Tank Build...finally getting around to it!

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Now that I have things up and kinda running, thought I'd finally drop my build thread. Will do this in chunks

So, this journey began back in November of 2023...finally making the decision to start a saltwater reef tank and start researching.
I decided on an Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO as good starting point for this new hobby of mine...the plan originally started as a 40, then an SR60, and finally the 80...and almost became an SR120.

Found tons of information on the internet and YouTube, thanks to all those that do that work so the rest of us can benefit. Kind of wish I had that spark.

I quickly realized I would need to set up a RO/DI + Saltwater mixing station. As an engineer, this is like being a kid in a candy store...the chemistry, the mechanical bits, the designing and building...went full nerd-out!

Step 1: build a stand and RO/DI station. Step 2: Once it's being built, tell the wife what's happening (btw, she's a saint, a real trooper!)

System tested, 0 TDS verified!

Next up: The Aquascape Begins, and the Tank Arrives

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Sweet! Following along.

 

[Chikpeas]

I was looking for someone showing some step by steps on their holding water tanks— Looks really tidy- following the journey!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[aztoza]

Following! Nerding out is the best part so far lol.

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Chapter 2: Aquascape.


Egad, how long has it been?? Life and reefing certainly got in the way of updating my build thread. I've been taking notes along the way, finally getting around to updating.

So, the Aquascape build. Not much to mention for this, I guess. I knew this was going to take me some time, so I started things early. Used some tips and tricks from Ryan and the crew at Bulk Reef Supply, which made things go very smooth...well, for the most part, but that was on me and part of the learning curve (wear gloves people, please wear gloves...even if it’s just to get that last little thing glued down…).

I set up a template made of 1/2-inch pipe on my worktable, taped off to visualize rule-of-thirds and maximum rock height, approximately 2/3 up the tank. Trying to follow the “rule-of-thirds” on an IM Nuvo SR shallow reef tank (16”h x 19”d display) was a bit challenging.

I went with Marco Rock’s coralline-colored rock to avoid the bleach-white look while waiting for the real coralline algae to develop. Bought a LOT of rock. Used a bunch of rock. Still have a bunch of rock for a future tank. Fairly beefy ‘scape, I think, but I like how it eventually turned out after two months of building, tearing down, and building up again.

One of the things I like about Marco Rocks is the cool little surprises you sometimes find imbedded in the rock. I incorporated these as much as possible, though knowing they’ll disappear under the corals eventually.

Primary goal was to create a good habitat for fish, corals, and inverts, aesthetics were secondary…but I think it turned out ok. It's difficult to tell from the picture below, but there are several sheltered, cave areas and good run space in front/back for fish to hit terminal speed.

(My small Square-tail Bristletooth Tang is taking full advantage, so I guess it worked)

I used a combination of BRS extra thick super glue and spray accelerator, D+D coralline epoxy sticks to bind everything together. I also used Marco Rock coralline mortar, and small fragments of leftover rock to mask all the joints, hide the superglue. The rockscape was built as four separate sections for ease of cleaning and getting them into the tank. I went back and glued everything together after I had everything where I wanted it, avoiding any potential rock slides.

With the rock in place, I then added the sand. Quite a bit of sand, in fact. Approximately 3 inches at the back, sloping down to approximately 2 inches at the front. I wanted to have more than enough sand bed to support things like Gobies, Conchs, and Nassarius snails. Sand gets everywhere.
Final results will be shown in Chapter 3: The Tank

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT.

That's it for now...!

 

[TheWB]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT.

That's it for now...!

Hey there neighbor. Looks like you are right down the road in Dupont. The scape looks great and I love the tank. I had the IM Lagoon 50 and recently upgraded to something similar to what you have now but custom with a wider back filtration area than what yours has so I could use a full size skimmer and filter roller. If I didn't go custom the SR80 was going to be my next choice for an upgrade. Following along to watch your progress.

 

[Fishy Guy]

Scape looks great! The SR80 is a tank I've wanted for a while. Excited to follow along.

 

[vipkohh]

Looking great! I like that trick with the empty sand bag!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Chapter 3: The Tank

The Innovative Marine Nuvo SR80 AIO tank arrived a month before the original ETA, which was a nice surprise, but put pressure on finishing the aquascape before I was ready. I love the tank, low profile, very clear 1/2-inch glass, with ample space in the rear sump area for add-ons like a carbon reactor, UV filter, and skimmer. There’s even enough space for a small refugium container/pump in the return area. More on this later though

I changed out the provided media basket with a second filter sock bracket, as the media basket was reducing flow in the sump causing the nearby IM heater element to shut off. Replacing with a smaller cup insert in filter sock bracket + filter floss solved it. More on this later also.

The APS stand that comes with the Innovative Marine aquariums is very nice, fairly easy to assemble and, with its extruded aluminum frame, is lightweight, and extremely strong. The single adjustable shelf is perfect for storing all the miscellaneous bits. Full-size doors on either side is also a huge benefit, making the interior much more accessible.
(Had to move the TV up the wall to accommodate the tank, speaker bar is just below now. So far, no real signs of salt creep but I keep watching.)

It took a couple of weeks to get the tank installed on the stand, thankfully a couple of contractor friends were able to help easily move it from the garage to the stand.

Filling the tank went much better than expected. The little Sicce Syncra SDC 3.0 WiFi controllable pump I’m using as a transfer pump on my RODI/Saltwater station is impressive, can really push water, nearly 30 feet over and up to the tank with ease. Wifi capability is really helpful in controlling the flow without having to leave the tank or require someone else to help.

The Sicce is a great pump, very happy with its size, performance, and power. I did have to rethink how to plumb it into the saltwater station, as the SDC 3.0 does not come with some of the adapters that the larger models do. Ended up using flexible tubing to connect from the pump to the rest of the schedule 80 plumbing. On a couple of occasions the app and controller pad were unresponsive, which required resetting to factory defaults, but beyond that it has performed flawlessly.

Initial fill was with regular water to leak test for 48 hours, checking all seams for any sign of leak or weeping. Passed with no issues. Emptied and dried out the tank, then came the real deal.

Added the rock (lots of rock) and sand.

Because of my saltwater storage tank is 25 gallons, it took a couple of days to completely fill the 80 gallon tank. I took it slowly intentionally to ensure the salt content was consistent, since I had to make 3 batches of saltwater. My reasoning for smaller 25 gallon tanks for my saltwater station was that I won’t need a higher capacity normally for water changes (10%, 8 gal/week). If I need to do a large water change, I can still do a 30% change with the smaller tanks.

Learned a neat trick from the guys at Top Shelf Aquatics. Cutting slits in an empty sand bag, then placing the hose spout into the bag when filling the tank really limited the amount of clouding during the fill. Much better than my first attempt, filling the invert QT.

That's it for now...!

Your aquascape looks great! tons of room for fish to swim around in, and lots of room for corals!

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Hey there neighbor. Looks like you are right down the road in Dupont. The scape looks great and I love the tank. I had the IM Lagoon 50 and recently upgraded to something similar to what you have now but custom with a wider back filtration area than what yours has so I could use a full size skimmer and filter roller. If I didn't go custom the SR80 was going to be my next choice for an upgrade. Following along to watch your progress.

Hey neighbor! Thanks! I really love the tank, great option for me starting out - wanted something I could "grow into" but not so big it was too much to handle. The narrower back sump area is definitely challenging fitting everything I want to have back there.

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Scape looks great! The SR80 is a tank I've wanted for a while. Excited to follow along.

Thanks @Fishy Guy! The scape took several rebuilds to get there, glad to hear you like it! I love the tank> It does pose some challenges getting all the equipment I want to have back there, but overall it's a great tank.

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Your aquascape looks great! tons of room for fish to swim around in, and lots of room for corals!

Thanks @Gumbies R Us ! great to hear about the room for fish and corals, several rebuilds trying to get it right...still figuring out flow for corals - challenging!

 

[WestCoastReefNoob]

Looking great! I like that trick with the empty sand bag!

Thanks @vipkohh ! I was pleasantly surprised, the bag really works!