Innovative Marine Nuvo-Int 50 build

[thom_smith]

Tank is wet! Well, kind of...
Still figuring out how to morter the rock together. No viable and cost effective altervatives locally. Both LFS had 2oz AquaStick at $12 each and Home Depot had 2oz WaterWeld at $7 each. Would need quite a few of either to put everything together. Quickcrete hydrolic cement is available at Home Depot also but couldn't get strong confirmation it is reef safe. So sticking with the E-Marco 400 plan. Either recover every remainIng drop in the container then measure/weigh what I have to see if there is any possibility of using or wait for BRS Customer Service to reply on Monday and maybe receive replacement later this week.

We are now working off plan. Rock is sitting in a saltwater tote with circulation pump waiting to be put together. To continue to make progress we set and leveled the stand, dumped and spread 60lbs of CaribSea Fiji Pink sand, filled with 45 gallons of saltwater and threw in a circulation pump. Had a reactor with sediment filter I was also going to drop in but forgot the sediment filter at home. Fortunately we were careful placing bucket covers on the sand bed while dumping water in. Water is a little cloudy but not terribly bad. Depending upon how much of the liquid acrylic polymer I can recover from the E-Marco container we may regroup and try again tomorrow place rock and bacteria to officially start the cycle.


Tank was quite a bit off level to start.

Front to back...

Side to side...

Afterwards looked pretty good front to back, side to side and corner to corner on both diagonals.




And this did end up being Water Weekend... But I wouldn't consider the cycle started until rock and ammonia/bacteria sources are added.

* The top right side of the tank appearing out of level is just because there is a Sicce pump temporarily snaked under the screen top. Checked side to side, front to back and both diagonals are still good.

 

[thom_smith]

Recovering every remainIng drop in the E-Marco 400 container proved to be a viable option. I was able to salvage 2.4oz of the original 4.0oz the pouch contained. With that 2.4oz and some liberal dillution of the concentrate I was able to make about 2/3 of acrylic polymer I would have had the pouch not leaked. Used this to secure the two shelf rocks in place with the assistance of some cheaters masonary drilled holes and driveway markers. Was also able to form almost 2/3 of an arch on the left side of the formation. i didn't see anything in the on the table that screamed last 1/3 arch. Need to scope it out again tomorrow or go back and find another piece. I let the base of the structure cure for a bit and placed it in the tank because the larger couple pieces were established live rock. Couldn't really get any good pictures because when I left the water was still cloudy from the sand and I had just placed a sediment filter to clear it up. A couple hours later my daughter sent me a picture after the sediment filter had worked its magic. Not the best picture because I have another large piece of established live rock I don't know what to do with just sitting on top of the base structure. I'll either take a chisel to it or drop it in the sump. With a whole lot of luck maybe I'll find the rest of my arch. Anyway, if you look closely you can see a shallow cup shaped shelf on the left, another tiny shelf in the front left/center on the same plane, a three finger shaped shelf on the right and the start of an arch in the back left. Underneath the large randomly placed live rock is a flat cut that I can just set another smaller formation (hopefully including the remaining arch section) on top of.

A couple more pretty crappy quality pictures showing the base formation without the randomly placed piece. Excuse the TV reflection, worklight from above and silty sediment in suspension...

Temporarily have sediment filter circulating water in-tank only and heaters in plain view. No water flowing through the overflows and return yet as there is an annoying drip in the return bulkhead. It is either very loose, I have cracked it and opening the crack further when tightening or have debris below the washer allowing water to seap through. Fearing the worst cracked bulkhead I decided to leave it alone rather than risk breaking completely making a mess on a Sunday evening, LFS closed for the day, Home Depot closing soon and retrieving another bulkhead from home an hour round trip. I have also chewed up the nut a bit trying to get pliars on it in tight quarters. Accept the minor defeat to fight on another day. I'll return Monday or Tuesday with another bulkhead and union.


Zoom in tight and you see the water droplet starting to form in the shadow on the left...

 

[thom_smith]

Aquascape base is bonded. But plumbing challenges.
With the union glued below the bulkhead there was no way of getting it off to inspect it. And since I was working under the assumption it was cracked I wasn't doing any more damage by trying to snug it a bit tighter. Drained just about everything from the overflow and proceeded to tighten. About a quarter turn and then zero resistance. Cracked became broken. Easy enough. Put the replacement in, glued it and twenty minutes later I was flowing water through overflow and sump with no leaks. Moved everything out of the display tank and down to the sump.




Unwrapped and installed the Trigger Systems fleece and motor. Was disappointed to discover the Platinum Cube I just received last week shipped with the V1 motor. Will email Trigger this evening to understand why I didn't get the new motor.

Picked up a couple more small pieces of rock to complete the arch. And have some rock to stack and fill in the empty space in the center on the flat cut. I seriously need to get a filter for my phone camera!!

Current state of the aquascape minus half of the arch which I havent bonded yet. Still have a bunch of dry rock in a box on the floor to fill in on top of the flat cut.

 

[thom_smith]

Remaining rock goes in and aquascape will be done Wednesday. Light goes off for duration of cycle after all approve the setup. Then nitrifying bacteria goes in and will have them take a sample to LFS on Saturday hoping to at least see ammonia and optimistically maybe a trace of nitrite.

A couple of things outstanding. All dependent on Hydros setup which I'll do after after a long snowmobile weekend at camp. ATO. Octo Pulse 4 flow pump install and VarioS 4 migration to Hydros. They're doing old, old school ATO for a few days until I return. Put a tape mark on the side of the sump, gave them a five gallon bucket of RODI and a red solo cup and told them to refill to the tape daily. They'll learn to appreciate Hydros quickly when it goes in!

 

[Crrp73]

How is the bottom of the stand? I heard it was not sealed, just a foam pad. I'm waiting on my tank and I'm planning to put a sheet of ABS board and seal it with silicone. In previous tanks, I always had some water splash for whatever reason. So I'm worried, this time it will get on my floor if I don't prevent it.

 

[thom_smith]

How is the bottom of the stand? I heard it was not sealed, just a foam pad. I'm waiting on my tank and I'm planning to put a sheet of ABS board and seal it with silicone. In previous tanks, I always had some water splash for whatever reason. So I'm worried, this time it will get on my floor if I don't prevent it.

I'm very impressed with the Innovative Marine APS stands. The aluminum construction is much nicer than I had with their previous generation stand under a Lagoon 25 several years ago. However the top and bottom surfaces could definitely use improvement. They are not particleboard but they are a pressed material. I probably should have been a little more concerned such as yourself and considered another material and sealing the bottom but I didn't. I virtually needed a shoe horn to get the sump in the stand in the first place. Didn't think of it at the time but we really had to shim the front to level the tank. If any water leaks under the stand there is a high probability it would run right out under the front of the stand and we could wipe it up.


If you look at the pictures in Post in thread 'Innovative Marine Nuvo-Int 50 build' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/innovative-marine-nuvo-int-50-build.960173/post-11006274 you can see the top material we drilled for the bulkheads. The bottom is consteucted of the same thing.

 

[Crrp73]

I'm very impressed with the Innovative Marine APS stands. The aluminum construction is much nicer than I had with their previous generation stand under a Lagoon 25 several years ago. However the top and bottom surfaces could definitely use improvement. They are not particleboard but they are a pressed material. I probably should have been a little more concerned such as yourself and considered another material and sealing the bottom but I didn't. I virtually needed a shoe horn to get the sump in the stand in the first place. Didn't think of it at the time but we really had to shim the front to level the tank. If any water leaks under the stand there is a high probability it would run right out under the front of the stand and we could wipe it up.


If you look at the pictures in Post in thread 'Innovative Marine Nuvo-Int 50 build' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/innovative-marine-nuvo-int-50-build.960173/post-11006274 you can see the top material we drilled for the bulkheads. The bottom is consteucted of the same thing.

Thanks for the information. I'll wait until I see mine and figure out a solution.

 

[thom_smith]

Tank is wet. Water is flowing. Cycle started.
February 1 was Cycle Day 1. Added the Reef Octo Octo Pulse 4 to get a little more flow, finished up the arch for the most part, added smaller pieces of dry rock to the sump temporarily and will stack the remaining aquascape and mixed in the PNS Substrate Sauce. Now it's pretty much a waiting game.

 

[thom_smith]

Coming together nicely. Arch came out pretty good for an amateur with zero creativity such as myself. Just need to fill in the center on top of the flat cut. Those pieces are currently in the sump.

I'm away for the weekend so they'll be doing the first water test on their own tonight with some phone guidence. Then testing again and validating their results with LFS test on Saturday.

 

[thom_smith]

Ammonia!
Day 2 tests all as expected. Ammonia present with nitrite and nitrate at 0. pH 8.0. Bumped the heater from 77 to 84. Let's see how much ammonia rises when we test again on Saturday.

 

[thom_smith]

First sign of nitrites! Trace nitrate.
Report was yesterday's Day 4 test indicated ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. They didn't send pictures so I am unsure of their accuracy. Still ammonia though anyway so definitely not ready. Next test coming up on Day 6, Monday.

pH 8
Ammonia 1
Nitrite .25
Nitrate < 5

 

[thom_smith]

Progress
Day 6 tests show cycle progressing along nicely. Actually a little quicker than I expected. Higher water temperature seems to be making a difference. Ammonia decreasing, nitrites slightly higher, nitrates increased. No bad algae because no lights yet.

pH 8
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrite 0.25-0.5
Nitrate ~5

 

[thom_smith]

Unwrapped and installed the Trigger Systems fleece and motor. Was disappointed to discover the Platinum Cube I just received last week shipped with the V1 motor. Will email Trigger this evening to understand why I didn't get the new motor.

Have emailed Trigger Systems a couple times and engaged the retailer I purchased from regarding the motor. Somewhat disappointed with Trigger's slow response after having spent a small fortune on the Platinum sump.

 

[thom_smith]

I guess now comes the difficult part of the cycle because in my experience the API test kits rarely read 0 for ammonia. But we may be starting to wind down. Ammonia has decreased and nitrites disappeared. Let's see if that ammonia continues to lighten up and I get another burst of nitrite over the next couple days. Temperature still elevated and light still off.

PH 8
Ammonia .25-0.5
Nitrite trace
Nitrate ~5

 

[thom_smith]

Gerting close
Looks as though the cycle is winding down. Never really get an API test which reads zero zero ammonia so think this is close. It has definitely decreased as has nitrite risen and fallen leaving us with just nitrate. One more sample taken to LFS to observe how they test, learn and confirm their findings then fish go home. Light will remain off for two more weeks making it one month after cycle start and then be in acclimation mode for several weeks. Trying to minimize ugly phase. Hydros controller also goes in during my next visit. They'll certainly appreciate not having to manually topoff every day.

pH 8
Ammonia trace
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10, closer to 5

 

[thom_smith]

Aquascape complete. Cycle complete. Fish added.
Have to say the PNS Substrate Sauce and elevated 84° temperatures really did the trick. And towards the end we added some FritzZyme 9 for some diversity. Dosed trace ammonia a couple times over the past few days and it rapidly changed state to nitrite to nitrate. Final tally was nitrates 5-10 but closer to 5. Phosphates untested yet but must be low because none were introduced yet, light hasn't been on and no signs of algae. No water change yet though. Will help them mix, test again and do their first water change over the weekend. In the meantime, seventeen days after first ammonia source was introduced we are adding first fish. A Royal Gramma and three smallish Bengai Cardinals. Proactively did a 1/2 dose of Seachem Prime just to avoid potential issues. Also plan to pickup a Seachem Ammonia Alert to leave in the tank for a quick glance status.

Plan on getting the Hydros collective built and some basic functions on the controller over the weekend. pH, thermostat and heater, sump full and ATO at a minimum. Have some of the final equipment purchases arriving Monday. Skimmer, powerhead, leak sensor and wifi feeder. Ultimately decided on Reef Octo 150SSS for skimmer which I'll drive off the Wave Engine. Skimmer isn't the ideal use for Wave Engine ports but I have the ports and they would have been otherwise unused. Octo Pulse 4 provides more than sufficient flow but like the coverage and patterns I can get with two pumps so picked up a smaller Octo Pulse 2. If I didn't already have the Octo Pulse 4, I'd have gone with a pair of Octo Pulse 2s to begin with.

Finished off the aquascape. Ended up with not one but two arches. A tiny arch just kind of fell into place at the last moment. Also plenty of caves and hiding places for fish. Actually put the Royal Gramma in and within about five seconds it disappeared in the back of the tank and was nowhere to be found for several hours. Just before I left it made a brief appearance swimming in the center open area cave just above the sand surface. Cardinals were chilling in the bottom back corner.

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

Looking good!

 

[Snowxcross]

Keep it up!!

 

[thom_smith]

I'm a heavy Hydros user fully automating nearly all tank functions and actively participating in online groups and forums providing feedback and assistance to other users. Those unfamiliar or scoping out controllers for a new build often ask what's different about Hydros, what can I or can't I do, what's the interface look like, how do I configure various things, etc. Since I'm showing my daughter and grandchildren how to do this and already documenting for them, I'm going to turn this thread into a Hydros 101 tutorial for a bit to answer and document Hydros from a new user experience.

Hydros controllers were redeployed from my recently scaled back frag tank setup. They were unregistered from my account and factory reset to effectively emulate a Controller/Wave Engine that had been purchased from a retailer. They were unregistered, unconfigured and required firmware updates almost as though they were new out of the box.

Hydros 101

Initial wifi configuration, registration and certificate installation

Initial discovery, wifi configuration and registration of Hydros devices *must* be done from a mobile device with both bluetooth and wifi enabled. After the registration you may also use the web app. Aside from bluetooth discovery and initial wifi configuration, mobile and web apps provide like functionality.

Start by downloading the Hydros app from the Apple Store/Play Store and installing on your mobile device. Tap “I don’t have an account” at the bottom of the login screen. Complete the form and validate the new account via email. After validation, login to the Hydros mobile app. Next, power on, configure wifi (and wifi only!) and associate Controls/Wave Engines to your account. Don't be concerned with connecting or cabling them just yet.

From within the Hydros app, click on the three bars in the upper left corner. You'll be presented with a menu across the top bar and list of previously configured devices along the left side bar.

The larger symbol in the top left indicates how you are communicating with the Controls/Wave Engines--typically cloud. Smaller symbols across the top row permit you to change connection method to cloud, change to bluetooth (providing read only access during an internet or wifi outage) or *temporarily* enable bluetooth discovery with the + symbol. Click the + symbol to see a list of available Controls/Wave Engines.

Select a Control or Wave Engine to configure. Next you'll see a list of available wifi networks.

Select the desired network and you'll be prompted for the wifi password and device name.

*** Be mindful that Hydros only functions on 2.4ghz networks. Users who configure the same ssid for both 2.4ghz and 5.0ghz may experience connectivity issues and should seperate the networks using a different ssid for each. Mesh networks typically don't give this option however frequently the 5.0ghz radios/band steering feature can be turned off briefly allowing the clients to connect at 2.4ghz. Lastly, use caution connecting Hydros to guest networks. Often Controls and Wave Engines successfully connect but feeders, plugs and strips do not. This is due to a client isolation feature frequently enabled which prevents wireless clients from communicating with other clients. Wifi feeders, plugs and strips do not communicate to the cloud and must be permitted to communicate locally with Controls or Wave Engines. Consult documentation for your wifi router/access point for features and capabilities related to band steering and client isolation.

*** If no Device Name is specified, it will default to the serial number/mac address.

The Control/Wave Engine will be associated with your account with device certificates downloaded and installed.

As devices are completed, they will initialize and appear in the left column list. Press the + symbol to repeat discovery, wifi configuration and certificate installation for all remaining devices.

 

[thom_smith]

Hydros 101

Firmware upgrades prior to individual device/collective configuration
When registration is complete, click each of the individual Controls/Wave Engines in the left column to connect.

The FIRMWARE UPDATES REQUIRED screen will appear if new firmware is available. Click Show Updates to continue. If you are immediately dropped into Status screen, disregard remaining upgrade steps and click the three bars in upper left to select the next Control/Wave Engine.

The only exception to accepting a firmware upgrade would be if Control/Wave Engine current firmware version number is greater than recommended download. This has occurred very infrequently for instance if new chips need to be sourced for a Control/Wave Engine due to manufacturing material shortage. Otherwise click Download to proceed.

Upon completion, press Install to proceed. DO NOT power off or reset within two minutes of Install or upgrade will be abandoned requiring another download and installation.

Confirm the Install is successful. The Running Version will be changed and the Install button will be changed to Revert.

Press the back arrow in the top left two times to return to the Status screen. If using multiple Controls/Wave Engines and adding to a collective, DO NOT perform any Input, Output or Schedule configurations yet as they will be wiped for all devices except the first added to the collective. Repeat firmware upgrade for all remaining devices.

Up Next: Creating a collective