Setting up a 25 NUVO Fusion AIO Lagoon tips

lButterl

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Hey everyone! Fairly new to the thread but have been lurking for a couple years but I was wondering if anyone has any helpful tips/recommended equipment for setting up the 25 NUVO Fusion AIO lagoon tank. I've been doing some research and asking both BRS and local aquatic shops what I should get but I wanted your guy's opinion as well. Trying to stay somewhat in a budget but with holidays coming up I get the work and make more for those hours so I'll have some extra cash in as well. The stands and wavemakers I was going to get from FB marketplace or find someone local that can hold the weight, but as far as other equipment goes such as heaters, lights, skimmers, ATO, RO/DI (I'm personally gonna wait on this since I live in an apartment), etc. that I would need to have a thriving reef tank would be great! I used to have a larger 95G predator tank back in middle/highschool but we moved far away so I had to get rid of most everything. Though I wanna start something smaller and more serene to look at you know? Any recommended products for each, addons, or tips would be really appreciated!
 

Ron Reefman

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I have a 40g breeder aio and the only equipment I use 2 jebao wavemakers (both bigger than I need) a Reefbreeders ATO, and after about a year, I just started a HOB skimmer. I have a heater but very rarely need it as I live in SW Florida. I only use filer media and an old filter sock in the aio filtration area of the aio (no carbon, GFO or any other additives). But then I only have a mix of corals and a dozen anemones (RFAs and a Blackwidow Bubble Tip that has split numerous times so I now have 5). Snails, hermit crabs, serpent stars, sea cucumbers, and rock boring urchins are all collected when we go snorkeling in the Florida Keys. Oh, there are a few RFAs collected by me as well as a couple of babies that also appear to be due to the collected RFAs rather than the more colorful purchased RFAs. Currently there are no fish and I intend to keep it that way as it means less feeding, less detritus and less cleaning/maintenance.
 

Dragen Fiend

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I'm currently setting up my IM 25 gallon lagoon as well. Will be posting my build thread soon.

1. IM helios heater. Seriously, the space savings and magnetic mounting are great for AIO tanks in general. I also prefer the controller over inkbird. This is my go to heater from now on. Plus 5 year warranty.
2. jecod DMP-20 wavemaker. Works perfect for this tank. I did a freshwater test for flow @ 70%.
3. I cheaped out on my stand. I got the Aqueon black pedestal stand 24x24 for $110 on sale at petco. I know people don't trust these. But I've owned these stands for years and never had an issue. Just inspect, install and level properly.
4. I have a noopsyche K7 mini light on it which will work great. I'm debating on getting a kessil 360XE though as I'm really taken back on the shimmer. Defiantly not budget friendly so I would stick with K7 mini or get the noopsyche
pro if I was you.
5. You can stick with the basic filtration socks that came with it. I went with some intank media baskets for simplicity.
6. My ATO and other things are all tied into Hydros. So it would be a different recommendation. ATO wise, cheap amazon ones under $50 work fine. I've been using them for a year now and never had issues with my other tanks.
 

BlueWhistler

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Check out my build I just did on my nuvo 25. I did upgrade my return pump to the mighty jet that comes on the pro model. I used a 100w hyger heater that fit perfict in the return pump chamber and it seems to be doing a good job.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB8J5QXH/?coliid=I2PT3SKNX80ITI&colid=1Y8XX3TJXCI0N&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it. I also have a hyper mini wave maker https://www.amazon.com/gp/buyagain?ref_=navm_accountmenu_buyagain. It's ok it was difficult to program and i had to clearance the impeller for more reliability.
 
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lButterl

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Thank you everyone for the advice! Life been a bit hectic with the snowstorms and work/life but the tank is up and running so far and I’m super proud of it! The cycle took about 3 weeks (The hardest part IMO) and the water parameters have been good since adding my pair of clownfish. I plan to get a firefish in a couple of weeks once the tank is settled as well as some CUC. I’ll be updating my work through on this tank but here are the results!
 

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Dragen Fiend

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Thank you everyone for the advice! Life been a bit hectic with the snowstorms and work/life but the tank is up and running so far and I’m super proud of it! The cycle took about 3 weeks (The hardest part IMO) and the water parameters have been good since adding my pair of clownfish. I plan to get a firefish in a couple of weeks once the tank is settled as well as some CUC. I’ll be updating my work through on this tank but here are the results!
Looks great. The firefish has tons of spots to hide in as well.
 
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lButterl

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My only real concern is possibly flow when I add my first corals? Right now I have the arranged as shown in the pictures with the direction indicated. Any suggestions or comments on the current arrangement? I just wanna make sure there’s no dead zones or too much in one area.
 

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Tahoe61

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Which MP did you get?
 

Tahoe61

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i got the mp-10 for 50 bucks (saw the deal and have to take it lol)
It should be fine initially. I wouldn't worry about it until you determine the direction of your tank, soft corals and lps,or more difficult sps. Directional flow looks good.
Keep in mind you can upgrade the return pump for something with a higher gph rate later. I have upgrade the stock pump in all my IM tanks.
You have a nice tank, I almost got one myself.
 
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lButterl

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It should be fine initially. I wouldn't worry about it until you determine the direction of your tank, soft corals and lps,or more difficult sps. Directional flow looks good.
Keep in mind you can upgrade the return pump for something with a higher gph rate later. I have upgrade the stock pump in all my IM tanks.
You have a nice tank, I almost got one myself.
Thank you! i heard that a lot about the pumps but that’s for a future upgrade. i plan to keep lps and just easy corals (GSP, Toadstool, Zoas, frog/hammer, and possibly pulsating xenia. i’m a bit away from adding them but i like to prepare
 

Jason Scalise

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In case it is useful to you....
I have made some slight modifications to my IM NUVO 20.
You can see them on my build thread to see if they are relevant to your situation.

I am about 2 years in from setting it up and it has been going fine.
ATO: Gravity fed, float valve
Skimmer: MiniQ
Return pump: stock pump
Powerhead/wave maker: Nero 3
Light: RedSea 90
The 4 Return chambers from left to right:
#1: handful of poly filter in a shallow basket
#2: Fuge - I made this with a light source and macro algae
#3: skimmer
#4: empty.

Here is a short clip and some pics.

IMG_2300.JPG


IMG_2296.JPG


IMG_2297.JPG
 
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lButterl

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In case it is useful to you....
I have made some slight modifications to my IM NUVO 20.
You can see them on my build thread to see if they are relevant to your situation.

I am about 2 years in from setting it up and it has been going fine.
ATO: Gravity fed, float valve
Skimmer: MiniQ
Return pump: stock pump
Powerhead/wave maker: Nero 3
Light: RedSea 90
The 4 Return chambers from left to right:
#1: handful of poly filter in a shallow basket
#2: Fuge - I made this with a light source and macro algae
#3: skimmer
#4: empty.

Here is a short clip and some pics.

IMG_2300.JPG


IMG_2296.JPG


IMG_2297.JPG
First of all, wow ur tank is stunning! Currently rn all Im running in the back is filter socks at both entry points then a bio media filter bag after then my heater in the return section. How beneficial would u say both the skimmer and refugium are? ive read that people are 50/50 on it since its such a small tank and could be an overkill. i’ve also been looking into both and possibly getting the little caddy IM has to replace the filter socks and offer more filtration as well but im on the fence.
 

Jason Scalise

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First of all, wow ur tank is stunning! Currently rn all Im running in the back is filter socks at both entry points then a bio media filter bag after then my heater in the return section. How beneficial would u say both the skimmer and refugium are? ive read that people are 50/50 on it since its such a small tank and could be an overkill. i’ve also been looking into both and possibly getting the little caddy IM has to replace the filter socks and offer more filtration as well but im on the fence.
thank you for the compliment.
How beneficial are the skimmer and refugium? As it relates to my setup I would say "mild to moderately so".
For example....
Refugium - I have been dosing nitrates daily for quite some time because I could not keep nitrates and phosphates at high enough levels. they kept bottoming out. therefore, during those times turned the light of the refugium (made it go dark). From that standpoint, I did not need the refugium of course. there have been times when nutrients would stray to climb to high and I would turn it back on. That would sometimes when I kept everything else the same (feeding, etc) but I moved some corals or did some fragging and the natural consumption of nutrients would go down, upsetting the balance for a while (my conclusion). But in only a 20g tank, I want only gentle nudges in one direction or another.
Skimmer- kind of the same. I had a repetitive issue with my skimmer where it go crazy and overflow which goes into a catchment container (not the tank). But that would lower tank volume and cause the ATO to kick in (gravity fed). Not good in a 20g tank. I have fixed the issue and built in some simple safety features that should prevent the influx of a bunch of fresh water. But the point is, during that time, I had the skimmer off for a couple of months and saw no difference. And you might say, if you are having to add nutrients to keep them up, why have a slimmer? you would be correct.

I do have the IM caddy that fits into the far right chamber and has 3 sections for media, carbon bags, etc. I initially used it and put ceramic "bio balls" in one section while I was getting established. I seriously doubt they add anything right now for me given mature live rock, sand bed, etc.

I am not a big fan of filter socks. I prefer the polyester "cotton" fluff from the craft store.
1737313852520.png


I put a ball of it in the basket and in a few days throw the ball away (after dumping about 20 stuck amphipods back into the display tank). For me, that is 1000x better than cleaning a filter sock.


At the end of the day, I would suggest resisting the pull to add equipment until you feel you need it (even though I did not follow that advice) for a specific reason. cheaper in the long run and you may actually decide you don't need some of the stuff or need something a bit different than what thought you needed in the first place.
 

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lButterl

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thank you for the compliment.
How beneficial are the skimmer and refugium? As it relates to my setup I would say "mild to moderately so".
For example....
Refugium - I have been dosing nitrates daily for quite some time because I could not keep nitrates and phosphates at high enough levels. they kept bottoming out. therefore, during those times turned the light of the refugium (made it go dark). From that standpoint, I did not need the refugium of course. there have been times when nutrients would stray to climb to high and I would turn it back on. That would sometimes when I kept everything else the same (feeding, etc) but I moved some corals or did some fragging and the natural consumption of nutrients would go down, upsetting the balance for a while (my conclusion). But in only a 20g tank, I want only gentle nudges in one direction or another.
Skimmer- kind of the same. I had a repetitive issue with my skimmer where it go crazy and overflow which goes into a catchment container (not the tank). But that would lower tank volume and cause the ATO to kick in (gravity fed). Not good in a 20g tank. I have fixed the issue and built in some simple safety features that should prevent the influx of a bunch of fresh water. But the point is, during that time, I had the skimmer off for a couple of months and saw no difference. And you might say, if you are having to add nutrients to keep them up, why have a slimmer? you would be correct.

I do have the IM caddy that fits into the far right chamber and has 3 sections for media, carbon bags, etc. I initially used it and put ceramic "bio balls" in one section while I was getting established. I seriously doubt they add anything right now for me given mature live rock, sand bed, etc.

I am not a big fan of filter socks. I prefer the polyester "cotton" fluff from the craft store.
1737313852520.png


I put a ball of it in the basket and in a few days throw the ball away (after dumping about 20 stuck amphipods back into the display tank). For me, that is 1000x better than cleaning a filter sock.


At the end of the day, I would suggest resisting the pull to add equipment until you feel you need it (even though I did not follow that advice) for a specific reason. cheaper in the long run and you may actually decide you don't need some of the stuff or need something a bit different than what thought you needed in the first place.
Thank you for your input especially since we have a similar sized tank. I think for now I’ll hold off on the refugium but I did order two caddy’s from IM (Cleaning the filter socks is a pain) so if the time comes when i need one i can always make one into it. I don’t think I’ll ever have the bioload for a skimmer (Goal is two clowns, firefish, possibly a wrasse, and ofc my cuc) My parameters have been pretty low so far despite the clowns and how much/often they eat with me only having around 0-5.0ppm from my API test kit (I’m trying out the fritz test kit but the results are vastly different so I might save up and get red sea or sali).
 
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lButterl

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My old 18" 20g nano cube. No skimmer. 2gal WC every month.
Esv 2 part. Jebao ow 25 for flow.
2 16hds for light.
Here is the old build if your interested.
Thread '18" AIO Nano Cube Stag System' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/18-aio-nano-cube-stag-system.883090/
Start and 10 months in before I took it down.
20220126_162523.jpg
20220926_094455.jpg
I’m assuming you were dosing because of how many and how large your sps were growing correct? I don’t plan to add many so hopefully dosing won’t be needed a biweekly water change will be all that is needed. I love the sps you have but this build is my second one after having a big 90-100g when I was in middle school (Currently a collage junior) so I’m trying to dip my toes in slowly and get some more forgiving corals and fish
 

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I’m assuming you were dosing because of how many and how large your sps were growing correct? I don’t plan to add many so hopefully dosing won’t be needed a biweekly water change will be all that is needed. I love the sps you have but this build is my second one after having a big 90-100g when I was in middle school (Currently a collage junior) so I’m trying to dip my toes in slowly and get some more forgiving corals and fish
Yea I dosed esv 2 part and dsr ez trace. Same as I do now. Dsr ez trace in my ato.
 

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