# Bar0n. IM Nuvo 24 Beginner Build Thread



## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

Hello everyone ,

I've been lurking this forum for a while now trying to learn from the wise and experienced, and thought it would be a good time to start posting now that I'm starting to understand aquariums a little more now and just about to start my new journey into salt water  from fresh water.

I dropped by Coral Reef Shop (CRS) this weekend to pick up my tank, Tristan was patient and helpful while I contemplated if I should take the plunge. Also went to Ikea to pick up a stand for my tank.

Here's the beginning of my build:

*Tank*
Innovative Marine Nuvo 24 (Black)

*Stand*
Ikea Hemnes 3 drawer cabinet

*Lighting*
Fluval Sea 25,000K LED

*Live rock and sand*
Purple colored reef rock - 20 lbs
Aragonite - 15 lbs

*Controller*
ReefKeeper Elite Titanium Plus - Digital Aquatics

*Thermometer*
Marineland 100W heater

Other goodies I picked up were:
Spin stream nozzle replacements
Sybon refractometer

Potential future upgrades:
RO system?
Minimax Reactor?
Skimmate Protein Skimmer?

here's a photo of my tank still in the box and a picture of the drawer from the ikea website. Planning to fill up the tank this coming week to test it, hopefully all goes well.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Best picture of a box I've ever seen!!!

These little systems are pretty awesome and I can't wait to see what you do with yours. 
Welcome to the forums, and sorry for the loss of all your future money


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## kamal (Apr 21, 2009)

you are not sorry alt


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

soooo true!


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

-_-' 

once I have something in the tank i'll post something more than a box


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## thmh (Mar 17, 2011)

Lol its a drug...... Get out while you still can! 

~Tony


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## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

thmh said:


> Lol its a drug...... Get out while you still can!
> 
> ~Tony


He cant get out now..............


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## kamal (Apr 21, 2009)

I wish you all the best on this new venture welcome to the dark side  

Just be ready for the ups and downs although I hope the ups far outweigh the downs. And they will just stick with it and listen to the Saltwater sages here. There is lots of help available and no such thing as a stupid question.

Dont be afraid to challenge the 'norm' but then dont be surprised by 'i told you so' either


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

Good move and welcome to the dark side! 

You can only learn so much from reading the forums; once you get your feet wet, the learning curve sharpens, but the rewards are well worth it.

See you at next year's BBQ 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

50seven said:


> Good move and welcome to the dark side!
> 
> You can only learn so much from reading the forums; once you get your feet wet, the learning curve sharpens, but the rewards are well worth it.
> 
> ...


Hopefully the feet don't get too wet... Wives get upset, and even mad when feet get wet 

Congrats on your new piece of the ocean

Sent from my {HTC X8} using Board Express


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Put something in that tank already!!!!


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

wow, you must have one of the first innovative nuvo 24s! lucky you, its a pretty sleek set-up.
Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

*Update June 3rd*

Update June 3rd - Ikea cabinet built and tank placed in final location. Live/reef rock, sand and water picked up at CRS this weekend. Just made a random arrangement of the rock, it took a while to epoxy all the rocks together tho. The tank is now filled up and cycling with a piece of shrimp 

Not sure how everyone out there waits for the tank cycle to complete... but its like watching paint dry...

Photos attached.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Awesome setup and great to see the tank is up and running. I totally understand what you're talking about with the cycle. Wait a week or so then add a snail or two then just ensure they have a bit of food to eat. Once you hit another week then add another type of CUC...take it slooooooow!


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

i can add snails so soon?  how would i know when?

tested ammonia today, it was between 1.0 and 2.0 ppm. 

Also found an anemone.... is it a aphtasia anemone?? photo attached. if it is, should I be getting rid of it?


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

Bar0n said:


> i can add snails so soon?  how would i know when?
> 
> tested ammonia today, it was between 1.0 and 2.0 ppm.
> 
> Also found an anemone.... is it a aphtasia anemone?? photo attached. if it is, should I be getting rid of it?


Yes... and yes!


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## Toofem (Jan 20, 2013)

awesome... sweet tank... looks fantastic, love the rock!!! Listen to these guys, they know what they're talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

got rid of the aphtasia with some red sea Aiptasia-X 

The specs on my build have been updated on the first post for my build now. 

Just wondering, when do i remove the raw shrimp from my tank? side note: the water in tank doesn't stink anymore (yeh!!!). my water parameters at the moment are: Ammonia 2.0 ppm, nitrite 2.0ppm and nitrate 10ppm


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Hi, looove the tank! soo sleek! I looked it up, how's the system working? Cool to have everything built in behind it.

Holly macaroni I dont do the raw shrimp, I always cycle with live stuff  but I cant tell those parameters are high.... did you try chemi pure? Is supposed to cycle the tank in like 3 days. I'll leave it the experts...

One other thing.... since the tank is 24g i guess is fine for the weight but... I have the same dresser from Ikea,. FOR MY CLOTHES. they break constantly. I wouldnt trust it for my tank for a minute..... for next tank. ( oh yes you will have a bigger one soon) do not buy any more Ikea crap!

Im sorry no offenses Im extremely paranoid and re-enforce the heck out of my tanks. you might still nail some 2X4 inside for extra support...

Post pics along, good luck!


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

I'd take the shrimp out. You're cycling.


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

Letigrama said:


> Hi, looove the tank! soo sleek! I looked it up, how's the system working? Cool to have everything built in behind it.
> 
> Holly macaroni I dont do the raw shrimp, I always cycle with live stuff  but I cant tell those parameters are high.... did you try chemi pure? Is supposed to cycle the tank in like 3 days. I'll leave it the experts...
> 
> ...


the tank is amazing! great for a newbie like me who wouldn't know how to assemble a sump properly! only complaint i have is the steam/rotating nozzles are noisy, I can hear it at night from the other side of my house...

I'm trying to go the natural way and not use chemicals to cycle my tank  with LOTS of patience haha

I check my ikea cabinet capacity, they are rated for 275 lbs per leg, mine has 4, so my cabinet can hold about 1100 lbs  you must be fitting alot of cloths in that dresser of yours!


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> I'd take the shrimp out. You're cycling.


thanks! i figured i might have to take it out at some point, I put in a raw tiger shrimp into my tank since it was the first and cheapest piece i could find


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

I have my 30g on top of an ikea expedit bookshelf... 
And am thinking of upgrading to a 50g.
There is lots of shoddy ikea stuff, but some of its pretty sturdy.
You shouldn't be hearing anything across the house/apartment... 
What is the noise coming from exactly?


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## Bar0n (Nov 26, 2012)

teemee said:


> I have my 30g on top of an ikea expedit bookshelf...
> And am thinking of upgrading to a 50g.
> There is lots of shoddy ikea stuff, but some of its pretty sturdy.
> You shouldn't be hearing anything across the house/apartment...
> What is the noise coming from exactly?


correction: its actually the pump, sounds like something rotating.
not sure what i can do to dampen the noise, any suggestions?


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

Bar0n said:


> the tank is amazing! great for a newbie like me who wouldn't know how to assemble a sump properly! only complaint i have is the steam/rotating nozzles are noisy, I can hear it at night from the other side of my house...
> 
> I'm trying to go the natural way and not use chemicals to cycle my tank  with LOTS of patience haha
> 
> I check my ikea cabinet capacity, they are rated for 275 lbs per leg, mine has 4, so my cabinet can hold about 1100 lbs  you must be fitting alot of cloths in that dresser of yours!


Lol. Yes lots of clothes..... come to think about is the drawers that fall apart... glad you did your research. Totally I have my 25 gallon on top of a 100 y old end table ( but pretty sturdy actually) and my 10 gallon on top of THE IKEA DRESSER!
Did you.check if so much noise is normal???


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