londonloco March 11, 2014 Share March 11, 2014 (edited) I've always wanted a "pest nano tank", but always decided against it for various reasons, didn't have enough time, couldn't fit a protein skimmer, not good enough viewing area. Last fall I saw a 16g Nuvo at Quantums, I really liked the tank. Being longer it had a decent viewing area, back chamber could fit a small ps, we'll be empty nesters this August, time was not going to be a problem any more. Decided to bite the bullet in January, bought the tank, and have been accumulating equipment for 2 months: - Innovative Marine Nuvo 16 in white, with no lights - Old bar stand found in basement - Two Eheim 600's to replaced the stock pump - Tunze nano ato, water reservoir bought at Walmart - Eshoppes Nano Skimmer - Two Hydor evo mag pumps, good thing they were cheap, I'm not a fan, may replace with something else. - IT2040 hung from the ceiling, thank you Marcos. - InTank Media basket for Zeovit Rocks - 75W Colbalt Neo-Therm Heater - 20 lbs of uncured live rock from KP Aquatics - Artfully Acrylic black acrylic cut to fit bottom of tank, thank you Adam - Artfully Acrylic white starboard to protect cabinet top I leak tested the tank a month ago, and it’s been sitting in my den, empty, waiting for me to decide on a protein skimmer, my lights to make the trip from China, and a “calmer” week for the divers to get the rock out of the ocean: I decided on the Eshoppes Protein Skimmer a few weeks ago, lights came in last week: and I finally got the OK from Philipp at KP Aquatics to pay for my rock. Rock arrived today. I explained to Philipp I wanted the freshest rock he could get me, uncured, and he agreed to set up my purchase so it would be 48 hours from Ocean to doorstep. My rock was “harvested” out of the ocean on Sunday, FedX’d overnight to me on Monday, on my doorstep at 2:45pm today: Box was dry, inside the live rock was packed in two thick plastic bags, sealed with rubber bands: Each rock was individually wrapped in wet newspaper, and there was a small amount of water on the bottom of the bag. There was literally no foul odor, the only smell that permeated was an “ocean” smell, and even that was very faint. I was going to take pics of the rocks after I unwrapped them all, but after only unwrapping two, I found this: missing a leg, kinda “squirming in pain”, so I rushed all rock and the little guy into the tank. Didn’t acclimate him, sigh, hope he makes it. Decided to leave the lights on during this cycle, the longer they are on, the more color I see in the rocks. So far, lots of purple, reds and oranges, sponges, a few pieces of macro, the brittle star, and a few worms: Thought I’d live with it a few days, let things settle, see what “creatures” are in there, then this weekend settle on a final scape, tie things down securely and add an inch of sand. I’m going to try a modified Zeovit system, not sure how that will go, but I’ll start dosing after I add sand. I intend to add a smaller mantis to this tank later this summer, few LPS corals and two cheap, fast swimming fish. Anyone have any fish ideas for me? Edited March 11, 2014 by londonloco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 11, 2014 Share March 11, 2014 Looking good so far, I love those little tanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 11, 2014 Author Share March 11, 2014 Thanks Isaac! I'm probably gonna trade away the two biggest pieces of rock, want a piece for Rupperts tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef March 11, 2014 Share March 11, 2014 That rock looks really good Loni..though that isa lot of rock for you and your minimalist-ness,lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR-Tanked150 March 11, 2014 Share March 11, 2014 Nice looking tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 11, 2014 Author Share March 11, 2014 That rock looks really good Loni..though that isa lot of rock for you and your minimalist-ness,lol Thanks Kim...lol....I do like some open areas in my tanks. Nice looking tank. Thanks....how is the cardinal doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR-Tanked150 March 11, 2014 Share March 11, 2014 The cardinal is great, a bit shy during feeding, but is out in the open even when my kids run up to the tank. What type of mantis are you going to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 The cardinal is great, a bit shy during feeding, but is out in the open even when my kids run up to the tank. What type of mantis are you going to get? Glad the cardinal is doing well, he was a cute little guy. I'm thinking either Gonodactylus Smithii or Neogonodactylus Wennerae. Neither is as colorful as a peacock mantis, but I need one that will stay smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad908 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 "- InTank Media basket for Zeovit Rocks" Are the zeolite's going to be aggitated enough in the basket? How do you plan on doing the daily shake of the rocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 "- InTank Media basket for Zeovit Rocks" Are the zeolite's going to be aggitated enough in the basket? How do you plan on doing the daily shake of the rocks? I had such a soft cycle using dry rock and Zeovit method I thought since I have the blue bottles and zeolites, I'd give it a try. I've been conversing with NanoTopia on Nano-reef getting the dosing straight, it's so different on a nano, most bottles are dosed 1-2 times a week, the ZS3 is .1 (as in point one) mL a day, but even that small amount is easy, I have a small BM bottle I can reuse, 1 drop = .05mL, so all is good. NanoTopia also has concerns with the Zeolites, but about TOO much water flowing thru the basket I made out of needlepoint plastic material. Even tho Innovative Marine calls this tank 16g, it's not close. I think it's closer to 14g when the back compartment is filled correctly, allowances for rock, sand and equipment, it's closer to 12g in total. Which means I need 12gph of water thru the Zeolites. I'm going to place the basket I made on the bottom of the IntakeMedia Basket in the second chamber and hope for the best. Shaking the rocks is easy with the basket, it lifts out of the chamber without a problem. If it doesn't work out, meh, no biggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad908 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 Stopped reading once I saw NanoTopia. Looking forward to seeing another zeo tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 That tank looks awesome. What kinds of pests are you looking for. I think a huge worm would be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Nice!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 That tank looks awesome. What kinds of pests are you looking for. I think a huge worm would be awesome. Thanks! I originally thought a mantis, and still might go that route, but I had a gorilla crab hitchhike on the live rock in my 120g years ago. I really liked him, his molts were way kewl. However, if I have a mantis, even a small one, it might be risky. I also have been "trolling" some on nano-reef, checking out IM16's, and found a "pest tank" that had some sort of majono's or aiptasia's that were green with pink tips, very pretty, and not evasive at all. If I ever come across them, a couple will be in this tank. I also have an euphyllia eating halloween crab in my 60g's sump, he'll be the first to go in the tank once it's cycled. He'll find a new home if I get a mantis. Other than that, I don't know yet. I thought I'd wait to see what popped out of this rock...... Nice!! Thanks Surf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Looks like it's coming along well. You might want to look into the IM media reactor. It could help you regulate the flow and let you shake the rocks. You would just need to mark the position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 (edited) Looks like it's coming along well. You might want to look into the IM media reactor. It could help you regulate the flow and let you shake the rocks. You would just need to mark the position. Thanks Apcoleman I have read up on the IM desktop reactor, which was made specifically for the Nuvo16g and is big enough to hold the 120mL of zeolites I need for this system. Everything I've read says you can't dial the flow low enough, but I'm not sure I read anywhere that someone actually tested it. The pump maxes out at 52gph, but is adjustable, I think tomorrow I will email IM and see if they know the minimum flow rate on that pump. I could check the flow rate myself, but hate to spend 100$ and have it not work. The reason you shake the stones is to make sure the zeolites don't harbor any mulm which would reduce the stones effectiveness, the reactor could become a detritus trap over time. Not sure if I could easily shake the stones as it looks like the bottom of the outer chamber is sealed, so there is no where for the mulm to go but down into the bottom chamber. I'm still going to investigate this reactor a little more....thanks for the suggestion. Edited March 13, 2014 by londonloco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 I love the tank, especially the stand-offs that raise the tank. IM makes cool looking tanks for sure. Are you getting much of a cycle w/ all of that fresh rock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Thanks Apcoleman I have read up on the IM desktop reactor, which was made specifically for the Nuvo16g and is big enough to hold the 120mL of zeolites I need for this system. Everything I've read says you can't dial the flow low enough, but I'm not sure I read anywhere that someone actually tested it. The pump maxes out at 52gph, but is adjustable, I think tomorrow I will email IM and see if they know the minimum flow rate on that pump. I could check the flow rate myself, but hate to spend 100$ and have it not work. The reason you shake the stones is to make sure the zeolites don't harbor any mulm which would reduce the stones effectiveness, the reactor could become a detritus trap over time. Not sure if I could easily shake the stones as it looks like the bottom of the outer chamber is sealed, so there is no where for the mulm to go but down into the bottom chamber. I'm still going to investigate this reactor a little more....thanks for the suggestion. I ended up going with bio-pellets in the reactor for my IM16 for that very reason and just dose the bacteria and other zeo products rather than the full blown Zeo setup I have on my 90 gallon. I think getting the proper flow is possible but you will definitely need to get everything dialed in with a little extra work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 I love the tank, especially the stand-offs that raise the tank. IM makes cool looking tanks for sure. Are you getting much of a cycle w/ all of that fresh rock? Thanks howaboutme! I like my tanks eye level, well, eye level for me, my stands are typically 40" tall. I used an old piece of furniture I had in the basement, fit perfect although it doesn't look great, it does it's job. The stand offs raise the tank 2", so I'm almost at 40" on the stand. We're all getting over the flu/sinus infections in this household and my grandkids household, it was "Nona to the rescue" most of this week. Time has been limited. Saturday I plan on figuring out a final scape, adding sand, and starting the Zeo additives. Then it's time to test. So to answer your question, I have no idea....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 I ended up going with bio-pellets in the reactor for my IM16 for that very reason and just dose the bacteria and other zeo products rather than the full blown Zeo setup I have on my 90 gallon. I think getting the proper flow is possible but you will definitely need to get everything dialed in with a little extra work. I might just be headed that direction also. First I want to see if this "box of rocks" will work. I didn't remember your 90g was Zeo, feel kinda bad explaining all you already knew...... I did email IM today asking about minimum flow on the reactor, surprisingly I got a reply back a few hours later: Hi Loni, Honestly, I cannot tell you the exact gph of the pump since the minimax reactor is adjustable from maxmimum flow rate of 52gph to 0. I can only approximate that a 23% opening will yield a 12gph. I apologize I could not be of further assistance. Hope that helps, Brian. I guess technically it's possible to get 12gph, next time you change your pellets out, wanna do a flow test for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 16, 2014 Author Share March 16, 2014 (edited) Yesterday I decided on a scape, added sand, protein skimmer, box of zeoites, and dosed initial dose of Zeo additives. Tank looks like this now: Had to take out the three largest rocks, which had lots of red sponges on them, but I really like the look of the tank now. This scape gives me room to add corals, and some open area. I also found a tiny pencil urchin: and some green macro: and my favorite find is some kind of mushroom looking thing, can't get a good pic, it's tiny, but kinda neat: I did a wc on the 60g, fighting bubble algae sucks, and thought the euphyllia eating halloween crab had died in my sump so I threw the shell in the 16g. Silly me, he just molted: He's cruising around the tank picking at the rock. Later tonight I'll put him back in my sump until I'm cycled. I have an ammonia alert badge coming from DFS, they decided to hold my order for 3 days, should be here this week. I'm going to test to see how the cycle is going later today. Edited March 16, 2014 by londonloco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef March 16, 2014 Share March 16, 2014 Oh I likely! Lookin good....that rock is freakin awesome.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 17, 2014 Author Share March 17, 2014 Oh I likely! Lookin good....that rock is freakin awesome.... Thanks Kim. I'm starting to wish I started the 60g with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 17, 2014 Share March 17, 2014 The rock does look nice. I like a mix of good with the bad, it keeps things natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 17, 2014 Author Share March 17, 2014 Thanks Isaac. I really like the look of the tank as it is, but I have misgivings about letting those 3 larger rocks go to waste. I might play with it a little more tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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