Kev’s 20g IM Nuvo - mixed reef

[kev.2013]

Hello,

Last winter I got back into reefing, and decided to give it ago with actually setting up a mixed reef vs just having a FOWLR nano tank during college.

So far the tank has been set up just over 1.5 years.

Equipment:

• Innovative Marine 20g
• InTank Media baskets, one for each side
• DC NuvoSkim (the innovative marine skimmer for the AIO tanks) replaced this with a Eshopps Nano Skim
• 4. Drop in UV Sterilizer, made by Innovative Marine
• Return Pump: MightyJet Desktop
• Return Nozzle: VCA RFG’s (was preciously the IM SpinStreams, really glad I switched to VCA’s).
• Wavemaker: EchoTech MP10 (set your Reef Crest or NTS depending on the time of day)
• Doser: Kamora X1 w/Tropic Marine All for Reef
• Heater: Conalt heater plugged into an InkBird controller
• Lights: AI Prime 16HD over the center, then an old AI Prime HD that sits above the anemone’s on the right. Light schedule is very similar to the recent BRS AB+.
• ATO: SmartMicro ATO

Livestock:

• 2 clownfish (Mocha DaVinci and the other a Frostbite; named Pagliacci and Buck) - sadly one of the Mocha DaVinci died, and he was replaced with the Frostbite.
• 1 Pinkstreaked Wrasse [named Trisha (the fisha)]
• CUC - snails only ATM
• Plenty of coral

Day 0:

Day: 5 months in, Springeri Damsel added, and some corals, including my first SPS that I got from my local club.

Day: 9 months in, had to rehome the Damsel (Classic), rearranged the scape a little bit and added a small RBTA.

Day: 10 months in. The RBTA is continuing to settle, snagged a couple more corals including an ORA Goni and Acan Echinata from the local club. Also a couple Micromussa from my LFS.

Day: 11 months in. My RBTA decided to split for the first time! It split from one big girl, into th

Day: 1 year mark! Things seem to be going pretty well

Day: 15 months in. Rock was rearranged, decided if I can’t get the clowns to go to the nem, I’ll bring the nems to the clowns!

Day: 17 months, a clown has found the nem!!

Day: 18 months in!

Sadly during Mocha, one of my Mocha-Vinci clowns passed away. I’m not sure what caused this, as he was acting perfectly fine the day of; but then when going to look at the tank I saw him suffocating and then soon dead on the sandbed. Below is one of my favorite pictures of Mocha - RIP. Everything else in the tank is doing well, so unsure what the cause could’ve been

Mocha was recently replaced with Buck(shot) the Frostbite clown.

Below are a couple more pictures of some of the corals.

RBTA and anemone crab -

Macro of PC Rainbow Acro

macro of ORA Red Goni

The first SPS I put in - unknown name.

German Blue - Montipora Digitata over a red Monti

RedScoly, eating

Orange Crush - Acan Echinata

 

[kev.2013]

Struggles I’ve ran into.

Byprosis - fixed with Reef Flux HD

Dino’s - fixed with raising nutrients and adding the UV

Nutrients bottoming out - fixed by reducing filtration and dosing NeoPhos and/or NeoNitrate

I also do have red planaria flatworms. I was hoping my PSW would eat them, but she likes to avoid them. They don’t cause any issues with the corals, just an eyesore on the sandbed.


my current filtration (as of 8.13.20):

• Filter pads ontop of each media basket.
• Eshopps Bio-Lux - each media basket has 3/4 of a brick and there is a full brick in the AIO sump.
• Skimmer/UV
• 1 single packet of Chemi-Pure Blue Nano
• Usually water change once a week

I’m currently feeding Reef Frenzy, with Selcon or TDO pellets. And use benepellets/reef chili in conjunction with RedSea AB+.

Currently reading Almost undetectable Phos and Nitrate using Salfiet kits. No algae is currently in the tank; for now!

 

[kylebeano]

Really nice reef going, keep doing what youre doing! Sorry about the clown, probably had a congenital issue?
Great photos, and beautiful colors

 

[kev.2013]

Really nice reef going, keep doing what youre doing! Sorry about the clown, probably had a congenital issue?
Great photos, and beautiful colors

Thank you!! Yeah, I’m not sure with the clown. My LFS was surprised too. I guess as long as everything else is doing well ‍.

 

[cpschult]

What lighting do you have? I have an IM lagoon 25. I may need to add another light as my nems own the middle of the tank to capture all that light too Love to see it grow!

 

[SPR1968]

Beautiful tank and photography, very nice indeed!

Welcome to R2R as well by the way

 

[kev.2013]

What lighting do you have? I have an IM lagoon 25. I may need to add another light as my nems own the middle of the tank to capture all that light too Love to see it grow!

AI Prime 16HD in the center, AI Prime HD on the right side. Below is a quick picture on the phone, I can find the settings later if you’d like

 

[kev.2013]

Beautiful tank and photography, very nice indeed!

Welcome to R2R as well by the way

TY!

 

[kev.2013]

Forgot to include a picture of the third fish, Trisha (the fisha) - Pink Streaked Wrasse

 

[kev.2013]

Top Down: 8/6/2020

 

[kev.2013]

FTS: 8/14/2020

 

[seaescape]

Looks great!

 

[kev.2013]

Top Down: 8.19.2020

 

[jcolliii]

Some nice looking corals you got there!

 

[kev.2013]

Some nice looking corals you got there!

Thank you

 

[kev.2013]

Did a slight rescape this morning, specifically on the rock where the anemones are.
Also tried to add a YWG last week, but found him being eaten by corals the next morning.

 

[kev.2013]

FTS: 9/14/2020

Ran into a bit of an issue with phosphates, thankfully my monti digi was a clear give away since it started to brown out quickly. After multiple false low-readings from various test kits, I splurged for a Hanna to get more accurate numbers.

Lowered the phosphates from 0.32ppm to 0.08 right now. Still working on lowering it, but that’ll happen via regular water changes. To help lower the initial phosphate spike, I dosed some nitrates - as these were extremely low compared to the phosphate.

additionally,I like many others probably saw BRS’ video on pH. And got a CO2 scrubber. The scrubber is hooked up to the IM DC skimmer and works well so far. Getting a pH of 8.2 at the moment, which is nice.

additionally additionally, I did a little bit of remodeling. My purple torch is now on the back wall - allowing space for my monti cap to heal and to help provide it a little lower par. The green tip torch is currently in a temporary frag holder while I figure out what to do. I also rotated the center rock and moved it forward a nudge, better viewing angle and a little more space from the anemone rock. The anemone rock was taken out for a hot minute, so that I could break it up a little bit. I decided to shift this rock slightly, allowing more space for the Acan to grow (it was being pushed against the front glass) and to help create a little cave for Trisha the Fish to hang out in.

the mint Micromussa Pacifica (button scoly/mini-scoly) was moved to the right side of the tank, to help add some color there. In its place (current white spot on the left from its epoxy), I’m thinking about putting either a chalice or a lepto.

 

[kev.2013]

CO2 Scrubber on the NuvoSkim DC Midsize skimmer for IM AIO tanks does work - in case any one was worried about an AIO skimmer drawing thru the scrubber.

just checked my pH, right before lights are out and it’s sitting at 8.2.

 

[jcolliii]

Looking good! Like the orange echinata. Mine has turned more reddish, but it's in a fairly low light spot. I would suggest agains lowering the PO4 too much more. Mine was almost undetectable for a long time and I experienced muted colors, and very S-L-O-W growth as well as some algae issues and cyano. I raised my PO4 using a DIY recipe up to 0.1-0.2ppm and my corals have started growing like weeds again, the algae is hard to find, and the cyano completely disappeared. Corals need some PO4 to really get in the grove.

I do CO2 scrubber as well through my Nuvoskim when the house is buttoned up in the summer and will do this winter as well. Works fantastic, but the media gets exhausted fairly quickly. I've seen my lights on pH as high as 8.31 and my lights out pH goes down to ~8.07 or so.

 

[kev.2013]

Looking good! Like the orange echinata. Mine has turned more reddish, but it's in a fairly low light spot. I would suggest agains lowering the PO4 too much more. Mine was almost undetectable for a long time and I experienced muted colors, and very S-L-O-W growth as well as some algae issues and cyano. I raised my PO4 using a DIY recipe up to 0.1-0.2ppm and my corals have started growing like weeds again, the algae is hard to find, and the cyano completely disappeared. Corals need some PO4 to really get in the grove.

I do CO2 scrubber as well through my Nuvoskim when the house is buttoned up in the summer and will do this winter as well. Works fantastic, but the media gets exhausted fairly quickly. I've seen my lights on pH as high as 8.31 and my lights out pH goes down to ~8.07 or so.

I don’t plan on seeking to lower that Phosphates much more. I plan to keep them around this level, if something goes off I can always dose nitrates or phosphates to help them balance each other out. But I’d rather not do that route, I don’t think I’ll have to with regular upkeep and not over feeding coral food.