28g JBJ HQI Club....

[cowboys2222222]

I can't speak to the built in protein skimmer (I run a Tunze 9002), but I have an Aquafuge2 (medium) attached to my 28g JBJ and it was pretty easy to hook up. the medium is about the same size as the small Aquafuge w/PS. They're both a tad wider than the display which some may not like. I didn't mod the tank at all, just had to rotate the supply and return pipes (with some minor plumbing additions) to make it work. It was worth it to me as a non-sump fuge solution. I've got pods all over my tank.

 

what "minor plumbing additions" did you have to do to get it to fit....

 

im not much of a DIYer thats the only reason im asking

[gothunder3022]

gothunder3022...i love it...exactly what i was planning to do with my tank! the one thing that has deterred me up to this point, is people keep telling me there could be issues with all that weight on the back of the tank. any concerns?

 

The weight is pretty evenly distributed between the supply/return pipes and the hanging brackets. I suppose if the unit is close enough to a wall you could scab a 2x4 (or maybe shelf brackets) underneath it to alleviate any concern. I did a quick google and didn't find any Aquafuge catastrophes. Several people concerned about the weight, but no stories about the back of a tank being ripped off.

[gothunder3022]

Thanks for your replies on the power cord holes!

 

I have one more question (there's always questions to ask!)

 

Does anyone upgrade the stock pumps? for a ~300gph pump it seems as though they lose a lot of their 'oomph' by the time they get through all the bends of the pipes. I placed a maxi-jet 1200 in the tank for the time being and the mj1200 works five times better alone than both of the jbj pumps - yet they are all rated around 300gph? sometimes if I mess around with the position of the jbj pumps they seem to work a little better. Is it possible I have it hooked up wrong? If so, could someone please point me to a possible online manual for the tank - mine was used and didn't come with one!

 

Thanks,

Nerb

 

Yep...I replaced both the stock accelas with MJ1200s. Like you discovered, they have much better output. The 266gph rating for the Accela is optimistic at best...I think you'd only get that by not connecting anything to them. Plus the MJ1200 power cords are much easier to manage (about half the diameter).

[cowboys2222222]

The weight is pretty evenly distributed between the supply/return pipes and the hanging brackets. I suppose if the unit is close enough to a wall you could scab a 2x4 (or maybe shelf brackets) underneath it to alleviate any concern. I did a quick google and didn't find any Aquafuge catastrophes. Several people concerned about the weight, but no stories about the back of a tank being ripped off.

 

What pluming modifications did you have to make to get it to fit and work properly?

[gothunder3022]

What pluming modifications did you have to make to get it to fit and work properly?

 

On the supply side, the included ViaAqua power head is designed to connect to the fuge inlet through a tubular plastic fitting (which has a valve). I wanted to have the power head at the bottom of the center chamber, so I added a piece of tubing from the pump and an elbow between the tubing and the tubular plastic fitting. I think the 90 degree elbow came with the ViaAqua...but you can always find something that'll work at your LFS or Home Depot. To install, rotate the inlet pipe 90 degrees (see my picture), press the fitting with the valve into the inlet pipe. Then you'll need to cut a piece of tubing which will connect to the pump at the bottom of the chamber and to the elbow at the top of the chamber. Once you have the height correct, simply insert the elbow into the fitting with the valve. I put a little teflon tape on the connection to get a snug fit. You'll also need to get a small length of hard plastic tube for the outlet of the power head. The outlet of the pump is female, and the inner diameter of the tube I used was the same diameter as the pump outlet, so I needed a male to male coupler.

 

For the return side, again, you'll need to rotate the fitting inward otherwise it won't fit on the back of the tank. I also didn't like the waterfall effect into the rear chamber. It was noisy and created bubbles. The fuge comes with a plastic 90 degree elbow (1 1/2" inner dia.), I cut one end of this off to use as a coupler, then added a 3-4" piece of thin walled PVC to the coupled end. I used sink drain pvc from Lowes. I cut pvc to a length that allowed the return to be submerged below the height of the overflow water. Nice and quiet.

 

One thing to note...you won't be able to open the hood as much, only to the first few notches on the hood supports. Still enough room to work, though.

[cowboys2222222]

Could I run the supply pump in the chamber where the skimmer goes and the return where the heater goes?

[mpatzer]

wow, thanks patzer!

I really didn't realize the back wall of the filter was glass, thats pretty cool.

Makes lighting easy.

Looks like its' working well for you.

 

I do have one other question...

how do you keep the live rock rubble from being a dirt trap?

also I'm assuming you DONT have any sand back there, right?

I kept my rubble small, about 1/2 in or so. That way I can still vacuum the bottom if I need to.

I have vacuumed it before but Ive been thinking that its NOT necessary. Maybe once every few months and maybe not even that much. I believe that being a "dirt trap" is a good thing. Pods, bristle worms, snails, algea and crabs in your fuge need food too and any excess food or ditritus that gets traped there gets gobbled up right away. The organisms in there need a food source to not only survive but thrive. In fact I usualy remove my filter floss when I feed my tank to be sure some food reaches the fuge.

You wont have to wory about any nutrient build-up or excess nitrates because there is so much flow and the rubble is only an inch or two deep.

No I didnt add any sand as that would need to be sirred up regularly because the water cant flow around the sand like it can rubble, creating (in theory) an anaerobic area that nutrients would build up. I doubt it would be a problem though.

[Moo.H]

gotcha.

I put some LRrubble in my 12gal nano DX sometime ago, but all it did was trap dirt.

Mabey I put in too much. or possibly the lack of the light over the rubble isn't really helping any organisms live in there....

 

makes sense I guess.

 

thanks for the info. It has really made my view of a fuge better.

Thanks!!!!!!

[gothunder3022]

Could I run the supply pump in the chamber where the skimmer goes and the return where the heater goes?

 

Possibly, but I don't know since I'm not using the stock skimmer. Here's a drawing of my setup looking from the rear:

 

[cowboys2222222]

alright thanks for the pic...

 

i think i could handle that lol

 

 

also are the pods in your fuge able to get into the main display tank alive???

[gothunder3022]

alright thanks for the pic...

 

i think i could handle that lol

 

 

also are the pods in your fuge able to get into the main display tank alive???

 

Yep, alive and well. I imagine some don't, but I haven't seen any pod funerals or anything.

[cowboys2222222]

Yep, alive and well. I imagine some don't, but I haven't seen any pod funerals or anything.

cool im getting one tonight actually...im getting the small one with the skimmer built in so ic an ditch stock skimmer and it comes with light and stands for the light all for $200

 

what kind of pods did you use to seed you fuge?

[mutiny64]

Anyone running a Remora Nano skimmer? My skimmer has been running a week and hasn't produced any skimate. Cup is at the lowest position, and I can see some bubbles/foam in the chamber, but not enough to collect in the cup.

[reef-newbie]

Very nice diagram that clears everything up. Thank you. I have one question about the return. I have the stock skimmer and a secondary heater in the chamber where you have the return from the refugium. Can that return be piped to a soft hose and drop in where the Maxi-jet 1200 is?

 

Thanks again

 

cool im getting one tonight actually...im getting the small one with the skimmer built in so ic an ditch stock skimmer and it comes with light and stands for the light all for $200

 

what kind of pods did you use to seed you fuge?

 

cowboys2222222 ...Where did you find the Small Aquafuge 2 with light, skimmer and stands on sale for $200? I was able to find the Medium aquafuge 2 with light and stand (no Skimmer) for $199.

 

Thanks.

[cowboys2222222]

cowboys2222222 ...Where did you find the Small Aquafuge 2 with light, skimmer and stands on sale for $200? I was able to find the Medium aquafuge 2 with light and stand (no Skimmer) for $199.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Someone on here was selling all of that for $200.....

 

check out the hardware classifieds ....i was just pokin around in there and found it...

 

yeah the its came with the fuge, skimmer, light fixture, extra bulb, light stand, extra plumbing parts for $200....

 

just post a thread in the classifieds saying you want to buy that fuge and do a search on it....

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180902

 

im sure there are others in the classifieds sellin that fuge.

[reef-newbie]

Yep...I replaced both the stock accelas with MJ1200s. Like you discovered, they have much better output. The 266gph rating for the Accela is optimistic at best...I think you'd only get that by not connecting anything to them. Plus the MJ1200 power cords are much easier to manage (about half the diameter).

Wow, how snug did the Maxi-jet 1200 fit and was the flow change dramatic? I am running both stock Accela SP1-1000 pumps at the same time to get the flow to the back faster for filtering. Can I alternate pump with a Wavemaker if I change to Maxi-Jet 1200? Will the flow be the same as two Accela SP1-1000 pumps running at the same time?

 

I wished that I read this thread a few days back. I ordered two Taam Rio® HyperFlow 6HF with dimensions of 3.9" x 2" x 2.5" to see if it will fit. It has 350 GPH @ 1ft which if fits might be better then the Maxi-Jet 1200. If anyone is interested, I will get them the end of the week and try this out.

 

By the way, the dimensions of the Maxi-Jet 1200 are 3.25" X 3.5" X 2" which might be closer to the Accela 3SP1-1000 dimensions with dimensions of 3.5"X2"X3.25".

[Moo.H]

I'm not too sure if this fits here, but...

 

where are you guys getting your live rock?

 

Also if I order online, can I..

 

add it directly to the tank and allow the uncured rock to cycle the tank???

[reef-newbie]

Hey Guys, new to the forums!!

 

We (my wife and I) have just set up our first aquarium a 28g JBJ HQI nanocube (actually on Jan. 4) it is pretty much stock with about 35lbs Fiji live rock and about 2" live sand. We have gotten through the nitrogen cycle and added 6 snails, 2 hermit crabs, one emerald crab, and a cleaner shrimp.

 

We have really enjoyed reading this thread. You guys have a lot of great information and ideas. Which leads me to our problem and hopefully you guys can help or give some insight.

 

During the nitrogen cycle we didn't leave our lights on during the day, we just turned them on for a while in the evening. Now that we are starting to stock it and leave the lights on during the day we decided we needed a chiller. We purchased the Current 1/15hp chiller which recommends a pump between 100-300gph. So we also ordered a Maxijet 1800 pump (475gph). I thought with the head loss it should be perfect. Well the pump will not fit in the rear chamber and my wife really didn't want to put it in the front. I thought I would try one of the stock pumps (266gph) to see if it would work. I have the chiller setting on a stand about level with the aquarium and the total head height appears to be about 3'-3 1/2' (could be more depending on the piping configuration inside the chiller).

 

It has been running for a couple of days and I have the chiller set on 76 degrees and it is only keeping the tank at about 77.4 with the lights on and the chiller is kicking on quite often and running about 20-30 secs and kicking off however, the tank thermometer may only fall 2 or 3 tenths. So I called tech support at Current and he told me it was short cycling and I probably didn't have a big enough pump. The water was moving too slowly through the chiller which does make sense. Which leads me to our question. What kind of set-ups do you guys have with your chillers? What is the largest pump you can get that will fit in the rear chamber? We still have the maxijet 1800 which can be used as an inline pump but the intake is supposed to be below the water line so I don't know how we could use it without putting it in the main aquarium which we really don't want to do due to its size.

 

Any suggetions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

We started also in January 2009 with the 28g and kept the lights on for 8 hours during the day. The temperature got to 80 degrees F with room temperature at 69 degrees F so we add a 1/10 HP Current Chiller. We using a Pondmaster 700 GPH Mag Pump from DRS Forster and Smith to drive the water through the chiller. The pump sits on the bottom of the stand in the back protruding out of the open in the back for the hoses. I did not want to add more heat to the water. Out temperature now is between 76.1 to 76.9 degrees F. We also add a T connector which connects to our 5 gallons jugs when we need to add water. The 5 gallon jug has a valve that we turn on to get the water to pump into the tank.

[reef-newbie]

I wanted to see what you guys are doing for with your Chillers

 

We got the 28g HQi in January of 2009 and got a chiller a week after that due to high variation in temperature even in the Winter in Virginia. We choose the 1/10 HP Current Chiller since many sites talks about choosing one size higher to reduce work load on the chiller and also the chiller guide is base on no HQI lights or heat by pumps. What size chiller are most of you buying for your aquarium?

 

We use an external pump to drive the water through the chiller since I wanted to save the internal pump which is not the fastest for water flow and filtering. I also wanted save on the space in the back for other pumps use like refugium. What are you guys using to pump water through your chiller (external or submersible)?

 

One of my after thought about the external pump and after running for a few weeks is what happens if it leaks. The unit sits on the stand on the bottom of the stand in the back. Any experience with this lay out or concerns?

 

Right now, I have the chiller on the left of the stand and wanted to move the chiller into the stand. Are there heat concerns and what are you guys doing to mitigate that?

 

Thanks.

[ctruchan]

gothunder3022 thanks for the reply on the weight of the aquafuge.

 

reef-newbie asked a good question that i was wondering myself...is anyone using the wavemaker with their Mj1200 upgrade? i love the wavemaker, but would love the extra flow!

 

regarding the skimmer...i'm using a rio 6hf to pump water down to my chiller.

[reef-newbie]

gothunder3022 thanks for the reply on the weight of the aquafuge.

 

reef-newbie asked a good question that i was wondering myself...is anyone using the wavemaker with their Mj1200 upgrade? i love the wavemaker, but would love the extra flow!

 

regarding the skimmer...i'm using a rio 6hf to pump water down to my chiller.

What Chiller and size did you get? I might change out the Mag pump for aTaam Rio® HyperFlow 6HF to avoid any leaks in the future.

 

How is the noise level on the Taam Rio® HyperFlow 6HF? Is this as quiet as the stock pump? Base on Amazon, it is a tad noisy, but there is only one feedback.

 

Thanks.

[reef-newbie]

I like to get some feed back on the effectiveness of filtering system of the 28g HQI. I am new to this so bear with the potential dumb questions and acts.

 

As a newbie, I made the dumb mistakes of over feeding. Well, that lead to some brown diatoms? on the sands. I tried to siphon with one water change. That helped a little bit. I then used a pump that I had to pump water directly in the midlle of the tank onto the filtering area while stirring up the sands. That helped a little bit.

 

What I noticed is that the over flow filtering system in the 28J HQI get the debris on top of the water and also as things move around the tank the top part of the tank but not really well in the middle of bottom half of the tank. My act with the pump in the middle of the tank was an attempt to supplement this missing part.

 

I also noticed that as I pump debris into the filter (which was changed recently) with the moving pump get pump out via the Wavemaker. Perhaps it flow over the filter and back to the Wavemaker pump.

 

1. Have anyone modify the filtering system to accomodate for the quality of the filter in this system?

2. How about filtering in the middle of the tank?

 

I am thinking of getting a large canister filter and do the stirring up thing but let it go through the canister pump to get all of the debris out.

 

Please tell me if stirring the sands was a bad idea? or any mistake by a newbie.

 

Thanlks.

[cowboys2222222]

how old is your tank????

 

If it is cycling than the brown diatoms are a normal thing a will go away naturally...

 

with regards to flow to the bottom half i added a koralia nano to the tank and i placed it towards the bottom half of the tank and it points across the middle of the tank and that seems to keep the water moving...

 

eventually everything will get filtered to the top and in the overflow to get filtered

[gothunder3022]

cool im getting one tonight actually...im getting the small one with the skimmer built in so ic an ditch stock skimmer and it comes with light and stands for the light all for $200

 

what kind of pods did you use to seed you fuge?

 

I didn't seed the fuge...I got a handful of chaeto from my LFS, a week later I noticed the little guys in the fuge and on my display glass.

[gothunder3022]

Very nice diagram that clears everything up. Thank you. I have one question about the return. I have the stock skimmer and a secondary heater in the chamber where you have the return from the refugium. Can that return be piped to a soft hose and drop in where the Maxi-jet 1200 is?

 

Thanks again

 

Maybe, but that will likely involve having the return less rotated, which will put the fuge off center on the back of the tank.