Kristine's JBJ 30

[Kristine92]

Kristine’s JBJ 30 Gallon Rimless Biotope Reef Tank

As of: Sunday January 15, 2017

 

 

My plans for this tank are still at the point of evolving as my little tank comes together. Thankfully, while starting up a fresh new tank, I will have nothing but time to figure it all out. This is what I have acquired so far, and also my current plans for future investment.

 

 

Equipment:

 

-JBJ 30 gallon rimless biotope aquarium, included with:

 

Filtration:

• Acrylic Filter Wall w/ Dual Overflows
• 3 stage filter Media basket
• Mechanical Sponges
• Activated Carbon Sponges
• Biological Ceramic rings
• Dual return pumps (2 x 265GPH) with dual return Nozzles
• Designated Heater Column
• Designated Refugium Column

-chemipure elite (40gal capacity)

-24”x24” counter/cabinet base

-Coralife Power Center (day/night timers, 24hr timer)

-KINGBO 18W LED aquarium light (PAR38)

-WYZM 15” adjustable and flexible aquarium light bulb holder/clamp

-Accel Aquatics Warm-White High Output Waterproof LED Strip Light with Transformer - 6 foot (for fuge)

-Cobalt Neo-therm 150W heater

-Aquaforest reef salt

-Coralife digital thermometer

 

Biological Filtration:

-20lbs+ live rock (will aquire 15lbs more of deco rock)

-20lbs caribsea live sand (may aquire more if needed)

-Cheato algae

 

Future Investments/Upgrades:

-Liverocknreef ‘s Cherry Primo Deco rock 15lbs (prolly after the addition of 20lbs live rock and initial cycle, as to not kill off precious organisms on primo rock)

-a powerhead or two (brand yet to be decided)

-nano protein skimmer (brand yet to be decided) *also I would like to see how well my bio filtration and water changes will work for me (especially in the beginning, with a small bioload)

-Kessil Tuna Blue LED light

-ATO unit, possibly Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152

 

Future Livestock Ideas so far:

-pair of clowns (not entirely sure what kind yet)

-a blenny or goby of some sort

-shrimp of some sort and possibly a few hermit crabs or snails

-one day, long after being an established system, I’d love to have a mandarinfish :]

 

As of now, I have my tank set up on the stand, the power strip installed; only the light, 50W heater, and an air stone are in operation (apx 12 gallons of SW in aquarium). Reason being that I had pre ordered about 2/3lbs of live rock for my “pico tank” prior to my plans changing. Upon arrival, the live rock was kept in premixed Aquaforest salt water, and kept in a bucket. I had a 50w heater and air stone running within the LR bucket. I also have a small clump of cheato algae I had pre-ordered and it also had been kept in the bucket.

 

Both have now been added to the JBJ aquarium, along with 10 more gallons of pre mixed AF salt (apx 12 gallons SW in tank). The 50w heater is in operation, as is the airstone; the live rock in just set within the tank. I only turn the light on for 3/4 hours at a time for now to reduce stress and algae buildup.

Currently, I am waiting for my 20lbs live sand and 20lbs live rock to be shipped so I can add to my tank and begin aquascaping. Because of my tank style, my display is less than 30 full gallons, so I will start with 20lbs of sand and get more if needed. As for the 20lbs live rock, I will start with this (plus the few lbs I have already acquired), then after the initial cycle I plan to place an order for 15lbs of premium organism-encrusted deco live rock, and finish my aquascaping : ]

 

SInce I have to order everything online, my startup has been affected in several ways. Ordering online has opened the doors of opportunity as far as selection goes; I have also taken advantage of doing a lot more research on products and reviews before settling on the best choice for me. Because of my location, and just shipping in general, I am forced to be patient during the setup process (not that I wouldn’t be anyway!) This has also given me all the opportunity in the world to continue to soak up info like a sponge for reef-keeping in general. All things considered, the challenges of starting up a nano reef in the great state of Wyoming have helped set up this tank to be a diligently cared for system, patient and well stocked in both equipment and livestock (or so I think.) Fingers crossed it all turns out!!

 

Any suggestions and advice are appreciated

 

 

 

 

 

Kristine’s JBJ 30 Gallon Rimless Biotope Reef Tank

As of: Monday February 20, 2017

 

 

Over the course of about a month, many changes and improvements have happened with my tank; first, came the exciting task of aquascaping, then, my tank went through a hard, but surprisingly fast cycle, and finally, (after several days of favorable water parameters (post cycle), I added a few pieces of coral {LPS and zoa/paly frags} (which I had been monitoring in a 10gal quarantine tank), all seem to be happy and well. I admit, I got a little impatient/impulsive upon ordering my first coral for this tank , but they all seem to be happy, and enjoy a bi-weekly spot feed *followed by a 10% WC. I also noticed a few cup coral polyps which came as hitchhikers on my live rock, they were a great indicator (along with tedious water testing), that my water quality had improved post-cycle  I also added a few snails (of different varieties) all of which are meant to target algae and/or diatoms; I do plan to order a small snail-only cleanup crew for general maintenance in the near future. Along with ordering the snails, I also ordered a fresh batch of cheato algae, and an order of pods to seed my fuge column. 

 

My equipment has also improved since my last post. I had acquired the TUNZE nanostream 6040 circulation pump, as well as the TUNZE 9004 in tank protein skimmer (so far I am really impressed with the TUNZE products). I also added a blue moonlight LED light strip to work with my current light fixture. 

 

I hope that by "editing" the current post (as opposed to just commenting) is the "proper way" to add on to my thread (still figuring out proper N-R posting etiquette ).

For those of you "following" this thread, here's to letting you all know that my tank and I are still alive and trying to be successful in this great adventure!  

 

 

 

[vlangel]

Nice start to your thread kristine! I like that you have given a lot of thought that you are in a remote part of country. That is good as its heartbreaking to lose beloved livstock because of unforeseen circumstances that can not be remedied in time because of your location.

 

One thing I would plan for is a way to keep the tank aerated should you lose power, or the return pump. A very cheap way is buy a battery back up pump and keep plenty of batteries on hand. As an aquarium technician who serviced tanks for 5+ years, I found this oversight to be the number 1 reason for catastrophic crashes. I keep several on my tank because they have a cord plugged in and detect loss of power even when I am not home.

 

I will be following and excited to see what you do with it.

[RIP Sebastian]

I am so happy to see that you've done your research. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a new person who has done their research! Looking forward to it it.

 

 

Nick

[Kristine92]

vlangel, you are absolutely right about a backup airerator! In fact I plan to purchase one pretty soon; my local petco has one in stock but I may see if I can find a better option online : ]

[mlivvy]

I have the same tank and i'll give you some tips from my experience with it.

 

If you're going to use a chamber for a refugium you will need to block it out somehow because the fuge light will leak light into the tank. I was getting algae growth in the DT from the fuge light spilling in from the back wall.

 

I was using the Aquaforest Reef salt which was by far the best salt i've ever used. It dissolves/mixes almost instantly and my corals responded great to it. I did notice an increase in algae growth after switching to AF. I then switched back to IO and the algae issues stopped. What I think is that all the added elements in the AF salt might be too much for our smaller tanks. I recommend a normal salt like Red Sea (not coral pro) or even IO and just use a quality supplement on the side.

 

I tried a few nano skimmers and nothing works properly in this tank. I was so frustrated that I thought about adding a sump (with a normal skimmer) but I was afraid of flooding my apartment using an overflow. The 9004 might be the only skimmer that'll somewhat work in this tank. I tried for weeks to get a 9001 to work but you really have no way to mount it where the skimmer will skim happy. I kept trying expensive skimmers so now i'm trying a cheap one and purchased an aquatic life 115. I didn't feel like paying $200 for the 9004 with the DC pump but I have a feeling this is the best option. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

For an ATO the tunze osmolator nano gave me issues with the float valve getting stuck and the pump not stopping. Good thing I was home and noticed. I purchased a Smart ATO micro and it works great on this tank.

 

As far as lighting I first went with a Kessil 360w and I didn't like it. It lit up the center nice but the sides were dark. I decided to bite the bullet and went with a radion xr15 which IMO is perfect for this tank.

[Kristine92]

I have the same tank and i'll give you some tips from my experience with it.

 

If you're going to use a chamber for a refugium you will need to block it out somehow because the fuge light will leak light into the tank. I was getting algae growth in the DT from the fuge light spilling in from the back wall.

 

I was using the Aquaforest Reef salt which was by far the best salt i've ever used. It dissolves/mixes almost instantly and my corals responded great to it. I did notice an increase in algae growth after switching to AF. I then switched back to IO and the algae issues stopped. What I think is that all the added elements in the AF salt might be too much for our smaller tanks. I recommend a normal salt like Red Sea (not coral pro) or even IO and just use a quality supplement on the side.

 

I tried a few nano skimmers and nothing works properly in this tank. I was so frustrated that I thought about adding a sump (with a normal skimmer) but I was afraid of flooding my apartment using an overflow. The 9004 might be the only skimmer that'll somewhat work in this tank. I tried for weeks to get a 9001 to work but you really have no way to mount it where the skimmer will skim happy. I kept trying expensive skimmers so now i'm trying a cheap one and purchased an aquatic life 115. I didn't feel like paying $200 for the 9004 with the DC pump but I have a feeling this is the best option. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

For an ATO the tunze osmolator nano gave me issues with the float valve getting stuck and the pump not stopping. Good thing I was home and noticed. I purchased a Smart ATO micro and it works great on this tank.

 

As far as lighting I first went with a Kessil 360w and I didn't like it. It lit up the center nice but the sides were dark. I decided to bite the bullet and went with a radion xr15 which IMO is perfect for this tank.

Thank you for all the great info! -sorry it took me so long to respond... I've been busy with my live rock orders and delays ; finally my aquascape is complete and I am mid-cycle! I have been struggling with the refugium, and the light does show in the DT, it's still a work in progress. I also have lost nearly all my cheato to my filtrtion; I think next time I might just keep it in a filter bag... Also, I decided against the TUNZE ATO, and I do plan to purchase the Auto Aqua ATO instead. I did order the Tunze Comline DOC Protein Skimmer 9004, as it seemed like the best option for my tank... fingers crossed it works for me. I do plan to look further into my lighting options before upgrading. As for the salt info, I will definitely keep that in mind for the future! Thanks again for all the great info!

[mlivvy]

For the filtration just keep it simple. In 1 chamber in the basket use chemipure blue or carbon, floss, and seachem matrix. If you get the Micro ATO it does a great job at keeping the water line at an exact level (where the return pump is) so you can mount the 9004 there. Next to the fuge chamber baffle, where the water returns to the return section, I filled it up rubble.

 

To keep the fuge light out of the DT, use a 1/4" piece of plastic or acrylic inbetween that glass section between the chamber and the side of the wall. I got a piece of plastic and cut it down to size and slid it in. It completely blacked out the section.

 

 

[Kristine92]

The filtration methods you mentioned are almost exactly what I have going for this tank -glad I'm on the right track! I appreciate the great tips for the fuge chamber, I really like your idea for preventing the light from shining through to the DT! I might have to give that a try. I'll have to create an updated feed for my tank here soon enough... Thanks again for the tips!

[Kristine92]

Kristine’s JBJ 30 Gallon Rimless Biotope Reef Tank

As of: Monday February 20, 2017

 

Over the course of about a month, many changes and improvements have happened with my tank; first, came the exciting task of aquascaping, then, my tank went through a hard, but surprisingly fast cycle, and finally, (after several days of favorable water parameters (post cycle), I added a few pieces of coral {LPS and zoa/paly frags} (which I had been monitoring in a 10gal quarantine tank), all seem to be happy and well. I admit, I got a little impatient/impulsive upon ordering my first coral for this tank , but they all seem to be happy, and enjoy a bi-weekly spot feed *followed by a 10% WC. I also noticed a few cup coral polyps which came as hitchhikers on my live rock, they were a great indicator (along with tedious water testing), that my water quality had improved post-cycle  I also added a few snails (of different varieties) all of which are meant to target algae and/or diatoms; I do plan to order a small snail-only cleanup crew for general maintenance in the near future. Along with ordering the snails, I also ordered a fresh batch of cheato algae, and an order of pods to seed my fuge column. 

 

My equipment has also improved since my last post. I had acquired the TUNZE nanostream 6040 circulation pump, as well as the TUNZE 9004 in tank protein skimmer (so far I am really impressed with the TUNZE products). I also added a blue moonlight LED light strip to work with my current light fixture. I do still need to acquire an ATO, and eventually, a better light in the near future! 

 

So far, the initial setup has gone about as expected, and with relative success. I've had pretty good luck as far as hitchhikers go, nothing too scary or harmful has emerged on me (though I did notice what seems to be some sort of ribbon worm this past night...). And like most new tanks, I do have some diatoms popping up, along with some algae too (green/red hair algae) (small start of bubble algae colony *to which I removed the LR piece and treated with hydrogen peroxide drops* -it has since disappeared : ]). As stated before, I do also wish to acquire a snail-only cleanup crew to help manage the algae. 

 

In conclusion, I wanted to provide a little update on my tank status, and try to develop a decent thread to my tank *any advice on proper thread procedure would be appreciated  -still just a noob! Until next time, enjoy!  *Better pictures to come! 

 

 

 

 

[ninjamyst]

Following along.  Really enjoy reading your detailed posts.  You mention better pics coming soon.  Are you getting a new camera or plan on using a better camera?

 

As far as posting etiquette,  I don't think there are any...hahah.  post updates often, pics help alot, and visit other members threads.  

[Kristine92]

1 hour ago, ninjamyst said:

Following along.  Really enjoy reading your detailed posts.  You mention better pics coming soon.  Are you getting a new camera or plan on using a better camera?

 

As far as posting etiquette,  I don't think there are any...hahah.  post updates often, pics help alot, and visit other members threads.  

It's nice to know that my thread has generated some interest! I try to keep it as informative as possible, without being too boring lol. And as far as the photos go, so far all my pictures have been take with my iphone; I do however had a canon 7D mark II that I am looking forward to using in the future (once I have a little more to show off) 

[ninjamyst]

Can't wait for the new pics!  Canon 7D mark II is a serious camera =P.  Do you do photography professionally?

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome to the community @Kristine92! It looks like your tank is coming along nicely and you're on the right track. Those early tank blues with diatoms, algae, and hitchhikers are real, but you'll get through it! Are you planning to get some snails soon?

 

What's the LFS scene like there in Wyoming?

 

As you get ready to photograph your tank with your Canon 7D, check out this article written by Jeremai, a great member of our community, may he rest in peace. It's full of great advice for photographing aquariums and composing shots.

 

[Kristine92]

21 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome to the community @Kristine92! It looks like your tank is coming along nicely and you're on the right track. Those early tank blues with diatoms, algae, and hitchhikers are real, but you'll get through it! Are you planning to get some snails soon?

 

What's the LFS scene like there in Wyoming?

 

As you get ready to photograph your tank with your Canon 7D, check out this article written by Jeremai, a great member of our community, may he rest in peace. It's full of great advice for photographing aquariums and composing shots.

 

Thank you for the photography link, I'm sure it will be very helpful! I'm hoping to place an order for snails this week from reef cleaners; I currently have a handful of snails and some cheato from them, that i'm impressed with! And as far as LFS goes... the WYO scene is pretty sorry  (at least in my part of the state). I have to resort to online options for almost everything tank related (which has a lot of pros and cons). So far, so good!

[Kristine92]

So the past few days have been pretty stressful for me to say the least...  I've noticed that my coral have been stressed, and ammonia is the source. I have been performing water changes over the past few days (anywhere from 10-20+ %) In total, I have changed out 50% since Tuesday (2/21), and 10/12% the Sunday (2/19) prior. 

 

This has been really stressful for me, mainly because I'm not seeing a much of a drop in ammonia after water changes. My tank had fully cycled, and up until recently, everything has been fine. The only thing that I can possibly come up with that may have caused this, is that last Wednesday, I removed a lot of my rock work when I was cleaning algae off; I'm horrified my tank is going through a small cycle 

 

My parameters (prior to the 12% water change I just did) are as follows: 

 

temp: 78'

SG: 0.026

pH: 8.0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 0

Calcium: 340ppm

KH: 161.1ppm, 9dkh

phosphate: 0

*ammonia: 0.25+

 

With each water change, I add Dr Tim's Immunity Plus, this time I also added the remainder of my bottle of Dr. Tim's One and Only

 

I plan to pick up a bottle of seachem prime tomorrow, first thing. Has anyone had good results with it quickly detoxifying ammonia? Any other suggestions or tips?? Any suggestions or piece of mind would be much appreciated 

[J-Ranko]

Sorry to hear about the ammonia spike.  How long were the rocks out of water?  Being exposed to air for a short time shouldn't affect the bacterial colony, but it's possible something inside the rockwork died and caused the ammonia to increase.  

 

The other possibility is that you might have scrubbed off too much bacteria from the surface of the rock.  They do establish themselves both on the porous surface and the inside, so I wouldn't be too aggressive with scrubbing off algae on their surface.

 

Water change is definitely the fastest way to get ammonia down.  I'm not sure if you have ready source of nitrifying bacteria on hand, but there are such products out there (e.g. Bio-spira) to augment the bacteria population fairly quickly.

[rgodoy22]

Is your tunze skimmer in the second chamber? How did you fit it in there, was modification needed?