Jim's Nuvo Mini 38

At a loss

Unless it's just part of the new tank syndrome (10 weeks tomorrow), I'm at a loss as to the algae I'm getting now. Finally got the green algae reduced, and now it appears that I have red slime forming. It's purple in color with filaments waving in the current.
PIC:
algae.jpg

I have removed the nano pump and installed my MP40 and set it up for Nutrient Export Mode with about a 1/2" wave in the tank. Can't get any more flow than that. I'm also running my skimmer 24 hrs. a day. Parameter test results:

• ammonia - 0
• nitrites - 0
• nitrates - 0
• phosphates - 0
• calcium - 380
• alk - 8dk
• water temp - 77.7 to 78.0
• pH - 8.0
• Salinity - 1.025

I'm using API test kits.

Below are some recent pics:

 

Nice looking system! It looks neat and compact. Not a whole lot of wasted space!

 

Thanks. It looks larger than it is which is one of the main attractions for me!

 

Nice system, just ordered mine, along with the jbj unibody led unit, can't wait for it to get here

 

Hey Adicus- I just wanted to thank you for your thorough posts. 3 weeks ago- I didn't know a thing about saltwater tanks much less reef setups. I began reading about the different setups and could not make up my mind about what tank to get and where to start. After reading your posts I chose the nuvo because you already answered many of the exact questions I had.
My tank is 2 weeks old now and doing well. I started with 40 lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of live sand and added A hydor slim skin nano in place of one of the filters. I have added some more livestock in the past week because I have no measurable ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. So far all is well.

Your posts have been like my instruction manual. Thanks again.

 

Welcome to 3reef

Bmore30 - welcome to 3reef.

WOW for 2 weeks your moving right along. Your tank is looking great. I notice you chose the white. Did you go with the 12K lighting or did you special order the 14K? It looks like replacing one of the filters with the skimmer has worked out okay. Have you had any issues by doing that? I considered it, and probably will in the near future as I will be adding corals next week. I'm not very happy with the AquaticLifie Mini Skimmer 115 even after all the trouble I went through to use it. I'm currently shopping prices on the one you chose, which was my first choice anyway.

I notice in your photos, the tank is topless. Do you run it that way, or did you remove the glass for photos?

Also - I have started a Nuvo mini/micro thread for us to share information and different setups. If you would, please post your link there:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/fish-tank-brands-kits/nuvo-aquarium-mini-38-micro-30-a-126310.html

You might want to also post the the hello forum with the pics you posted here. It's a great way to make other members aware of your tank and gather advise when you need it. The link is:
Say Hello! - 3reef Forums

Happy reefing, looking forward to hearing about your progress.

 

keep us posted

Be sure to keep us posted as to your progress.

 

Prepare for electrical issues

Just a heads up regarding electrical issues and aquariums. I had an incident with the electrical company last week which could have devastated my aquarium had I not had my UPS in place. Some of the neighbors were having blinking lights issues with their homes. The repairmen came out to work the problem. In the course of the repair, they killed power to my house (without notification). Apparently they didn't know they were doing so. Not knowing they were working the problem, I went outside to see if other neighbors had lost power - this is when I discovered they were there. Informed them they had killed power to my house and ask how long. (5 minutes reply) Went home. About ten minutes later power came back on (sort of). On some of the outlets, I had 85 volts. On some outlets there was a lot more - don't know how much, but enough to fry (literally smoke the lines where I had surge suppressors installed). We advised them immediately (yelled up the street) and they cut power. They ask if they could shut off our main breaker to troubleshoot the problem - It took them an additional 30 minutes to find and repair the problem.

We were lucky in that so far I only lost my 30" monitor for my computer system (plugged into one of the surge suppressors which fried). Had I not had my aquarium on a UPS, it too would have been fried. The UPS stood tall and took the surge, and down voltage with no interruption to my aquarium. Had I not take the preventative step to install the UPS, I would have lost all my equipment and livestock.

 

Glad to hear you didn't have too much damage! How big of a UPS do you run?

I was thinking about getting a UPS or a power inverter hooked up to a marine battery(one used for trolling motors as they do not require an engine to recharge)

I just haven't seen a UPS that lasts longer than say 8-12 hours. Either way I am very nervous of the upcoming months, I usually lose power for about 1 week every year during the winter. I'm pretty sure a week without power would kill my bird of paradise hammer corals and stunner chalices

 

Ashevillian: I'm not trying to cover the long haul with my UPS. It is meant to cover sags/surges/frequency fluctuation with a small backup power time. It will only give me about an hour or so of coverage. At that time, I'll kick in a gasoline powered generator if it looks like it will be more than another hour. I'm using a CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS 1350VA 810W PFC Compatible Pure Sine Wave. The Pure Sine Wave is especially important to keep your pumps functioning at their best. This UPS actually takes the incoming and converts it to a sine wave at the correct voltage. I have found that all my equipment runs better. They are currently on sale at Amazon for $167, I'm including a link for you:
Amazon.com: CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS 1350VA 810W PFC Compatible Pure Sine Wave: Electronics