Nick’s 20G Nuvo

[Nick Steele]

We moved about three weeks ago and I finally got around to setting the tank back up and will document the progress going forward!

Tank sits on a custom made stand from father-in-law.

Will cycle with microbacter and ammonia source. To get this thing up and running and ready for some beginning corals asap!

Tank equipment

Nero 3
Jebao sow 15
2x AI prime 16hd
Intank filter holder
IM UV sterilizer
Sicce 1.5
Tunze ato
2x VCA rfg


Tank inhabitants
Tailspot blenny
2 sexy shrimp

Corals
Purple monster zoas
Blue eye blondie zoa
Snitches? Zoa
Green star polyp
Xenia
Rock flower nem



Start of tank (April 2024)

Most recent full tank shot!

 

[tzabor10]

Looking good so far

 

[Gumbies R Us]

We moved about three weeks ago and I finally got around to setting the tank back up and will document the progress going forward!

Tank sits on a custom made stand from father-in-law.

Will cycle with microbacter and ammonia source. To get this thing up and running and ready for some beginning corals asap!

Tank equipment

Nero 3
Jebao sow 15
2x AI prime 16hd
Intank filter holder
IM UV sterilizer
Sicce 1.5
Tunze ato
2x VCA rfg


Tank inhabitants (planning stage atm)
Tailspot blenny
Two clownfish
Neon goby
Bangii cardinal
Shrimp (sexy or blood shrimp)

Love the aquascape!

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Off to a good start.

 

[Nick Steele]

Love the aquascape!

Thanks! Love arches but still want some separation for gsp and/or xenia for the wife and daughter. Plus some sand for a trachy.

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome back!

 

[Nick Steele]

Got back from RAP Orlando and I returned with 3 zoa frags and 3lbs of Tampa bay live rock! Frags are being slow to open but that’s usual from past experience.


Zoas before dipping!

Live rock!

Frags in tank some opening a little!

Live rock in the AIO sump area (giving the macro some spill over light)

 

[Nick Steele]

Well everything’s doing good today and most are happy! While I dipped the frags I knocked my blondies off the frag plug and had to re glue them so little slower to open.


I’m not a name person but I believe I have purple monsters, snitches and blue eyed blondies.

 

[Nick Steele]

Grab my first fish yesterday! He’s still getting acclimated with the tank and is hiding still. Going to start feeding tonight and get him in the habitat for seeing me at a certain to get him use to me! Also picked up 2 sexy shrimp and a rock flower nem for them. All last night nem floated around the tank looking for the right spot. And this morning the sexy shrimp found him and has stayed put since.


Starting to see the ugly stage which is welcomed in my house! Going to grab some snails in the next few days as I’m just now seeing brown spots on rock.

Full tank shot (love the polyp lab lens!)

Yes the nem is small but it’s gorgeous!

Zoas

Closed due to me having to scrub some diatoms off it

The banishment corner! Xenia and GSP

Also just found my first shrimp molt!

 

[Brandon3000]

Loving the simplicity of the aquascape!!

 

[Nick Steele]

Loving the simplicity of the aquascape!!

Thanks! It’s mostly done for my plans of corals so hopefully in about a year it will look how I envision it. Euphyllia on the lower right hand side, zoas/rock flowers on the left. Trachy/scoly on sandbed somewhere. And a nice monti growing from the top of the arch. And eventually acros on top of arch

 

[scubatan]

Did you test any parameters during your cycle? Are you testing anything going forward?
What’s the purpose of the live rock if you’ve already done bottle bac and ammonia?

Looks great!

 

[Nick Steele]

Did you test any parameters during your cycle? Are you testing anything going forward?
What’s the purpose of the live rock if you’ve already done bottle bac and ammonia?

Looks great!

I did check ammonia nitrites and nitrates during the first week. I’m keeping eye on ammonia weekly for a little but i’m sure corals will tell me before a test. I have all normal reef test (alk, Calc, etc) for going forward. I added the live rock just to be sure I was cycled when adding corals as it couldn’t hurt any and was really cheap for peace of mind!

 

[Nick Steele]

Ran some test today and here’s what they came up with!

Temp 78
Alk 8.8
Ph 7.8
Nitrate 5ppm
Phosphate .31 (high and idk why) will be checking more frequently

Will do Calc and mag tomorrow as well. Planning a small water change this week too!


Also sadly the nem went for a walk and ended up getting beat up pretty badly and is now in a pvc cap on the sand bed.