IM20 - retuning to hobby, starting from ground 0

[hahahohol]

So, this is not my first rodeo, but after a 6yr break it feels like I’m relearning everything from scratch. Kid’s are older and I feel safer returning to the hobby (hopefully no one will feed my fish play dough this time lol).
Anyway, I’m excited to share this journey with y’all especially that I’ll get to go back and look at the progress myself (hopefully).

Long story short, I got a chance to pick up used 20g IM tank with a bunch of goodies while we were on family vacation:

• Innovative Marine Nuvo 20 gallon tank
• DC Mighty Jet Return pump (526 GPH)
• Red Sea LED RL50
• Tunze Osmilator ATO
• Jabeo 01-10 wavemaker (new in box)
• eShopps nano skimmers
• Intank Floss holder

Everything was super clean and I got a really good deal on it, I think.

Question…
What container should I use for ATO water?

More updates coming soon…

 

[MnFish1]

a brute food grade container

 

[MnFish1]

ps good luck

 

[V A R I A N T]

I use a food safe 5g bucket with lid. Doesn’t need to be fancy!

 

[Gaze]

Home Depot has some measured 5 gal buckets. Handle is a little uncomfortable for lugging around but great to know exact amounts for water changes.

 

[Drewerd7]

Congratulations! And welcome back... I have nightmares about what my young kids may do to my tank. Lol.
So far, theyve only moved a piece of liverock and tossed in seashells from vacation.. I pray that's the last of it!

For ATO reservoir, use a 6gal water jug (like ones in an office) with the neck cut off to make a larger opening. I like the transparency because i can always see when it's time to add RODI water.
But really anything cheap.. or free. I like the "measured" 5 gal bucket idea from previous posts.. just cut a small hole in the bucket lid for your pump hose to slide through.
If it is TIGHT under your cabinet, find an even smaller container.. but I suggest at least a couple gallons so you don't have to fill as often.

After looking at your pile of gear, you may need one more Filter Floss holder, or filter sock for the other overflow on your tank.
Looks like you have a filter media caddy for one side, but the other side will run open... add something to catch suspended detritus.
I like the filter floss holders from InTank. Make for an easy and cheap-enough way to have mechanical filtration.. Cut the sheets of filter floss to size from the bigger sheets and change-out as needed.

I have an IM30L, so, just the bigger sister to yours. Looking forward to hearing about your progress! -Drew

 

[hahahohol]

Seems like some people feel risky with buying IKEA furniture and I decided to try it myself to see what it’s like to “live on the edge”. Since the frame is made out of particle board, I reinforced the inside with 2x3’s. In addition to screws I used wood-glue on all the connection points (not sure if it helped). I could have just used the Innovative Marine APS cabinet, but IKEA Besta saved me $230… and it’s wife-approved (she said it blends in with our other furniture)..
The leveling feet on the cabinet are nice too … I just hope they will last haha. I’ll let you know if I have any problems in future, but as of right now everything stands solid. No regrets.

Question…
What power strip would you recommend for the heater, pump, ATO & skimmer? … something budget friendly hopefully… the LED light already has a smart timer built in.

More updates coming soon…

PS: Thank you all for the ATO reservoir recommendations. The 5g bucket may be excessive for this stand. I may settle down for 1-2g.

 

[Drewerd7]

I like the reinforcement!
..and I think that stand is more attractive than the IM stands. I guess I agree with your wife.. the IM aluminum stands don't have the right "look." Nice compromise.
For reassurance, stand on top of the stand and flex the knees up and down a little bit to make sure shes solid! Better you fall than a tank full of livestock.
As long as you don't try to move it with a full tank, it'll be just fine.

 

[Drewerd7]

Also seems too good to be true that the tank footprint fits the IKEA item so perfectly! ..match made in heaven.. ...or Sweden.

 

[Northern Flicker]

I would be worried about the MDF pancaking down (seems like the weight it being held by the glue in the seems of the "pedastal"), or the legs being a failure point. Otherwise, looks pretty dang sharp.

 

[hahahohol]

My coworker gifted me a bucket of dead-rock that was sitting in his basement for 20 years or so. The rock has a distinctive (little foul) smell, so I decided to bleach the rock.
First, I let the rock soak in water for a day and then sprayed it with a hose to knock out any fine particles and junk.
Then, I placed the rock in a tub and for 7.5g of water I added 3 quarts of bleach (10:1 ratio). …2 little pumps did all the hard work keeping that water moving.
Week later, I took the rock out of the tub to drain and then placed it in new RO water for rinsing.
A day later, the rock was out, drying on the driveway. …they still had a bleach smell while wet.
Finally, after about 3-4 days, the fun began… I started playing with aquascape! And the rock didn’t have any unpleasant smell!!
Anyway, the aquascape was moved to the tank and it’s ready for a cycle.

Question…
What should I put in my filter basket, aside from the filter floss?

More updates coming soon…

PS: Tnx for your stand feedback. As soon as it will start caving/pancaking, I’ll be ready for an upgrade anyway lol. I hope it won’t - I want to run a nano tank as long as possible … but as of right now, that thing is robust.

 

[hahahohol]

It is alive! Let’s call it “Day 1-5 Update”: I finally added RO water, turned the return pump to max, & added 2 small pumps for extra circulation…. then slowly added salt to the tank. After I got the salinity level to 1.025, I added old/dirty filter (from my freshwater tank) and poured a bottle of Biological Booster (beneficial bacteria) to help with nitrogen cycle.
…some of you are probably screaming: what are you doing?... At least I didn’t pee in the tank to start the ammonia cycle lol … I was tempted, though.
My logic is that the old filter will have some junk that will “ghost-feed” the tank. I also went and bought a small piece of live-rock to “seed” the tank. With this process, I’m not exactly sure how long the cycle will take, tbh. The ammonia spiked on the 2nd day to 1.0 and it’s down to .25 5 days later. As soon as it goes to, 0 I am considering to continue cycling with fish – I’d like to acclimate a common molly (Poecilia sphenops). Thoughts?

Question…
What cleaning utensils would you recommend? I’m still trying to gather necessary tools since I sold EVERYTHING when I left the hobby 6yrs ago

More updates coming soon…

 

[Drewerd7]

Your live rock will still leach dead/decomposing organic matter for probably over 6 weeks.. sounds like you did a good job cleaning/processing the rock, but please do expect the rock to need 6weeks+.
(Norhing wrong with this, but just want you to expect ammonia for some time to come, and as your bio filtration grows, it will eventually handle anything you have coming out!)

I like your scape, BTW. Looks like you can clean all around it, and there won't be dead spots for detritus to build up.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Drewerd7]

I love cleaning g glass with melamine sponges (same thing as "magic erasers").

You can buy larger packs for cheap on Amazon, instead of name brand.

 

[V A R I A N T]

My go to items:
Turkey baster
Melamine sponge (generics from Amazon)
Toothbrush
Gravel vac
Tunze Care Magnet Nano
Citric Acid

 

[hahahohol]

Your live rock will still leach dead/decomposing organic matter for probably over 6 weeks.. sounds like you did a good job cleaning/processing the rock, but please do expect the rock to need 6weeks+.
(Norhing wrong with this, but just want you to expect ammonia for some time to come, and as your bio filtration grows, it will eventually handle anything you have coming out!)

I like your scape, BTW. Looks like you can clean all around it, and there won't be dead spots for detritus to build up.

Keep up the good work!

6 weeks ?!?! I was hoping no more that 1! lol
This is a great hobby to learn patience, I guess.
But seriously, it has been cycling for over a week … the ammonia is still fluctuating .25-.5

Tnx for encouragement, tho

 

[hahahohol]

Week #2 update:
The tank is still cycling. Ammonia has been somewhere between .25-.5 stable. The Nitrites spiked to .5 today. Nitrates are still zero-ish.

In a meantime, I installed a Kasa power strip & a 2 gallon bucket for ATO. I hope it will look this “organized” for a while

Question…
How many more weeks do you think it will continue to cycle since the rocks were bleached prior to startup? And would you recommend a WC after the cycle is finished? 50%?

More updates coming soon…

 

[Drewerd7]

Lookin' good under that stand. Nice wire management thus far! Just don't secure it all so tight that you cannot clean your powerheads and return pumps, etc.. after a couple months you're going to want to deep clean those components every month or so to keep them running at full potential.

As stated before, I would expect your rocks to leech dead organic matter for at least 6 weeks.
Now, that doesn't mean you have to wait until then to start introducing a couple hardy species.. ie: first fish, or a couple snails, and a Hermit or two.
Although, to avoid any potential animal cruelty, be sure to wait until your ammonia levels are clearly dropping significantly, and the beneficial bacteria are clearly doing their job... THEN add a little new life.

Also, there is no point in testing Nitrates right now.. nitrite turns to nitrate by bacteria.. so, from what I understand, as your nitrites drop, your nitrates will increase.
For a better explanation, "search" for Nitrite vs Nitrate on this Forum!

 

[Northern Flicker]

I love the rockwork. Nicely done.

 

[larryl]

Nice tank, welcome back to the hobby.