JK's 28g Nano-Cube - New Mesh Top by smiz!

[JKUNZ]

After an almost 1.5 (or 526 Day, but who's counting) year hiatus, i'm finally back with a tank set-up! It's only 1 week old, but it's a start.

The Specs: Nothing Crazy

• 28 Gallon Nano-Cube
• AquaIllumination Prime LED light
• JBJ ATO
• Tunze DOC Skimmer 9001
• JBJ Skimmer for 28 Gallon (Looking at getting the AquaMaxx HOB-1)
• Nano Stream 6015
• 26 lbs. coraline cured shelf Live Rock
• 30 lbs. Live Sand
• Tropic Marin Pro-Reef Salt

Occupants:

• CUC
• White Urchin
• Pair of True Percula
• Yellow Watchman Goby
• Royal Gramma
• Banded Coral Shrimp
• Emerald Crab
• Rose Bulb Anemone

Coral: Just the start

• Pink Tip Torch
• Blue Tip Branching Frogspawn
• Bam Bams Polyps
• Cherry Corals Sweet Ricordea Mushroom
• Bicolor Frogspawn (1/15/16)
• Sunny Delights (1/15/16)
• Aussie Yellow Hammer (1/15/16)
• Tyree Orange Rainbows (1/15/16)
• Aussie Blastos (1/15/16)

The View: Not much to look at yet.

Hopefully more to come after another few weeks of settling in.

[reefernanoman]

Nice tank. I got a NC 28G, but with lots of upgrades lol! I'm assuming that you are not using the media basket and have the 9001 instead. Following.

[Barryrey]

Following as well. I also have the Nano-cube 28 but have never run a skimmer. Curious to see how you like the 9001 especially being that you have to run it in the media basket chamber.

[reefernanoman]

Following as well. I also have the Nano-cube 28 but have never run a skimmer. Curious to see how you like the 9001 especially being that you have to run it in the media basket chamber.

I think that having the Intank media basket with filter floss and carbon is a better idea, then just have a HOB skimmer that lets you keep the media basket like the Aquamax HOB-1 would be the best of both worlds. I'm running an AquaC Remora, but it's not that good.

[JKUNZ]

Nice tank. I got a NC 28G, but with lots of upgrades lol! I'm assuming that you are not using the media basket and have the 9001 instead. Following.

Thanks en28; I've moved my carbon and filters over one chamber, so they're still there, just relocated. From left to right now I have the ATO level sensor in the far left (with the original left return pump), the Filter/Carbon in the middle left, Skimmer in the middle, Heater in the middle right, and just the original right return pump in the right. I considered to HOB route, but was trying to reduce anything else off the back for space reasons.

 

Following as well. I also have the Nano-cube 28 but have never run a skimmer. Curious to see how you like the 9001 especially being that you have to run it in the media basket chamber.

I'm curious too Barry! I'll certainly let you know. So far it seems that my issue/annoyance will be having to remove the catch cup to fully open the hood. We'll see how that plays out. The tank it too young still, so too early to tell how well the 9001 actually performs.

[Barryrey]

I just installed the Tunze 9001 in my NC28, taking out the InTank media basket, although I have been running carbon in a BRS mini 5" reactor for awhile so the only change is taking out the filter floss along with no longer having chaeto in the media basket. With it being such a small amount of chaeto not sure how beneficial it was to begin with.

 

Maybe I have my skimmer set wrong but basing on where the water level is in my middle chamber once the skimmer is in there, the lid to the skimmer is even with the bottom of my tank lid so I can open the lid without any problems. After just one day I am getting very wet skimmate so I did tighten the air screw. May end up having to raise the skimmer. I don't care for how the skimmer moves so easy, wish the magnets were stronger.

 

I will try to take some pictures of it tomorrow so you can see where it sits.

[JKUNZ]

I just installed the Tunze 9001 in my NC28, taking out the InTank media basket, although I have been running carbon in a BRS mini 5" reactor for awhile so the only change is taking out the filter floss along with no longer having chaeto in the media basket. With it being such a small amount of chaeto not sure how beneficial it was to begin with.

 

Maybe I have my skimmer set wrong but basing on where the water level is in my middle chamber once the skimmer is in there, the lid to the skimmer is even with the bottom of my tank lid so I can open the lid without any problems. After just one day I am getting very wet skimmate so I did tighten the air screw. May end up having to raise the skimmer. I don't care for how the skimmer moves so easy, wish the magnets were stronger.

 

I will try to take some pictures of it tomorrow so you can see where it sits.

Barryrey - I look forward to seeing how yours is set-up. I took mine out temporarily, but I likely had is mocked up high, based on your note above. I'll likely getting it running in there again in the next week or so.

[reefernanoman]

I just installed the Tunze 9001 in my NC28, taking out the InTank media basket, although I have been running carbon in a BRS mini 5" reactor for awhile so the only change is taking out the filter floss along with no longer having chaeto in the media basket. With it being such a small amount of chaeto not sure how beneficial it was to begin with.

 

Maybe I have my skimmer set wrong but basing on where the water level is in my middle chamber once the skimmer is in there, the lid to the skimmer is even with the bottom of my tank lid so I can open the lid without any problems. After just one day I am getting very wet skimmate so I did tighten the air screw. May end up having to raise the skimmer. I don't care for how the skimmer moves so easy, wish the magnets were stronger.

 

I will try to take some pictures of it tomorrow so you can see where it sits.

Hi, in what chamber do you have that mini reactor? Thanks.

[Barryrey]

Hi, in what chamber do you have that mini reactor? Thanks.

 

I have it mounted outside the tank on the back of my stand, plumbed to one of my MJ1200 return pumps. I originally had 1/2 cup of carbon and a 1/4 cup of GFO (not tumbling at all) going with the recommendation BRS has on one of their videos. With the GFO in there in would solidify pretty fast and drastically reduce the flow. I have since gone away from GFO and only running carbon. I change out the carbon every two weeks. Not sure how much better this is than how I used to run a bag of Chemi-pure in the media basket. You can definitely see how the water is forced to go through the carbon in the reactor versus making its way around the bag in the media basket.

[Barryrey]

Barryrey - I look forward to seeing how yours is set-up. I took mine out temporarily, but I likely had is mocked up high, based on your note above. I'll likely getting it running in there again in the next week or so.

 

Give me about a week. The first day I had filled up the cup about a 1/4 of the way with some pretty wet clear skimmate. I cranked down the air screw and then for some reason the next day if pretty much filled up the cup, again wet and clear. I adjusted again and then had nothing. I think Stevie from InTank is right in one of his threads on the 9001 to just stop messing with it. Think I will just leave it be for awhile until it slimes up. I find that it is very difficult to keep it exactly where you want it. I would like to remount the magnet on the back like Stevie did and have the other magnet outside the tank but I don't think the chamber is wide enough from front to back.

[JKUNZ]

Well I finally gave up on the NanoCube LED hood, and replaced it with an AI Prime, which I already like much much more.

It's been on for about a week, and I started my settings low and will ramp up over time. Here's a snap-shot of where I have the lighting set for daylight:

 

 

I'll eventually attempt to max-out a few of the higher spectrums, but I'm happy with the over-all ratio across the spectrum. Let me know if you any recommendation, or if you have experience with the Prime.

[JKUNZ]

Well, finally got around to taking a picture of the new AI Prime. This is really a great light, and kudos to the AI team; I had a few questions early on and their support staff was great to work with.

 

 

[JKUNZ]

It's been a long while since an update - and overdue for pics, but here's a few of the new ATO/Dosing combo that smiz made for me - which I absolutely love. It was designed to fit precisely inside the JBJ 28g stand, and holds 2 weeks worth of fresh water for the ATO, as well as two dosing reservoirs:

 

 

[JKUNZ]

As this is an office aquarium, and I travel a bunch, its been a slow slow process - but finally have been adding in some coral.

 

***Ignore the algae - been fighting and slowly winning that battle since switching lights and reducing phosphates.

 

Here're a few lackluster images of some recent additions:

 

Blue Tip Branching Frogspawn with the Bam Bams behind, and Sweet Ricordea off to the side:

 

The Pink Tip Torch:

[pgrVII]

I dig this set up. The ato is very very nice. Branching frogspawn is really cool looking.

[JKUNZ]

I dig this set up. The ato is very very nice. Branching frogspawn is really cool looking.

 

Thanks pgrVII. It's very simple for now. In time I'll get the Skimmer upgraded, dosing pumps, etc. I'm used to having a lot more going on; came from this as my last set-up:

JK's Custom 135 Lagoon

 

Which is why I love your goon.

[JKUNZ]

Nothing new, just a few new pics.

 

As this is in my office, and I only get to see it limited hours per week, here's the view from my desk:

 

And a "dusk" view from the other day as I was shutting down for the evening:

[reefernanoman]

 

Well, finally got around to taking a picture of the new AI Prime. This is really a great light, and kudos to the AI team; I had a few questions early on and their support staff was great to work with.

 

 

 

Now all you have left is to remove the rim . Looking very nice BTW!

[JKUNZ]

Now all you have left is to remove the rim . Looking very nice BTW!

 

Right! I thought about that, but got a custom lid made by smiz, which uses the lip from the rim to rest on.

[JKUNZ]

I paid a visit to Cherry Corals (Todd is simply a great guy), and picked up a handful of corals. If you haven't checked out his selection, look them up. First class corals all the way.

 

Here're some of the goodies, although they're still light acclimating - sorry in advance for the iPhone photos.

 

(Also picked up some Tyree Orange Rainbows and Aussie Blastos from Cherry, but no photos yet.)

 

Bicolor Frogspawn

 

Sunny Delights

 

Aussie Yellow Hammer

 

And one of Cherry Corals tanks - this one is almost entirely Acans and Blastos and LPS:

[JKUNZ]

Here're the Aussie Green Eye Blastos and Tyree Orange Rainbows - not the best lighting yet for pics, but once their done acclimating in a few days I should be able to get better shots:

[smiz]

Looks awesome!! If you ever pull the rim off we might be able to make some mods!

[JKUNZ]

Looks awesome!! If you ever pull the rim off we might be able to make some mods!

 

 

Your top is going on first!!! That's on my to do this week - just need to cut some stock brackets from the hood to make the screen/top fit.

[JKUNZ]

A "day 4" shot of the Sunny Delights, who're stunning in person - I need a better camera (phone).

 

[specore]

Nothing new, just a few new pics.

 

As this is in my office, and I only get to see it limited hours per week, here's the view from my desk:

 

And a "dusk" view from the other day as I was shutting down for the evening:

I'd be careful leaving the magnet in there. Used to leave mine in my tank and after a few months it corroded to the point it started to rust.