PaulS.46122 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hello, my name is Paul and this is an early start to my NUVO 10 build. Hope you follow along. This is my first saltwater reef tank and hoping to be successful with this wonderful little tank. For almost a year now I've been doing my homework and reading about anything and everything. Then watching YouTube videos about those items I was reading about. I've been keeping African Cichlids for years now and have always been tempted by the saltwater world. So I started thinking since I have limited room I would try a nano reef. I'm looking to keep ricordea mushrooms, zoas, and a couple LPS. Mainly Hammers and Acans. Possibly a hammer garden surrounded by the acan lords, zoas, and mushrooms. I also have a friend who is going to frag some blue hornet zoas and a dragon soul favia to get me started. As for fish my daughter wants an ocellaris clown and a tailspot blenny. After adding a Skimmer I might throw in a purple firefish. We will see. I plan to do 3 gallon water changes weekly. FTS: 4-3-17 FTS: 2-23-17 Current Equipment List: IM NUVO Fusion 10 18 Watt SKKYE Light Spinstream Nozzle Stock filter sock (using during cycle) InTank Media Basket (After Cycle) Eheim 50 Watt Heater Sicce .5 return Pump Filtration: 10 lbs Fiji Pink Sand 8-9 lbs Reef Saver Rock from BRS Filter floss (after cycle) Chemi-Pure Blue (after cycle) Purigen (after cycle) Equipment Future: Kessil A80 with mount Kessil Spectral Controller Reefglass Skimmer Livestock Future: 1 Ocellaris Clown 1 Tailspot Blenny 1 Purple Firefish 1 Cleaner Shrimp 3-4 Nassarius Snails 2-3 Cerith Snails 1-2 Red Legged Hermits 1 Trochus Snail 1 Blue Legged Hermit Future Corals: 2 Hammers 1 Frogspawn 1-2 Acan Lords 4-5 Zoas 3-4 Ricordea Mushrooms 1 Favia 1 Xenia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 That is an awesome feeling to wake up to a gift like that!! Will be a cool build...and will be following waiting for water like you! I have a tailsopt blenny and love mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted January 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 Oh yea I cannot wait to get this tank wet. Where did you get your blenny? Its my daughters favorite and the main reason for wanting one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 The tailsopt blenny I got at Modern about a year ago. They are such cool fish. Nothing crazy from afar but a lot of color and detail when up close and they have such a personality. This little guy holds his own when he gets near the clown pairs area. They try to chase him away but he charges them and nips at them and THEY usually flee ha! Like a little chihuahua :v) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted January 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 Awesome! I have yet to visit there shop. I did not know they sold livestock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer82 Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Looks like you have a solid build underway. The rock work looks nice. Modern has a fairly decent livestock selection. Everything you listed would be easy to get your hands on. My only suggestion is move the heater to the middle chamber. The reason being that the eheim is pretty long as heaters go and in the event your ato is empty or just fails you could easily expose it to air within a days time with evaporation. That middle chamber being baffled would prevent that. I relocated the heater on my fusion 20 for a more deadly reason. Its a finnex with the separate temp sensor and I didn't pay attention to where the water level would drop if it were neglected until one day I heard the low temp alarm on the heater going off and the high temp alarm on my digital thermometer simultaneously . The sensor was exposed to the 71 degree air causing the heat to never shut off. The tank was only about a half gallon low on water so there wasn't much room for error. I lose that much in less than a day from evaporation. This obviously wouldn't be an issue if I checked it every morning but busy working during the holidays I overlooked it. Getting used to an ato that doesn't need filled but once every week and a half makes you complacent sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted January 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Looks like you have a solid build underway. The rock work looks nice. Modern has a fairly decent livestock selection. Everything you listed would be easy to get your hands on. My only suggestion is move the heater to the middle chamber. The reason being that the eheim is pretty long as heaters go and in the event your ato is empty or just fails you could easily expose it to air within a days time with evaporation. That middle chamber being baffled would prevent that. I relocated the heater on my fusion 20 for a more deadly reason. Its a finnex with the separate temp sensor and I didn't pay attention to where the water level would drop if it were neglected until one day I heard the low temp alarm on the heater going off and the high temp alarm on my digital thermometer simultaneously . The sensor was exposed to the 71 degree air causing the heat to never shut off. The tank was only about a half gallon low on water so there wasn't much room for error. I lose that much in less than a day from evaporation. This obviously wouldn't be an issue if I checked it every morning but busy working during the holidays I overlooked it. Getting used to an ato that doesn't need filled but once every week and a half makes you complacent sometimes Awesome info! I was planning on keeping my heater in the 3rd chamber but you have convinced me to place it in the second. I wont have any skimmer so other than an ornamental mangrove some day and the light mount there is nothing in that chamber. Speaking of light, I need to try and find a used AI Prime at a decent price. That is the light I really want to be honest. However the Kessil A80 is very intriguing for what I want to keep and the size of my system. The AI might be overkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 Here is a look at my stand before stain. My dad is going to put a couple coats on this weekend and hopefully have it down to me later next week. Weather permitting of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 11, 2017 Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 Looking good Paul! Almost there :v) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 My father dropped off the finished cabinet this afternoon. Tonight I am going to set this tank up. Finished cabinet photo here: https://instagram.com/p/BQ0nFjAB5rW/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Looks good Paul! I like the lighting under the cabinet too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Yesterday I finally was able to get this tank up and running. The original post has been updated to my current equipment list and a new FTS. Also removed the small book I wrote in my first post. LOL Setting up was a breeze except for the Tunze Nano ATO. The clamp that holds the tubing to the tank mount wasn't lining up so I used some small zip ties to attach it. I pointed the hose downward so it filled cleaner than just splashing on the back wall. Also where the return tube attaches to the pump was too small. A small chainsaw blade file did the job to trim away some of the access plastic. Lastly my 9 yr old daughter who was excited beyond belief decided to play with the float magnets. Took me 20 minutes and a small hammer to pry them apart. Other than that, the tank is cycling using the filter sock. I am going to add a bottle of bacteria this weekend to jumpstart the cycle. Oh and I apologize, all photos were taken with my iphone. FTS: 2-23-17 Cabinet and Cabinet Drawer details. Pretty proud of this piece and love that it was hand made by my father. Typical after water has been added photo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrood Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Your father indeed has some serious woodworking skills! Love this setup you are creating. I've been looking for a good place to set up a nano for some time now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Dang look at the dovetailing and all... You even have a few shelves for Battleship under the tank too ;v) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Oh...and I love the spin streams in my Nuvo 25g but FYI there will be a dead spot right under them. I had to add a koralia 300 gph pump to keep that area mixed up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 Oh...and I love the spin streams in my Nuvo 25g but FYI there will be a dead spot right under them. I had to add a koralia 300 gph pump to keep that area mixed up... That's what I was afraid of. I would much prefer to not have a powerhead in the display, but if its needed what would you suggest? Remember I am only keeping low/moderate flow corals. No intention of keeping anything that needs a strong flow. I'm just worried about deadspots. Okay sounds good. I don't want to overstock on snails and hermits. Its such a small tank I don't think I need that much. I'm thinking maybe a single Blue Legged Hermit and eliminating the Red Legged from my overall list. Do you think that would be too much when the tank is fully established? What about a Porcelain crab? 1 Trochus Snail 2 Nassarius Snails 2 Cerith Snails 2 Astrea Snails 1 Blue Legged Hermit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 24, 2017 Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 Maybe a koralia 240 gph... Snail and crab list should be fine. I am personally not a fan of blue legs as they typically become snail shell thieves. Scarlets are more expensive but I've literally had a few Scarlets for YEARS. Less aggressive and they typically live in a shell larger than they need keeping them somewhat content. And if you're doing a trochus I would suggest a red stripe/black rim foot trochus. They can turn themselves upright when they tip over... Porcelain crab would be fine...those are fun little creatures to watch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 Awesome! Thanks for the input. I was only saying blue legged as blue is my favorite color, but he Red Legs sound like they are the better option. Updated list: 1 Trochus Snail 1 Red Legged Hermit2 Nassarius Snails4 Cerith Snails Throw in a couple empty shells too. As for a powerhead the 240 isn't too expensive but man such an eyesore. LOL However if it means my tank and corals are healthy that is the route I want to go. I'm doing everything in my power to do things correctly and not half assed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 24, 2017 Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 scarlet, not red legs FYI. they are less aggressive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 Gotcha! Hopefully one of our local LFS' has what I need when I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 24, 2017 Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 I would assume they all should...fairly common clean up crews. Sometimes porcelain crabs are a special order item though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Friday evening I dumped in a bottle of Bio-Spira to help jumpstart and shorten my cycle. As it was cloudy from the bacteria I took a look at the flow I was getting from the spinstream. Seems there is a slight deadspot right underneath it as the particles just kinda hovered there. However the rest of the tank has what looks to be plenty of flow for the corals I want to keep. I'm just going to keep an eye on that specific area and hope no detritus decides to settle there. Tested the water this morning. Not reading any Ammonia or nitrITE this morning. Tested twice and its coming out the same. nitrATE IS just above 15 and below 20 by the looks of it. However I'm gonna wait a few more days to see if it stays there. Should I do a waterchange before adding any fish/inverts/frags? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 after a cycle is done and there are no trace ammonia or nitrites, and nitrates have capped out...i either do a 100% water change, or a series of water changes to get me to 100%. then i monitor the big 3 levels and monitor them for stability. Calcium/alk/magnesium that is... i personally prefer to have fresh water, and start from scratch with 0 nitrates before adding fish, inverts, clean up crew etc. That way you arent starting with a nitrate problem from the get go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Gotcha. I'm going to keep an eye out on the tank this week and see what it looks like this coming weekend. Just seems that it happened too quickly. Either the bio-spira is magic or my test kit is fubar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Your ammonia level probably hasn't even started yet give it a week or two. You should see it go up and peak and then go back down. Not sure about the additive a few days I would not risk it yet. If the rock was 100% cycled live rock then it is possible you are done cycling if it was dry. Than the tank is fairly sterile and there is nothing to start the cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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