InevitableCrash’s 100G NUVO EXT

[InevitableCrash]

Take a couple years away from the hobby and a lot changes. I’m migrating my tank journal here because the other place I had it is sadly dead. I’ll write a catch up post to cover the progress up to this point tonight.

Most current FTS, 4 months old:

Equipment List:
Nuvo EXT 100 with APS stand
Geissmann Aurora 48”
Kessil H160 refugium light
RO Regal INT-150 skimmer
RO VarioS-8 DC Return
Apex Classic with temp and pH probes
2x MP40QD
2x 150 Watt Eheim Jaeger Heaters
Tunze ATO
BRS carbon/GFO reactor

 

[acro-ed]

Very cool. Props for your username; lol; that's what drew me in.

 

[InevitableCrash]

The journey so far: part one

The announcement of the EXT line ignited my interest in the wake of a move that had left me tankless the previous two years. I found myself longing to pick reefing back up, but I really wanted my next tank to have the aspects I really wanted, notably an external overflow and bean animal drain with low iron glass. The EXT offered me the typically custom features I wanted, but in a standard offering from a reputable manufacturer. Come the new year, I placed an order and soon after the modern marvel of the freight industry brought this to my door

Assembling the APS stand was very simple and the end result is what feels like a sturdy, yet lightweight package. I got pretty anal about cross members being perfectly aligned and level, so it took me over an hour to completely assemble. I think it’s pretty sharp, but I’m most excited about the long term durability that the aluminum should provide in the corrosive saltwater environment.

As a slight nit pick, the instructions didn’t perfectly match the provided hardware, but it was simple enough that it didn’t make much difference.

A more substantial dock against the stand is that the provided foam board along the bottom is flimsy. The provided trio of aluminum cross braces paired with this foam on top does not provide a surface I personally feel confident in having a sump rest on. Additionally, the bottom isn’t sealed, which allows moisture to easily get under the stand. The aluminum itself will hold up, but if you have carpet like me, it will soak up that moisture making for a nasty and costly problem. I will make a more rigid surface of ply and seal the edges to prevent this.

To meet current and future needs, I got this Triton34 V2 sump. I’m planning for water changes, but this will give me the option to convert to the intriguing Triton method in the future. I will also be getting a DC pump that can support the higher flow rate if I chose to go Triton later. I’ll be shooting fo a 3-4X turnover for now, with the margin to go to 10X if needed.

I had a decent amount of pukani from my last tank that had some crud left on it. I went ahead and started a bleach brew with my rocks and had them sit in it with a power head for a week. I followed with two dechlorination soaks and sat it out to dry with no scent of bleach.

I’m really glad I kept the pukani now that it’s so hard to come by. The stuff I have is extremely porous after I gave it an acid bath when setting up my previous tank. Compared to the Marco Shelf I got to supplement, it’s light as a feather. Hopefully bleach is enough as another acid bath might leave me with a pile of dust in a Brute can. I’ll test for phosphates when I get it in the tank and treat if necessary.

 

[InevitableCrash]

The journey so far: part 2

Before I bleached the rock, I flowed some creative juice into potential aquascapes. I really dig the extra space afforded by the external overflow. It allows me to work with depth in a way I haven’t been able to before.

Received all of my plumbing and started piecing it together. I hard plumbed the returns and used a combination of rigid and flex PVC for the three drains.

Before I could begin plumbing, I had to add a floor to the inside of the stand. Whether this is necessary or not, I don’t know. I don’t trust the stand’s three cross members with a flimsy foam pad to evenly distribute the load of a sump long term. Ever skeptical, I cut some 3/4 ply and primed with a couple coats of Killz. I screwed it to the cross members and laid the foam pad over top. Additionally, I sealed the edges of the foam to prevent water intrusion under the stand. Warning to anyone with wood or carpet considering this stand - you will need to take extra precautions to protect your floors.

Plumbing the tank was a task made immeasurably better with beer. Not sure what is going on with all the plumbing how-to videos, but this ingredient was suspiciously missing in all of them. Fortunately, I discovered the errors and the job went went swimmingly.

Prior to plumbing the tank, I plumbed the water mixing station, which is exciting to exactly one person-me. Now I get to explain all these levers to every visitor while they politely smile and look at me like I’m crazy for doing this. Ill notice, but continue to try and win them over with sound reefing logic.

Lessons learned:

1. Home Depot sells wood as straight as Quasimodo’s spine.
2. Dry fitting is useful for radial marking, but not so great for length measurement. I had better results measuring the hard stop points in the PVC fittings and adding that value to exposed pipe lengths.
3) Unions are life savers and worth every cent

 

[InevitableCrash]

The journey so far: part 3

While water production was at full steam, I took to toiling away with the aquascape. E-Marco-400 takes a little practice to get right, but once you get a feel for it, you can become the creator of fantastical marine worlds. Drawing inspiration from other reefs and throwing in a little of my own blend of secret sauce, I put together what I hope will turn out to be an interesting slice of reef to view as it grows.

After letting the mortar cure, I was able to get the tank wet. Now the fun really starts!

Laziness breeds innovation, and that was my motivation when cleaning the reef flakes. A hole in a can plugged with a piece of filter media worked nicely. Turned on the hose and let sit until it ran clear. Followed with a RO/DI flush and done.

My last experience with LED was with a Maxspect Razor 420R and I ultimately opted for an ATI T5 fixture to replace it. The tried and true T5s were better in the only way that mattered - healthy growth and coloration of my reef. I really wanted LEDs to be great, so I forgave many of their shortcomings at the time. The control, low energy, and color variations were scrumptious enough to stow the apparent pitfalls in the denial portion of my brain. Certainly, I was using a budget light, and of course lighting is but a single aspect of the game, but I left my LED experience feeling a bit deflated and I have developed a bias skepticism ever since.

That memory was about 5 years ago. It seems we are at the cusp of LED only offering the best of all previous lighting sources - if you have a bank of them covering the entire tank and a bank account to match. But for me, I was looking for a solution that would satisfy my healthy LED skepticism and bring me the flexibility that comes with LEDs.

Enter hybrid lighting systems. Are these systems half measures or the real deal? I can’t say for myself yet, but plenty of people seem to be having success with them. After going on the hunt for a reasonably priced hybrid fixture, I picked up an open box 48” Giesemann Aurora for a bargain price as they have been discontinued. So far, I’m happy with the form factor, color, and control. I’ll write up a detail review of it when I can rent or borrow a PAR meter and I have more time to see it’s impact on coral growth and health.

Last week, I pulled the trigger on a refugium light and got some chaeto from my LFS. The baseball size chunk is tumbling around nicely and is getting more densely packed but hasn’t gained much volume yet. I’m not adding much nutrients as I’ve only got two fish for now, so I’m just hoping it takes hold.

So all that covers January to now. From here onward, the journey takes me to unknown territory. This is my most ambitious tank to date, so I’m really excited to see the reef develop and grow.

 

[InevitableCrash]

Very cool. Props for your username; lol; that's what drew me in.

Feeding paranoia lead me to believe that all tanks ultimately crash. We only influence the probability of it happening until we voluntarily shut down the tanks. The thought Keeps me frosty and vigilant lol.

 

[LUKER]

Love the build. Got my feet wet with a 40 breeder and a Trigger Triton 26. This is the tank I hope to upgrade to.

 

[InevitableCrash]

Love the build. Got my feet wet with a 40 breeder and a Trigger Triton 26. This is the tank I hope to upgrade to.

Thanks! I would highly recommend the tank. The build quality is great and it just looks beautiful. It has made an external overflow a must have for any future tank I own.

The stand is nice but I would not recommend it as it is currently sold. It needs a sump floor I can be confident in without having to modify it and the center door access is awkward. They should have somehow made the center door open the opposite direction so the brace doesn’t cut the minimum access width in half (restricts me from leaning far into the sump compartment without some acrobatics).

Good luck with your breeder. It has the perfect LxWxH ratio IMO

 

[Cory42]

I am considering the same tank for an additional tank hooked to my main display tank sump. I would like to know how many gallons of water drain to the sump (roughly) from the overflow and the returns when you turn off the return pump?

Another question. How hard do you think it would be to make one of the end panels removable on the stand? I have a long UV light that I am considering if I want to put in the stand, but having the end panel removable would be desired.

Great looking setup.

 

[InevitableCrash]

I am considering the same tank for an additional tank hooked to my main display tank sump. I would like to know how many gallons of water drain to the sump (roughly) from the overflow and the returns when you turn off the return pump?

Another question. How hard do you think it would be to make one of the end panels removable on the stand? I have a long UV light that I am considering if I want to put in the stand, but having the end panel removable would be desired.

Great looking setup.

I realize this response is terribly late, but maybe this question will help others down the road. As for the water that drains from the display to my sump, I’d guesstimate about 6 gallons. That value would vary based on nozzle height and return pump rate.

To answer your other question on side panel removal, I’d say that’s very dependent on your desire to DIY. The panels come pre installed on the side supports, but they are only retained by grooves on the side support members, so they are loosely installed (think of an abrupt pressure change in your house causing the panels to shake within their grooves and the aluminum sheets make a quiet noise). It would be a very simple job to remove these altogether, but much less simple to make them into serviceable panels or regular maintenance.

 

[InevitableCrash]

Progress on the reef has been very slow. Over nine months after getting wet, my rock is only just now beginning to hit the throttle. This being my second reef originated with dry rock, I suspect that dry rock has been the major contributor to this stunted progress. Yet I am undeterred.

So far, I have been able to support SPS, albeit pale and slow growing to this point. All indications are that the available nutrients to my corals are too low; A conclusion I reinforced after allowing skimmate to reflow back into the tank the last week, which resulted in corals perking up. This has lead me to attempt a trial of aminos and coral feeding. I am curious as to whether this combination is an effective interim solution on the way to a more mature, self sufficient reef. I have also added a few fish to the QT to be future bio fuel for the reef.


Updated FTS

 

[CoralDanimal]

Great setup! How do you like the dimensions of the 100G EXT? Any updated pics?