Journal Plenty of Tech 15g AIO Cube

[Schrute66]

Inspired by the really nice and talented members of the ScapeCrunch community, I finally got some traction on this long-planned reentry into the aquarium hobby. I've not kept a tank in 20+ years and never a proper planted one. I don't fancy myself an aquascaper but rather a fishkeeper that likes plants. For reasons I no longer remember I got locked into the idea of a small, all-in-one style tank. So I bought an Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 15 cube. I'll get around to detailing everything I've done so far but here's where I am at so far.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Beautiful stand, what brand is it? AIO tanks don’t get enough credit, they are so clean looking and easy to work with.

 

[Schrute66]

Beautiful stand, what brand is it? AIO tanks don’t get enough credit, they are so clean looking and easy to work with.

It's a UNS 75. I do like the look and it's just the right size.

 

[Schrute66]

So, the tank and stand are a good place to start. The IM NUVO Fusion 15 AIO is a 15" cube, nominally 15 gallons, but I came up with an actual volume with hardscape and plants of 10.7-10.8 gallons. The 10.7 was what I measured when filling it, and I got 10.8 using the TDS/water change calc method. The back AIO section takes up around 3 1/2 inches, so the display section is about 11 1/2" front to back. There are three chambers in the back. More on that to follow.

As an aside, I like that I can do just about a 50% water change with a single 5-gallon bucket.



The UNS 75P stand is roughly 29 1/2" wide, 17 3/4" deep, and 31 1/2" tall. Nice finish and soft-close doors. Constructed well but not the highest quality material; it's some sort of composite wood with a veneer.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Great stand, beautiful scape/tank!

Also glad you tested the TDS /water change calc method for determining actual volume to be pretty accurate. That's good to hear!

 

[Schrute66]

Power and Backup
I am powering everything tank-related through an EcoFlow Delta 2 1024Wh power station.


To the power station I've connected a Tripp-Lite IsoBar surge protector and auto-resetting GFCI outlet adapter.


A power strip runs from there to the tank cabinet.


Inside the cabinet the power strip feeds the Hydros collective, to which all the tank equipment is connected, along with an overhead cabinet light.


The typical power load is running in the low 20W range. The heater is 50W but barely runs. Assuming a max load of, say 80W, I should get around 12 hours of run time from the EcoFlow in the event of a power outage.

 

[JuJuFish]

Will you run it this way all the time or just during a power outage? If the answer is continuously, will it harm the power station to be plugged in and fully charged all the time?

 

[Phish Tank]

@JuJuFish with ecoflow you can set the max % it will charge to, it doesn’t need to always be at 100%

 

[JuJuFish]

I have a Delta 2 but didn’t know about that setting. Thanks for the info! What do you keep yours set on for max charge?

 

[Schrute66]

@JuJuFish I have the aquarium load connected to it continuously. Here's what AI and the Internet say about the topic

Recommended Settings for EPS Mode with Continuous AC Load

1. AC Always ON

• Setting: Enabled
• Why: Keeps the AC inverter active at all times, ensuring your load doesn’t drop during brief grid interruptions. This is essential for continuous systems like aquarium controllers or routers.

2. AC Timeout

• Setting: Set to Never
• Why: Prevents the AC output from shutting off due to perceived inactivity. Even low-wattage or intermittent loads (e.g., heaters or dosing pumps) can trigger unwanted shutdowns if this isn’t disabled.

3. Energy Management (Charge/Discharge Limits)

• Setting: Charge to 80–85%, Discharge to 10–15%
• Why: Limits battery stress from staying at 100% charge continuously. This is especially important if the unit is plugged in 24/7. You can override this monthly to run a full cycle for cell balancing.

4. Device Timeout

• Setting: Set to Never
• Why: Ensures the unit doesn’t shut off due to inactivity across all ports. This complements the AC Always ON setting.

5. X-Boost

• Setting: Disabled (unless your load occasionally exceeds 1800W)
• Why: X-Boost allows temporary overdraw up to 2200W, but it’s not compatible with all devices and may introduce voltage instability. For sensitive electronics or aquarium gear, it’s safer to leave it off.

Monthly Maintenance Tip

Run a full charge/discharge cycle once a month:

• Temporarily set charge to 100% and discharge to 0%.
• Let the unit fully charge and then fully discharge.
• This helps balance the battery cells and maintain long-term health.

 

[Schrute66]

AIO Flow and Filtration
The IM 15 has a three-chamber back AIO section.

I'm using a third-party caddy in chamber 1 for filter media.

I have some stacked foam pads at the bottom chamber 2 for biological filtration.

Chamber 2 overflows into chamber 3 where the return pump is situated. You may notice from the drawing above that chamber 3 extends under chambers 1 and 2. Nobody seems to know why Innovative Marine did this but it's useful space for laying a heater flat on the bottom where it will stay wet and it adds volume to chamber three which helps with managing the water level there.

I replaced the included pump with the MightyJet Mini, a variable speed DC pump. I also replaced the return tubing with some 0.5" ID silicone tubing. The running pump is literally silent.

The pump is rated at a maximum flow of 266GPH and has nine speed settings. I have it turned down to the lowest setting and it still provides very strong flow. I can adjust the return nozzle to create from no to ridiculous surface agitation. This pump has run-dry protection which I suppose means it will turn itself off; I haven't tested that. I also have a Hydros low-level water sensor in the chamber that will turn off the pump if the sensor goes dry.

The built-in overflow cutouts are much too large for small tank inhabitants, so I added a pop-in cover from a seller on Etsy with smaller openings. It sets the tank water level right where I want it with the DC pump set at its lowest flow rate.

Lastly, I am using a custom-made lid. It has cut-outs for the auto-feeder and a front feeding access port. There's also a removable evaporation cover that can cover most of the open mesh area.

Today is day 12 since planting.

 

[Koan]

using a third-party caddy in chamber 1 for filter media

I have a few from InTank Aquatics too super helpful. They recently changed hands, Jory calls it Five Star Aquatics now, still selling down the old inventory.

Great guy to work with, caddies for lots of AIO tanks!

 

[Schrute66]

They recently changed hands, Jory calls it Five Star Aquatics now

I noticed that! They have some nice products, and I hope they're doing OK.

 

[Schrute66]

Lighting, CO2, ATO, auto-dosing, and heating

Here's where things are at 15 days after planting. I'm using the Fluval Plant 4.0 Nano LED light. I turned down the out-of-the-box auto setting to around 50% and am running it for eight hours. I'm interested in exploring more options for customizing the color channels and photoperiod.


I'm using a CO2 Art regulator kit. It's not terrible. It seems to hold the working pressure and bubble rate OK although the bubble rate will move drastically with an almost imperceptible turn of the needle valve. The diffuser is in the return chamber where the bubbles rise up against the flow coming over the top of AIO chamber two. I'm seeing lots of micro bubbles in the tank, which I don't really like, but the system seems to work OK, taking the pH down from an overnight high of around 8 to my target of 6.8 in about two and a half hours. Probably not the most efficient approach but the AIO system limits my options.


Here you can see a 5L auto top-off reservoir on the left and the diaphragm pump for it on the right. There's a Hydros water level sensor for it in the AIO return chamber. You can also see the two dosing pumps and reservoirs. The dosing schedules are managed by the Hydros system. I planned to dose micros and macros, hence the two pumps and containers. But for now, I am front-loading the macros, so I am using both dosing pumps for micros, each delivering half a dose once per day.

Lastly, I have a 50W Aquael heater in the return chamber. It lies flat and below the level of the return pump intake so it's unlikely to ever be exposed to the air. I've set it at 74 degrees and then use a Hydros temperature sensor and logic as a fail-safe, turning off the outlet to the heater if the temp goes too high. There's also a 12V DC fan that will kick on if the tank gets too warm.

 

[Schrute66]

Just a quick pic of where things are at as well as a forum-related question. If I’m having an issue, say with a particular plant or about fertilization, should I post it in this journal thread or separately in a specific forum?

 

[Koan]

Your journal, your call

Majority of folks will read posts as they come up new, i.e. when you hit the lightning bolt in the bottom right corner rather than any particular forum

 

[Schrute66]

Control & Automation
Here's where things are at after about ten weeks. Overall, I'm pretty happy and enjoying the whole project. Things are growing well, except for the Ammannia pedicellata 'Golden', which started out well and is now showing some stunted, curled new growth. The only algae is some GSA/GDA. I have some thoughts on tackling both issues but want to let things continue to settle for a bit. I've added some neocaridina shrimp and a mystery snail that is growing like mad. Probably destined to be traded in for a smaller edition ;-)

I thought I'd share a bit on the "tech" part of this project. I'm using the Hydros system to manage everything.

Here's a logical diagram of the Hydros controls and sensors.

I've gone through several iterations and tons of little adjustments getting all the systems dialed in. The biggest and best change I made was switching from a classic CO2 diffuser in the AIO return chamber to a DIY @Yugang CO2 spray bar/open flow reactor. Since I don't have a canister filter and don't want to plumb a line off the AIO return pump, I can't use the horizontal reactor design. I also wanted to avoid putting anything else inside the tank so I puzzled for a long time over how to construct some kind of open flow reactor that would fit in the very limited AIO back section. I arrived at a 2.5"x2.5" semi-rigid silicone food storage container that fits perfectly in the middle of the three AIO chambers. I like not having micro bubbles and all the other well-known benefits of this approach. I'm getting about a 1.2 pH drop. Here's a glimpse of what it looks like in place. I'll make another post later with some more information on the design in case anybody is interested.

 

[Schrute66]

DIY CO2 spray bar/open flow reactor
Here's how I integrated the CO2 spray bar idea into my small AIO aquarium. You can see here that all the flow through the AIO system comes up through chamber two and spills into chamber three where it's returned to the tank. This seemed like the best spot to position the reactor if I could find a small vessel that would work. There's only about 3" by 3" to work with. The surface area of my tank is about 210 sq. in (14.5" x 14.5"). The rough math as I understand it for a 1.2 pH drop would require a little over 6 square inches of reactor surface area.

I found some small semi-rigid square silicone food containers that are about 2.5 inches square, just about right for my requirements. They're also a little wider at the top, which becomes the bottom of the reactor, and so actually fit perfectly into the top of chamber 2. I built a plastic mesh open-top box for the sponges that I put into that chamber for bio filtration, making them easier to take out for maintenance. The mesh box slightly reduces the chamber dimensions and creates a grippy surface that holds the silicone box tightly when I wedge it in place. Here's what it looks like from the top.

I just cut a hole in the bottom of the container for a 1/4" push-to-connect bulkhead fitting, and then some holes on the top edge of two opposing sides to facilitate the water flow and CO2 overflow/purging.
This was my practice container:




To my delight this thing actually seems to work; I am getting a 1.1 to 1.2 pH drop, with the reactor overflowing some CO2 about every minute, although I have to run a pretty high bubble count to get there. I'm no longer using the Hydros system as a pH controller to manage the CO2 solenoid but instead can leave the CO2 on continuously during the photo period and let the reactor do its thing. I'm sure this is not the most efficient approach but given the constraints of the limited AIO space I'm OK with it for now.

 

[Koan]

I found some small semi-rigid square silicone food containers that are about 2.5 inches

What a sweet find

And they come in a set of 6 sizes

 

[Minninips]

Power and Backup
I am powering everything tank-related through an EcoFlow Delta 2 1024Wh power station.
View attachment 10035

To the power station I've connected a Tripp-Lite IsoBar surge protector and auto-resetting GFCI outlet adapter.
View attachment 10036

A power strip runs from there to the tank cabinet.
View attachment 10037

Inside the cabinet the power strip feeds the Hydros collective, to which all the tank equipment is connected, along with an overhead cabinet light.
View attachment 10039

The typical power load is running in the low 20W range. The heater is 50W but barely runs. Assuming a max load of, say 80W, I should get around 12 hours of run time from the EcoFlow in the event of a power outage.

What type of run time are you seeing on this backup setup? In the event of a power outage, are you plugging the triplite into a generator? And funny, but I think our nursery is painted the same color. Pistachio or something? haha