TEX's IM Nuvo 10 Build

[TEX]

First of all, what an insane amount of IM 10 builds going on right now, haha! I love it..

This is my first saltwater aquarium and I'm excited to document it with y'all. My goal for this tank is to get my feet wet in the hobby with a few fish and learn to grow corals, maybe even some SPS, and get into the rhythm of things until I can expand into a larger tank (if I survive )

I spent the better part of my day deciding on what to purchase, filling up carts on multiple sites, nearly passing out at the total several times before giving in and going for it! It'll take a few days for things to get here, but I'll give you the equipment gist so far:

Tank:
-IM Nuvo Fusion 10
-20 lbs. CaribSea Life Rock (smallest amount it comes in)
-10 lbs. CaribSea Arag-Alive Reef Sand

Lighting:
-AI Prime 16 HD & Mount

Filtration:
-InTank Media Basket
-Poly Filter Floss
-ChemiPure Blue
-SeaChem Matrix

Heater:
-Cobalt Flat Neo-Therm 50W

Pump:
-Sicce Syncra 0.5
-IM Spin Stream

ATO:
-AutoAqua Smart ATO Micro
-IM 5g ATO Resevoir (boujee, overkill, but I reached that spending tipping point haha)

Misc:
-RedSea Coral Pro Salt (wanted to go Tropic Marin, but seems it's out everywhere except for the massive bags)
-Hanna Salinity & Temp Checker
-Maxi-Jet 1200 (for mixing salt)
-Dr. Tims One & Only
-Salifert Nitrogen Cycle Test Kits (Got this just to get me through cycling, still figuring out what to do long term with regard to other tests)


To all the seasoned AIO/Nuvo 10 pros, how am I looking so far? What am I forgetting? What should I return immediately (LOL)?

Can't wait for everything to get here and get some pics up!

 

[Peace River]

Nice equipment selection! You may want to think about a tank cover to prevent fish from jumping.

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome to R2R

 

[TEX]

Nice equipment selection! You may want to think about a tank cover to prevent fish from jumping.

Hey, that means a ton! Definitely overwhelming even after tons of research, so that gives me some peace of mind.

I should've mentioned this is the "pro" model, which comes with the lid and IM pump. I ended up going ahead and buying the Sicce because it seemed like people had an overall negative opinion of the IM pump, but it also seems like maybe they've changed it over the years?
Either way, the Sicce seems well-loved and now I'll have a backup

 

[TEX]

Welcome to R2R

Thanks so much! Happy to be here

 

[TEX]

UPDATE:

So everything came in yesterday, and I got water in the tank today! Way more work than I anticipated, but it's been fun figuring new gadgets out

I did make my first "mistakes" already which are that 1. I decided to mix salt in the tank, which I know isn't the worst thing ever but it felt like more of a pain than it needed to be because so much settled on the sand, and the return nozzle just kind of got covered in salt; and 2. I added way too much salt because I didn't account for the displacement of rocks/sand/equipment. I'll know better next time, just removed water and replaced with RODI until the salinity came down to 35ppm

I also am a little nervous about the ATO. Maybe it just takes time to learn to trust it, but It did kick on while it was completely underwater. I'm guessing this is because the salt mix made the water so hazy but it does concern me. I'm leaving it off for now until I know for sure it's not going to flood my room!

I added Dr. Tims One & Only and dosed Dr. Tims ammonia chloride. These pics are right after, which is why it's cloudy. I'll be sure to add more pics of the aquascape when it clears up. Testing ammonia tomorrow night.

Wish me luck in my first cycle!

 

[Robert Binz]

UPDATE:

So everything came in yesterday, and I got water in the tank today! Way more work than I anticipated, but it's been fun figuring new gadgets out

I did make my first "mistakes" already which are that 1. I decided to mix salt in the tank, which I know isn't the worst thing ever but it felt like more of a pain than it needed to be because so much settled on the sand, and the return nozzle just kind of got covered in salt; and 2. I added way too much salt because I didn't account for the displacement of rocks/sand/equipment. I'll know better next time, just removed water and replaced with RODI until the salinity came down to 35ppm

I also am a little nervous about the ATO. Maybe it just takes time to learn to trust it, but It did kick on while it was completely underwater. I'm guessing this is because the salt mix made the water so hazy but it does concern me. I'm leaving it off for now until I know for sure it's not going to flood my room!

I added Dr. Tims One & Only and dosed Dr. Tims ammonia chloride. These pics are right after, which is why it's cloudy. I'll be sure to add more pics of the aquascape when it clears up. Testing ammonia tomorrow night.

Wish me luck in my first cycle!

Im excited to watch the progress!

 

[hankacrank]

Great detail in your journal. In regards to your ATO malfunction fear...I remember I had my first ATO 12 years ago and it DID malfunction and flooding/emptying 2 gallons of DI water while I was asleep was the least of my concern. The worse thing was that it almost killed everything in my tank. So....I only use gravity, non-electric, simple ATO's these days. See upside-down Evian bottle below.

 

[TEX]

Im excited to watch the progress!

Thanks, I'm excited to share it

 

[TEX]

Great detail in your journal. In regards to your ATO malfunction fear...I remember I had my first ATO 12 years ago and it DID malfunction and flooding/emptying 2 gallons of DI water while I was asleep was the least of my concern. The worse thing was that it almost killed everything in my tank. So....I only use gravity, non-electric, simple ATO's these days. See upside-down Evian bottle below.

Wow great looking tank, and great idea! I'm going to continue testing this one and then hope for the best

 

[TEX]

The water cleared enough to see the scape and I'm sort of having second thoughts... is it too high? too much rock? Would love to hear your opinions!

 

[ISFNick]

First of all, what an insane amount of IM 10 builds going on right now, haha! I love it..

This is my first saltwater aquarium and I'm excited to document it with y'all. My goal for this tank is to get my feet wet in the hobby with a few fish and learn to grow corals, maybe even some SPS, and get into the rhythm of things until I can expand into a larger tank (if I survive )

I spent the better part of my day deciding on what to purchase, filling up carts on multiple sites, nearly passing out at the total several times before giving in and going for it! It'll take a few days for things to get here, but I'll give you the equipment gist so far:

Tank:
-IM Nuvo Fusion 10
-20 lbs. CaribSea Life Rock (smallest amount it comes in)
-10 lbs. CaribSea Arag-Alive Reef Sand

Lighting:
-AI Prime 16 HD & Mount

Filtration:
-InTank Media Basket
-Poly Filter Floss
-ChemiPure Blue
-SeaChem Matrix

Heater:
-Cobalt Flat Neo-Therm 50W

Pump:
-Sicce Syncra 0.5
-IM Spin Stream

ATO:
-AutoAqua Smart ATO Micro
-IM 5g ATO Resevoir (boujee, overkill, but I reached that spending tipping point haha)

Misc:
-RedSea Coral Pro Salt (wanted to go Tropic Marin, but seems it's out everywhere except for the massive bags)
-Hanna Salinity & Temp Checker
-Maxi-Jet 1200 (for mixing salt)
-Dr. Tims One & Only
-Salifert Nitrogen Cycle Test Kits (Got this just to get me through cycling, still figuring out what to do long term with regard to other tests)


To all the seasoned AIO/Nuvo 10 pros, how am I looking so far? What am I forgetting? What should I return immediately (LOL)?

Can't wait for everything to get here and get some pics up!

Hey man!
Fellow Nuvo 10 Reefer here!

Your scape is looking totally awesome!

I have a lot of equipment similar to you. I'm switching return pumps, I just got a Jecod DC1200, it runs about 10x turnover at the minimum setting and has a feed mode

MarinePure 2" cubes are really great bio filtration if you ever wanna add some!
Also, are you going to have a protein skimmer?
What kind of fish stocking are you thinking of?
You'll need a powerhead for more flow if you want SPS!

If you're starting out I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Red Seas's Marine Care test kit; it has everything you need for a new tank!

I also have a 5-gallon ATO, from trigger systems. Best decision ever, I replace my ATO maybe once every 6 weeks.

If you need any advice hit me up bro!

 

[TEX]

Hey man!
Fellow Nuvo 10 Reefer here!

Your scape is looking totally awesome!

I have a lot of equipment similar to you. I'm switching return pumps, I just got a Jecod DC1200, it runs about 10x turnover at the minimum setting and has a feed mode

MarinePure 2" cubes are really great bio filtration if you ever wanna add some!
Also, are you going to have a protein skimmer?
What kind of fish stocking are you thinking of?
You'll need a powerhead for more flow if you want SPS!

If you're starting out I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Red Seas's Marine Care test kit; it has everything you need for a new tank!

I also have a 5-gallon ATO, from trigger systems. Best decision ever, I replace my ATO maybe once every 6 weeks.

If you need any advice hit me up bro!

Hey Nick, thanks for the kind words! Glad to have a fellow Nuvo 10 guy around

I actually decided to run the mighty-jet return pump instead of the Sicce because it's rated at much higher flow—326gph I believe, plus it has a pulse and feed mode which is nice. If I end up feeling I need a powerhead I think I'll go with the Aqamai KPS because it's so small but powerful.

I'll have to check the marine pure out, especially since I don't know what to do with my third InTank compartment!

I'm up in the air about the protein skimmer. I think what I've decided is to wait and see if or when I'll need it, but I am prepared for it by leaving the second chamber empty for now (while cramming my heater and everything else into the third chamber haha)

Stocking plans right now are a pair of clowns and maybe a third small fish down the road if I think the tank can handle it.
For corals, I think I'll start small and work my way up to some easy SPS toward the top.

That's my major concern with my scape is whether I've left enough room at the top, it's only about 2" to the surface in places, but that rock on the top is the smallest I have—but if I removed it, I feel like it's too much room/not enough rock

I actually saw the Red Sea test kit a little too late, but I bought the Salifert kit that has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH and heard good things about the brand. Hoping it doesn't steer me wrong!

Again, appreciate your reply, and I'll be following along with your tank as well

 

[TEX]

First Water Test:

After adding Dr. Tim's One & Only and dosing ammonia to 2ppm, I waited 24 hours and tested ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I'm using Salifert test kits, and although I'm sure they're great, I think my slight colorblindness makes it a bit difficult haha.

From what I can tell—
ammonia: between <0.15 - 0.25
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0

Not sure what to think of this yet, but I'll look into what numbers should be at during cycle to double check. For now I'll dose ammonia again and check back in 24 hours.

Some good news: The tank fully cleared up overnight! The scape has grown on me. I also was able to fiddle with the ATO and get it to work properly (I think it was my hose was too long with a lot of loops and bends).

View from where I sit:

I'll check back in tomorrow night with new tests

 

[hankacrank]

Your lIve rock is gorgeous. What type is it?

 

[TEX]

Your lIve rock is gorgeous. What type is it?

Thank you! It's actually CaribSea Life Rock. I bought the smallest box I could which was 20 lbs. The rocks were a bit large, but it also gave me some variety to pick from since I only used about 1/2 of it. I'm super happy with the coloring and texture

 

[TEX]

Well, my tank cycled after 1 week! I made a few changes to the rock work to make some extra room for coral to grow taller before reaching the surface.

I also added my first fish yesterday he’s a mochavinci clown, about 1-1.5”. He’s been really active and eating frozen mysis well.

Strangely (and thankfully) I haven’t had any algae show up yet (knock on wood), but I think I’ll be waiting for that to show before adding a CuC. I’d love to add one now just because uneaten food gives me anxiety, haha, but I should probably wait. Any thoughts?

For filtration I’m still running the InTank media basket in chamber one with InTank filter floss, then chemipure blue, then loaded the third chamber with seachem matrix.

I’ve left chamber 2 empty unless I decide to go with a protein skimmer, but I managed to fit everything else in chamber three (heater, pump, ATO sensor, temp probe). It’s a squeeze but I think it’ll work

still working out a good testing routine as well as feeding routine, so any tips you guys have would be super appreciated!

Looking forward to progression and adding a cleanup crew and my first coral!

 

[Mr.Z]

Well, my tank cycled after 1 week! I made a few changes to the rock work to make some extra room for coral to grow taller before reaching the surface.

I also added my first fish yesterday he’s a mochavinci clown, about 1-1.5”. He’s been really active and eating frozen mysis well.

Strangely (and thankfully) I haven’t had any algae show up yet (knock on wood), but I think I’ll be waiting for that to show before adding a CuC. I’d love to add one now just because uneaten food gives me anxiety, haha, but I should probably wait. Any thoughts?

For filtration I’m still running the InTank media basket in chamber one with InTank filter floss, then chemipure blue, then loaded the third chamber with seachem matrix.

I’ve left chamber 2 empty unless I decide to go with a protein skimmer, but I managed to fit everything else in chamber three (heater, pump, ATO sensor, temp probe). It’s a squeeze but I think it’ll work

still working out a good testing routine as well as feeding routine, so any tips you guys have would be super appreciated!

Looking forward to progression and adding a cleanup crew and my first coral!

I have my heater in my IM 10 in the second chamber. I think this is a safer set up. It is possible the ATO fails or runs out of RODI. If that happens, chamber 3 will empty and expose the heater to air and be a fire hazard.

Also, I don’t think it makes sense to run media such as chemi-pure unless there is a specific problem you need to address.

Aquascape looks great and should be set up well for placing coral!

 

[Sailfin11]

Your tank looks fantastic! Makes me think about getting an AIO...

 

[TEX]

I have my heater in my IM 10 in the second chamber. I think this is a safer set up. It is possible the ATO fails or runs out of RODI. If that happens, chamber 3 will empty and expose the heater to air and be a fire hazard.

Also, I don’t think it makes sense to run media such as chemi-pure unless there is a specific problem you need to address.

Aquascape looks great and should be set up well for placing coral!

Thank you! I definitely spent some time on it haha. I have a new appreciation for people with great scapes on a larger scale.

I’m running chemi-pure blue mostly because it seems so highly regarded by people running this size tank. Do you have any particular qualms with it? I’m all for learning. This is my first tank after all.

I think that’s a valid concern with the heater, but could I even run it in the second chamber with a skimmer if I went that route? Don’t most people run it in the third chamber? I do see the tank often during the day so I can keep tabs on the reservoir if it ever became a concern. I’m also running an InkBird temp controller which shuts the heater off quite a bit.

thanks for your help