Nuvo fusion "build"

[Coralfreak09]

So, After deciding to go from a 72 gallon fully stocked mixed reef tank to a nano tank, I bought a Nuvo Fusion 20 gallon. I am going to continue to use my current lighting, but will need a skimmer and a reactor.

My main concern is that A. Not many reviews on this tank
B. I have NEVER run a tank without a sump
C. I'm scared as hell to move some of my huge 8 year old corals into such a tiny system.

I need to because I am moving and no big tanks allowed

SO here it goes.

My questions

-How thick of sand bed?
- I'm using medium grain live "sand" looks like tiny shards of rock to me... But I like it better and I want to have a burrowing type of Goby.

-Water changes... how much and how often

-Supplements? using reef crystals and essential elements

-aquascaping? lagoon or minimal?

-what media should I use in such a small system.
-Besides GFO in my 72 I do not run ANY chemical media, simply a huge refugium

-I do plan on using macro in the display, how should I compensate for pH fluctuations at night?

- I do plan on lighting the center back part and putting cheato in there too.

Any comments would be appreciated

I'll start posting pictures of my custom caddies that I am making and how and what filtration will go into this.

cheers and happy reefing

[Hentz]

Originally Posted by Coralfreak09

My questions

-How thick of sand bed?
- I'm using medium grain live "sand" looks like tiny shards of rock to me... But I like it better and I want to have a burrowing type of Goby.
- Try doing about .5-1inch. Don't go too deep. I'd highly recommend bare bottom. I changed to BB in the middle of my 75 and never looked back.

-Water changes... how much and how often
- This will sound crazy, but none. I've noticed on my SPS dominated 75, before I did weekly 20% water changes. I got lazy and stopped for 2 months and was AMAZED how well my sps colors were and how the growth was. I did a water change, they became a little pale and didn't have crazy PE as before. I stopped again and got the same results as previously done. I'm a fan of no water changes, only when completely necessary. USE your corals to determine your parameters.

-Supplements? using reef crystals and essential elements
- Why use any?

-aquascaping? lagoon or minimal?
- Minimal, thought that is completely personal preference. I'm a fan of clean and open scapes! You'd notice my current and last tank I wasn't able to do so with so much live rock and corals already attached.

-what media should I use in such a small system.
-Besides GFO in my 72 I do not run ANY chemical media, simply a huge refugium
- Honestly, I say run a small bag of Chemi Pure and do a small refugium in the back. I'd never go no fuge again! Or even research Cryptic zones. I had a partial cryptic zone - the older and nastier it gets, the better!

-I do plan on using macro in the display, how should I compensate for pH fluctuations at night?
- What if you use a small light to still throw in the back? Just to keep pH fluctuations to a minimum.

- I do plan on lighting the center back part and putting cheato in there too.
- Whoops, pretty much answered this prior haha.

Any comments would be appreciated

I'll start posting pictures of my custom caddies that I am making and how and what filtration will go into this.

cheers and happy reefing

- Seems you have a solid plan for the tank. Remember, this is what YOU want!

[ExpensiveHobby]

i have a nuvo 16 right now that is basically the older version of the fusion 20, just 3 inches shorter from front to back.

In one of caddies is a bag of chemipure elite with filter floss above it
In the other is Chaeto, I use a magnafuge light on that during night

I also have the IM minimax reactor with GFO
I have the IM desktop skimmer as well

As far as aquascaping goes, its tough for me being the tank is the short from front to the back wall. Plus I make sure I can access the glass with a scraper for algae without having to move anything. I had to take a hacksaw to some of the rock.

Weekly changes are a breeze, usually like 3 -4 gallons. Takes 5 minutes

I use reef crystals also and I do supplement with BRS 2 part every day.. My Alk drops really fast. Calc not as bad

[steventaylor702]

Originally Posted by Coralfreak09

So, After deciding to go from a 72 gallon fully stocked mixed reef tank to a nano tank, I bought a Nuvo Fusion 20 gallon. I am going to continue to use my current lighting, but will need a skimmer and a reactor.

My main concern is that A. Not many reviews on this tank
B. I have NEVER run a tank without a sump
C. I'm scared as hell to move some of my huge 8 year old corals into such a tiny system.

I need to because I am moving and no big tanks allowed

SO here it goes.

My questions

-How thick of sand bed?
- I'm using medium grain live "sand" looks like tiny shards of rock to me... But I like it better and I want to have a burrowing type of Goby.

-Water changes... how much and how often

-Supplements? using reef crystals and essential elements

-aquascaping? lagoon or minimal?

-what media should I use in such a small system.
-Besides GFO in my 72 I do not run ANY chemical media, simply a huge refugium

-I do plan on using macro in the display, how should I compensate for pH fluctuations at night?

- I do plan on lighting the center back part and putting cheato in there too.

Any comments would be appreciated

I'll start posting pictures of my custom caddies that I am making and how and what filtration will go into this.

cheers and happy reefing

The tank is good quality. Very well built and comes with all you need minus light and a heater

As for filtration chemi-pure elite is great and seachem purigen is great to.

As for water changes I always do 3 to 5 gallons a week it keeps everything in check I really never used any additives because of the water changes

The best sand for sifting goby's is Fiji pink sand or something similar is size really fine. And I would only do 1to 2ins of sand

You have previous experience it's not much different from taking care of a large tank except for the fact you want to do your water changes more often and keep the tank properly topped off because salinity swings happened really quickly in a water volume of that size.

P.s. a good skimmer is the innovative marine ghost skimmer and thier reactors are great as well. I would love to help is you have any other questions. I will give you advice based on me having nano tanks since I started 3 years ago

[Coralfreak09]

Ok thank you, for looks Id love to go with minimal sand bed, however wouldn't gobies need that though? or would they be content if I made burrow holes in rocks? I've kept tanks for a long time, but never kept gobies

I'll have my small gold assessor in there as well, what other fish do yall suggest ?

[Hentz]

Originally Posted by Coralfreak09

Ok thank you, for looks Id love to go with minimal sand bed, however wouldn't gobies need that though? or would they be content if I made burrow holes in rocks? I've kept tanks for a long time, but never kept gobies

I'll have my small gold assessor in there as well, what other fish do yall suggest ?

Well keep in mind, you're 20 gallons now. So the Goby, 2 clowns, and maybe one other small fish that isn't too active.

I've got a Yellow Watchman Goby. I had a .25" sandbed, then took it out and he was fine. Also had 2 Wrasse's that loved to burrow, they were fine as well.

[Coralfreak09]

Ok, one two inches is better, I like the look of the one inch I had in there, its like 3 right now, leaves so little space... so yea Ill dump some of the sand, its fine but not super fine, I had almost snow looking, I forget what its called, the super no matter what white stuff and I liked it, but my pistol shrimp was never able to make good burrows in it... so I went a little courser

[ExpensiveHobby]

I have given so much thought to going to bare bottom on my new fusion 30. But sand just looks so much better. Plus i plan on having a lot of corals sitting right on the bottom like my zoas and a mushrooms. And I have 12 nassarius snails to keep in churning.

[Coralfreak09]

+1 on the snails, my valentini went nuts for them, I was always restocking. My current fish are being donated to the Texas A&M Galveston aquarium

[Coralfreak09]

what do you guys think about an rw-4, I have an RW-15 in my 72 and its more than enough, at work we always use vortech ph but you know as a biologist, we dont make bank lol

[Zwickm]

Originally Posted by Coralfreak09

what do you guys think about an rw-4, I have an RW-15 in my 72 and its more than enough, at work we always use vortech ph but you know as a biologist, we dont make bank lol

I have two rw-4's in a 29 and absolutely love them! Owned many brands and this is my favorite that isn't hundreds of dollars.

[ddymond]

Just a little thought on the goby's in a small tank. I had a diamond in my 29 for about 2 weeks and that thing made a constant mess stirring up the sand. Water was never clear so I finally had to remove everything from the tank to get him out. Pain in the a$$!!. I had one in my 55 a few years ago and never an issue but the smaller water volume made a huge difference. Water is crystal clear without him.

[Coralfreak09]

I actually bought an orange spot shimp goby, He is a good size for the tank and seemed very healthy. I am hoping that he will work out in the 20 when its all good to go. Right now its still cycling. I should be getting the Ghost skimmer, Desktop reactor, one custom caddy and the gadget fuge light tonight. To hopefully make things a bit easier.

QUESTION- the self draining thing on the ghost skimmer, does this mean I can hook up a drain hose to it and have a small container under my tank for the skim to run into... or what? The way it is angled in all the videos is odd from my understanding about what a "drain" in skimmers mean, with larger ones anyway, Ive never used small scale anything besides freshwater planted system. I am used to 1000+ gallon systems

[Coralfreak09]

Ok so update on this today... last night, I got the wise idea of "baking" some of the live rock in the oven that had unwanted algaes on it.... which half of said live rock going in tank was baked... mistake #1.

Mistake number two... Thinking a water hose was sufficient enough to clean all the gunk off and out of rock and washing it around and letting it soak in a bucket of cold water was good enough... with prime added of course.

Mistake number 3... The guy that was suppose to let me come get the equipment he has been owing me for a YEAR keeps dicking me around and so I was going skimmerless and fugeless and only with macro in the tank...

Mistake number four... SOLD ALL MY OTHER STUFF INCLUDING MY ESTABLISHED TANK THAT AFTERNOON.

Mistake number five... added coral...

Mistake number six... did not have adequate water on hand to do an emergency water change.

WHAT HAPPENED?? well, water turned brown, ammonia spiked to 1 ppm, I don't know if the tiny little fish that were in there made it through or not, and I have not been home yet to check on them.... I ran around town and got 15 gallons of fresh salt water and a new bottle of prime as I had used all my other bottle up earlier...

SOOO we shall see what the tank looks like when I get home today.... very sad about this.

[Coralfreak09]

So I lost two mili's and my huge acanthophylia looks terrible still. all fish are still alive and most coral, the guy with the equipment is still dicking me around which is no surprise... but I have been doing five gallon water changes daily trying to get it back.... No patience but no choice either to set it up and see what happens... My old tank had to go I had to move and there in was the issue. So alot of hard work and praying and hopefully all will be ok.

[Coralfreak09]

GREAT NEWS!!! even due to my stupidity, I have managed to rescue the tank. Its beginning to look up from here.

[Coralfreak09]

I finally received the skimmer, reactor and gadget fuge light. None of which I am particularly fond of... the skimmer, well it sits all the way down to the bottom of the slot. you can raise the cup to adjust water level and you can turn the knob for air flow, Its not bad, I guess its still going through the break in as it produces tons of micro bubbles into my main display despite the sponge I added to try and stop that. The reactor is ok, The diffuser needs much smaller holes and the sponges are not good for GFO, I have never used sponges before for GFO only a decent diffuser plate, however this diffusers holes would allow the GFO to fall right through so I had to double sponge the bottom and top of gfo, and I added carbon to the top for now.... The gadget light is cool. I do wish it was longer and had a smaller magnet to utilize the entire section I wanted to use for macro algae. But its all better than what it was and now I can move my old reactor to the 150g which I have just started up at Texas A&M Galveston University.

In the mean time between the last time I posted and now, I experienced every reefers worst nightmare.... the brown jelly disease. I lost two neon green hammers, some blastos, candy cane coral and three huge colonies of Duncans. very sad. A good thing came out of this though. I was able to collect the protozoans and am beginning a study of the life cycle of these critters whom love to eat our LPS. My huge Acanthophyllia deshayesiana is ok though along with my tounge coral and chalices, pink hammer etc. so not a total loss and maybe I will begin to gain some insight of how we can put a stop to brown jelly as soon as it begins.

[Canaryman]

How is that Ghost Skimmer working out now? I have the older 16g nuvo nano, wonder if it fits??