28g JBJ HQI Club....

[Cytosol]

I found out what my problem was.. When the wavemaker is unplugged and plugged back in, both return pumps are on full regardless of your setting on the dial. You need to 'zero' it out and then set your desired time setting for it to reset properly.. So I had my pumps on full the whole time, which was causing too much water to flow through the media basket, causing it to overflow.

 

I am going to work w/ Steve to help build a new custom rack that can house chaeto and hopefully elliminate the leakage that the stock rack suffers from. With this issue fixed, the filtration on this system will be pretty much flawless.

 

In answer to Mikes question, I have done zero mods to this tank and it works great. The only mod I am planning on doing is the Retrofit Actinic light add-on from nanotuners, as well as a fan upgrade. The only other 'mod' you might want to consider is replacing the stock HQI bulb, as the actinic effect is quite poor. If you purchase a high quality replacement bulb, you might not even need the retrofit kit.

 

Also for some reason, people are not happy with the stock skimmer, but it works perfectly fine for me. It takes a bit of fine tuning to get a good skimmate, but I have been running it for a month with no issues.. It produces a full cup of brown sludge every week. You could buy a $250 HOB skimmer that will work with this tank, but I honestly don't see any need. For such a small tank, this skimmer is all you could ever need. The only drawback is you need to replace the airstone every 2 months, but they are so cheap it doesn't really even matter.

[Mercuryne]

Hey all Nano cube gang..

 

ive been here 1 year today, but am just finding this particular thread.

so many great tanks here and ive completely enjoyed reading this thread...nice to have one just for the nano crew.. as some of the mods others have done can be so helpful.

 

i'll summarize as best i can

 

my 28Gallon Nano was suppose to be a fish tank for my sons room.. i got a little carried away.

 

28G nanocube

150Metal Halide (recently replaced stock bulb after a year.. i know i know..with a 14K phoenix...much more of a crisp blue look that the jbj buld that was in there)

with Nanotuners 2x18W actinic upgrade and moon lights

removed balls and sponges..

100W stealth shatterproof heater

double azoo fan for cooling (have never really considered a chiller. the little fan works great)

still using the stock accella pumps but am considering upgrading them to maxi jets.

1 Koralia nano

1 Koralia 1 (just added.. needed extra flow in back right corner.. was a pretty dead spot

removed stock skimmer about two months ago and have been running without one since.

corals are all healthy.. but im seeing some cyano so i may get the tunze 9002 with a Stevie T cup soon.

no other major mods really.

i want to get a stevie t media basket once he starts making them for this box..

Chaeto in the old skimmer chamber for now.

floss on the top of the box, Seagel on the second shelf.

 

about 23 pounds of LR

about an inch bed of LS for substrate.

 

livestock

 

neon green candy canes started with 5 heads.. now almost 20.

ricordea

assorted zoa's (maybe about 15 different colors)

3 types of palys

orange plating monti

frogspawn. Getting big.. fragged it once.. need to again

red and green mushrooms

small blue acro

small devils hand leather

small frag of gsp

small frag of star polyps (white with green centers)

small frag of pulsing zenia

 

1 true perc clown (has turned almost black

3 blue green chromis' (had four.. one vanished

assorted snails and crabs including 1 emerald crab

1 urchin

 

i think thats it..

 

i filled my tank initially with tap water because i hadnt read and just didnt know. stupid.. but ive learned.

then i battled a mantis shrimp hitchhiker which i eventually caught in a deer park water bottle (dont ever buy an expensive trap... just not worth it.) water bottle worked in about 8 seconds. shipped him to a kid in the midwest in a glad lunchmeat container..

he's still living.

 

 

Today was one year for my tank..

here are a few photos from the start.

 

a year ago. after filling with the dreaded Tap water.. this is what happens.

 

 

 

Zoa Garden

 

 

one of my favorite Zoa's... some of "biblesue's "HORIZON" zoa's.. they are little but pretty.

 

 

Side Shot

 

 

Candy canes.. these were my first coral addition and they have grown a ton

 

 

 

One Year Mark

 

 

 

My camera blows. the photos always wash out a bit.. time to upgrade from a handhelp cyberhsot to a real camera i think.

 

 

Thanks again for all the idea's and help.. you guys have some amazing looking reefs. I'll look forward to chatting with you all about the Nanocube in the future.

 

 

 

 

Cytosol,

not sure why i didnt think to tell you that might have been your issue. every time i change the water i have to reset.. i guess we all do if we are running the wave maker.. (which works great)....sorry bout that.

glad to hear the skimmer works for you.. it did for me for about 6 months.. but sounds like an airplane taking off to me...

i've also sent Stevie t the measurments for the back middle chamber in hopes he'll build a custom rack.. maybe someday soon..

good luck with your tank..

let us see some photos when you get a chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ quote name=Cytosol' date='Feb 1 2009, 04:21 PM' post='2042849]

I found out what my problem was.. When the wavemaker is unplugged and plugged back in, both return pumps are on full regardless of your setting on the dial. You need to 'zero' it out and then set your desired time setting for it to reset properly.. So I had my pumps on full the whole time, which was causing too much water to flow through the media basket, causing it to overflow.

 

I am going to work w/ Steve to help build a new custom rack that can house chaeto and hopefully elliminate the leakage that the stock rack suffers from. With this issue fixed, the filtration on this system will be pretty much flawless.

 

In answer to Mikes question, I have done zero mods to this tank and it works great. The only mod I am planning on doing is the Retrofit Actinic light add-on from nanotuners, as well as a fan upgrade. The only other 'mod' you might want to consider is replacing the stock HQI bulb, as the actinic effect is quite poor. If you purchase a high quality replacement bulb, you might not even need the retrofit kit.

 

Also for some reason, people are not happy with the stock skimmer, but it works perfectly fine for me. It takes a bit of fine tuning to get a good skimmate, but I have been running it for a month with no issues.. It produces a full cup of brown sludge every week. You could buy a $250 HOB skimmer that will work with this tank, but I honestly don't see any need. For such a small tank, this skimmer is all you could ever need. The only drawback is you need to replace the airstone every 2 months, but they are so cheap it doesn't really even matter.

[Cytosol]

No need to apologize, as a matter of fact I found out about the wavemaker while I was setting up my tank, so I knew all along.. It just never clicked in that it had happened and that this was causing the problem.

 

Thanks for sending measurements to Steve, I got caught up with some other things and didn't have time to. If I may speak on your behalf, I would say we are both (and many more) willing to work with Steve to get a media rack into production and to start purchasing them, since I know he would have alot of buyers in this thread alone, including myself.

 

The way I envision it is a 4-chamber rack with a shallow area at the top for filter floss, a larger area below for carbon, a large area below that for Chaeto (as well as holes or clips to hold LED lights) and an area below for LR rubble. If the water flowed out the side of the bottom chamber as opposed to the bottom of it, I think this would mean much more space to utilize and better overall filter flow. Also as mentioned, the entire space in the chamber that holds the rack should be utilized as opposed to just half of it with the stock cartridge.

 

The obvious challenge with this design as I see it is how do you cordon off the separate chambers while still being able to access and remove media as required? Ideally we would want a water tight, 4-sided chamber, but it might be tough to pull off. I am sure Steve has some work-arounds for this, maybe even a sliding gate similar to with the stock cartridge.

 

 

And by the way, your tank looks marvelous. Your 'tap water' picture sure brings back memories, my first SW tank several years ago looked just like that all the time. I am never going back to tap water, RO/DI makes such a huge difference.

[mpatzer]

I got this tank a year ago and I think I have a simple solution for modding the back for a fuge. I did the mod about 10 months ago and Its working fantastic.

First I cut the bottom two chambers as well as the sliding door off so just the top chamber remained.

Then used a spot of superglue to keep the door in place.(It just slides off whithout the bottom section.)

I use that top tray for a bag of Chemipure elite and floss on top of that.(Fits perfect.)

I then an inch or two of rubble in the bottom.

For the cheato I put it in one of those net/bags that onions or potatoes come in. It keeps it very tidy without any floting away. and makes it easy to remove and rinse or trim.

Then set up a fuge light shining on the back.

Thats it..... I know its not nearly as sexy as Stevie's racks but its cheap, easy and i cant imagine anything working better for this tank.

Maybe Ill post some pics soon.

[Mercuryne]

Thanks for the thoughts on the tank..its been a trying year, but I'm getting there.

 

I have a stevie t rack in my new 8 gallon and it does have a sliding door like the the stock box in our 28G's. Stevie will figure it out..no doubt.

 

I'm not sure that Live rubble is a great idea..not becauase I've tried it, but most folks here say that the LR in your display is plenty and the rubble in the back chamber can just trap detrius... But to each his own..I know some folks do run rubble and probably have success. I'm not making a judgement..in fact, wouldbe cool to see how many on this thread have rubble back there as opposed not?

 

I want to run floss, chaeto and sea gel in mine. But would like the stevie rack better than the black box that we have now, for the same reason.. Jbj doesn't utilize the whole chamber.

 

Anyone else running a Koralia 1 in the 28G? If so... How is that flow for your coral?

[Laura6686]

I guess I am cool now

 

Started: Jan 24th 2009

Gear: 28g Tank

1/15 hp Mini Artica - the guy I bought it from broke it..

Mods: dimmer for LED's

 

Livestock: 2 green chromis, 1 small colony of bright green zoa's

 

It's not much but for how new the tank is what can you expect?

 

Niceeeeeeeee

[mpatzer]

Ya Iv got the K1 in mine but still a couple of slow spots. I think two Knanos, one in each corner might be ideal.

Im not using the LR rubble for the the traditional reason we all use LR, but rather it makes an ideal habitat for all sorts of critters especially pods to breed. Its got all kinds if diversity living in the rocks and cheato.

Ive Just kept the pieces small, about 1/2 in dia. so i can vaccuum it once and awhile.

 

Hey Murcuryne, hoow do you like the flow with the added Korallia? BTW Youve done a fantastic job on your tank. Props.

[Mercuryne]

Mpatzer.. Thank you....appreciate the comments.. its getting..

still a long way to go till i feel like im really looking good..

i look at Marvins reef and think.. "my tank will never be that clean...or full"

but the journey is the fun part.

 

gotta be honest.. love the K1 power head.. its not too much at all and all the coral seem to be digging the flow too. i was worried.. but no big deal...the K1 works well.. and my cyano outbreak is almost gone it just a couple of days.

[badbread]

Few month's later and an update to my 28JBJ:

 

FTS with different White Balances:

 

FTS with different White Balances:

 

Stand:

 

Inside stand:

 

Laptop running RK2 and webcams:

 

Kalk and ATO:

[silverplanet]

is a 4" scratch running down the rounded corner of my tank something to worry about?

 

Jason

[Cytosol]

My tank has several scratches running down the curved edges of the front as well.. As long as it is just a scratch and not an actual crack, you should be fine. You can tell the difference by running your fingernail across it.. If your nail catches going over it both ways, its a scratch. If you only feel it catch going one way, it is likely a crack.

[Vaporize - The $ vaporizer]

Does anybody has any problem with the JBJ wavemaker in the long run? (like over a year or more)

[Mercuryne]

im a year in and mine is still....well...makin waves.

[allen2656]

Same here I at a little over a year and still makin waves!

 

 

Allen

[Moo.H]

hey guys! New to the forums!

I've been keeping Freshwater and saltwater tanks for about 6 years.

I currently have a nano cube 12 DX and I've got the bug to go bigger!!!

 

I've decided on this tank but am still unsure of other equipment.

 

I live out in the country so we have good old well water. I haven't really had issues with it...except for when I first setup I had baaad baaad brown hair algae for about 3 months. Then I developed a cloerpa infestation.

When I say infestation, I mean you couldn't even see live rock, it was choking out brown zoas that I had been growing for a year.

Other than that, it been fine. And I haven't added supplements in ...well ever.

 

So my question is... should I RO/DI?

if so....

Where should I look to get one? I only need a very small one.

And...

If I use RO/DI water, don't i HAVE to start supplementing? or will the salt mix i use take care of it??

 

thanks for any help guys!

I'm almost a 28HQI N00b!

[mpatzer]

hey guys! New to the forums!

I've been keeping Freshwater and saltwater tanks for about 6 years.

I currently have a nano cube 12 DX and I've got the bug to go bigger!!!

 

I've decided on this tank but am still unsure of other equipment.

 

I live out in the country so we have good old well water. I haven't really had issues with it...except for when I first setup I had baaad baaad brown hair algae for about 3 months. Then I developed a cloerpa infestation.

When I say infestation, I mean you couldn't even see live rock, it was choking out brown zoas that I had been growing for a year.

Other than that, it been fine. And I haven't added supplements in ...well ever.

 

So my question is... should I RO/DI?

if so....

Where should I look to get one? I only need a very small one.

And...

If I use RO/DI water, don't i HAVE to start supplementing? or will the salt mix i use take care of it??

 

thanks for any help guys!

I'm almost a 28HQI N00b!

1- yes

2- google mighty mite

3- mix up your saltwater and test for cal, mag, and alk, and supplement to adjust levels accordingly.

 

This is not a matter of oppinion or up for debate. As close to perfect water quality that you can get is a fundamental part of this hobby. Anything less would be irresponsible to your tank inhabitants.

Just sayin.

[panther23cat]

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.

[Moo.H]

mpatzer, thanks for the reply. And I've seen the name mightymite around. Glad to hear more than one person prefers it. I'll do some more research into them, but that looks a good system. For just about the right price range.

 

I do have another question though.

I've spent most of my day today sifting through forums and literature, I keep seeing that some are completely eliminating the black sponges, carbon, ceramics, and instead turning the the filter into a refuge. I understand filter floss is a common replacement.

But can someone out line to me what they did to create this? I understand what they are and how they work, but how is it being setup in this "filter". How are you lighting the chaeto? Things along those lines.

 

And also, if you're doing this are you still running the skimmer? where? how?

 

I don't mean to ask to much at once. I just feel like they go together.

 

thanks in advance from both I and my future fish!

[Moo.H]

BTW, these sites need to NOT have pay-pal available...... d'oh!

[mpatzer]

Moo.H- Ya, sponges and ceramic got to go. Their not gonna do you any favors. In fact I dont know of anyone that keeps it in there. In an earlier post (pg 13 i think) I tried to describe what I did and its working very well for me. I wouldnt do anything different so far. It surely isnt the only way but its working well for me. As soon as I get a little time I'll post some pics of what I did. Very easy and cheap.

 

There are alot of super smart nano-reefers on NR that I have learned a lot from and your wise to do your reaserch here.

 

Glad to see another N-Rer from Ohio!

[Moo.H]

Pics would be amazing! I'm very much a visual person.

I'm currently looking through some of the other sections getting an idea of how to make this easier.

I don't want something I'll have to dump hours into everyday. But adding a capful of supplements wouldn't bother me.

I plan on keeping "easy" corals and such. I currently have a rock anenome that I would love to transfer but he's on a rock that has a BIG cloerpa problem. I also have some brown zoas that I can frag into the new tank. And mabey I'll get some mushrooms. Are these easy to care for?

 

Also, its official, I bought the RO/Di unit last night, and the tank.

I'm planning on running it for a few weeks trying to figure out how the temp will handle in the basement, and how to balance the water chem.

I'm in no rush to stock it, i really don't want to have algae issues again.....yikes

[Mercuryne]

good call on the RO unit.. did you go with the mity mite?

 

im a little confused as to what you meant by

"trying to figure out how the temp will handle in the basement, and how to balance the water chem."

 

do you mean from the RO water? or your tank?

[Moo.H]

yeah I got the mighty mite.

 

oh, well both I guess.

we keep out basement pretty cold, so I may not even need a fan. Plus the circulation down here is good.

 

And also since this will be my first attempt with RO/DI water, I need to take some time to figure out how to balance it.

[Moo.H]

mpatzer, seeing as how I don't physically have the tank to look at...I'm having a hard time visioning how you set your fuge up.

If you have the time, could you either do a real basic drawing, or take a pic?

Also, I'm assuming you're lighting your fuge? What are you using to do this?

And.....(geeze)

Are you still running your skimmer? Is it possible to do both with the size of the filter area?

[mpatzer]

mpatzer, seeing as how I don't physically have the tank to look at...I'm having a hard time visioning how you set your fuge up.

If you have the time, could you either do a real basic drawing, or take a pic?

Also, I'm assuming you're lighting your fuge? What are you using to do this?

And.....(geeze)

Are you still running your skimmer? Is it possible to do both with the size of the filter area?

 

I only have time for a quick reply, so no pics or drawing today. Maybe tonite or Saturday ill post some pics. Im just so busy.

Im using a 15w cf in a little box I built for a reflector. Its kinda getto but its growing the cheato like crazy. Do a search for fuge lights to get some ideas. You can buy a light made just for this for cheap.

Im not running my skimmer right now. I ran it for the first few months I had the tank and it did just ok but the airstone got old and having to take the cup off to open the hood got old. Im just being good about water changes every week and thats fine for now. I do have a few SPS corals so I want to get a good skimmer soon. Im looking at the Warner Marine H1. It just came out so Im just waiting to hear a few reviews first.