TEX's IM Nuvo 10 Build

TEX · Apr 28, 2020

Sailfin11 said:
Your tank looks fantastic! Makes me think about getting an AIO...

Thank you so much!! That means a ton, and I think you definitely should

Mr.Z · Apr 28, 2020

TEX said:
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

Nothing against chemi-pure, but I think a good general rule is if you’re using some sort of chemical filtration, you should have a specific reason, otherwise you will risk causing an unnecessary imbalance without any goal in mind.

For example, your phosphates might be on target, but adding chemi-pure will reduce your phosphates. Then low phosphates may lead to a new problem such as less healthy coral or dinoflagellates.

TEX · Apr 28, 2020

Mr.Z said:
Nothing against chemi-pure, but I think a good general rule is if you’re using some sort of chemical filtration, you should have a specific reason, otherwise you will risk causing an unnecessary imbalance without any goal in mind.

For example, your phosphates might be on target, but adding chemi-pure will reduce your phosphates. Then low phosphates may lead to a new problem such as less healthy coral or dinoflagellates.

That's a good point. I think it's easy for me to think I need more than floss and some extra bio media to keep the tank clean, haha. I'll continue to monitor it. I know I could run just carbon if I wanted for the water polishing and soaking up some extras.

I'm still working out what to do for nitrate export beyond water changes. After my cycle, and before adding fish, I did a pretty massive water change—somewhere near 90%—because my nitrates were super high from the amount of pure ammonia I had added and had been converted. I'm not super worried about it with just having the fish in there, but I want to have a plan to stay on top of it now that I'm feeding and even trying to work out how much to feed and whatnot.

I know some people have had success on tanks even this small with some skimmers like the eshopps nano, and even the IM DC skimmer (more hit or miss). I don't think running a refugium in the second chamber is the answer for a tank this small. I've also thought about the Santa Monica drop algae scrubber 0.2, which I think is the only algae scrubber that will fit, but I haven't found anyone using that particular one in this tank or similar. I've seen people run their scrubbers in general with success, just not sure about that size.

And of course, I might be under-estimating the power of a weekly 10-20% water change. I just don't want to play the game of "feed as little as possible to keep things alive" and would rather have beefier filtration with healthier fish/coral.

TEX · Apr 28, 2020

Currently working on a clean up crew for the tank. Would like something to eat some excess food as well as something that gets in the sandbed a bit. I'm kind of put off by hermit crabs as I don't want to deal with snail killing, or keeping up with enough extra shells for them to combat the problem.

Also deciding if/when to introduce some pods to the tank.

Fish continues to do well, and is eating well. Super active and funny

Spamamos · Apr 29, 2020

TEX said:
Currently working on a clean up crew for the tank. Would like something to eat some excess food as well as something that gets in the sandbed a bit. I'm kind of put off by hermit crabs as I don't want to deal with snail killing, or keeping up with enough extra shells for them to combat the problem.

Also deciding if/when to introduce some pods to the tank.

Fish continues to do well, and is eating well. Super active and funny

Get a Conch in there!
Great at cleaning the sand bed!

I have a IM 20g and have 2 Blue Legged Hermits, 4 Banded Trochus Snails and 2 Conch's. The Snails are all over the glass at night and the Crabs do a great job of getting in between corals. I have only had one crab associated snail death fortunately but do have plenty of shells in the tank hidden round the back.

Tank is looking great and makes me want to set up a second...

btmedic04 · Apr 29, 2020

Very clean build. These tanks are fantastic! As for the smart ato, I have been running mine for over a year and a half with 0 problems. Just make sure to clean the sensor when you do your weekly maintenance.

I feel that tank is too small and too new for a conch. Your best bet would be nassarius snails to eat leftover food and stir the sandbed. Cerith and dwarf cerith snails also burrow and stir the sand during the day and come out at night to eat algae off of your glass and rocks.

I have the following clean up crew for all of my reefs, including my nuvo 10
trochus snails
astrea snails
nerite snails
cerith snails
dwarf cerith snails
nassarius snails
hermits

Are the hermits necessary? Not really, but I enjoy their antics and seeing what weird locations they end up in. I just recently had one hanging onto a patch of GSP on my nuvo's back wall. The nearest rock work is about an inch away so I have no idea how it got up there

92Miata · Apr 30, 2020

AyeNick said:
Hey man!
Fellow Nuvo 10 Reefer here!

Your scape is looking totally awesome!

Agree - One of temptations with these tanks is to put too much in. Keep it simple - its really easy to end up in a situation where you can't do the maintenance you want because things are too close to the glass.

If you're still looking for a skimmer - I've head the tunze 9001 will fit. We have an IM Ghost in our Nuvo10 - and I'm not a fan at all. (I'm not a fan of the IM desktop DC we have in our Nuvo 40 either)

ISFNick · Apr 30, 2020

92Miata said:
Agree - One of temptations with these tanks is to put too much in. Keep it simple - its really easy to end up in a situation where you can't do the maintenance you want because things are too close to the glass.

If you're still looking for a skimmer - I've head the tunze 9001 will fit. We have an IM Ghost in our Nuvo10 - and I'm not a fan at all. (I'm not a fan of the IM desktop DC we have in our Nuvo 40 either)

I run the 9001 and it fits!

TEX · May 1, 2020

btmedic04 said:
Very clean build. These tanks are fantastic! As for the smart ato, I have been running mine for over a year and a half with 0 problems. Just make sure to clean the sensor when you do your weekly maintenance.

I feel that tank is too small and too new for a conch. Your best bet would be nassarius snails to eat leftover food and stir the sandbed. Cerith and dwarf cerith snails also burrow and stir the sand during the day and come out at night to eat algae off of your glass and rocks.

I have the following clean up crew for all of my reefs, including my nuvo 10
trochus snails
astrea snails
nerite snails
cerith snails
dwarf cerith snails
nassarius snails
hermits

Are the hermits necessary? Not really, but I enjoy their antics and seeing what weird locations they end up in. I just recently had one hanging onto a patch of GSP on my nuvo's back wall. The nearest rock work is about an inch away so I have no idea how it got up there

Thanks for the recommendations! That's what I'll look into. And I agree, there's something kind of fun about hermits...

Since you have the Smart ATO and the same tank, let me ask you a question: How do you keep the ATO properly positioned? it seems any time I have to adjust it when changing water, or just my hand is in the tank (raising the water level) and then removed (moving it back down) it can sometimes trigger the ATO unintentionally. Maybe it's not enough water being put in to matter (on for literally 1 second) but it does kind of bug me. Are you constantly fiddling with it?

TEX · May 1, 2020

92Miata said:
Agree - One of temptations with these tanks is to put too much in. Keep it simple - its really easy to end up in a situation where you can't do the maintenance you want because things are too close to the glass.

If you're still looking for a skimmer - I've head the tunze 9001 will fit. We have an IM Ghost in our Nuvo10 - and I'm not a fan at all. (I'm not a fan of the IM desktop DC we have in our Nuvo 40 either)

Thanks! I actually really enjoy the aquascape now. I'm proud of how it turned out, especially with the pure luck of that rock fitting in the grooves, so to speak. Looking forward to adding my first coral.

I've heard similar things about the DC Nuvo skimmer, which is a shame because I think it looks sharp for an AIO skimmer. I'll check out the Tunze 9001 when I feel like I need the skimmer!

TEX · May 1, 2020

Also, a micro update: I replaced the SpinStream with the VCA Random Flow Generator, and I really like it so far. I knew the SpinStream was loud, but I didn't realize just how loud it was until I took it off. I also like that it has no moving parts which will make it easier to maintain.

Still working out the right flow out of it, because I do have some issues with it siphoning air from the surface, which makes bubbles and a funny slurping noise. I reached out to VCA and they’re working on finding a solution with me (props to their support team).

It does look pretty sharp in the tank, and I do like the adaptor they sell that fits the Nuvo 10.

Does anyone run the MightyJet return pump without an additional powerhead? If so what setting do you run it at?

It’s hard for me to gauge what’s enough or too much with just the little guy in there. He swims pretty rapidly in place, which made me think there was too much flow but then he’ll just stop and chill out, and the flow barely moves him. I think he’s just getting his exercise in for the day LOL

Spamamos · May 1, 2020

TEX said:
Also, a micro update: I replaced the SpinStream with the VCA Random Flow Generator, and I really like it so far. I knew the SpinStream was loud, but I didn't realize just how loud it was until I took it off. I also like that it has no moving parts which will make it easier to maintain.

Still working out the right flow out of it, because I do have some issues with it siphoning air from the surface, which makes bubbles and a funny slurping noise. I reached out to VCA and they’re working on finding a solution with me (props to their support team).

It does look pretty sharp in the tank, and I do like the adaptor they sell that fits the Nuvo 10.

Does anyone run the MightyJet return pump without an additional powerhead? If so what setting do you run it at?

It’s hard for me to gauge what’s enough or too much with just the little guy in there. He swims pretty rapidly in place, which made me think there was too much flow but then he’ll just stop and chill out, and the flow barely moves him. I think he’s just getting his exercise in for the day LOL

My RFG Nozzles came with a drop down for the Nuvo 20 that drop them lower into the water so that they don't suck water in? Were these not supplied then or are they sold separately in the US?

See at Link - https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s...tive-marine-19mm-random-flow-generator-bundle

From a 20G perspective I run a pretty slow pump in the back, with two RFG's to keep the water cycled over media etc. I get most of my flow from a MP10 in the display. I suppose your flow will all depend on your coral choices. Fish can stay in place/hide in tropical storms on the reef so I would say corals will be your biggest indication of if you have enough or need more flow.

TEX · May 1, 2020

Spamamos said:
My RFG Nozzles came with a drop down for the Nuvo 20 that drop them lower into the water so that they don't suck water in? Were these not supplied then or are they sold separately in the US?

See at Link - https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s...tive-marine-19mm-random-flow-generator-bundle

From a 20G perspective I run a pretty slow pump in the back, with two RFG's to keep the water cycled over media etc. I get most of my flow from a MP10 in the display. I suppose your flow will all depend on your coral choices. Fish can stay in place/hide in tropical storms on the reef so I would say corals will be your biggest indication of if you have enough or need more flow.

Mine did come with the drop down adaptor, it might just be hard to tell in the pics.

Hopefully VCA will help troubleshoot

btmedic04 · May 1, 2020

I have my ato in the last chamber on the back glass of the tank with the magnet to the rear. Having it there keeps it out of the way when I'm fiddling around with the tank, but the thing that I found most helpful for keeping a steady water level in the back was putting on the overflow guard that IM makes. What was happening is every time a snail crawled over my overflow, it dropped the water level in chamber 3 and would trigger my ato. The water level stayed stable even with snails on the guard once i put it on. I did have to modify it though by removing some of the horizontal bars in order to continue surface skimming.

I also have the VCA RFG and mightyjet pump and was having the same issue. What I found was if I added 2-3 pieces of loc-line, I was able to drop the level of the RFG further and found that if i placed it somewhat close to parallel with the surface of the water, it helped reduce the frequency of it siphoning in air. I'm currently at work but will take some pics when I get home to better illustrate what I'm talking about.

With the above mentioned pump and RFG, I run mine on constant stream at max setting with no additional powerheads. I find that I have pretty decent flow in most areas of the tank, but I do have one spot under the RFG that is pretty low. So far it hasn't been an issue but I have considered adding a tunze nano 6040 if i need more flow. I can post a video if you like to demonstrate my zoas and Duncan in the flow

TEX · May 1, 2020

btmedic04 said:
I have my ato in the last chamber on the back glass of the tank with the magnet to the rear. Having it there keeps it out of the way when I'm fiddling around with the tank, but the thing that I found most helpful for keeping a steady water level in the back was putting on the overflow guard that IM makes. What was happening is every time a snail crawled over my overflow, it dropped the water level in chamber 3 and would trigger my ato. The water level stayed stable even with snails on the guard once i put it on. I did have to modify it though by removing some of the horizontal bars in order to continue surface skimming.

I also have the VCA RFG and mightyjet pump and was having the same issue. What I found was if I added 2-3 pieces of loc-line, I was able to drop the level of the RFG further and found that if i placed it somewhat close to parallel with the surface of the water, it helped reduce the frequency of it siphoning in air. I'm currently at work but will take some pics when I get home to better illustrate what I'm talking about.

With the above mentioned pump and RFG, I run mine on constant stream at max setting with no additional powerheads. I find that I have pretty decent flow in most areas of the tank, but I do have one spot under the RFG that is pretty low. So far it hasn't been an issue but I have considered adding a tunze nano 6040 if i need more flow. I can post a video if you like to demonstrate my zoas and Duncan in the flow

Thanks so much for all of this info!

Regarding your IM FishGuard (as they call it): do you have any issues with it reducing flow/surface skimming?

As far as the RFG, I'd love to see pics when you have the chance! I asked the same question in another section of the forum, and someone recommended adding a loc-line, but the only ones I could find made it seem like it would take up a ton of space, or extend the nozzle too far, either forward or down. When you get a chance to send pics, would you mind linking me to what product it is?

Also, that's good to know about running the MightyJet at max setting. Whenever I've tested it at max it definitely kicks up some settled food, so that's a huge plus. I'm probably overly worried about my small clown, just don't want to "swim him to death" (first time clown owner probs/helicopter parent). I'd love to see the video you mentioned. I'm not completely opposed to an extra powerhead, I'd just want it to be very low profile. The Tunze nano 6040 seems to fit the bill, as well as the Aqamai KPS.

Thanks for your help!!

92Miata · May 1, 2020

TEX said:
Thanks for the recommendations! That's what I'll look into. And I agree, there's something kind of fun about hermits...

Since you have the Smart ATO and the same tank, let me ask you a question: How do you keep the ATO properly positioned? it seems any time I have to adjust it when changing water, or just my hand is in the tank (raising the water level) and then removed (moving it back down) it can sometimes trigger the ATO unintentionally. Maybe it's not enough water being put in to matter (on for literally 1 second) but it does kind of bug me. Are you constantly fiddling with it?

I unplug mine when I'm doing water changes or anything like that. Sometimes it kicks on when I pull the skimmer cup out/etc, but that just means it'll be a little longer before it runs again. We've got two of them total - and they seem to work fine.

I very rarely fiddle with the magnet/sensor.

btmedic04 · May 1, 2020

TEX said:
Thanks so much for all of this info!

Regarding your IM FishGuard (as they call it): do you have any issues with it reducing flow/surface skimming?

As far as the RFG, I'd love to see pics when you have the chance! I asked the same question in another section of the forum, and someone recommended adding a loc-line, but the only ones I could find made it seem like it would take up a ton of space, or extend the nozzle too far, either forward or down. When you get a chance to send pics, would you mind linking me to what product it is?

Also, that's good to know about running the MightyJet at max setting. Whenever I've tested it at max it definitely kicks up some settled food, so that's a huge plus. I'm probably overly worried about my small clown, just don't want to "swim him to death" (first time clown owner probs/helicopter parent). I'd love to see the video you mentioned. I'm not completely opposed to an extra powerhead, I'd just want it to be very low profile. The Tunze nano 6040 seems to fit the bill, as well as the Aqamai KPS.

Thanks for your help!!

It did reduce flow slightly and raised the water level but not so much that the tank overflows or anything. Now I had to cut some of the horizontal pieces out where the water line is because it was prohibiting surface skimming. Once I did that, surface skimming resumed as normal.

Heres the loc-line I used. It's the 1/2" version and I believe I used 3 segments. Just be careful putting them on your adapter, I broke a little ring off of mine.

Modular Hose Segments

6 segments of 1/2" Loc-Line Modular Hose measures 5.5" 6 segments of 3/4" Loc-Line Modular Hose measures 6" Loc-Line flexible modular plumbing offers endless plumbing configurations and is useful for unique plumbing designs. Loc-Line is commonly used on return lines and closed loops where...

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