Scott's First Tank - IM Nuvo 30L AIO

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Howdy Folks! Glad to be here and excited for what's to come! Recently changed careers from freelance cinematography to nursing, so I'm enjoying more stability and now starting a few new hobbies -- mountain biking, rock climbing, and last but not least, reefing! Aside from a dinky betta fishbowl years ago, this is my first time getting wet. Thus, trying to keep this setup fairly simple. End goal is pretty standard: LPS and softies with a couple of clowns and 2-3 other fish; plus some snails/shrimp.

Just finished my aquascape with primarily Marco nano shelf rock -- all dry rock. See attached photos.

Currently compiling gear as follows:

- IM Nuvo 30L tank
- MightyJet return pump (included)
- (2) AI Prime 16 HD
- (2) AI Nero 3 Powerhead
- 100w BRS Titanium heater w/ Controller
- Neptune Apex EL Controller System (or Seneye)
- IM Auqa Gadget Midsize Minimax Pro Media Reactor
- IM Auqa Shield UV Sterilizer Midsize
- Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder
- ATO (still deciding which - Tunze Nano, JBJ, or XP Aqua Duetto?)
- Skimmer (still deciding which - Tunze 9001 or IM Nuvo Skimmer?)
- MarinePure BioMedia ceramic spheres
- GFO, Carbon, etc.

We'll see how much of this gear will fit, ha!

Getting ready to add water (pre-mixed from LFS) and start a fishless cycle! I have the Brightwell Microbacter Dry Rock Bacteria Starter Kit (Quikcycl, Microbacter Start XLM 15x, Microbacter Clean) and CaribSea special grade live sand, but now I see live sand is specifically discouraged in the instructions. I'm now considering Dr Tim's O&O fishless cycle kit, which just instructs to wait an extra day before adding ammonia if using live sand. My cycling research has me chasing my tail with so many strategies, so any tips/tricks would be appreciated

Also wondering if I should get a simple QT going? Duration of QT? QT just fish or inverts and corals too? Treatment of copper, etc during QT or just observe? I live in a one bedroom apartment, so I don't have a ton of extra space.... smallest, easiest QT option?

Thanks in advance for the help! I'm sure I'll have more questions soon...

 

[Peace River]

#WelcometoR2R!!! It looks like you are off to a good start!

 

[coralfishreef]

Your rock structures look good. You may want to consider removing the top left rock. The water level of the IM Nuvo 20 and 30 will be approximately 1 3/4” down from the top of the glass. Based on the photo, the top left rock will be approximately 1 1/2” to 2” below the waterline. This will not leave much room for corals or fish.

My recommendation on keeping it simple would be to forgo some of the equipment, at least for now.

Yes to keep
No to not purchase

MightyJet return pump (included)
Yes - (2) AI Prime 16 HD
Yes, try 1 at first - (2) AI Nero 3 Powerhead
Yes - 100w BRS Titanium heater w/ Controller
No - Neptune Apex EL Controller System (or Seneye)
No - IM Auqa Gadget Midsize Minimax Pro Media Reactor
No - IM Auqa Shield UV Sterilizer Midsize
Yes - Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder
Yes, if you travel or often away from home, otherwise manual top off - ATO (still deciding which - Tunze Nano, JBJ, or XP Aqua Duetto?)
No - Skimmer (still deciding which - Tunze 9001 or IM Nuvo Skimmer?)
Either, depends - MarinePure BioMedia ceramic spheres
No to GFO, Yes to some carbon - GFO, Carbon, etc.

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Your rock structures look good. You may want to consider removing the top left rock. The water level of the IM Nuvo 20 and 30 will be approximately 1 3/4” down from the top of the glass. Based on the photo, the top left rock will be approximately 1 1/2” to 2” below the waterline. This will not leave much room for corals or fish.

My recommendation on keeping it simple would be to forgo some of the equipment, at least for now.

Yes to keep
No to not purchase

MightyJet return pump (included)
Yes - (2) AI Prime 16 HD
Yes, try 1 at first - (2) AI Nero 3 Powerhead
Yes - 100w BRS Titanium heater w/ Controller
No - Neptune Apex EL Controller System (or Seneye)
No - IM Auqa Gadget Midsize Minimax Pro Media Reactor
No - IM Auqa Shield UV Sterilizer Midsize
Yes - Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder
Yes, if you travel or often away from home, otherwise manual top off - ATO (still deciding which - Tunze Nano, JBJ, or XP Aqua Duetto?)
No - Skimmer (still deciding which - Tunze 9001 or IM Nuvo Skimmer?)
Either, depends - MarinePure BioMedia ceramic spheres
No to GFO, Yes to some carbon - GFO, Carbon, etc.

Really appreciate your feedback!

I do realize that top rock on the left is a little high, but I love how it adds to the asymmetry of the overall aquascape. I was thinkin I might be able to find some shorter corals to throw up there -- collection of zoas or a little meadow of GSP perhaps? If it ends up not working, I can always trim or remove that rock.

And yes, I was definitely thinking of waiting on some of this equipment, so thanks for helping me pair it down. Gonna try just one Nero 3 and see how the flow goes.

Should I do two heaters right off the bat for redundancy?

Any thoughts on a QT for the livestock? Or if I should start my cycle with live sand or dry sand?

Thanks again!

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

#WelcometoR2R!!! It looks like you are off to a good start!

Thanks! So many knowledgeable reefers to learn from -- I'm honored to be here!

 

[Peace River]

Really appreciate your feedback!

I do realize that top rock on the left is a little high, but I love how it adds to the asymmetry of the overall aquascape. I was thinkin I might be able to find some shorter corals to throw up there -- collection of zoas or a little meadow of GSP perhaps?

And yes, I was definitely thinking of waiting on some of this equipment, so thanks for helping me pair it down. Gonna try just one Nero 3 and see how the flow goes.

Should I do two heaters right off the bat for redundancy?

Any thoughts on a QT for the livestock? Or if I should start my cycle with live sand or dry sand?

Thanks again!

Some of these questions come with a range of answers and opinions. I recommend some type of aquarium controller if possible, an ATO is recommended, and QT at least for observation (even if you are not proactively treating the fish in QT). Additionally, I use live sand for my tanks (unless I am setting up a bare bottom system). I'm sure others will jump in soon with their thoughts. Enjoy the adventure - it rarely goes in a straight line!

 

[coralfishreef]

Btw, Welcome!

 

[coralfishreef]

“Should I do two heaters right off the bat for redundancy?”

I’m running 2 heaters in my IM30, but only because I happened to have 2 spare, smaller 50w Eheim Jagers laying around. But, double the heaters is also double the risk of a heater failure. I usually have a single heater with a controller for smaller tanks.

“Any thoughts on a QT for the livestock? Or if I should start my cycle with live sand or dry sand?”

If you mean live sand sold in the bags, then it won’t matter too much in my experience. One of my easiest tanks was setup with a handful of sand from an trustworthy LFS to seed it with bacteria. If you have a local reefer with a mature, clean tank, then try to get a handful of sand from him or her.

QT question can be a can of worms...

Aquarium controller is nice to have and so is an ATO, but I’d recommend taking it slow for now.

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

great replies, thanks!

setting up my QT now!

I'll think more about an ATO and controller.

 

[jazzfisher]

Looks like you are off to a great start!
This is what I run on my 30L: just for your information- doesn’t mean you have to do the same.
Mighty Jet (included)
In Tank media basket (or IM caddy comes with tank)
IM UV sterilizer
IM midsize skimmer
2 Nero 3 (you can probably start with 1 until you get more corals)
2 AI Prime 16HD
IM ATO but I topped off manually when I first started.
1 heater but will probably upgrade this to another kind later.

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Looks like you are off to a great start!
This is what I run on my 30L: just for your information- doesn’t mean you have to do the same.
Mighty Jet (included)
In Tank media basket (or IM caddy comes with tank)
IM UV sterilizer
IM midsize skimmer
2 Nero 3 (you can probably start with 1 until you get more corals)
2 AI Prime 16HD
IM ATO but I topped off manually when I first started.
1 heater but will probably upgrade this to another kind later.

Great looking tank you have!! Is that a Royal Gramma by your powerhead on the lower left? I'm thinking of getting one down the road...

Thanks for your two cents regarding gear!

What do you have in your media basket?

Which compartments do you keep your UV sterilizer and skimmer? I'll probably wait for some months before trying those. I won't have a big bio-load for a while anyways. And will also start with just one Nero. Probably won't need the other for while (or ever, depending).

Thanks for the advice!

 

[jazzfisher]

Yes, a Royal Gramma!
Media basket-In Tank Filter Floss (cut to fit-easy!) 1st chamber left side
2nd chamber IM protein Skimmer
Return chamber-pump and ATO Probes
4th chamber -heater
5th IM UV

Let me know if you have other questions!

 

[New&no clue]

I have a Nuvo 30 as well. It is at my office so I have tried to design it to be a ultra low maintenance (ULM) tank. I grow manly sofites, with a couple LPS in there as well. In my back chambers I have the following:
Chamber 1-sponge top, heater, chaeto, and Tunze refugium light
Chamber 2- chaeto
Chamber 3- return pump, heater, ATO sensor
Chamber 4- Skimmer-Broken for several months
Chamber 5- IM media basket with polyfilters, phosguard, and carbon

For cycling (not this tank but a different one I had) I did live sand and Brightwells quickstart and it seemed to work fine.

For QT I have an aqueon 10 gallon tank


I typically only observe my fish and only do medication if I see a need to. I only QT fish, inverts and corals go directly into the DT. Recently I have bought some fish from TSM Aquatics who QT there.

 

[jazzfisher]

Whoops forgot the other stuff in the caddy-Chemi Blue and sometimes carbon or purigen.

 

[jazzfisher]

I have a Nuvo 30 as well. It is at my office so I have tried to design it to be a ultra low maintenance (ULM) tank. I grow manly sofites, with a couple LPS in there as well. In my back chambers I have the following:
Chamber 1-sponge top, heater, chaeto, and Tunze refugium light
Chamber 2- chaeto
Chamber 3- return pump, heater, ATO sensor
Chamber 4- Skimmer-Broken for several months
Chamber 5- IM media basket with polyfilters, phosguard, and carbon

For cycling (not this tank but a different one I had) I did live sand and Brightwells quickstart and it seemed to work fine.

For QT I have an aqueon 10 gallon tank


I typically only observe my fish and only do medication if I see a need to. I only QT fish, inverts and corals go directly into the DT. Recently I have bought some fish from TSM Aquatics who QT there.

CUTE puppy!!!!

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Yes, a Royal Gramma!
Media basket-In Tank Filter Floss (cut to fit-easy!) 1st chamber left side
2nd chamber IM protein Skimmer
Return chamber-pump and ATO Probes
4th chamber -heater
5th IM UV

Let me know if you have other questions!

Awesome, love them royals -- does it behave well with others? Thought i heard it can be a little aggressive sometimes..?

Taking notes on your gear and placement in the sump. These all seem to be popular amongst reefers and there's only so much room back there anyways. I will let you know!

I think I'm just gonna set up an ATO pretty quickly here - it seems straightforward and might as well do it now since I know I'll want it down the road anyways. I have room in my cabinet down below, so should be easy!

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

I have a Nuvo 30 as well. It is at my office so I have tried to design it to be a ultra low maintenance (ULM) tank. I grow manly sofites, with a couple LPS in there as well. In my back chambers I have the following:
Chamber 1-sponge top, heater, chaeto, and Tunze refugium light
Chamber 2- chaeto
Chamber 3- return pump, heater, ATO sensor
Chamber 4- Skimmer-Broken for several months
Chamber 5- IM media basket with polyfilters, phosguard, and carbon

For cycling (not this tank but a different one I had) I did live sand and Brightwells quickstart and it seemed to work fine.

For QT I have an aqueon 10 gallon tank


I typically only observe my fish and only do medication if I see a need to. I only QT fish, inverts and corals go directly into the DT. Recently I have bought some fish from TSM Aquatics who QT there.

Hey Hey, thanks for the input! Your tank is wild!! ...with that rock structure and all that wavy sand -- I dig it! I also notice you've done the low profile lighting... nice! I considered that because my projector screen (to watch TV) sits above my tank, but I've already started the AI Primes and they work well and fit nicely.

I have an Aqueon QT like you but I bought the small 5.5 gallon one, which should be enough for juvenile fish like the 2 clowns I'm planning to buy tmrw. I'll just do the observational QT like you -- that's what I'm sensing from a lot of reefers. You answered my next question, which was about QTing inverts and corals... so thank you!

Which skimmer do you have that's been broken for months? Curious, maybe I don't buy that one lol

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Haven't started cycling yet.

Current salinity in both tanks is 1.028 right now -- just added some RODI so hopefully that comes down.

Current dKH in QT = 7.0, Main tank = 6.9

Used the Hanna checkers for both salinity and dKH.

I'm not planning to cycle my QT, but I did add some biospira and microbacter 7 and I have as sponge and MarinePure bio balls in there. I suppose I should make sure the QT ammonia level is 0 or close to 0 before adding the 2 clowns tomorrow, huh?

The Seachem ammonia alert sensor currently reads "safe" (<0.02 ppm). I do have some Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride that I could dose in the QT tonight and check tmrw...?

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

I got my saltwater from a LFS.

I need to get my dKH up to 8?

 

[jazzfisher]

I got my saltwater from a LFS.

I need to get my dKH up to 8?

No just keep it stable where it is and worry about that later.
Just my opinion I would use the Bio-Spira on the qt but watch the ammonia closely after adding the fish.