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View Full Version : Back in the hobby with a JBJ 28G nano cube, could use some of your experience/help


ian09
09/16/2015, 02:18 PM
So, I'm getting back into the hobby. Last tank was a 30g with 20g sump back in 2012. Anywho, I'm about 5 days into my cycle and just purchased a test kit which I will open and use tomorrow since I have to work this evening. Here's my equipment list :

28g nano cube (no cover)
2-return pumps (stock)
MP 10 Wes (running at 50% currently)
Aquamaxx skimmer (not being used at the moment)
Kessil 360 with gooseneck (currently off)
100 watt jaeger heater set at 79
RKL (still fiddling with this but pumps and heater plugged in to this so far. Also with temp probe)
Tunze ATO nano (currently not in use at the moment)
2 two little fish reactors ( not currently in use but plan for carbon and GFO)
18 lbs of rock ( about 12 lbs pukani and the rest BRS reef saver)
20lbs arag sand

Any other suggestions/opinions? I was wondering what others have used for this type of setup? Also, I know it can be done, but anyone have pics or diagram of how they plumbed all their equipment in the back chambers? I currently have two pumps for the stock returns and my heater and temp probe. I still have to fit the skimmer, 2 Reactors, and my ATO and not exactly sure how to just yet lol! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I've acquired all these items used from other reefers, CL, etc. so none are new except for me personally purchasing the rock and sand myself oh and water haha! I want to post my squascape to get opinions as well but only limited to using my iPhone at the moment to post. Anyway, it's great to be back in the hobby again :)

homer1475
09/16/2015, 02:34 PM
While I'm not familiar with the JBJ tanks, out of curiosity, why 2 return pumps? I would at the very least get that ATO up and running. the sooner you can get it dialed in (the nano is pretty simple. just set the float valve to the desired water height) the less problems you'll have when you start stocking.

Everything else looks good. Let that skimmer run while you cycle so it "breaks in". you may not get any skimmate, or it could just be clear water, but it will help when you do start stocking.

homer1475
09/16/2015, 02:37 PM
NVM I just looked up the JBJ nano cube. I see it has 2 return pumps that come stock.

soulpatch
09/16/2015, 02:39 PM
I hope you have a RODI and refractometer as well.

I cant speak to the rear chambers on the JBJ cubes as to how to put in everything.

homer1475
09/16/2015, 02:40 PM
Why couldn't you use only one return pump and split the hose with a Y connector so you can still have a 2 return system, then use the other return pump for the reactors? I would think with the mp10 one return pump would be fine since 90% of your flow will come from the mp10.

Just thinking out loud, and tossing out some ideas.

homer1475
09/16/2015, 02:42 PM
I hope you have a RODI and refractometer as well.

I cant speak to the rear chambers on the JBJ cubes as to how to put in everything.


Good point!

I just assume every one knows they need those as part of basic reefkeeping, kind of like you NEED a tank full of water.

soulpatch
09/16/2015, 02:44 PM
you wouldnt even have to t it off. Use the one pump to feed the reactor and the output of the reactor could go right into the bulkhead for the locline return. So you are basically just putting the reactor in line for the one return.

ian09
09/16/2015, 07:48 PM
Thanks homer1475 and soulpatch :) I've read your build threads in the past and they're all very informative. You both have great tanks! I remember reading another member's thread I think it was ange62 or something who had a jbj cube like me and was very successful. I practically copied his equipment list. Now I'm still not sure of how to place everything in the back. I'll have to mess around with it.
I like the idea of using one of the return pumps since right now my flow should be enough with one return and the mp10. When I get home tomorrow morning I'll fiddle with getting the ATO running. Thanks everyone :)

Does anyone know how I can post pics using my iPhone? Is it even possible?

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 07:29 AM
The tapatalk app makes it easy to post directly from the phone (and manage posts/threads/forums). I'm on Android and I just use that, never bothered to mess with the forums without it since they can be quite wonky.

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:34 AM
thanks ReefWreak! I'm using my iphone and whenever I pull up the reef central website another screen offers the app so maybe i'll try downloading it. thanks!

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:59 AM
So thanks to ReefWreak I am now using tapatalk and I'd look to post a pic of my aquascape for suggestions and opinions. Please let me know, thanks :)http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/7e81096db6d927123c00af958437295d.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/473bd2c30f3aefcfdb8d18f2355306dd.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/e3f512994e48321107222ca72699938e.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/bfeb540510c317a35ef4dc6072b78bc1.jpg

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 08:00 AM
Yeah, I hate apps, and really try to keep my phone lean, but ultimately I surf RC enough (and post enough) to justify using it. FWIW I usually end up posting my pictures through photos.google.com since my phone automatically uploads them to google, then I just insert the link from there into my post. Easier than uploading/attaching to posts in RC I find.

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 08:01 AM
I actually really like your aquacape! Nice job! Lots of flat and vertical surfaces for you to explore with coral placement.

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 08:05 AM
Yeah the scape looks great. Only thing I would do different is I woudl break the lower left rock so that it is just a support but doesnt stick out. Then I would have that leftover piece be a sort of island on the sand in front of the left side. Gives some more depth but more importantly with an island piece you can do some cool things with encrusting or mushroom corals so that they stay where you want them instead of all over the rock. IE a ricordea rock.

ian09
09/17/2015, 08:34 AM
Wow! All great ideas, thanks! I will think about it though. I really like the more depth and island but that rock in the left side is actually a long piece unless I break it up. Hopefully today I can put up the ATO and skimmer. I'll keep you all posted. Since I purchased all the equipment used they don't come with instructions and I end up just dabbling with it until I figure something out, specially the RKL.

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 08:39 AM
The best thing I did with my RLK is hook it up to a computer and use the software. If you have questions about operations with it, feel free to drop me a line, since I set mine up by just combing through threads and forums for answers.

The computer interface was nice because it let me name my ports and set up a lot of the broader programming, and also update the modules which made them work better (or at all). I added the ALC dimming module and it didn't work with the firmware that was on my RLK, so I had to update both firmwares then it worked, but it was a huge pain to figure out why it didn't work since it was recognized and the programming said it was running.

Also, you have a magfloat, but I can't recommend the flipper nano enough. I've really been enjoying the ease of switching between swiper to clean soft algae and scraper to clean coralline growth. For your next scraper maybe.

ian09
09/17/2015, 08:44 AM
ReefWreak I can tell your a tech savvy guy, unfortunately I am not lol! I don't even know how to connect it to a computer. I'd have to borrow one as I don't personally own a computer except for an iPad mini.
I'll look into other scrapers as well.

ian09
09/17/2015, 08:46 AM
I'm literally driving home from my night shift eager to mess with my tank but I have daddy duties to attend to before I can play. I'll post parameters sometime as well. Which reminds me, I need to start a log book

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 09:07 AM
Wow! All great ideas, thanks! I will think about it though. I really like the more depth and island but that rock in the left side is actually a long piece unless I break it up.

Hammer and a chisel or flat head screwdriver solves that issue.

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 11:16 AM
I like the long rock, but yea if you want to break it up, the nice thing about the rock is its always easy to break.

If you do rearrange, a piece of advice I try to give people when arranging aquascape is to try to minimize rock-to-sand contact, because those areas become detritus traps and crap settles there. It's not possible to avoid all of it, but you want to minimize that area if possible.

ian09
09/17/2015, 04:05 PM
So I set y Tunze ATO. Some hiccups along the way of course because nothing ever runs smoothly the first time lol! I purchased this item from the "for sale" forums like I did with several of my tank supplies. First off, instructions in English did not exist so I relied on common sense and my intuition, plus the pics helped a lot haha! Next hiccup was that one of the plastic tab pieces on the float valve housing that secured it with the magnet was broken so I couldn't snap it on. So, I used my glue gun and stuck it in place. Of course, that means every time I want to adjust the valve or service it is have to pull it off and use the glue gun again...oh well. Anyhow, I placed the valve in the right most chamber of my "sump" area on the back and it takes so much space that I barely fit it along with one of my return pump tubing. Only thing now is that I'd have to wait and see how well it works. So far I topped off until my salinity was 1.026 and stuck the the valve in place. Thinking about it now I should of placed the valve first, then topped off so I can place it better. Oh well, it just means that the water level in my right chamber would have to drop just under an inch before it supposedly kick starts the ATO. I'll keep yall posted and I'll do a water test with my API master test kit. Stay tuned :)

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/1188dce3249c67f21d5728ae5472bab9.jpg

ian09
09/17/2015, 05:56 PM
Did a water test this afternoon and my numbers I guess confuse me a little.

Salinity 1.026
Temp 79
pH = 8
Ammonia = 0.25-0.50 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 5- 10 ppm

Now, before I started and set up my tank about a week ago I had my rock in a tub in the garage in some salt water. I poured a small bottle of dr. Toms nitrifying bacteria and fed ammonia from the bottle (also from dr. Tim). I was keeping up with it for about a month then pretty much left it on its own for another month due to my family and I being busy and going on vacation etc. last Friday I set up the tank with the live sand supposedly (arag alive from a bag which was sealed and new) and scaped my rock (by the way I have about another 20 lbs of unused reef saver and shelf rock from BRS and Marco rocks. I only chose the pieces you see which were predominantly pukani). Anyway, I thought I would only have a mini cycle but lazy me I did not test until today because I have given my previous test kit to my brother in law (including a jbj nano cube 24g so they can enjoy a tank as well). Anyway, what do you all think? Seems my tank has a long way to go still but what confuses me is that I don't see nitrite but I see nitrate and ammonia and my pH is a tad low. Any suggestions? Should I pour more dr. Tins in there? I'll test again tomorrow when I get a chance.http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/e6f2073c7274048e07eedf915dab1a8b.jpg

ReefWreak
09/17/2015, 05:58 PM
Yeah I hate those stupid tabs. I was given a skimmer by soulpatch (love you <3) and one or more of the tabs were broken, so I said eff it and just superglued the magnet to the skimmer, because it was a pain to keep adjusting.

Remember you can always just keep the inside magnet up against the glass and then just pull away on the outside magnet side, then adjust and connect the two, and it won't move. Just keep the pressure off of the float valve housing.

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 06:00 PM
hey now what do you expect from a 150 skimmer sold to you for $25 with at least 5 different rants about how I hated that skimmer. HA HA.


As for the tests...I read the post in my email about the weird test results and thought I bet he is using API test kits. Came on the site and YEP API. I would say get some red sea tests and try again.

ian09
09/17/2015, 06:20 PM
Soulpatch I just bought the api ones yesterday. For the start of my cycle I'll probably lay low from spending for now and just utilize them. When I start getting into corals then I'll purchase the Red Sea test kits. I plan on a simple clown fish pair and a couple BTAs. Not sure if I'll go sps but I'm sure I will try down the road. While my water further matures I plan to place either a hammer, torch, or frogspawn before the BTA (I'm sure they will all go to war with each other but I'll hope for the best and prepare for the worst when it comes to that).
Ive read that the aquamaxx skimmer is awesome and more than efficient for my set up so i have high hopes for the skimmer (used price was still pretty pricey lol!). I just hope my other two Phosban reactors are in good shape (I haven't even taken them out of the box yet yikes!). I plan to run GFO and carbon in each. If I have time tomorrow I'd like to clean my aquamaxx skimmer in a vinegar bath for a day then another day in rodi before I place it on the tank. I might as well throw in the other pumps and reactors while I'm at it.

ian09
09/17/2015, 06:22 PM
By the way Soulpatch, I'm excited to see your new set up come together finally. Doesn't waiting suck? Lol!

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 06:56 PM
Be aware that a BTA can at anytime decide to walk around your tank and it will kill just about any coral it comes into contact with. I personally wouldnt do one in a nano but I will be putting one in my next tank.

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 06:57 PM
By the way Soulpatch, I'm excited to see your new set up come together finally. Doesn't waiting suck? Lol!

May not be that much longer if I continue down the one road I am thinking...

Well at least not much longer to start a thread anyway. I think I am settled on a tank and now need to get it in then order in the wood for the stand build.

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:02 PM
May not be that much longer if I continue down the one road I am thinking...



Well at least not much longer to start a thread anyway. I think I am settled on a tank and now need to get it in then order in the wood for the stand build.


I can't even imagine all the money you'd be spending lol! I'm sure it's not cheap. Anyone going to reef palooza in October 10-11?http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/e35058818c12c19b92069b89887de569.jpg

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 07:06 PM
I can't even imagine all the money you'd be spending lol! I'm sure it's not cheap. Anyone going to reef palooza in October 10-11?

wrong side of the country for thqat reefapalooza though I went in NY and did MACNA this year. Might be out your way next year for MACNA in San Diego...


Building the tank isnt that bad in terms of money but the rock and livestock will kill me. I do have about 1500 in equipment sitting in my basement for the next tank. Still more to buy though equipment wise. All in all will be good bit over 5K though dont tell my wife...and honestly in this hobby 5k is cheap as I easily have 3K in my biocube...

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:08 PM
wrong side of the country for thqat reefapalooza though I went in NY and did MACNA this year. Might be out your way next year for MACNA in San Diego...





Building the tank isnt that bad in terms of money but the rock and livestock will kill me. I do have about 1500 in equipment sitting in my basement for the next tank. Still more to buy though equipment wise. All in all will be good bit over 5K though dont tell my wife...and honestly in this hobby 5k is cheap as I easily have 3K in my biocube...


Wow! Seriously? I need to start saving haha! I thought I could get away with about $50 a month invested in the tank. I'll try and make it work though. I'm sure I'll splurge here and there.

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:09 PM
Anyone have any suggestions or any other comments regarding my water parameters at this time? Not sure what I should be doing. I'll retest tomorrow and see how everything goes at least.

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 07:12 PM
It is easy to get by cheap with the cubes though I probably spend 50-100 a month just in frags. Spent 100 this past weekend even though I am supposed to be done till the next tank. HA HA.

Most of my equipment is nice to have or splurges. I have $300 in led lights sitting in a closet that I am not currently using as I have a 350 kessil over it now. Didn't NEED an apex but have one. Didn't NEED the reactor, second skimmer, mixing station, ect but I have em.

That said I also skipped the race track this summer so I "saved" a ton of money there. A single wreck with the bike can easily cost me 10K...

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:13 PM
Nice! A fellow rider [emoji106]🏼 I sold my bike recently :(

soulpatch
09/17/2015, 07:21 PM
I have 2 and am looking to sell my gsxr 600 so come on over to buy it. Will even throw in a frag. HAHA

This is my track rat baby though. She put me down once at around 103 through a turn but otherwise has gotten me out of some turns I should have bit it on...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/soulpatch/20140920_151840_zpsfedx5cbw.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/soulpatch/media/20140920_151840_zpsfedx5cbw.jpg.html)

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:31 PM
Soulpatch, you are a "baller" with all them toys you got and hobbies haha!http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/c9c8896ae9489863627be3c38f250337.jpg

ian09
09/17/2015, 07:34 PM
Looking at old pics and I found my old tank set up and a few coral pics [emoji16]
Now I'm really excited [emoji106]🏼
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/5baaa9a7b9f759c5bb97de6b33eb5cb0.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/7ab2d097308940a3dac8fc459712069f.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/17/a025833053fc37a1a954bfb192e1f7c5.jpg

muhli
09/17/2015, 10:39 PM
Wow I pretty much have the exact same setup as you except for the wp10 and the TLF

ian09
09/18/2015, 02:28 AM
Wow I pretty much have the exact same setup as you except for the wp10 and the TLF

I wouldn't be surprised if you did Muhli :)
I read so much and learned so much from these forums even on my long hiatus from the hobby. It seems that the equipment have been tried and true and that's why I would like to share in the success (hopefully lol!) and hope to once again have a tank I can be proud of. It's smaller than my previous build but I'm pretty excited and happy about it. I can't wait until my cycle finishes so I can start stocking it.

ian09
09/18/2015, 04:26 PM
So since I started the tank and with our bipolar weather here in SoCal (lol!) my tank's temp hasn't been consistent and swings pretty quickly between 77-82. I stopped by a fish store I don't usually frequent but I was in the area so why not. I actually stopper by in hopes of purchasing some lock lines and/or extensions to change/vary my flow with one of the return pumps. The owner was able to find some that fit my stock nozzles so I purchased a couple. Of course I wind up splurging on something else as well lol! I end up picking up a fan which I plan to plug into my RKL. Anyway, I got home and the fan looks nice and sleek and all but it doesn't fit the edge of my tank grrrr! So for now I just taped it on lol! I'll probably shave off or sand it down a bit to fit my tank as it doesn't clear the edge by a little. On the bright side, it seems my ATO is working out because I would hear the pump start up every once in a while. I'll test my parameters sometime this afternoon including the salinity to make sure. Happy reefing :)http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/dd47c7c8da4448762acbd5ba40ff9469.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/3d17e35c8252d227a805195d67c1b777.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/3bcdb1fe82462cf641e7b053beb98579.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/ad611a82e0bb669c16070b9320dc3b2b.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/9a3bf841fcdefd3b0ee08e444caa13ee.jpg
I ghetto rigged it to back while the back is clear of stuff for now lol!

ian09
09/18/2015, 04:35 PM
Did I mention these aren't cheap! Dang! But I guess you gotta pay to play sigh.

ian09
09/18/2015, 10:27 PM
So I just want to update this thread. It seems I should of just titled the thread "ian09's return to the hobby JBJ 28g nano cube build thread" lol! Mods if you happen to see this please change the title as it seems more appropriate (thanks!).
So anywho, I tested my water and it came up similar to yesterday's results.
Salinity = 1.026
Temp = 79.2
pH = 8
Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 5-10 ppm

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/81f57e7217995082cc261f3a135915dc.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/c854c9de9ed2b4ba94ead91523f713aa.jpg

ian09
09/18/2015, 10:39 PM
Ok so I forgot to mention the surprise I felt when my brother texted me this:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/229f9aeb38dee413ee3a9f1d80429510.jpg

I was confused as to why he would text me such a pic out of the blue. Long story short, he asked me if I noticed anything in my tank. To my surprise it turns out he added three hermits (2 red legged and one regular) and three snails (which I figured were astrea snails)!!! He told me he threw them in my tank on Wednesday while I was at work (I work evenings (7pm-7:30am). I'm assuming this could be a reason my water parameters confused me yesterday and I guess today too (he literally told me this an hour ago lol!). What I find even more surprising is the fact that I didn't even notice what went on in my own tank hahaha! I was so focused on trying to piece together trying to automate the system that I didn't even stop to enjoy the inside of my tank. I'm actually surprised that the snails and hermits are still alive. Now, should I keep them in there or should I go ahead and take them back to one of my LFS? What of my water parameters? Just about half an hour ago I poured more Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria so I can at least bring the ammonia down (was I correct to do so?). Here's another pic that I took after he told me because I didn't believe my brother:http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/a037a98d5ed12533c6a471b8452acd36.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/f30c06d75d03cfb11b48f57e593f9714.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/18/37f05a74a3caea1ca2fa761891914226.jpg
Yup, that's definitely a crab there lol!

bdehlin
09/18/2015, 11:54 PM
I'd probably get the crabs out as inverts can be sensitive to water quality issues. Other then that, I've always found it better to be patient when a tank is cycling, instead of adding bacteria to speed up the process.

ian09
09/19/2015, 12:24 AM
I'd probably get the crabs out as inverts can be sensitive to water quality issues. Other then that, I've always found it better to be patient when a tank is cycling, instead of adding bacteria to speed up the process.


Very good point. If they are still alive by Tuesday I'll most probably bring them back. I'm working back to back days this weekend and can't afford to make the time to head to my LFS. I asked my brother to return them but he laughed and said he'd probably just toss them out or flush them. Either way, it's sad with my tank so premature. That's why I added the nitrifying bacteria to at least help a little. I understand patience is key in this hobby but have you looked into adding bacteria? I don't see why jump starting a system could hurt. Just my opinion though and worked for my last tank as well. I actually cycled my last tank using the nitrifying bacteria and a clownfish and he turned out ok and was my favorite fish. Never once tried to bite me and ate out of my hand.

bdehlin
09/19/2015, 12:27 AM
I've never personally added nitrifying bacteria, but had some members of my reef club give it a shot. They didn't have any faster cycle time than someone cycling with pain old live rock. Just my .02

ian09
09/19/2015, 12:31 AM
I've never personally added nitrifying bacteria, but had some members of my reef club give it a shot. They didn't have any faster cycle time than someone cycling with pain old live rock. Just my .02


Thanks again, I do agree with you about my new inhabitants. I personally wouldn't of added anything until my cycle was complete. If you read my thread it was my brother who thought it'd be nice to add something in the tank without telling me. He doesn't understand anything about the hobby or about cycling a tank. I was actually hoping to have a mini cycle because I thought my rock was already cycled as it was in a tub for about two months before I set up the scape and added live sand and salt water. For now, I'll try to test daily and monitor my new inhabitants. Thanks again :)

ReefWreak
09/19/2015, 07:12 PM
I used Dr. Tim's bacteria when setting up my tank, but I probably didn't need to. You won't need to either, and unless you're dumping in a LOT of food and really trying hard to spike your levels significantly, then you're probably not going to do any damage to the crabs.

Tank cycling isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Sure, you don't want to put a shoal of yellow tangs in an uncycled 180g tank since they're sensitive and need an established system, but most rock these days isn't shipped moist from indonesia like the old days. You used to have a bad cycle because your rock was shipped moist air freight and took a week or more to get settled, and it was raw from the ocean so it was filled with stuff that died along the way, so you'd have a lot of grunge that needed to be cycled off of it, which kicked your cycle along.

Nowadays most LFS have the rock sitting in a curing vat for a few weeks with other cycled rock, and probably are skimming the water as well, and the rock doesn't usually have nearly as much grunge on it as it used to (for better or worse), so there isn't much to die-off in transit and cause wide cycling issues.

ian09
09/20/2015, 11:41 AM
I used Dr. Tim's bacteria when setting up my tank, but I probably didn't need to. You won't need to either, and unless you're dumping in a LOT of food and really trying hard to spike your levels significantly, then you're probably not going to do any damage to the crabs.

Tank cycling isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Sure, you don't want to put a shoal of yellow tangs in an uncycled 180g tank since they're sensitive and need an established system, but most rock these days isn't shipped moist from indonesia like the old days. You used to have a bad cycle because your rock was shipped moist air freight and took a week or more to get settled, and it was raw from the ocean so it was filled with stuff that died along the way, so you'd have a lot of grunge that needed to be cycled off of it, which kicked your cycle along.

Nowadays most LFS have the rock sitting in a curing vat for a few weeks with other cycled rock, and probably are skimming the water as well, and the rock doesn't usually have nearly as much grunge on it as it used to (for better or worse), so there isn't much to die-off in transit and cause wide cycling issues.


I feel relieved, thanks :)
I'll keep waiting and testing. Seems like my ammonia is taking its sweet time dropping. My pH stays at 8, is that good? I don't have a Refugium and light so at night, the tank is just all dark. On the bright side, my ATO seems to be doing a great job even though I think it turns on at random times. I just need a better looking container to hold a little bit of rodi water for topping off. I'm still afraid the snails might die as I don't know what they'd eat. I threw in three NLS tiny pellets earlier today in hopes to feed them. Oh well.

ReefWreak
09/20/2015, 01:50 PM
8 is good. Mine fluctuates from 7.7 to 8.1 or so every night then day. I try to keep the skimmer running at night to keep the pH closer to 7.9 at night, but I don't always leave it on and don't have any problems.

The snails can get along just fine off of any growth on the glass. If you're running without lights 24/7 then the snails may starve, but if you have any light, there is likely some algae growing, including the algae on the glass, and that will definitely keep the snails fed.

ian09
09/20/2015, 06:13 PM
I hope so. Only light is from the sun outside as it lights up the living room. Indirect sunlight/daylight if you will. I started trying to cycle the tank just over a week ago and don't see any visual algae at all if any. It's the great waiting game for me now. Today my test show zero for ammonia and nitrite. Nitrate is between 0-5. Salinity is 1.025-1.026 and temp was 78.3 since the fambam turned on the air condition. Not sure if this means my cycle is done. I want to add ammonia to see if my tank could take it but not sure if it's wise to do so with 3 hermits and 3 snails. Any suggestions?

ian09
09/22/2015, 07:50 PM
So i finally put together my Kessil controller so I can actually program the light so I don't have to fiddle with the knobs but for some reason every time I plugged the cable into the input of the light it would be more blue and if I try increasing the intensity it never lights what seems to be passed 30%. This is super annoying and frustrating. My controller is up to date softwarewise so I'm clueless. After messing with it and troubleshooting I just unplugged it and manually used the light. Anyone have this problem?

soulpatch
09/22/2015, 08:03 PM
You could try to pm Cabo as he is using the spectral controller. He might have some tips

I am wired in through my apex so I am of no help.

ian09
09/22/2015, 08:36 PM
T
You could try to pm Cabo as he is using the spectral controller. He might have some tips

I am wired in through my apex so I am of no help.

thanks. I actually place a zoo rock in the tank and so far so good. I'll provide pics later. On the way to pick up more coral. I just couldn't pass the deal up.

ian09
09/23/2015, 12:35 AM
So, call me crazy, irresponsible, impatient, etc. I put some coral in the tank already. My test kit all test 0 except 0-5ppm of nitrate. This has been so for almost a week. Anywho, I drop acclimated and dipped a zoo rock with revive then placed it in the tank. Took about an hour to completely open up and it's looking pretty good. Here's some pics of my ghetto rigged set up and coral.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/429574a98ac62a8587c6db1c9ab9f9f2.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/87c2352a246eb1169db508ff28e91dfe.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/73e3459e08889def5efd050b3381b314.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/e8db9bfb7557beb8eb47f5f549c93ed2.jpg
Yikes!!! Yowzers!!!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/e1857ba71cb24de60310b2760e655a86.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/22/5f38cc5f1a8b97241702a88d31a6926d.jpg

So anyway, this evening I brought the kids with me to pick up some more coral since I brought them to the fish store to get the zoo rock. I couldn't pass up a deal before someone else took it. Drove to garden grove and got me another set of zoos and a wall hammer. I wanted the trumpet or candy cane but settled for the zoos and hammer instead. Was tempted to purchase his adorable clownfish pair which the hammer hosted but I really want to quarantine my fish at the very least (someone qt my fish already!). Brought the new additions home and again acclimated and dipped them in revive. Hammer wasn't too happy as it slimed up real good. Since its late and I have kids and a baby I had to leave the new additions and just see them in the morning. Hopefully all goes well. I plan to test sometime and if everything test ok (only using api master kit) then I'll plan for a water change later this week. If not, I'll do a water change and take a sample to the fish tore and have them do the work up. I'll post pics when my light turns on and the new coral have opened up...or not open up, whatever. Goodnight y'all :)

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 07:41 AM
You should scrap the revive and get some bayer instead. The revive doesn't impact many things that we want to keep out of our aquarium whereas the bayer does a much better job.


I hope that the wall hammer was a colony and not a frag. Also that the ends were completely healed. They have a high propensity to get infections and die off and if not caught in time can take other LPS with them. So hopefully it was a full piece. If only a frag I would start to look into iodine dips and into pics of what to look for as trouble signs.


I gotta say that is a ton of crud that fell off that zoa rock and that is with a weak dip in the revive. I would hate to see how they have their frag systems set up. Not sure I would go there again if I was you.

ian09
09/23/2015, 07:46 AM
You should scrap the revive and get some bayer instead. The revive doesn't impact many things that we want to keep out of our aquarium whereas the bayer does a much better job.


I hope that the wall hammer was a colony and not a frag. Also that the ends were completely healed. They have a high propensity to get infections and die off and if not caught in time can take other LPS with them. So hopefully it was a full piece. If only a frag I would start to look into iodine dips and into pics of what to look for as trouble signs.


I gotta say that is a ton of crud that fell off that zoa rock and that is with a weak dip in the revive. I would hate to see how they have their frag systems set up. Not sure I would go there again if I was you.


I agree with you. I was actually looking for coralrx because that's what I've always used before but the fish store only carried revive. Sad I got the zoo rock from a fish store and my gosh it was lots of crap that came out. But I blasted it with a syringe pretty good. As for the other two which included the hammer it's about a 5" hammer piece and not a little dinky frag which I must say I got for a great deal including a bunch of bam bams. I'll take pics this morning whether or not they're opened up.

ian09
09/23/2015, 07:47 AM
Soulpatch, what test kits brand would you recommend? Saluter or Red Sea? And for which kind of test? Thanks :)

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 08:03 AM
coral rx, revive, and most of them have been replaced by many of us for bayer. It is a pesticide that works GREAT to get everything from what the revive would get up to and including red/black bugs.

For test kits I have red sea but either them or salfreit would be where I would go.

ian09
09/23/2015, 08:05 AM
coral rx, revive, and most of them have been replaced by many of us for bayer. It is a pesticide that works GREAT to get everything from what the revive would get up to and including red/black bugs.

For test kits I have red sea but either them or salfreit would be where I would go.


Thanks, I'll definitely look into them. Guess I'll just go with whichever is the better deal then. As for the bayer, for sure I'll try and get as I'm sure I'll be getting more coral. Reef-a-palooza is coming up :)

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 08:06 AM
bayer can be had at any shop that sells lawn care. I get mine at walmart. You will have to have a rinsing dish afterwards though as you dont want the bayer to get into your tank.

ian09
09/23/2015, 08:13 AM
bayer can be had at any shop that sells lawn care. I get mine at walmart. You will have to have a rinsing dish afterwards though as you dont want the bayer to get into your tank.


Oh wow! I was assuming I'd purchase from a fish store. I'll look into it. You have a pic of the actual bottle? I just snapped a pic of my coral just now to show the new additions. Looks ok for now but I hope everything will open up in a couple hours when my light turns on. I still can't get the intensity up and color bright (white) because there's something funky going in with my Kessil light and controller together. Oh well, at the least I have it automated and guess it's good enough to acclimate the coral for now.

Side view
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/5a06c4e010ab4a66b991b71e71b4937d.jpg

Front
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/3c12129b2dae09e2325b2a24bfd77aeb.jpg

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 08:15 AM
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/psh54/BayerAdvanced.jpg

ian09
09/23/2015, 09:06 AM
Thanks! Would never of thought that it would be reef safe. I'll look it up a bit. Hopefully my local lowes of Home Depot carries it.

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 09:08 AM
it is not reef safe (nor is any other dip) so make sure you rinse well after use. It is coral safe like any other dip.

It will kill snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp, ect but it also eradicates all the bad stuff on frags which is the point.

ian09
09/23/2015, 10:24 AM
it is not reef safe (nor is any other dip) so make sure you rinse well after use. It is coral safe like any other dip.

It will kill snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp, ect but it also eradicates all the bad stuff on frags which is the point.


Ah i see...that's what I meant hehe! So is it safe to assume I use it pretty much the way I'd use either Revive or CoralRx? I usually dip twice and agitating/blowing the coral then a final bath/rinse with my tank water before I place in tank. So that's a total of three water baths.
So my lights finally came on and although it's not much light yet since its early on these new guys came out to play. What y'all think? I'll water test later today. now should I just rely on my water changes or would y'all feed coral food? If so, what would you recommend for my set up and inhabitants? I was looking j to reef chili since they're on sale right now from brs. Thoughts? Thanks :)
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/829eb89d0fda3eb613aff15865802074.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/612e4ebba9781e01e1c844b30b0628ff.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/6afbd1b985d57fc69e973ee32041b908.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/4c7f27be8b0cd00c92ee09e956902f81.jpg

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 11:04 AM
I mix up a bath solution and throw the corals in there for 3-5 minutes. I will then rinse and look over before potentially dipping again if I see anything in a fresh dip. Rinse again and put in tank.

ReefWreak
09/23/2015, 11:10 AM
Corals are looking good! Zoas are much easier to keep, so I'm not surprised that they opened right up. You'll have to be more careful with the wall hammer. That's one of my favorite corals that I wish I had room to keep. One day I'll get a big colony of it...

Enjoy!

I'll try to find the thread on bayer application. It's definitely not something to "just kinda throw together and assume it was fine".

I think if you wanted a real hard and fast rule, it's to add bayer until the water in the vessel you're mixing turns cloudy, then you should do a few swishes with the coral, then let it sit in there for 5-10 minutes, do some more swishes, then rinse heavily with salt water, then add to your tank. Bayer, like fluke tabs, will also kill some corals, like cove ployps or green star polyps (but you don't want those anyways). They will also kill inverts, which is why you need to make sure to rinse so well afterwards.

ian09
09/23/2015, 11:24 AM
I mix up a bath solution and throw the corals in there for 3-5 minutes. I will then rinse and look over before potentially dipping again if I see anything in a fresh dip. Rinse again and put in tank.



Corals are looking good! Zoas are much easier to keep, so I'm not surprised that they opened right up. You'll have to be more careful with the wall hammer. That's one of my favorite corals that I wish I had room to keep. One day I'll get a big colony of it...

Enjoy!

I'll try to find the thread on bayer application. It's definitely not something to "just kinda throw together and assume it was fine".

I think if you wanted a real hard and fast rule, it's to add bayer until the water in the vessel you're mixing turns cloudy, then you should do a few swishes with the coral, then let it sit in there for 5-10 minutes, do some more swishes, then rinse heavily with salt water, then add to your tank. Bayer, like fluke tabs, will also kill some corals, like cove ployps or green star polyps (but you don't want those anyways). They will also kill inverts, which is why you need to make sure to rinse so well afterwards.


Thanks for the disclaimer and process. Seems like although bayer is effective it's not something to take lightly. I'll tread carefully once I get it and of course do more research on it. ReefWreak if you find a link I'd appreciate it :)
I'm working for the next couple nights so the tank will have to be on standby. I plan to purchase more test kits. I need a test for Phos, Mg, alk, and calcium. Am I missing anything? Amazon seems to sell them more cheap. Was wondering if I should just go that route. Only thing I really need to figure out is which brand.

ian09
09/23/2015, 11:29 AM
ReefWreak I agree with you about the hammer. I've always been drawn to them and I got this wall hammer for less than you'd expect and it's a pretty good size too. I was so tempted to purchase the two clowns that the hammer hosted because they were altogether such a perfect looking group! I regret not taking pics before I took their hammer away. It's opened up more and seems ok for the time being. I hope my parameters hold. I really want a gold hammer, it's amazing looking, just really expensive. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/23/746b64b75f16c7e5ddc472d0007cb4ac.jpg

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 11:45 AM
always curious to know region pricing. That wall around me would go for around $40-60 depending on head color.

ian09
09/23/2015, 11:49 AM
always curious to know region pricing. That wall around me would go for around $40-60 depending on head color.


Got this guy for $30 but that's considered cheap here for the size. He's about 4-5" long and 2-2.5" wide. The color under the lights especially is a bright fluorescent green. The bam bams about 25 heads or more and I got for $25. Got them at a good deal, at least I think I did.

soulpatch
09/23/2015, 11:51 AM
about what I pay and most people on here are shocked I get things for so cheap so looks like you are also in a good area price wise.

ian09
09/23/2015, 11:54 AM
I'm sure there are lots of great deals to be found depending where you go. Some LFS have some rare pieces but just don't know they have it. Or they don't think it's anything special. I've literally been to LFS that are a couple miles from each other and sell the exact same frag with a difference of $30 if not more. So, it's best to shop around here in LA since there are so many fish stores.

ian09
09/27/2015, 03:58 PM
Just a little update. I've been texting daily with my API master test kit. pH 8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate ranges from 0-10. The short while the tank's been up I've already placed four coral pieces (mostly zoos), a hammer and just recently an acan frag and some more zoos. Also purchased the Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit which I still need getting used to. I figure since my tank has some coral pieces I should at least test for these. Sometime in the next week or so I plan to also purchase a test kit for phosphates. Today I went to lowes and bought a good grade bucket and some supplies to make a cover using BRS clear screen for when I actually get fish. Also grabbed myself two jugs of vinegar so I can clean out my skimmer and reactors and their pumps so I can actually run it on the tank. Here are some pics I just took with my iPhone.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/27/ffb1d42e5de4e6f740ae647b74c8b145.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/27/e38ef9be4b68f0202bd6aa66a1b1e412.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/27/14e9ef3e623dfd0c17f9d50583574d0e.jpg

And my attempt at a video :
https://vimeo.com/140601422

ian09
10/23/2015, 05:56 PM
So I upgraded to a 50g SC aquarium setup and I have to say that I'm really happy with it so far. A few hiccups here and there and still lots to be done but overall I'm very happy with my new setup. All my coral from the 28g cube made it so I'm happy. I ended up having two fish die on me and I returned two and kept my diamond goby and clown goby which are in the new tank as well. The tank has been running now for a little over a week so now I'm just trying to let it mature a bit for now. Thanks to all who have lent their knowledge and experience. Now for pics :)
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/23/e8e2a915ac2d08f880e0719ad19a8ec0.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/23/a85ee5a1bd2422e2276bbec5de684fea.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/23/d296dc45be7b885e142c21097bd1d7a0.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/23/2b06ec70abfd2cd88f9a42168a3158a6.jpg

soulpatch
10/23/2015, 07:36 PM
Very nice. I am actually trying to get ahold of Steve at SC to order my 150 with all wood stand this weekend. Couldnt get him on the phone today so have to retry tomorrow.

Glad to see so many positive reviews for the SC tanks which makes my decision easier.

ian09
10/23/2015, 07:55 PM
Very nice. I am actually trying to get ahold of Steve at SC to order my 150 with all wood stand this weekend. Couldnt get him on the phone today so have to retry tomorrow.

Glad to see so many positive reviews for the SC tanks which makes my decision easier.


What's up soulpatch, I'm subscribed to your thread so I see your updates regarding your build. Glad to hear it may be happening soon. You're lucky you get to go bigger [emoji106]🏼[emoji16] If you can't get a hold of Steve I have the GM's number that you can text and I can pm that to you. I met them at RAP and they're cool funny guys. They sold me my current setup super cheap and it came with the white solid wood stand (didn't have a choice on the stand color unless I get the non wood one). Only recommendation (and it's pretty much the same thing across the sc aquarium owner's thread is to replumb their system. I would suggest that you request for standard bulkhead fittings and schedule 40 pipes before they send you their proprietary plumbing setup which you will find right away that it's not readily available at our local hardware stores. Just my two cents. Other than that I'm really enjoying yew setup and I'm positive you will too [emoji106]🏼

soulpatch
10/23/2015, 08:00 PM
Yeah shoot me the number in PM. Maybe he will give me a bigger discount then Steve is currently giving. LOL

For the plumbing I was already going to ask them for standard bulkheads and since i will be doing bean animal most of their piping will be tossed. I will be using all three holes for the bean animal and thus will need to have the return come up and over the top rear of the tank.