Back in the hobby ten years later - 30L IM Nuvo Fusion

[Keannis]

Current FTS:

 

 

About 10 years ago, when I was a single college student with little in the way of either income or financial responsibility, I somehow kept a 70 gallon LPS/softie tank that was my baby... until I went on vacation and it crashed and burned while I was away due to a power outage.

 

Now, as a boring, stable adult with disposable income and only a modicum more financial responsibility   I've had the itch to set up a tank again. This time, however, I have a husband who definitely does not understand the appeal (or... ahem... the cost) so I'll be going much more modest in size.

 

I joined WAMAS, picked up a barely-used IM Nuvo Fusion 30L from a fellow member a couple weeks ago and have been slowly getting it set up in the dining room. (I told the husband it was either going downstairs in his precious man cave/movie room or in the dining room and let him choose...) I made a lot of stupid mistakes way back when from rushing and have no desire to repeat them, though I'm sure I'll find new ones to make anyways.

 

Tank - IM Nuvo Fusion 30L on an Aquatic Fundamentals 50/65 stand, because the $300 price tag on the IM stand is ridiculous. 

 

Lights - Current USA Orbit Marine LED - which I suspect will not be enough once I get some LPS, but I'll upgrade when I get there. LEDs were definitely not a 'thing' when I was last in the hobby so I have some learning to do.

 

Other hardware - RO Buddie 4-stage filter for water and two Hydor Koralia Nano 425s for flow. 150w Eheim heater. Also a Coralife BioCube skimmer that I got for free that fits nicely in the back.

 

Live rock/substrate - decided after some deliberation to go with "real reef" (aka not real reef at all) live rock from Reef eScape, with some significant reservations, mostly because of ten year old memories - that still haven't faded - of trying to catch a #$%$^ mantis hitchhiker in my last tank. It's... not as ugly as I'd imagined? Substrate is a shallow aragonite bed.

 

Tank's been up and cycling for about a week now. I tossed a small piece of raw fish in to give the bacteria something to chew on (even though the LR went straight from the LFS to the tank, I just can't resist pressing the system a bit). I kept checking params with the Seachem tests and getting no free ammonia, minimal total ammonia, minimal nitrites, low nitrates. Odd, but maybe the LR was really doing the work already? I listened to the little voice in the back of my head that said to order the Red Sea test kit I originally wanted and would you look at that... total ammonia 0.6, nitrates 0.5, nitrites 5. That's what I thought.  So we are actually getting a bit of a cycle going. Onward!

Wish list/project list:
1. Tunze 3155 ATO - if anyone has one used for cheap, hit me up!

2. Better LEDs

Edited April 14, 2018 by Keannis

[mari.harutunian]

A nice little tank! I am currently that college student with a tank where are you located?

 

 

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[mari.harutunian]

Here’s my little 36 gallon tank.

Edited March 9, 2018 by mari.harutunian

[Keannis]

A nice little tank! I am currently that college student with a tank where are you located?

 

 

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I'm way out in Centreville. there are a few nice LFSs out here though, I've discovered!

 

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[Keannis]

Against my better judgement, our first inhabitants have joined the tank.  My husband has had a remarkable change of heart since I got the tank up and running and has been keenly interested in what will be going into it... every day... "when do we get to put something in it? When can we add something to it?" So, since the ammonia is heading back down (and never spiked very high in the first place), I let him pick out a couple of hermit crabs and did a nice water change before letting them in. Not the kindest move for the crabs (sorry guys) but I'm convinced hermits can live through the apocalypse and I've been getting texts all day at work informing me of how Red and Blue are doing.   I know hermits are a love-them-or-hate-them tank dweller but I've always loved their antics and never had an issue with mine and my corals in the past, so fingers crossed. At least they're fairly easy to get back out if need be... right...?

Parameters before the water change:
Total ammonia: 0.2 (down from 0.6 two days ago)
Nitrites: 0.75 (up from 0.5 two days ago)
Nitrates: 5
Salinity: 33 ppt

pH: 8.0

Alk: 7

I added some Kent Marine Superbuffer with the water change because the alk has been running low and the pH a bit more labile than I want to see. Probably just a result of the cycle but hopefully this will even things out a bit. 

Edited March 11, 2018 by Keannis

[Keannis]

My patience with building up this tank has rewarded me - parameters are stable (nitrates are a bit high at 30, but I'm due for a water change this weekend), I've been slowly adding livestock and everyone seems to be thriving so far, with the exception of the poor yellow watchman goby that seemed fine for a few days and then disappeared entirely... I suspect into the loving embrace of my husband's beloved emerald crab that I will never, ever be able to get rid of now.
 

I've added an inTank media basket with filter floss and chemipure, and I think it's really helping keep the water clean as I slowly add to the tank's bioburden. Next on the list is an ATO, because I'm already tired of having to add RODI water daily. 

 

Current occupants:
Pair of snowflake clowns

Skunk cleaner shrimp
Scarlet hermit

Blue hermit (although maybe not, it's not been seen for a week or so)

James the emerald crab   
Some number of trochus, nassarius, and cerith snails

Closed maze brain coral

Plate coral

Frogspawn coral

Rhodactis mushroom

Blue mushroom 

Zoanthids

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Keannis

[tds2264]

Love the tank, am actually contemplating getting one, downsizing from a 60 cube due to the purchase of a new house.  My only real concern was the IM stand, like you the cost was a bit much. Additionally it was a bit to tall for the desired location of the tank. I came across your posts, your stand solution made my day.  If I may, how has the tank/stand worked out for you?  The stand does not have any shelves inside, correct?

 

Thank you for your post!