .1ml to .5ml) depending on water volume. I only ask if you were dosing RSAM because I enjoy setups with lots of bio media and live rock for this exact purpose.
 

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I like the idea of rock rubble. I wonder if small pieces of live rock would do well on the underside of the sump. Seems to be some dead space down there (the space the extends under the overflow chambers). How do you like the inTank media baskets? have you tried the IM media baskets? Are the inTank baskets really that much better?

I have both, only because I couldn’t get hold of another IM basket, all out of stock here for months, don’t waste your money the IM is just as good.
 

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I like the idea of rock rubble. I wonder if small pieces of live rock would do well on the underside of the sump. Seems to be some dead space down there (the space the extends under the overflow chambers). How do you like the inTank media baskets? have you tried the IM media baskets? Are the inTank baskets really that much better?
I have two of them because Intank had them on sale and it was cheaper to buy two Intank baskets at the moment. Otherwise I am sure the IM filter basket is just as good. I do dose a small amount of Microbacter clean when I do a water change. But if you dose this kind of bacteria be very careful and use the exact or less that it asks for. It can cause dinos and other problems. If it ever arrives I ordered a reactor for chaeto that I plan putting the rock rubble in to help feed and grow pods. After that I can use the second chambers for my heater and probes when I get a controller going.
 
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alexnarvaez

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I have both, only because I couldn’t get hold of another IM basket, all out of stock here for months, don’t waste your money the IM is just as good.
That is great to know because I was always curious about the inTank baskets. inTank makes some really good upgrades. I'm a huge fan of their aquaclear media baskets. I currently have an aquaclear 70 with an oceanbox designs overflow box that I would love to throw into the sump area of my IM20 but I haven't had any success without creating a mess of bubbles in my display. I'm determined to make it work one day but that is a whole other thread and discussion lol
 
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alexnarvaez

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I have two of them because Intank had them on sale and it was cheaper to buy two Intank baskets at the moment. Otherwise I am sure the IM filter basket is just as good. I do dose a small amount of Microbacter clean when I do a water change. But if you dose this kind of bacteria be very careful and use the exact or less that it asks for. It can cause dinos and other problems. If it ever arrives I ordered a reactor for chaeto that I plan putting the rock rubble in to help feed and grow pods. After that I can use the second chambers for my heater and probes when I get a controller going.
Sounds like a pretty nifty setup. Being as my system is pretty heavily filtered, I think it would be overkill but I've always wanted to grow chaeto in an AC70 but I think it'll be overkill. Then again why not give it a shot, right? I will look into Microbacter Clean as well.
 

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