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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Upgrade pumps for [28g HQI Nano Cube]?


sammy33

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I removed everything in the back compartments and the pumps still sucked air when I ran them both at the same time.

 

I added the tunze nanostream 6025 which doesn't look bad in the display tank and it adds 660gph to the 260. This way I didn't have the restraint of trying to fit something else in the back.

 

Has anyone looked into upgrading the skimmer? Is there a better one that will fit where the standard one goes?

 

I would recommend a hang-on. You will not need to disassemble it to open your hood leaving the chambers open. The dimensions are posted for the rear chambers here, you'll be hard pressed to find one. I would start with the Tunze 9002, Sapphire etc

 

Are you saying that the chamber is empty or the pump is cavitating?

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I will be using a dosing A & B using pump Litermeter III. This is about 6 months out so I still have more research to do on this topic and have time to change my mind. Maybe somebody will come out with a complete nano reactor setup that works reliably. I don't knock kalk, there many people who swear by it.

 

Ahh yes... two part. I have been a b-ionic addict for about 5-6 years now! :haha:

 

I thought about using a reefdoser from aqua medic. I have the larger reefdoser quad on one of my other reef aquariums and it is great for dosing b-ionic. I have the third channel for some magnesium and fourth channel is currently unused.

 

The little two channel reef doser would fit under the stand and I can probably squeeze two one gallon bottles in the stand with the top-off bucket and ballast?

 

I think the Litermeter may even be a bit smaller than the reefdoser? I think that stealth :ninja: is key when picking nano components. Hmmm......Will have to check into the litermeter now? See S.I.C. you have done it to me again. :D

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I removed everything in the back compartments and the pumps still sucked air when I ran them both at the same time.

 

I added the tunze nanostream 6025 which doesn't look bad in the display tank and it adds 660gph to the 260. This way I didn't have the restraint of trying to fit something else in the back.

 

Has anyone looked into upgrading the skimmer? Is there a better one that will fit where the standard one goes?

 

Are you using the stock pumps? I can run both of my stock accela pumps at the same time and my water level drops but not to the point where it pulls air. I did fill my tank almost to the brim by the way.

 

I would love to add some powerheads to the front part but I am trying to keep the stealth appearance in the display.

 

I think the Tunze nano doc skimmer may fit LxW the center chamber but I am not sure if the chamber is deep enough?

 

The best option for skimmers will likely be some sort of hang-on like a Remora or even a Deltec.

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Very cool, I am in the same boat as you all. I ordered a 28 hqi through bobafet1 on this forum, and it is to be delivered today. I have the stand already put together waiting for the tank. I also am looking into skimmer upgrades, as i want this to be a fun little sps tank. I am thinking of doing a diy skimmer, but I am waiting to see the tank before I get any crazy ideas. I have an old seaclone that is laying around somewhere, and I may end up trying that on the tank for awhile to see how it works. I am also planning of putting a 6025 in the display to get the extra needed waterflow. Has anyone done the nanotuners actinic mod? I was thinking of getting that also to get alittle more color out of the corals. I am going to do some form of ATO, and I was also thinking of making a very small kalk reactor for the tank to run the top off through. Any other recommendations?

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I've had one of these tanks up and running for about a month now. It's been great so far. I have had no heat issues. Mine has has stayed below 82 in a warm room with no AC or fans. I added the nanotuners actinic retrofit and have been adding live rock to the rear compartment to create a fuge. My next step is to figure out a way to mount some lights on the back to grow some chaeto.

 

I've found the stock skimmer to do a pretty impressive job of pulling muck. The only design flaw I've found so far is that you can't open the top without removing the skimmer collection cup. Would be interesting to see how an HOB skimmer might be able to be worked in.

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an HOB skimmer could only work if it straddled two compartments. take the nano remora for example. if the pump went in the left pump area and the return went into the skimmer compartment that would work. the only probabem is the ATO systems needs to keep the tank high enough to prevent the remora pump from cavitating or running dry. The regular remora with the maxijet might work too, it appears there is anough front to back play to allow the remora to stand straight because the maxijet inside the narrow pump compartment will determine the position of the remora. Some 1/2in flex tube might solve any issues here.

 

The Tunze 9002 simply can't fit, no compartment is large enough to hold it.

the nc24 saphire skimmer should fit though. but there goes your fuge or media compartment.

 

I have a Aqua Medic nieviemat ATO and it works somewhat well once the neoprene hose is broken in. It does take up a lot of room in the back for the float and the fill.

 

i consider at least one Tunze 6025 a must. I haven't tried a second but will as soon as i can get my hands on a used one.

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I've found the stock skimmer to do a pretty impressive job of pulling muck. The only design flaw I've found so far is that you can't open the top without removing the skimmer collection cup. Would be interesting to see how an HOB skimmer might be able to be worked in.

 

Where is your water level in the back?

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it is about 1.5-2in down from the rim. The float switch won't mount any higher than that since it has to be mounted to the glass.

 

FWIW, I never had any problems with the overflow handling both return pumps being on at once (as the wavemaker sometimes gets stuck this way after plugging it in).

 

i highly advise a peristatic ATO device as a powerhead device could quickly overfill the tank if it sticks on.

 

I plan on buying another float switch and rigging it up to an audible high water alarm device to wake me up in the middle of the night if the float ever sticks on. Because the pump moves so little water i would probably have an hour or two before it would overtop the tank.

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I did a test fit with my Remora skimmer today. The best fit I could get was to place the pump in the center section and the output just the other side of the right baffle. This is no good because I want to use this section for pura complete (carbon and phosphate remover) with the basket.The additional problem with the remora or most any other skimmer with a pump is the little extra heat it provides. The stock skimmer, being air driven, adds virtually no heat to the tank.

 

The stock skimmer looks to have some promise as the bubbles are fairly dense. The canopy will not lift very far with the skimmer cup in place. The feeding door still provides good access.

 

The water level in the back is the only adjustment you have for the stock skimmer. I am running my water level high like Cobalt has his. Mine is just above the return elbows. Keeping this higher running level also prevents the pumps from sucking air when both wave timer channels are on after a power out.

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hey 28g nano hqi owners... i've got a couple of questions... i just set mine up and had the lights running for a couple of hours for the first time tonight. when i opened up the cabinet, i noticed that the ballast was very hot !!! is this normal? it was hot enough to the point where i could not place my hands on top of it for a long period of time. just wondering if this is normal. my 12g dx runs pretty cool with no heat issues from the ballast.

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hey 28g nano hqi owners... i've got a couple of questions... i just set mine up and had the lights running for a couple of hours for the first time tonight. when i opened up the cabinet, i noticed that the ballast was very hot !!! is this normal? it was hot enough to the point where i could not place my hands on top of it for a long period of time. just wondering if this is normal. my 12g dx runs pretty cool with no heat issues from the ballast.

 

I have mine running on the bottom portion of the cabinet and it seemed cool. Running up top behind the door with no ventilation may cause it to heat up.

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I did a test fit with my Remora skimmer today. The best fit I could get was to place the pump in the center section and the output just the other side of the right baffle. This is no good because I want to use this section for pura complete (carbon and phosphate remover) with the basket.

 

What about this mod for some extra room to fit an HOB skimmer pump?

 

28g-basket-mod.gif

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the pump won't fit in the skimmer compartment? do you ahve the maxijet 1200 pump? you might have to go with a nano remora or smaller pump otherwise it looks like you need to mod your basket.

 

adding a pump to the basket may cause the pump to starve for water and cavitate if you have the basket packed with media. it will also disrupt your levels, water will be pumped out of the center where water level is constant and into the side compartments. could remove all the water from the middle quick.

 

I on the other hand plan on putting my purigen in the heater compartment and carbon or phosphate remover in the skimmer compartment. all 3 are currently in my filter basket.

 

so i could use a regular remora since I'll be removing the filter basket. then i might be able to go with some LED lighting and chaeto in the middle.

 

sammy, let me know if you want to sell your remora. I used to live in Decatur, moved to Portland last year.

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the pump won't fit in the skimmer compartment? do you ahve the maxijet 1200 pump? you might have to go with a nano remora or smaller pump otherwise it looks like you need to mod your basket.

 

The maxi-jet will not fit in the skimmer compartment with the output facing up. The other problem with the remora in that position is that the skimmed water would be dumping back into the center chamber and will be re-skimmed.

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Is the knob on the front of the JBJ air pump supposed to be an air flow adjustment. Mine does not seem to do anything. Has anyone else played with this and does it increase/decrease your air flow to the skimmer?

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By turning the knob clockwise it increases the air pressure. The pump will also be noticably louder as a result of this. I have the same tank. I have noticed lately that it doesnt get as loud and the pressure seems constant now regardless of what setting it's on. I would like to replace the skimmer with a pump driven type.

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By turning the knob clockwise it increases the air pressure. The pump will also be noticably louder as a result of this. I have the same tank. I have noticed lately that it doesnt get as loud and the pressure seems constant now regardless of what setting it's on. I would like to replace the skimmer with a pump driven type.

 

I just took mine apart and the knob was not seated all the way. It was just free spinning. I glued it onto the rheostat and it is working now! :)

 

What a difference in the skimmer performance! The air adjustment allows fine tuning of the bubbles and the skimmer is actually starting to build some foam. B)

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  • 1 month later...

I ended up replacing the stock pumps on my 28g Nano Cube with two Rio HF 6 pumps. These were the largest pumps at 350GPH I could find that could fit on this tank. (Note if anyone knows of a higher GPH pump that will fit on the 28g nano please post here)

 

The HF 6 pumps move a good bit of water but one of mine is very noisy. I am going to order another one and see if it is just a fluke. I have them hooked up to my RK2 on a wave timer cycle with each pump running about 12 minutes.

 

I also bought a box of the large 3" airwoods from Tropic Marin (about $28). The airwood in the stock skimmer needs to be replaced about once a month. I noticed a big difference with these airwoods. The bubbles are tighter and the air pump can be turned up a bit past half way to produce a good volume foam. The stock skimmer is decent if you keep the airwood changed out.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sammy -- Did you replace that loud Rio HF6? How is the noise level with the Rios as compared to the Accelas you replaced?

 

I have a new NC 28g and one of my Accelas is much louder than the other. I want to replace my powerheads with a couple that are more quiet.

 

Thanks!

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Sammy -- Did you replace that loud Rio HF6? How is the noise level with the Rios as compared to the Accelas you replaced?

 

I have a new NC 28g and one of my Accelas is much louder than the other. I want to replace my powerheads with a couple that are more quiet.

 

Thanks!

 

My accela pumps were ultra quiet compared to the Rio's. The louder Rio has smoothed out and is not as loud and the other is already pretty quiet. I think if I replaced the one noisy one it would be OK.

 

The quietest pumps I tried were the MJ1200's but they heated the tank more than the Rio's. I don't have a chiller so this was as issue for me.

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I just found this thread, you guys are doing a great job. I wish i would have found it sooner.

 

I've had my 28g HQI running just over three months and have been impressed with everything. The only mod I did was a DIY ATO all for about $9. I'll take a few pictures of it tonight. I got the idea from the DIY section on NR. It's still there if you want to take a look.

 

I'm thinking about the Coralife Super skimmer 65, any thoughts?

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