28 gallon led jbj nano, 2 questions, couple pics

[alaskan84]

Hello Everyone, Leak tested my 28 gallon led nano today and all looks well. It did take me a little while to get the two return pumps to stop sucking in air bubbles, but after awhile of tweaking the two foam pieces its just right. I was planning on letting the pumps run tonight with the freshwater just to help "break" them in. I have aprox 30 gallons of Instant Ocean salt mix heating/stirring up in the garage right now. I have had 1 bad led in the white array that hasnt powered on since unboxing. I have contacted the vendor for a replacement, however I have now noticed that it seems to power on and stay on after about 10 minutes of running the hood. Cool i guess, maybe its a bad solder point that when heated up, flexes enough to make contact. Gonna dump my live sand in tomorrow once I transfer the new salt mixture.

 

How much do you all think I should use? Its a 28 gallon tank, I have 20 pounds live argonite, and 20 pounds pink fiji.

 

I have also ordered 22#'s of fiji premium live rock, and 16#'s of nano size live rock from liveaquaria.com . I have ordered most of my freshwater fish from them with very good luck, and they seem to be one of the best on overnight shipping costs to alaska.

 

I also have two brand new Koralia Nano powerheads that are aprox 240 gph flow...should I use one or both of them in the tank with my live rock?

 

 

Thanks for the advice guys, and keep an eye on the beginner forum as I will be creating a tank build thread once my live rock arrives.

[urbaneks]

Congrats on getting things moving. You will love the tank. I have the same one but no LEDs.

 

On the sand bed, it really depends on what your thoughts are in terms of deep or shallow sand beds. Personally, I like the benefits of a deep sand bed. I would just add it in until you get the look you are after.

 

On the pumps, are you planning them for the returns? If so use both. If you are adding them as supplement to the display, I would just add one.

 

Best of luck.

[alaskan84]

Congrats on getting things moving. You will love the tank. I have the same one but no LEDs.

 

On the sand bed, it really depends on what your thoughts are in terms of deep or shallow sand beds. Personally, I like the benefits of a deep sand bed. I would just add it in until you get the look you are after.

 

On the pumps, are you planning them for the returns? If so use both. If you are adding them as supplement to the display, I would just add one.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

 

when you refer to the "returns" are you speaking of the two main pumps in the rear of the tank that return the water to the front? These are Koralia Nano circulation pumps and I dont see how they would replace the pumps in the rear, at least I dont know how I would get the return hose around the Koralia....I'm using one to mix the saltwater right now, I suppose I can use the other in the front display then. One other question on the water level for the rear of the tank....is this a wet/dry system or should the rear be pretty much filled up with water? I know that in my seaclear 55 gallon aio, the water level should be just above the pump to ensure the bioballs are not soaked. since there are no bioballs should I fill it up?

[alaskan84]

when you refer to the "returns" are you speaking of the two main pumps in the rear of the tank that return the water to the front? These are Koralia Nano circulation pumps and I dont see how they would replace the pumps in the rear, at least I dont know how I would get the return hose around the Koralia....I'm using one to mix the saltwater right now, I suppose I can use the other in the front display then. One other question on the water level for the rear of the tank....is this a wet/dry system or should the rear be pretty much filled up with water? I know that in my seaclear 55 gallon aio, the water level should be just above the pump to ensure the bioballs are not soaked. since there are no bioballs should I fill it up?

 

 

anyone got a comment on the rear water level for the jbj 28 gallon tank? I'm about to fill with my salt mix

[Bat21Bravo]

Get rid of the sponges in the rear chambers as they could lead to a nitrate problem later on as they become plugged with detritus. As far as the water levels go, I try to keep mine right at the tip of the first baffle. This prevents the water splashing down and creating bubbles that get sucked into the powerheads.

 

I have the same JBJ 28 but, I went with the Nanotuners 4.26 LED upgrade because, every place I tried was sold out of the LED model. I'm very happy with it, its very powerful.

 

Another note, make sure to have the intakes on the powerheads facing the interior of the sump, not the wall, this will prevent them from getting stuck on the glass/wall and reducing the flow.

 

Initially I used a single Korlia nano but, later upgraded to an MP10. They produce a decent amount of flow but, I ran out of outlets so, instead of using two, I switched to the MP10.

[MarcG]

I agree...pull the sponges out and fill the back up. I keep my outer rear chambers filled all the way up....no reason for them not to be. It also prevents the air bubbles you mentioned in your initial post.

[alaskan84]

I agree...pull the sponges out and fill the back up. I keep my outer rear chambers filled all the way up....no reason for them not to be. It also prevents the air bubbles you mentioned in your initial post.

 

 

great, those were the answers I was lookin for. I just filled up with my saltwater mix and the sand is pretty disturbed. I am not going to turn the pumps on until it settles alot, so we will see how she looks in the morning.

[urbaneks]

Go ahead and run the pumps all night. That will help clear things up faster than letting it sit. As for the return pumps, I am talking about the 2 in the rear of the tank.