Tank Build...finally getting around to it!

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Now that I have things up and kinda running, thought I'd finally drop my build thread. Will do this in chunks

So, this journey began back in November of 2023...finally making the decision to start a saltwater reef tank and start researching.
I decided on an Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO as good starting point for this new hobby of mine...the plan originally started as a 40, then an SR60, and finally the 80...and almost became an SR120.

Found tons of information on the internet and YouTube, thanks to all those that do that work so the rest of us can benefit. Kind of wish I had that spark.

I quickly realized I would need to set up a RO/DI + Saltwater mixing station. As an engineer, this is like being a kid in a candy store...the chemistry, the mechanical bits, the designing and building...went full nerd-out! :)

Step 1: build a stand and RO/DI station. Step 2: Once it's being built, tell the wife what's happening (btw, she's a saint, a real trooper!)

System tested, 0 TDS verified!

Next up: The Aquascape Begins, and the Tank Arrives

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Sweet! Following along.

 

[Chikpeas]

I was looking for someone showing some step by steps on their holding water tanks— Looks really tidy- following the journey!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[aztoza]

Following! Nerding out is the best part so far lol.

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Chapter 2: Aquascape.


Egad, how long has it been?? Life and reefing certainly got in the way of updating my build thread. I've been taking notes along the way, finally getting around to updating.

So, the Aquascape build. Not much to mention for this, I guess. I knew this was going to take me some time, so I started things early. Used some tips and tricks from Ryan and the crew at Bulk Reef Supply, which made things go very smooth...well, for the most part, but that was on me and part of the learning curve (wear gloves people, please wear gloves...even if it’s just to get that last little thing glued down…).

I set up a template made of 1/2-inch pipe on my worktable, taped off to visualize rule-of-thirds and maximum rock height, approximately 2/3 up the tank. Trying to follow the “rule-of-thirds” on an IM Nuvo SR shallow reef tank (16”h x 19”d display) was a bit challenging.

I went with Marco Rock’s coralline-colored rock to avoid the bleach-white look while waiting for the real coralline algae to develop. Bought a LOT of rock. Used a bunch of rock. Still have a bunch of rock for a future tank. Fairly beefy ‘scape, I think, but I like how it eventually turned out after two months of building, tearing down, and building up again.

One of the things I like about Marco Rocks is the cool little surprises you sometimes find imbedded in the rock. I incorporated these as much as possible, though knowing they’ll disappear under the corals eventually.

Primary goal was to create a good habitat for fish, corals, and inverts, aesthetics were secondary…but I think it turned out ok. It's difficult to tell from the picture below, but there are several sheltered, cave areas and good run space in front/back for fish to hit terminal speed.

(My small Square-tail Bristletooth Tang is taking full advantage, so I guess it worked)

I used a combination of BRS extra thick super glue and spray accelerator, D+D coralline epoxy sticks to bind everything together. I also used Marco Rock coralline mortar, and small fragments of leftover rock to mask all the joints, hide the superglue. The rockscape was built as four separate sections for ease of cleaning and getting them into the tank. I went back and glued everything together after I had everything where I wanted it, avoiding any potential rock slides.

With the rock in place, I then added the sand. Quite a bit of sand, in fact. Approximately 3 inches at the back, sloping down to approximately 2 inches at the front. I wanted to have more than enough sand bed to support things like Gobies, Conchs, and Nassarius snails. Sand gets everywhere.
Final results will be shown in Chapter 3: The Tank

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though :)

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT. :)

That's it for now...!

 

[TheWB]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though :)

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT. :)

That's it for now...!

Hey there neighbor. Looks like you are right down the road in Dupont. The scape looks great and I love the tank. I had the IM Lagoon 50 and recently upgraded to something similar to what you have now but custom with a wider back filtration area than what yours has so I could use a full size skimmer and filter roller. If I didn't go custom the SR80 was going to be my next choice for an upgrade. Following along to watch your progress.

 

[Fishy Guy]

Scape looks great! The SR80 is a tank I've wanted for a while. Excited to follow along.

 

[vipkohh]

Looking great! I like that trick with the empty sand bag!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though :)

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT. :)

That's it for now...!

Your aquascape looks great! tons of room for fish to swim around in, and lots of room for corals!

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Hey there neighbor. Looks like you are right down the road in Dupont. The scape looks great and I love the tank. I had the IM Lagoon 50 and recently upgraded to something similar to what you have now but custom with a wider back filtration area than what yours has so I could use a full size skimmer and filter roller. If I didn't go custom the SR80 was going to be my next choice for an upgrade. Following along to watch your progress.

Hey neighbor! Thanks! I really love the tank, great option for me starting out - wanted something I could "grow into" but not so big it was too much to handle. The narrower back sump area is definitely challenging fitting everything I want to have back there.

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Scape looks great! The SR80 is a tank I've wanted for a while. Excited to follow along.

Thanks @Fishy Guy! The scape took several rebuilds to get there, glad to hear you like it! I love the tank> It does pose some challenges getting all the equipment I want to have back there, but overall it's a great tank.

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Your aquascape looks great! tons of room for fish to swim around in, and lots of room for corals!

Thanks @Gumbies R Us ! great to hear about the room for fish and corals, several rebuilds trying to get it right...still figuring out flow for corals - challenging!

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Looking great! I like that trick with the empty sand bag!

Thanks @vipkohh ! I was pleasantly surprised, the bag really works! :)

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Has it really been since November that I last updated? I may need to rethink my work-life balance...

Chapter 4
The Gear

Starting with the basics…
Power heads: I initially selected the AI Nero 4 gyre because I wanted that laminar flow across the top of the tank, creating circulation from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, this didn’t work out. It worked fine for a while using the Mobius app but running at the lower end seemed to be a challenge. Started at lower speed but quickly increased to much higher speed, stirring up sand, thrashing everything.
AI support was great, quickly replaced with a new part.
Though this one works better, at the end of the day it was just too powerful. I probably should have gone with the smaller Nero 2, but I was thinking long term, using it on a future larger tank as well. Saving it for future, larger tank.

I have now settled on a pair of ecotech MP40 mounted at opposite ends, creating a similar flow pattern. These power heads work great, and having the battery backup option is reassuring for those power outages (only one so far).


Lighting: I originally started with AI Blades, which are fantastic lights. I needed a low-profile lighting scheme to work. However, after several months, I felt were overpowering for this size tank (I may have bought the wrong size, not the lights’ fault :) ). In the meantime, AI came out with their Hydra Edge lights, and a couple of 44HDs were perfectly sized, still met my low-profile needs, and could re-use the mounting brackets. Much better for my use and corals (and unfortunately GHA) have responded nicely to the change. So, I’m saving the original Blades for a future tank! :)


Return pumps: Using the stock Innovative Marine return pumps that shipped with the tank. Work great, easy to access for cleaning, and replacement cost would be reasonable…though I may take look at the ecotech pumps when the time comes.


Control and Automation: I really didn’t intend to go big at the beginning, thinking it would be something I would do over time. Yeah, that worked out well…

Because I’m away fairly often, I quickly realized that not having some amount of control, automation, and monitoring just wouldn’t work.

I want to be able to check in on my tank while I’m gone, monitor parameters, water levels, managing dosing, reactors, etc, and so on - making sure nothing gets too out of whack while I’m away, and be able to alert someone to help with any major catastrophe if that were to happen.
Which, let’s face it, is usually when the bad stuff happens (I now have empirical data to support this :) ).

I went with Neptune Systems Apex 3 because of it’s modularity, established ecosystem, and extensive array of bits and bobs to meet nearly every need. Which is also a very dangerous thing for the wallet.

It’s not perfect, but I’ve come to really appreciate it’s capabilities over time. I learned quickly to use a wired network connection - wireless worked well initially, but ran into connectivity issues that caused downstream issues.The most frustrating thing has been probe accuracy. Maybe my expectation is too high? Calibration didn’t correct some of the values, the probes just have their own particular quirks.

Over time I have tested using multiple thermal probes, Hannah testers, others and have been able to plot out offset values for the Apex probes. For example, earlier on, if my Apex pH probe measured 7.8, I knew that pH was at ~8.1. Accuracy has improved over the months and is much more accurate. I’ve heard that’s pretty normal, takes some time for things to settle. Temp probe remains ~1.5 degrees off, but is consistent, making it easy to convert to actual.


Filtration: this has changed over time, starting with the filter sock and carbon/gfo hardware provided by IM, but changed out for filter floss and other mechanical/chemical filtration early on. Over time I have added a Tunze skimmer, and IM UV filter along the way, improving ORP and water clarity, and finally, running an IM carbon filter reactor and intermittently GFO reactor (same IM hardware) in the sump area to manage Nitrates and Phosphates as needed.

 

[TheWB]

Has it really been since November that I last updated? I may need to rethink my work-life balance...

Chapter 4
The Gear

Starting with the basics…
Power heads: I initially selected the AI Nero 4 gyre because I wanted that laminar flow across the top of the tank, creating circulation from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, this didn’t work out. It worked fine for a while using the Mobius app but running at the lower end seemed to be a challenge. Started at lower speed but quickly increased to much higher speed, stirring up sand, thrashing everything.
AI support was great, quickly replaced with a new part.
Though this one works better, at the end of the day it was just too powerful. I probably should have gone with the smaller Nero 2, but I was thinking long term, using it on a future larger tank as well. Saving it for future, larger tank.

I have now settled on a pair of ecotech MP40 mounted at opposite ends, creating a similar flow pattern. These power heads work great, and having the battery backup option is reassuring for those power outages (only one so far).


Lighting: I originally started with AI Blades, which are fantastic lights. I needed a low-profile lighting scheme to work. However, after several months, I felt were overpowering for this size tank (I may have bought the wrong size, not the lights’ fault :) ). In the meantime, AI came out with their Hydra Edge lights, and a couple of 44HDs were perfectly sized, still met my low-profile needs, and could re-use the mounting brackets. Much better for my use and corals (and unfortunately GHA) have responded nicely to the change. So, I’m saving the original Blades for a future tank! :)


Return pumps: Using the stock Innovative Marine return pumps that shipped with the tank. Work great, easy to access for cleaning, and replacement cost would be reasonable…though I may take look at the ecotech pumps when the time comes.


Control and Automation: I really didn’t intend to go big at the beginning, thinking it would be something I would do over time. Yeah, that worked out well…

Because I’m away fairly often, I quickly realized that not having some amount of control, automation, and monitoring just wouldn’t work.

I want to be able to check in on my tank while I’m gone, monitor parameters, water levels, managing dosing, reactors, etc, and so on - making sure nothing gets too out of whack while I’m away, and be able to alert someone to help with any major catastrophe if that were to happen.
Which, let’s face it, is usually when the bad stuff happens (I now have empirical data to support this :) ).

I went with Neptune Systems Apex 3 because of it’s modularity, established ecosystem, and extensive array of bits and bobs to meet nearly every need. Which is also a very dangerous thing for the wallet.

It’s not perfect, but I’ve come to really appreciate it’s capabilities over time. I learned quickly to use a wired network connection - wireless worked well initially, but ran into connectivity issues that caused downstream issues.The most frustrating thing has been probe accuracy. Maybe my expectation is too high? Calibration didn’t correct some of the values, the probes just have their own particular quirks.

Over time I have tested using multiple thermal probes, Hannah testers, others and have been able to plot out offset values for the Apex probes. For example, earlier on, if my Apex pH probe measured 7.8, I knew that pH was at ~8.1. Accuracy has improved over the months and is much more accurate. I’ve heard that’s pretty normal, takes some time for things to settle. Temp probe remains ~1.5 degrees off, but is consistent, making it easy to convert to actual.


Filtration: this has changed over time, starting with the filter sock and carbon/gfo hardware provided by IM, but changed out for filter floss and other mechanical/chemical filtration early on. Over time I have added a Tunze skimmer, and IM UV filter along the way, improving ORP and water clarity, and finally, running an IM carbon filter reactor and intermittently GFO reactor (same IM hardware) in the sump area to manage Nitrates and Phosphates as needed.

Great to see you back and posting. We need pictures of the tank now, no holding out for this long and not letting us see what you've got going on.

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Great to see you back and posting. We need pictures of the tank now, no holding out for this long and not letting us see what you've got going on.

Working on it, promise I'll get some pics up shortly. just came back from vacation to a GHA outbreak, nitrates and phosphates got out of balance, trying to get that fixed.

 

[fishface NJ]

Yes!!! We need photos

 

[CaptainBob's Reef]

Ok, here we go. As promised, a handful of pictures I was able to take quickly between meetings. Sorry for all the blue, I filtered these as much as I could to bring out color and definition.

My IM SR80 AIO with new Hydra Edge lights installed. Shades from Printed Reef work great at shielding light. Some limitation on how high I could mount these but since they’re not over- powered, this height works well.
You can see the media reactors installed in the back sump area, one is running carbon, the other running GFO on a limited cycle. hidden in the back are the Tunze skimmer and IM UV filter. Filter floss cages located at either end of the sump.
Neptune auto-feeder on the left as a backup feeder. Off screen on the left I rigged up a frozen food auto-feeder using a small refrigerator and Ecotech Vectra pump. this has been a lifesaver for vacations and time I am away from home. The only downside is I can’t integrate with the Apex so I’m unable to manage it remotely. A little bit of faith involved with the “fire and forget” mode.

As you might tell, I’m a bit fond of Hammers and Duncans…
Started with softies to get my feet wet, then added some LPS, got some confidence and recently added a few SPS - Montipora, Leptoseris, Porites, Psammacora, and Birdsnest. Everything seems to be very happy so far, fingers crossed. Not ready for Acros yet; that might be a future tank, we'll see.

I came back from vacation to find a lot of new growth! Lava Leptoseris claiming more territory, and the Duncan shown has four new heads, growing quickly. Hammer on the left has really plumped up!

Hollywood Stunner Chalice is staring to grow out, as are the two Frankie’s Pink Rims (one shown). Note, I just placed the Aussie Lord there in the front-left, he wasn’t happy about the move. He’s since plumped up again.

The most recent Montipora additions, up top. Thought I lost three of the four during QT / dipping, but they have responded well after mounting them in the display.

Wider shot to show some of the softies added early on. Also couple of gorgonians, the one in front will likely get transferred to a work-in-progress nano tank.

As you can see I’m having a bit of an algae outbreak on the sand, currently. Working to get my nitrates and phosphates back in check after a couple fish went missing :( I assume that's the cause at least, everything was fine, pretty stable until then. Phosphates are back down to 0.05 using a bit of GFO, still working to get the nitrates back down. Added some more CUC, including a tuxedo urchin, and have some torches and pods on the way.

That's all for now!