sammy33's 28G Nano Cube HQI Thread

[sammy33]

I finally got my Kalk reactor hooked up today and am pleased with the setup so far. I actually hooked it inline with the ATO yesterday and let it run overnight. This morning everything looked good and the tank was well topped up. I added the Kalk powder today and let her rip.

 

I am using my RK2 pH control function as a safety net for the kalk reactor. I have the ATO set to shut down at pH 8.4 and come back on a pH 8.3. One of the side effects of kalkwasser is that is raises pH. I have heard of some bad accidents resulting from overdosing kalk and raising the pH too high. I think the RK2 will prevent this.

 

My CA and Alk has been on the low side. I have not kept up with my b-ionic dosing so everything is low. I have tried to boost parameters in the last several days but still have a few more days of consistent dosing to get the levels back up. The Kalkwasser may manage the levels CA and Alk levels but not until I get them back up.

 

I took a picture of the kalk reactor setup with the ATO but left my camera at the office. I will post some pics as soon as I can.

[Jigga]

Post a FTS!

[sammy33]

I finally got the Kalk Reactor installed and running. What a huge difference this thing makes! I dosed my CA and Alk up to levels before I added the kalk stirrer and this thing is maintaining them no problem. The dosing pump supplies a steady drip during top-off cycles so the supply is continuous. I still have some cleanup to do and will move most of this to under the stand after I verify all is working well.

 

and a FTS for December.

[226-fan]

Your setup is really cool. With the kalkwasser do you have to worry about too much calcium in the water, especially until hard coral stocking levels are higher?

In the new year I plan to do an ATO and want to make sure I don't overdose the calcium if I use kalkwasser.

Tom

[sammy33]

Your setup is really cool. With the kalkwasser do you have to worry about too much calcium in the water, especially until hard coral stocking levels are higher?

In the new year I plan to do an ATO and want to make sure I don't overdose the calcium if I use kalkwasser.

Tom

 

It is very possible to overdose kalkwasser but the worry is really raising pH too high too quickly. The kalk solution has a pH around 12 so you need to dose slowly. I am using the slow (25ml/min.) peristaltic pump throug the kalk reactor to dose the kalk solution. I also have the pump controlled by my ATO so it only doses during top-off. I have the ATO hooked up to the RK2 pH control set to auto shut-off at pH 8.41 and higher preventing any more dosing until the pH falls to 8.39 or lower. I feel pretty safe with this setup.

 

The calcium demand in this tank is still low but more than I could keep up with manual dosing two-part B-Ionic. I had CA around 380-400ppm and Alk around 7dKH. I would like to maintain higher, more consistent levels with CA around 450ppm and Alk around 10dKH. The kalk reactor should get me close.

 

The pH has been a solid 8.29 to 8.31 since I hooked it up. I glance at the RK2 almost every time I pass by the tank to see the pH and temp. The temp stays between 79.5 and 79.9. Very stable environment for these corals to grow in.

[sammy33]

I swapped bulbs again today. The XM 20k bulb is pretty much shot after 3 months. The color still looks great but the PAR has dropped from around 900PAR at the top down to less than 600PAR. This is a 30% drop in 3 months time! The HQI ballast is really pushing this lamp hard.

 

I swapped the stock JBJ 14K bulb back in and the PAR is over 1000 at the top of the tank now. The color I am getting from the JBJ lamp is pretty good with almost as much blue as the XM had at first. It seems to render reds, oranges and yellows much better than the XM. It is also visually brighter. I have shortened my light cycle to 4 hours to re-acclimate the corals to the brighter light. I guess you don't realize how much the intensity decreases over time until you replace lamps.

[jdokos]

Great thread, great tank. I too live in the Atlanta area (Woodstock) and have my Nanocube 28 HQI sitting waiting for me to set it up. My replacement tank just arrived today since the original arrived chipped. I went with the nanocustoms actinic upgrade.

 

Where do you get your corals from? Do you have any fish in the system yet? So far I am not impressed with too many LFSs in ATL.

[sammy33]

Where do you get your corals from? Do you have any fish in the system yet? So far I am not impressed with too many LFSs in ATL.

 

I buy a lot of my corals online and also trade with local hobbyists with the Atlanta SMAS club and the Atlanta Reef Club. I also buy fish online and occasionally will buy at one of the LFS.

 

I have added a fish, a maxima clam, several new SPS and some new critters to the tank in the last several weeks. I have also removed my two leather corals and some of the bigger palys to make room for the SPS. I will post some pics as soon as I get a chance to snap a few new shots.

[sammy33]

A couple of quick pics. Mostly SPS now:

 

First fish in the tank - Tailspot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura). I love this fish!

[dietsnapple]

Hey Sammy -- I'm running a nearly identical setup to yours:

JBJ 28g HQI

RK2

2 Koralia Nanos in addition to the stock pumps (I have one Accela and one Nano each on wavemaker channels A and B, 30 minute interval)

 

I want to add an ATO and Calcium Reactor to my setup. How exactly have you hooked yours up? Is it working as well as you'd expected? From what I understand, this is what you've done:

 

RK2 pH sensor controls power to ATO, which pumps water from stirrer/reactor into tank. Stirrer/reactor contains RO/DI water + Kalkwasser.

 

Is that right? Any other details I'm missing? Do you fill up the stirrer with RO/DI water yourself (i.e. not automated)?

[Jason7504]

im thinking of getting an RK2 for my nano when i get it all set up and past cycling..i should have it up and cycling in a week or 2. how is the RK2 working out for you? is the wavemaker on it as good as a seperate one? have you had any malfunctions with it yet? has anybody had any and had there tank messed up?

[reefturkey]

im thinking of getting an RK2 for my nano when i get it all set up and past cycling..i should have it up and cycling in a week or 2. how is the RK2 working out for you? is the wavemaker on it as good as a seperate one? have you had any malfunctions with it yet? has anybody had any and had there tank messed up?

The RK2 is probably one of the best things I've done for my jbj hqi nanocube. They are also coming out with the RKE (reef keeper elite).

[sammy33]

I want to add an ATO and Calcium Reactor to my setup. How exactly have you hooked yours up? Is it working as well as you'd expected? From what I understand, this is what you've done:

 

RK2 pH sensor controls power to ATO, which pumps water from stirrer/reactor into tank. Stirrer/reactor contains RO/DI water + Kalkwasser.

 

Is that right? Any other details I'm missing? Do you fill up the stirrer with RO/DI water yourself (i.e. not automated)?

The ATO controls a dosing pump that pulls water from a bucket with RO. This is pumped through the KS1000 and into the tank. The RK2 pH control keeps everything in check with the ATO turning off if the pH gets above 8.4. So far it is working great!

 

 

im thinking of getting an RK2 for my nano when i get it all set up and past cycling..i should have it up and cycling in a week or 2. how is the RK2 working out for you? is the wavemaker on it as good as a seperate one? have you had any malfunctions with it yet? has anybody had any and had there tank messed up?

The RK2 is awesome. The wavemaker function is much better than the stand-alone units (Ocean Pulse, Natural Wave, etc.) as it has more options including the night mode for calmer flow. I have not had any malfunctions with mine. I also have not heard of this unit causing any mass failures/crashes.

 

 

The RK2 is probably one of the best things I've done for my jbj hqi nanocube. They are also coming out with the RKE (reef keeper elite).

I agree! The RK2 is a great unit and makes it possible for me to be away from the tank for several days at a time with no worries. I will definitely be buying a RKE for my larger reef when they are released.

[Jason7504]

ok awesome!!! is the pH probe pretty accurate? does it keep the temp and the pH pretty stable? and would it with the kalk doser?

[sammy33]

ok awesome!!! is the pH probe pretty accurate? does it keep the temp and the pH pretty stable? and would it with the kalk doser?

 

The pH seems to be accurate. I take the probe out and read reference solutions at 7.0 pH and 10.0 pH every 6 weeks or so and recalibrate if necessary. It has been within .01 - .02 of the reference so far.

 

I am using the pH probe in the tank reading "ambient" pH of the tank. The kalk reactor is almost too big for this tank and keeps the pH pretty close to 8.4 all the time. The pH function on the reefkeeper2 is critical to keeping the kalk reactor from raising the pH too high, too fast. I would not use this reactor without a pH controller on this tank.

[Cobalt]

Sammy, care to sell the XM 20k? I'd like to try it on my 28g. I was considering the USHIO 20k as an alternative. Or just getting the nanotuner 2x18W mod to blue things up a bit.

[sammy33]

Sammy, care to sell the XM 20k? I'd like to try it on my 28g. I was considering the USHIO 20k as an alternative. Or just getting the nanotuner 2x18W mod to blue things up a bit.

 

I like the Ushio 20K a bit better than the XM. The Ushio seems to encourage more "pop" in the colors. I have had the best success with SPS growth/color with the stock 14K JBJ lamp so far. I think I may try the Phoenix 14K next?

 

My other thought was to do the actinic mod. I think I may try a DIY job with some 27w Dual Actinics. They will fit in the reflector no problem and I actually have the lamps - I just need the ballast to run them. I think the ballast(s) in the 12g AquaPod would be perfect. Cobalt - got any PC ballasts for trade for the XM lamp?

[Cobalt]

My main concern with adding PCs is that they will block some of the reflector. I will be real interested to see your PAR readings with the PCs both on and off. I'll hold off on my mod to here from you. I wish I had the correct ballast, I don't. And I thought about it more, I'm probably not going to go with a 20k, unless the PC mod just kills the MH output!

[surftaco]

Is it possible to run this sucker, stock? Without all the cool gadgets?

[farewelltofriday_mailbox]

im buying one of these soon so ill definitely be following along on this one

[sammy33]

My main concern with adding PCs is that they will block some of the reflector. I will be real interested to see your PAR readings with the PCs both on and off. I'll hold off on my mod to here from you. I wish I had the correct ballast, I don't. And I thought about it more, I'm probably not going to go with a 20k, unless the PC mod just kills the MH output!

I thought about that too. I will definitely take some before/after PAR readings and post them here.

 

 

Is it possible to run this sucker, stock? Without all the cool gadgets?

Yes. This tank comes with all the primary components (strong lighting, skimmer, wave timer) to make a great reef. The stock 14k lamp looks great and the moon lights are well placed. The filter basket is perfect for Phosban and Carbon. The cool gadgets just enhance the experience.

 

 

im buying one of these soon so ill definitely be following along on this one

The 28g Nano Cube is a great tank. I think you will enjoy having one. Thanks for checking out my thread.

[Cyclo]

Definately a fan of your build... I've incorporated alot of your ideas into my project .

[farewelltofriday_mailbox]

thats it. im buying this tank. AND as many of the nifty gadgets as i can afford. exciting? i think so.

[peaglesrx]

The skimmer is showing a stronger performance now that the bioload is higher. I came in to a loaded skimmer cup this morning but it seemed light tea colored still.

 

Maybe I am running this skimmer too wet?

 

I added some marks to the knob on the air pump using a Sharpie marker. This went a long way in establishing a simple reference point for adjusting the skimmer input. I have mine set at about the 1 o'clock position. This is just past about 50% mark of the capacity of the pump.

 

I have some other air woods from Tropic Marin on order that I will try. I think it will be worth fine tuning this skimmer for the heat savings! The air driven design adds virtually no heat compared to a skimmer that uses a pump.

 

Hey, i've been following your thread for a while. Great job on the tank so far!

 

I'm having trouble finding replacement air woods. My brother gave me some coral life air woods for my skimmer. However, they're too wide (2" x 7/8"). How do those Tropic Marin air woods fit in the skimmer?

 

Thanks!

[sammy33]

Hey, i've been following your thread for a while. Great job on the tank so far!

 

I'm having trouble finding replacement air woods. My brother gave me some coral life air woods for my skimmer. However, they're too wide (2" x 7/8"). How do those Tropic Marin air woods fit in the skimmer?

 

Thanks!

 

The Tropic Marin airwoods I got are the large size and they fit pretty well. They do swell and you have to poke them out from the bottom but the stock jbj airwood did the same thing. My skimmer has not done as well as it did with the jbj airwood that came with the skimmer. I actually put it back on when I first tried the TM airwoods and used it until it wained too much. The TM airwoods are decent though.

 

I think JBJ should be shipping the replacement airwoods about now. I would look into those or maybe the smaller TM woods?

 

I have also thought again about upgrading to a Remora skimmer. I think it would work on this tank if you put the pump in the middle chamber. You would need to do a mod to the filter basket something like the attached photo. This would allow the skimmer pump to sit very close to the overflow so it would get the benefit of the direct suface skimming where most of the dissolved organics are concentrated.