Iceman's Cobalt C-Vue 40

[iceman14555]

Since I already introduced myself in the "Meet and Greet" section, figured I'd post some more about the tank. Build pics incoming.

Current Specs:
Cobalt Aquatics C-Vue 40
Aqua Station DC4000 controllable pump
AI Nero 5 Powerhead
AI Prime Sol light
Lumhi Pixie 30 lights
INtank Media basket and mini refugium
IceCap K2-50 skimmer
200w heater
AutoAqua Smart ATO micro
IM DIY mesh top

~35 lbs of rock
60 lbs of Live sand (looking to get about a 3-3.5 inch sandbed)

Should be adding water this week. I'll be beginning my cycle with Fritz Turbo start 900 (red tide in a bottle) and Algae Barn NitroCycle. I'll be adding Seachem Stability towards the end of the cycle. Any suggestions or tips are welcome. I also plan on adding a piece of seed live rock after cycle.

 

[iceman14555]

Water is in, cycle has started. Using Algaebarn Nitrocycle with Fritz turbo start 900.

 

[Crazyju]

Great start! I had one of these tanks in my crosshairs when I started back up in November, but it was sold when I arrived.

 

[iceman14555]

Great start! I had one of these tanks in my crosshairs when I started back up in November, but it was sold when I arrived.

That's ashame, I was looking at IM aio tanks for the longest time, my friend just happened to have this one and heard me mention that I was looking for an AIO. Cut me the deal of a lifetime, so I took it.

I hope you end up finding one, I'm very pleased with this one so far.

 

[gabrieltackitt]

How do you feel about the Cobalt Aquatics tank? I’ve been looking at one for my MIL but asked on here a few days ago and nobody seemed to have anything to say about them?

Is it good quality? Nice looking glass and back chambers?

 

[iceman14555]

How do you feel about the Cobalt Aquatics tank? I’ve been looking at one for my MIL but asked on here a few days ago and nobody seemed to have anything to say about them?

Is it good quality? Nice looking glass and back chambers?

I like it, seems to be of good quality. The glass is really clear, seems to be very low iron. I like that it has a lot more flexibility as far as equipment in the rear sump area, unlike some other AIOs that force you to use their brand. It also has pretty large chambers for an AIO. I saw a good review of it on YouTube, but for the life of me can't find the video now. If I happen to find it, I'll post it up.

 

[iceman14555]

How do you feel about the Cobalt Aquatics tank? I’ve been looking at one for my MIL but asked on here a few days ago and nobody seemed to have anything to say about them?

Is it good quality? Nice looking glass and back chambers?

Gabriel I located one of the reviews that I had read previously. Take a look, it is a good in depth read.

Cobalt Aquatics C-Vue Aquarium Kit: The Definitive Review

All in one aquariums have a special place in my heart, after all, they are what got me into reefing in the first place. At the brink of joining the “salty sid

reefs.com

 

[gabrieltackitt]

Gabriel I located one of the reviews that I had read previously. Take a look, it is a good in depth read.

Cobalt Aquatics C-Vue Aquarium Kit: The Definitive Review

All in one aquariums have a special place in my heart, after all, they are what got me into reefing in the first place. At the brink of joining the “salty sid

reefs.com

Thanks I’ll give it a read!

 

[Aquavaj]

That's a nice start. I've been considering upgrading my Evo 13.5 to something bigger. I was looking at the IM 30L but stumble across the C-Vue 40. A 40b has great dims so getting it in a rimless, low iron package makes it even sweeter.

So what are your thoughts on the construction of the seams? Any bowing of the front panel due to being rimless? And what's your opinion of the stand? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[iceman14555]

That's a nice start. I've been considering upgrading my Evo 13.5 to something bigger. I was looking at the IM 30L but stumble across the C-Vue 40. A 40b has great dims so getting it in a rimless, low iron package makes it even sweeter.

So what are your thoughts on the construction of the seams? Any bowing of the front panel due to being rimless? And what's your opinion of the stand? Sorry for all the questions.

Your questions are welcome. I find the quality of the tank to be on par with other name brand manufacturers such as IM, Waterbox, Red Sea, ECT. The seams are glued with a good amount of silicone, with clean lines. The unique thing about this tank is it has mitered edges. There is no noticeable bowing that I can see. The glass is slightly over 1/4 inch thick or just under 1mm by my ruler.

Assuming the stand is the one that comes from Cobalt, It's a bit better than Ikea quality. Nothing special. It seems to hold the weight of everything just fine. No noticeable bowing to the panels or cracking noises. It does come with self closing hinged doors which is nice.

 

[Aquavaj]

Thanks for all the info. I'm pretty set on that tank. Only problem is finding a vendor that carries them. LiveAquaria sells them but say they drop ship from the manufacturer but Cobalt's website say they are completely out of all C-Vue models so who knows when they'll have stock again. Plus a few people said the shipping was done half***** with just the original box with it looking like Wolverine went to town on it.

 

[iceman14555]

Thanks for all the info. I'm pretty set on that tank. Only problem is finding a vendor that carries them. LiveAquaria sells them but say they drop ship from the manufacturer but Cobalt's website say they are completely out of all C-Vue models so who knows when they'll have stock again. Plus a few people said the shipping was done half***** with just the original box with it looking like Wolverine went to town on it.

You might try seeing if one of your trusted LFS can order you one. Might be the better route to go when trying to get something of that size, and that way you have someone to go through if you have an issue.

 

[iceman14555]

Since I didn't really cover it a lot in my original post, I figured I'd talk a bit about the back sump area of this tank. It's relatively roomy for an AIO. I have changed out the two pumps that come with the tank to one and used a tee to get both return nozzles working. I've also gotten rid of the sock system and have two inTank baskets in their place. I also have a mini fuge basket that isn't being used at the moment.

 

[iceman14555]

Day 8 of cycle, parameters are doing well, I'm in between 80 and 78*F, 8.0 PH, 0.2 Ammonia, 0.6 Nitrite, greater than 50 Nitrate, 1.026 salinity. My alkalinity is fluctuating between 2 and 9, but I'm not super worried about it during cycle.

Now it's time for the fun stuff, picked up this bad boy the other day, ready to install.

 

[count krunk]

Should be adding water this week. I'll be beginning my cycle with Fritz Turbo start 900 (red tide in a bottle)

haha you do NOT want red tide in your tank unless you want everything DEAD. I think you meant red corraline? IDK red tide kills loads of marine animals in FL whenever it strikes. Not something you want in your tank.

 

[iceman14555]

haha you do NOT want red tide in your tank unless you want everything DEAD. I think you meant red corraline? IDK red tide kills loads of marine animals in FL whenever it strikes. Not something you want in your tank.

It smells like red tide is what I was getting at. Or maybe extremely low tide after stuff has been in the sun for a while. Been living in FL my whole life, I'm quite familiar with red tide season . It's crazy the amount of fish that wash up on the beaches. This past year was awful.

 

[iceman14555]

Here's an update for y'all.

My tank has finally entered into the diatom phase of the cycle. Starting to see a small bloom happen. Water parameters are doing well. 79*F, 0.2 Ammonia, 0.5 Nitrite, 40 Nitrate, 1.026 SG. Although, my PH keeps fluctuating between 7.8 and 8.0.

Also, added a better heater, a Finnex titanium HMA-S 150w.

 

[Aquavaj]

Looks like you're slowly getting there. Might be a little too early to tell but how do you like the skimmer? My tank is coming in Wednesday and trying to make a list of hardware needed.

 

[iceman14555]

Looks like you're slowly getting there. Might be a little too early to tell but how do you like the skimmer? My tank is coming in Wednesday and trying to make a list of hardware needed.

Thanks! I have not been running the skimmer during the cycle, so I cannot really give you an assessment on how it skims. I can tell you that it does take a little moving and tweaking in the back chamber to get it in right. I might change it around still. It does however, seem to be a quality built skimmer on the surface of things. You may also want to look at these if you want to go a different route:

NF-1 Nano Protein Skimmer - In-Sump

A great nano-reef skimmer for aquariums up to 30 Gallons!AquaMaxx NF-1 nano-skimmer has all the attributes to make it an awesome nano-skimmer! Great pump, great design, great materials, great craftsmanship, great efficiency and great performance! Features Modified and upgraded Italian Sicce...

www.marinedepot.com

Desktop NuvoSkim DC Protein Skimmer

Keep your Innovative Marine All-In-One tank running crystal clear with the NuvoSkim DC Protein Skimmer! Finding a skimmer that will fit in the back chambers of an AIO aquarium can be challenging, but Innovative Marine's NuvoSkim DC has a small form factor and gives great results. The DC powered...

www.marinedepot.com

Comline DOC Skimmer 9004

Why does BRS recommend this? We have really liked the Tunze Comline skimmers due to their small form factor and their ability to adapt to many different systems. With AC pump and DC pump models available you can choose the skimmer that works best for your system. Using the Tunze Flash Skimming...

www.marinedepot.com

 

[Aquavaj]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I see you have the Intank media baskets. I want to get one for each side but holy snaps they're expensive. I think I'm just going to make my own.