-JDKs Rimless Biocube 29-

[jkaese]

New pics:

 

FTS

 

Acan Corner garden

 

Acan 2

The red Acan in this picture is no longer red. It is a pale orange and neon green color. This was an wild caught acan

 

Razzle Dazzle Chalice

 

Eyes in the Sky Chalice

The yuma in this pic has melted away and died

lots of money in that tank and frags!!

[JDK]

lots of money in that tank and frags!!

 

 

Luckily I have sold off some of the frags and only kept the ones I really like. I also chopped up the Rainbow monti and got some money back on that. Few more SPS frags and a Maxima clam and then I am DONE just gonna let things grow out. I hope.......

[JDK]

Went to the LEAR frag swap on Saturday. It was great. Got a frag of Orange Crush that I have been wanting for a while from a local reefer. Also picked up a maxima clam from Pacific East aquaculture as they were at the swap as a vendor. Also picked up a frag from Jason Fox. Got a huge bali slimer frag for 30$ was too good to pass up for that cheap.

 

Orange Crush acro

 

Orange Crush 2

 

Orange Crush Frag

 

clam pic

 

Bali Slimer and Orange Crush Jason Fox Unknown in Background

[JDK]

So I have slowly cranked up my lights and they now run at 90% accross the board for about 6.5 hours. The garf bonsai is encrusting and coloring nicely. I did lose the ORA pearlberry and the pink lemonade is not looking so good. I am convinced at this point I had my lights too low for too long and both frags starved to death. They did NOT bleach just slowly died. I removed the pearlberry from the tank and have moved the pink lemonade to a different spot with more light in hopes of bringing it back.

 

Even better my rainbow acans at the bottom which I thought had morphed and lost their rainbow have almost come all the way back. My lights were just too low. Once I got up around 60-70% they began regaining color. They now look better than ever. The torch bleached a little when I first began increasing the %s but it has recovered and seems much better now.

[JDK]

I have decided to go a different direction with the setup of my rear chambers. I do not believe it is as efficient as it could be.

 

Current setup is:

Chamber 1- Hydor Slim Skim

Chamber 2- Media Basket/fuge basket with filter floss, purigen, CPE and Chaeto if the fuge Basket

Chamber 3- ATO switch, heaters

 

This is the new Plan:

 

Chamber 1- Same

Chamber 2- Media basket with more layers of Filter floss, Chaeto in the entire middle area. CPR nano reactor in place of the fuge basket

Chamber 3- Same

 

The reason for doing this is that I feel the media basket is just not utilizing the media effectively. It is doing an ok job but not enough for me. I feel the purigen and CPE are just going to waste and not living up to there potential. I plan on adding about 4 or 5 layers of Poly filter floss to really catch the detrius because 2 layers seems to still let things past. I also feel the fuge basket does not provide nearly enough flow to allow the chaeto to perform really well. The water flows through the bottom of the basket and straight through the bottom of the fuge basket and into chamber 3. It is as though the chaeto is just floating in stagnant water. Hardly effective IMO. The chaeto will be placed in the entire center of the media basket to allow water to flow through the chaeto consistently and constantly.I will have to scrape the back glass and move the JBJ nao-glo over to achieve this. With the addition of expensive sps frags to my tank I want to be as clean as possible for optimal sps health,growth and color.

 

The CPR nano reactor will be run where the fuge basket is now in the center chamber. This is a brand new product and I am purchasing a first run production model from a vendor called Ameka (I think thats their name). I bought it off ebay. After watching the videos of the reactor in action I believe it will increase the power of the media 10X. I plan on modding the CPR NR so that I can run both carbon and GFO in it. By using BRS high capacity GFO and ROX carbon I can use very little for the small amount of water in my biocube and limited space in the reactor. The GFO will be tumbled and the ROX carbon will be up top. To do this I plan on mounting a piece of eggcrate within the chamber of the reactor at the top. This is where the ROX carbon will sit in a media bag. By packing it tight the water will be forced upward through the carbon for maximum efficiency. The GFO will be tumbled at the bottom.

 

I will post pics in the coming weeks as I complete this process and review the reactor.

 

Here is a link to the CPR reactor. Scroll down there is a video at the bottom of the description showing the reactor in action. (video shows running biopellets which I do not plan on doing)

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CPR-Nano-Reactor-T...d-/390393422369

[Smity]

Love the acans! Cant wait for the grow out.

[cdrewferd]

Great looking tank. Would it be possible for you to take some pics of the Slim Skim in chamber 1? I would love to put this skimmer there but would like some pics. Do you think it would still fit with the stock hood? I'm ok with cutting out some plastic.

[JDK]

Very happy with the purchase of my new CPR nano reactor. Currently running GFO and algae on back wall and cyano are rapidly going away. Much more effective than Chemipure elite running passively in the InTank media basket. Much cheaper as well. Link to product here:http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=297856

 

Had to remove the InTank fuge basket to fit the CPR. I planned on doing this anyway as I feel the chaeto is not receiving enough flow just sitting there. I removed the purigen (waste of $ IMO does nothing), and Chemi Pure Elite and now run the entire center of the media basket with Chaeto. This allows all the water to flow through the chaeto as opposed to around it. This also allows me to run 4 pieces of Poly Filter floss instead of 2. This is having a great benefit as well. I honestly think if replaced frequently the Poly Filter is more effective than the purigen at removing waste and lowering nitrates.

 

Some new Pics:

 

 

 

[Red Sea Reefer]

Nice updates and nice tank. I too had the same Concerns with the media basket. I have a fluval 306 canister filter on the way rated for 70 gallons. I plan to run BRS GFO/Carbon, kent nitrate sponge, and bio pellets or dose vinegar in my ATO with Kalkwasser.

 

I plan to cut the middle rack out of the media basket to allow for one decent sized piece of chatoe.

 

I'm not impressed with filter floss. It has to be changed out twice a week and I know as dirty as it looks there is still much missed that ends up on the LR or in the sand bed. I think the cannister will polish the water much better and the 306 has many new features that will make it easy to clean once a week with a WC.

 

I'll post a product review once I have it running for a few weeks. I picked it up from amazon for $118.

[JDK]

I plan to cut the middle rack out of the media basket to allow for one decent sized piece of chatoe.

 

Yes higher flow through the Chaeto is very important.

 

I'm not impressed with filter floss. It has to be changed out twice a week and I know as dirty as it looks there is still much missed that ends up on the LR or in the sand bed.

 

Thats how I felt until I started running 4 layers instead of 2 (poly floss from InTank the thick stuff).I switch it out every few days and the last layer is usually very clean compared to when I only ran 2 layers.

 

Nice updates and nice tank. I too had the same Concerns with the media basket. I have a fluval 306 canister filter on the way rated for 70 gallons. I plan to run BRS GFO/Carbon, kent nitrate sponge, and bio pellets or dose vinegar in my ATO with Kalkwasser.

 

Thanks tank is coming together. Not sure though how you would run biopellets alongside the other media? Not familiar with that canister filter though. Does it have multiple chambers? Be careful with carbon dosing and go slow. Have read of plenty of tank crashes while dosing vodka. If I were going to do it it would never be vinegar in an ATO that is scary.

 

If I did do it I would go with a seeding of MicroBacter7 or prodbio to build a bacteria base first. Then I would dose a mixture of vodka and vinegar manually every day. Follow the reefkeeping article for amounts and what to watch for. SunnyX has a good thread about it too. If I was going to dose carbon automatically it would only be through a high quality dosing pump from BRS or similar. Be careful with the carbon.

[Red Sea Reefer]

Thanks for the carbon doseing heads up. I still have more reading to do on it for sure.

 

I'm hopeing the fluval cannister will improve my water enough to the point it's not needed. First I need better test kits and a H20 log over a month or so then I can decide the next step.

 

The h2o in a fluval 306 flows through 4 stages: A large coarse sponge, a finer sponge, then 2 media baskets. That is where I plan to put the GFO/Carbon together in a mesh bag and the other I will fill with the kent nitrate sponge media. This filters pump has a flow of about 300 gph so if need be I can run a seperate BRS reactor after it.

 

I will be able to fit this and a 5 gallon ATO resivor with all my Apex equipment in the BC stand. Everything has to be self contained as I have a 2 and 4 year old.

[JDK]

Great looking tank. Would it be possible for you to take some pics of the Slim Skim in chamber 1? I would love to put this skimmer there but would like some pics. Do you think it would still fit with the stock hood? I'm ok with cutting out some plastic.

 

Pics are not really needed. It is a very tight fit. You will have to cut the rim off around the inside of the chamber to get it to fit. After doing this however it restricted the flow through enought that I had to cut some of the teeth out of the false wall in front of chamber 1 to increase the flow. The fit of the skimmer is so snug that the water was flowing over the false wall into the chambers. I also use a pice of plastic wedged in between the skimmer and the rim (where the cut ends) to keep the skimmer pushed to the back right corner of chamber 1. This also helped the flow. Hood will not go down with skimmer cut it will need to be modified.

 

If you do want pics naturalreef I believe has a thread detailing the process. I used a dremel tool and just cut the rim all the way around.

 

PS- I also built a little cube out of black egg crate for the skimmer to sit on so it stays level at all times.

[JDK]

Thanks for the carbon doseing heads up. I still have more reading to do on it for sure.

 

No problem it is not meant to be taken lightly. It can provide great results and give you a ULNS but it is labor intensive in terms of time and monitoring. You will have to dose and pay careful attention every single day and be able to change your dosing. You will also need fresh salifert test kits. I would also recommend a Hanna phosphate checker. Phosphate test kits will not give you the reading you need to monitor phosphates with carbon dosing. You are also going to need a big boy skimmer. This is an absolute must have when carbon dosing. Without a skimmer that can pull serious stuff you potentially could crash your tank.

 

If I do start dosing carbon I will follow SunnyX's MB7/vodka guide combined with the reefkeeping magazine article. I will also purchase an Aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer. I would probably also use a combination of vodka and vinegar but not sugar.

 

These are the 2 best articles for cabon dosing:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1965866 (This is the one I will use)

[JDK]

Water change day today. Did a full range of tests tonight because I decided to switch salts from Kent reef salt to Red Sea salt. Not Red Sea Coral Pro just regular Red Sea (DKH is way too high for my liking in RSCP). Kent reef salt had some really high Calcium levels which is not bad but I was paying for 50 gallon jugs and the 175 gallon Red Sea is more economical. Also like the noted K levels and natural origins of this salt. I also purchased the BRS starter kit "recipe 1" from my favorite supplier bulkreefsupply.com. 50$ and I have enough to last me a long long time (free shipping at 175$ including the salt is a great deal). Much cheaper than buying ESV or other 2 parts and 50 gallon jugs of Kent salt from petco. It came today and will begin using this to dose the tank as my corals and clam are eating up ALK and CAL much more now that things are growing. I go through about 1.1 DKH and 10ppm calcium a day. Will begin dosing to keep this steady. Would love to have some dosing pumps hooked up to the Reefkeeper but that will have to be down the road $$$$.

 

Test results a few hours after WC-

 

DKH- 8.5

CAL- 410

MG- 1275

PH- 8.0 (recipe 1 and new salt will hopefully start to bring this up goal is 8.2-8.3)

N03- 0.2-0.5 ppm !!!!! Lowest reading ever and feeding more than ever!

 

CPR nano reactor is probably the best purchase I have made to date. Cyano is dying off and glass needs to be cleaned once a week instead of every day. Corals love the cleaner water too polyps are out and growth has resumed on my Garf bonsai. I ordered BRS Rox8 carbon and plan on running that in the reactor with the GFO. I have a piece of poly filter in the bottom of the reactor that the GFO sits on top of. Above the GFO I have 2 more pieces of poly filter to catch any fines that may exit the reactor. I plan on running the Rox carbon in between the two layer of filter floss in the top of the reactor. This is why I chose ROX carbon because you only need 2 Tbsp for 22 gallons(BRS calculator). Will probably do 3 Tbsp though.

 

I have also been using Brightwells Microbacter 7 every day to help with the cyano. The idea is that the bacteria in the MB7 will out compete the cyano. It is definately working. Between the MB7 and the new reactor running gfo cyano is rapidly dying. Sand is much cleaner and more white as well.

 

Another great benefit of the MB7 is that for the first time EVER my nitrates are below 1 ppm. They are about .2-.5 right now. Before I could never get them below 2-3 ppm even with 50% water changes. I have done nothing different other than the MB7 and the reactor. I actually feed heavier now than I did when the N03 was higher. Very pleased with the MB7 and recommend it to anyone with cyano or high nitrates.

 

Newest purchase should be here in the next couple weeks. Aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer. I love my hydor but I need more power. I want to feed more and would like to be able to skip a water change if I want to. I have read great reviews of this skimmer and will post pics when it gets here.

 

After reading and reading and trial and error think I have discovered the ultimate biocube 29 filtration method....... (more to come later)

 

PS- New frags coming Thursday- 2 of the same coral to cover my bases in case of problems. Also orded 2 mushrooms (blue disco and zebra disco). All frags from AustinAquaFarms (ebay)

 

 

[Red Sea Reefer]

I for one will be waiting to here more about the new filtration.

 

What test kit are you useing for nitrates?

 

Are there dangers of abruptly stoping the dose of MB7? No carbon doseing here for me. I wouldn't mind useing MB7, cheap enough for a nano tank. Just concearned if have have to miss doseing for vacation or what not.

 

This was my first week with the fluval 306 canister filter. It performs well, still running CPE/Purigan but group buy for BRS starts today. I'll get Carbon/GFO and kent nitrate sponge. I'm also switching my media basket over to run full of chaeto.

 

Thanks for the updates. Keep it comming.

[JDK]

I for one will be waiting to here more about the new filtration.

 

Ok here it goes...... I believe this is the ultimate sumpless filtration method for a biocube 29. A sump is always best but if you want to keep the AIO aspect I believe this method of equipment can not be beat-

 

Chamber1:Aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer (also sold as JNS-VS1=same skimmer)

I have yet to find any biocube owner running this skimmer but there are lots of JBJ owners running it but I believe it will fit. Reefer on reefcentral gave me detailed measurments. Rim of chamber may need to be cut off. Mine already was cut to fit the Hydor slim skim.

Measurements here

I believe this skimmer to be the best for the money in terms of HOB and keeping the AIO of biocubes. Definately overkill since it is rated for 50-75 gallons but I find the aquaticlife, tunze, and hydor to be a waste of money. Just spend the 200$ (190$ on Ebay) and get a skimmer that actually does something. I do not see the AL, tunze, or hydor being any better than regular water changes. Will do a review and pics of the aquamaxx when it arrives.

 

Chamber 2: InTank media basket with 4 layers of polyfilter on top. Chaeto filling the entire center.

CPR nano reactor beside the media basket with GFO and Carbon both running.(see details in above post regarding how to run both in same reactor)

 

Chamber 3: ATO float switch, heaters, MJ1200

 

What test kit are you useing for nitrates?

 

Salifert. Only test kits to buy IMO. Phosphate test kits are a waste of money IMO. Hanna checker is the only way to measure phosphates.

 

Are there dangers of abruptly stoping the dose of MB7? No carbon doseing here for me. I wouldn't mind useing MB7, cheap enough for a nano tank. Just concearned if have have to miss doseing for vacation or what not.

 

Nope no dangers. It is just bacteria. I have been dosing a capful every day for about 2 weeks. It has cleared my cyano and believe it has dropped my nitrates as well.

 

This was my first week with the fluval 306 canister filter. It performs well, still running CPE/Purigan but group buy for BRS starts today. I'll get Carbon/GFO and kent nitrate sponge. I'm also switching my media basket over to run full of chaeto.

 

Sounds like a good idea. IMO purigen and CPE is a waste. It very costly in the long run which outweighs its benefits. Actively running carbon and GFO is the only way to be truly effective. I feel as though purigen is a total waste. I do not believe it provides a single benefit to a tank. I have done some tests of my own and found ZERO benefit to using this product.

 

Thanks for the updates. Keep it comming.

 

No problem. Lots of people helped me when I started out its the least I can do.

 

 

BTW

 

Currently reading up on dosing pumps and found an interesting pump set. Marine Magic Dosing Pump- considering purchasing this in the near future.

[Red Sea Reefer]

Aquamax sounds very promising. With my canister filter in the stand I could turn all of chamber 2 a chaeto fuge. I have a great local acrlyic fabrication company that made a cover for the back chambers. I would just take my InTank media basket into them and have them replicate it longer to fill all of chamber 2. That would be a significant amount of chaeto for serious nitrate reduction.

 

I will be adding the salifert tests to my order with BRS and picking up the MB7.

 

I am on my way to hawaii soon but when I get back in two weeks I am adding a matched trio of Onxy snowflakes with a green BTA they host from alpha corals. I will need all the tools I can get my hands on to maintane top water quality.

 

Thanks again and please post on the aquamax when you get it set up.

[JDK]

Aquamax sounds very promising. With my canister filter in the stand I could turn all of chamber 2 a chaeto fuge. I have a great local acrlyic fabrication company that made a cover for the back chambers. I would just take my InTank media basket into them and have them replicate it longer to fill all of chamber 2. That would be a significant amount of chaeto for serious nitrate reduction.

 

I will be adding the salifert tests to my order with BRS and picking up the MB7.

 

I am on my way to hawaii soon but when I get back in two weeks I am adding a matched trio of Onxy snowflakes with a green BTA they host from alpha corals. I will need all the tools I can get my hands on to maintane top water quality.

 

Thanks again and please post on the aquamax when you get it set up.

 

That would be a lot of chaeto. Sounds like a good plan. MB7 worked wonders for me think you will be happy with it. Hawaii you dog.... Jealous one of my favorite places in the world. If you go to the big island try and check out Hookena (think thats how its spelled. It is south of Kona). There is an unmarked unmapped beach there that is paradise. Still dream of it to this day.Have fun

[JDK]

New PICS----

 

Pink Kiss

 

Rainbow 1

 

Neons

 

Rainbow 2

 

Dragon Rainbow

 

Rainbow 3

 

Rainbow 4

 

Cherry Red

 

Top Down Shot

 

Mushroom Mountain

 

Rainbow Monti Spreading

 

Garf Bonsai encrusting!

[JDK]

My new fish- Leopard Wrasse!

 

[JDK]

Have been looking for my last few pieces of SPS and I wanted them to be top dog frags. Was specifically looking for Strawberry Shortcake acros. Finally got one along with 2 other frags I love!

 

 

Blue Polyp Nasuta

 

Nicks Purple Passion

 

Strawberry Shortcake

[JDK]

New skimmer- JNS VS1 (aka Aquamaxx HOB-1)

 

Looks like Optimus Prime is attacking my reef

 

[JDK]

Its official this skimmer is a BEAST.... crazy bubble super frothy party machine in just a cpl hours. Cant wait to see the skimmate in the coming days.

[louy99]

Its official this skimmer is a BEAST.... crazy bubble super frothy party machine in just a cpl hours. Cant wait to see the skimmate in the coming days.

 

Looks cool but im a big fan than a skimmer should not be seen nor heard. you need a sump!!!

Following.

[JDK]

Looks cool but im a big fan than a skimmer should not be seen nor heard. you need a sump!!!

Following.

 

I agree. Well it is dead silent. Makes less noise than the hydor which is pretty hard to believe. I have a plan for the "seen" part. Still building it. First attempt at my black acrylic cover box for the rear chambers came up short I measured off and have to start over. If I ever do go sump the aquamaxx will work. Thats kinda the future plan.