24G Nano Cube DX Startup, Setup, Manual for newbies, in the works

[Reeflogic]

SH,

 

I feel as if I've known you and others here for months, in reality I spent HOURS reading this entire thread over the past few days!!! I had purchased my 24 NC around the beginning of December and was just waiting for the cycle to complete. As it is approaching time to add some critters, I searched the forums looking for ideas on filter media combo's, etc... When I came across this thread and your hard work and dedication for folks who are beginners and old schoolers like myself. Granite, when I say old school, I was keeping reefs in the mid 80's when I was in high school and have had my share of experiences over the years. Unfortunately I have been out of the hobby for the past 4-5 years and recently decided I had the time and money to get back in. I decided Nano at this point since trends and theories have changed SOOOOOOO much in the past few years.

 

I wanted to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing and could keep up with the latest greatest inventions and ideas. I loved the internet before, but WOW how impressive is it to see what others experience in there own homes and share with others to teach and prevent poor decisions. There are many folks throughout this thread who have been very inspirational, to say the least, in helping me decide on certain aspects of which direction to go with my Nano. I would like to thank SH and the many of you guys who have shared information and experiences here. Several of the old links to forum threads are non-existent at this point, but enough knowledge was poured right into one thread to really make some firm decisions.

 

I spent the last 12 weeks working the hurricanes and 6 of those were in the Miami area. (I think that had a HUGE role on me getting back into reefs haha) I'm in Chicago and well couldnt wait to return with (2) 5 gallon buckets full of beach sand from Miami...It is a creamy color with black and white particulates of sand blended, its gorgeous and worked perfectly. I screen sifted about 3 inches worth and bought approximaely 20 lbs. of LR and 3 weeks later my first brown bloom has come and gone, water change is coming next and clean up crew. I did purchase 5 blue legged hermits to battle the brown..."what can brown do for you?" well if it's growing in your Nano...absolutely nothing! Anyways haha, I will start taking some photos and keep up with some of you other guys who have photo'd from the get go.

 

I will also post my specs soon, I have some gadgets ordered and will explain at a later date when I have them installed and tested. I have always been a DIY'er, I used to work in the Corian field and have had access to acrylic tools and shops so used to build my own tanks, fuges (even before fuges were main stream hehe), etc...So I love to "tweak" the whole tweaking of the JBJ's skeers me after reading this, but life is all about risk, so what the heck, right?

 

Anyways sorry to bore everyone, but I had to respond after reading this novel

 

SH, it has been a pleasure watching your tank mature, fortunately I didnt have to watch for 8 months as you updated, was so cool to sit and watch picture after picture and experiences flowing by my screen as if they just happened. Your tank is beautiful and well planned, kudos to you and your passion for marine life. I used to think I was the only person in the world who loved seeing a little sea flea scurring about after the lights went out haha, the internet shows that I'm definately not alone !! Talk to you guys soon! RL

[steelhealr]

RL....short of getting a thank you card from one of my patients, this was a great holiday card. However, don't think that you haven't contributed by maintaining one of the few early reef systems. I"ll bet you struggled thru the UGF era and bleached white coral aquascaping.

 

You know, I've found that I've learned as much, if not more, from the people who have posted here than what I've posted in this thread. Anyway, your comments keep me going. If you set up a thread, feel free to post a link here. Have a Happy New Year and all the best to you and yours. SH

 

PS...my dad built furniture and he tought me some skills...but...wish I had the electrical skills and 'Corian' type skills that many of you have out there.

[Reeflogic]

I know you just didn't say "UGF" !!!!! Oh I thought I had removed those words from my memory! But yes...My first attempts at salt water, early 80's...UGF...bleached rock / corals...dead fish....dead fish...Wasn't until about '86 when I got myself (actually I think my folks purchased it!) my first wet/dry... Then it got MUCH easier

 

Anyways, I added a few pics and just stuck it on my siggy. I havent started stocking too much yet, another week or so to watch for Diatom blooms, or any spikes, then I will start with the softies. This whole forum thing is a blast haha, I couln't wait to hear a response lol!

 

Have you (or anyone else) read anything interesting about the fission protien skimmers? Will they fit in chamber #2 of 24g NC's?

 

Fission Skimmer

 

If anyone knows or has heard of any positive or negative results from the fission accompanied with the JBJ 24's I would love to hear more

 

Also SH and others, I have started a pretty good collection of websites for all of our reefy needs, but I may not have good ones or I may have some that some might not recommend. Think you could post a few good links for coral suppliers, that you TRUST!?! It would be greatly appreciated.

 

Well I have rambled on enough, thanks again for everything here guys, maybe someday I can contribute to this awesome thread and / or site!

 

Oh one more thing, how do you get the I support Nano-Reef .com near your avatar? I need that! Can I donate to the site? Thanks SH! RL

[Reeflogic]

Nevermind on the skimmer scoop....I found a few articles!

[steelhealr]

No problem RL. Here ya go:

 

1) as for the 'other websites'...<cough>...I think it is unspoken 'etiquette' to sorta PM thise stuff or post it in your own thread....lololol

 

2) However, for purchases, I have been extremely satisfied with purchases made from the following:

 

-Liveaquaria.com for fish/livestock

-Premiumaquatics.com for live rock

-Marine Depot and Liveaquaria for supplies

-0ld.diver on Ebay for ricordea mushrooms

-most of my corals came from Liveaquaria..mushrooms, leathers, tubipora, sun corals

 

3) Although I don't put myself in the category of a skimmer supporter, I do have an AquaC Remora which is a hang on the 'side' for the 24G. I have perused some posts on the Fission Skimmer and they seem 'mediocre' at the present time.

 

4) For the subscription, go to your control panel..on the left side under 'Options' is a to click on to purchase a subscription.

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SH

[kyle102565]

first off this thread has been a lifesaver. thanks steelhealr. i picked up an aquapod 12g. last night, i followed your steps and this is where i'm at....

RO water sg- 1.022

10lbs live sand

nitrate- between 10 and 20

nitrite-0

pH-8.4

temp- 72 degrees ( weak heater, will upgrade today)

alkalinity-300+

ammonia-zero

everything is going suprisingly well but i have some questions, first off when i turn on the daytime lights the fan runs and then shuts off after 30 seconds or so, is this normal? will the fan start when the ballast gets warm?

i'm going to get the liverock today, is 72 degrees ok for adding the rock? i've been running the tank for 7 hours now and the water is cloudy, i assume this is par for the course and will increase with the live rock, correct?

my first impressions on the aquapod are good my only concern is the fan issue, any insight is welcomed.

addicted already.

[Donatello]

Hmm I have a 12g Aquapod and I think you might have a problem with the fan because when i turn on my daylights it doesn't shut off unless I turn off the daylights, Im not sure if the fan suppose to shut off automatically though so you should doublecheck with other people with Aquapods. I think you should keep the temperature between 76-80, 72 seems kinda low imo. Besides that your ready to add liverock and yes your tank will be cloudy for a couple of days but it will go away. Hope this helps .

[steelhealr]

I agree....those fans should be running continuously. Something sounds amiss. The temp IS too low. My tank runs average about 81.2 degrees with the highest reaching 82. I'm happy at this temp and would consider 78 too low.

 

Cloudiness will settle out. For a 12, aim for 15lbs of LR. Params are sorta moot until you add the LR...this is when the cycling starts. I'd also bring up your s.g. to 1.023-1.024. Higher if and when you add corals. JMO. SH

[JVPredds8]

Hi I have been reading your post here for about a week now. I like most others really appriciate you doing this for it has been a really big help to me. This will be my first saltwater aquarium of any kind so this came in very handy. I got the 24g Nano Cube delux, the first one they sent me had a huge crack down one side so the new one will be here on thursday, im kepping my fingers crossed. I have been doing a lot of reading on a lot of the mods and stuff to make the Nano cube run more efficiently and everything stills seems a little confusing to me. I was wondering if you could post some pics and discribe how all the tubing goes for water flow, pumps, and everthing in those back chambers. Thanks

[steelhealr]

First off...make sure that you are getting the 2006 model....I wouldn't accept an earlier model if I were you. Can you check on that?

 

As for the pumps and tubing....there should be pix here on earlier pages...one pic on how the tubing goes to put the stock pump in chamber one. The tubing is the same in chamber three as how it comes out of the box...you just have to swap out the pump if you are going to upgrade and add a Maxijet. I should also have a summary page which a few pages back describing what is in each chamber. SH

Edited January 5, 2006 by steelhealr

[JVPredds8]

Yeah I found them thanks, lol its a long post. Yeah I will check and see which year it is and let you know.

[jpndave]

Ok, I've read through the posts and wow, thanks! It's great to have all this information in one place!

 

My question (first question anyway). After reading this and the other thread on tank problems, which tank do I get? I like the look of the cube (24G Nanocube and AquaPod) but what is the best choice given the problems with cracking? Is the AquaPod a good option? The 2006 Nanocube? Where do I reliably start? One of the prime reasons for the cube seems to be its appearance, and simplicity (at least on the outside). If I use the other traditional tanks, don't I lose a lot of that?

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[limulus]

SH,

The new pix look great! I wish I could utilize my substrate more but my darn pistol shrimp will bulldoze and bury anything on the sand. Everything has to be on the LR or I'm on a rescue mission.

[kyle102565]

i quickfixed the fan with a radio shack fan untill Ike gets the replacement to me, it burnt out. temp is 80 and steady. water is stable, still no ammonia spike (day 6 of cycle), 15 lbs of cured LR. pods featherdusters, bristleworms, brittlestars and i'm getting a nice green fuzz around the purple coraline. Oceans Floor (LFS) said i may not really have a cycle considering i took cured LR from a tank along with RO water and argonite substrate. instead i'll most likely get a mini-cycle. i'll raise the SG tonight to 1.024, any suggestions on raising the SG?

[steelhealr]

Limulus...great to see you back. Thanks.

 

OK....here's my ongoing take on the tank. I have recently taken some flak on recommending the AquaPod. Apparently there are concerns about cheesey/cheap construction material. Thoughts regarding the older 24G NC (pre-2006):

 

Advantages to the cube:

-appearance, curved/prismatic glass corners

-self contained for those who do not want DIY's

-back chambers to hide equipment

-for some, perhaps, lower cost

-adequate lighting to support a wide range of softies, zoos, mushrooms

-has a limited warranty that, for the most part, JBJ has been honoring

-larger volume than a 12G NC, 10 or 20AGA

 

Disadvantages to the cube:

-older models, predominantly the 24G, had cracking issues

-limited lighting for upgrading to SPS and clams/light requiring corals

-consensus on the pump was poor and flow rate is low end

-seamless corners harder to clean off algae/coralline

-moonlights are not independent of the ballast and timers will remove access to night vue lighting

-packaging is poor for shipping

 

The new 2006 version (which I don't own) should have:

-thicker glass

- a surface skimmer

-a serial number

 

As for whether or not to to for an AGA tank, well, some thoughts:

-pretty much accepted that they have solid construction (no tank is perfect tho')

-adaptability and flexibility....you design it the way you want it

-longer tanks are easier to aquascape (eg, 20 Long)

-cost of putting it together may run higher than a NC

-some tanks have a reputation of being very solid construction, eg, Oceanic 30 G (look at the glass thickness next time you are at the lfs).

 

SH

[jpndave]

SH,

 

Thanks for the reply. If you had to do it over right now, what would you choose?

[steelhealr]

If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd like to take a crack at the Oceanic 30G. I like the mod some people do by adding in a black plexiglass back wall to mimic the NC and hide equipment. The tank is solid...the glass is thick....it comes in nice designs if that is an interest.

 

I like the looks of bowfronts, but, they tend to be deeper tanks. I have a 46G BF...nano sized ones have more depth. The Eclipse tanks are hard to modify..relatively speaking...light-wise.

 

Seeing how my present tank is getting covered with coralline algae, I would be 'afraid' to get an acrylic tank, despite the fact that they are supposed to be really great for marine systems view wise and value wise (they keep their value in large systems).

 

Ya know, a 20 long is just a great solid choice also. SH

[JVPredds8]

Well, my second 24g Nano Cube came in the mail yesterday and it was in about 5 pieces, it was worse than the first one. I decided hell with the Nano cube and got a 30g cube instead. This was a bit more pricey, but now that I have it I think it was worth the extra money. The only reason that I am posting this is because this post has been like my study guide for the past two weeks; this happens to be my first fish tank of any kind. I got a 150w light, Bak Pak Bio-Filter, 100w heater, Maxi Jet 1200 into a Hydor rotating water deflector, thermometers, 40 pounds of live sand(Lalo, and a Nano mixture), and 40 pounds of live rock. I hope you dont mind me doing a little copy catting SH, but I just couldnt come up with a better layout than a C formation little cove, so thats what I went with. It's day 2 and everything is going good accept for some bubbles coming out of the Bio-Filter and the temperature seems to want to stay at 80 degrees no matter what I do. I will be adding the clean up crew here in the next couple days after my tank cycles, than I was think about getting a Ghost eel. I hear they are ok in 30g tanks, and I want this tank to be an agressive tank with 1 to 2 top preditors that are reef safe or at least semi reef safe(I'll give a little). Got any other ideas???

 

Thanks again for this post it has been very helpful...hopefuly it will continue almost as its own Newbee forum.

[steelhealr]

EXCELLENT. Great choice...the cube is just a solid overall tank and I like the light choice..... It's funny...it almost looks like you could use more LR, but, I think it should be fine....you'll be adding frags and you'll need the upward room. Good job.....research is the key to a good start.

 

Definitely go slowly and don't get your predators until long after cycling is done and the tank is settling in. There aren't many predator threads here....you may want to start one after you get going. Keep in mind though ( I looked up your eel), you may not be seeing much of him as he is nocturnal and you'll need an escape proof lid. SH

[JVPredds8]

Yeah I keep looking at the tank too and it seems like I could probably add more rock, I'm a little scared of it stacking though because I dont want rock to fall and crack the tank or anything, I think I'm just going to fill in the space with maybe a tonga branch or two and some coral and anemone. Good point on the eel, I found a lot of sources saying he is an escape artist too, I'm thinking about just going with the angler fish instead.

[MarineManiac]

just wondering why you keep your tanks around 80, when most corals like its to be between 74-78.. personal choice? i thought algae was more of a problem at higher temps also. i didn't see were you are located, if you are in the south some where did not read that you had a chiller either.

[JVPredds8]

I think you misunderstood, I am trying to keep my tank between 76 and 78 degrees but it wouldn't go down before. As of the past 2 days it went down and now has been fluctuating between 77 and 78 degrees. Yeah I live in Orlando, Florida at the moment and no I dont have a chiller, should I get one? My bad if that is a rediculously stupid question but this is my first tank and the guy at the local fish store didnt say anything about one. Also it haas been about 4 days now and there seems to be a very thin carpet of like moss slowly covering my sandbed and other live rocks, is this normal? Im guessing it is a small algee bloom, when will this go away or how should I take care of this? Just wait for the clean up crew when the nitrates settle?

[steelhealr]

There are a lot of articles out there now saying that the temps in the 70s are low. Many reefs average 80-83 degrees. Search google for average ocean temps where our corals come from. There are SOME species that prefer cooler ocean temps...margarita snails eg.

 

To JVPredds8....can't tell...you need a digital camera. It should be part of the standard equipment of a marine tank ( in fact, I think I"ll retroedit page 1 and add that in there). It could be either diatoms, cyano or hair algae. Time for a cleanup crew if you are cycled. SH

[JVPredds8]

Lol yeah I accedently put my camera on its highest settings and I guess it didn't fit in the space they allow me for including pictures, or I think the size was too big. Im gonna try a couple different things tonight and Ill have those pics up soon, sorry.

 

Yeah I was at the LFS today and I was looking at all of there set-ups and and checking their thermometers and a lot of them seemed to be at like 83 or 84, so I dont know. My tank likes to raise up to around 80 everyday when I have the lights on even with the built in fans, then it cools to about 78 to 77 at night. It's ok for the temperature to fluctuate that much right?

[JVPredds8]

I think that the only way Im going to be able to post these pictures is if I write like 7 seperate posts, so I hope you guys dont mind. These are day 5 pics of the growth forming around my tank aand stuff I think that might be hitchhikers, but I have no clue.

 

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Will it didnt make me put up several different post, but it did make me write something (...) everytime I ran out of picture space, so thats what those dots are all about. I wordering if anyone has any suggestions about what I can do about the back of the tank like a sticker or something that wont make the tank look worse though lol.