[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by stephaniesquires

Wow, that was great!! Thanks for taking the time to document your set up and experience, especially with a new baby in the house. Great lesson for anyone setting up a tank.. Keep posting pictures can't wait to see how it grows!

Stephaniesguires, thank you for the compliments. I will continue to document and submit photographs onto this thread. I actually have some items to post later on this evening.

[Jasonanatal]

Moonlight: Watching the Sea Come to Life at Night.

The JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium come with 4 1 watt Blue LED Moonlights built into the hood of the Aquarium. It emits a beautiful blue glow that is not intense enough to light up the room, but bright enough to allow night viewing within the Aquarium.



Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Four 1 watt Blue LED Moonlights installed into the Hood of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.

[Jasonanatal]

Ultraviolet Sterilization: Safer than Ozone, Better for Fish and Corals.

After much thinking I have decided to install an my Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer. In my pesonal opinion I feel that it is safer then Ozone dosing and will provide a safer parasite free Aquarium environment for my Livestock and Corals with the benefit of destroying free floating Algae. The Aqua Ultratviolet 25 watt Sterilizer can handle Marine Aquariums with a total water volume of 125 gallons and features a safety window that allows you to see that the unit is currently on while still protecting you from Ultraviolet Radiation. The Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer has been plumbed directly into the rear center chamber of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium and powered by a Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 1200 Powerheadrated at 295 gph. The unit has been mounted vertically and secured on the floor in order to ensure that air bubbles if pushed into the Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer are able to escape the unit.

Personal Observation: I have installed the Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with some reluctance of the unit actually being to power for the total water quality. On one side of my debate you have a poweful Ultraviolet Sterilizer that will operate efficiently and eliminate any Parasite & Free Floating Algea with ease. On the other end of the spectrum you have a Ultraviolet Sterilizer that is too powerful for the setup and is not only eliminating Parasites and Free Floating Algae but beneficial Bacteria as well which could adversly effect the Aquarium Environment in some aspect. Well I guess experience will be my teacher and if any adverse effects are being observed then the unit can be easily removed from the system.



Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer measuring 22.5 inches in Height and 4.5 inches in Diameter.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer Ballast. Nicest looking Ballast I have seen.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 1200 Power Head rated at 295 gph. This particular type and manufacturer of Power Heads have been the most reliable I have ever used in my Aquariums.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer safety window. This feature allows you to observe the light in operation while protecting you from harmful ultraviolet light so that you know the unit is operational.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer plumbed into my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium with 0.25 inch Flex Tubing.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer safety window being obeserved at night.

[Jasonanatal]

Ultraviolet Sterilization: Safer than Ozone, Better for Fish and Corals Continued...



Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer plumbed into my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium with 0.25 inch Flex Tubing.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium Diagram displaying the current equipment setup and water flow patterns.

[thelastmucci]

Hey Jason I love the way your documenting everything and I really appreciate you sharing with the rest of us. I'm planning on setting up a nano too so this helps allot. Don't think I'm going to have a sump because...well becuase I have a cat and cats like to play with things hehe. But the tank I want comes with a fuge so I'll have some play with it. It also comes with a UV sterilzer and I have the exact same feelings about them as you. One suggestion....why not set up the UV after about a month or so so that way you have a chance for the beneficial bacteria to build up but even if you do get some algae you should be good once you turn the sucker on. BTW do you have a QT....I'm just curious as I like your setup allot and will probably try ti mirror it to the best of my ability.

[clown shrimp]

very very nice! how long has the tank been set up?

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by clown shrimp

very very nice! how long has the tank been set up?

Clown Shrimp, the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium has been setup since Thursday October 22, 2007. So around 3 weeks.

[226-fan]

I am in the process of setting up my JBJ 28 HQI. I really like your thread. I have a question about your setup:
Does the loop with your cooler return into a chamber or through one of the built in returns?
If it is not through a return where did you put the powerhead to feed the chiller?

I am trying to figure out where to put a pump for my chiller and the return.

I also thought about using a canister filter as a pump through my chiller and using the canister for chemical filtration. If you have any opinions on that idea I am interested.

Thanks,
Tom

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by 226-fan

I am in the process of setting up my JBJ 28 HQI. I really like your thread. I have a question about your setup:
Does the loop with your cooler return into a chamber or through one of the built in returns?
If it is not through a return where did you put the powerhead to feed the chiller?

I am trying to figure out where to put a pump for my chiller and the return.

I also thought about using a canister filter as a pump through my chiller and using the canister for chemical filtration. If you have any opinions on that idea I am interested.

Thanks,
Tom

226-fan, thank you very much for the compliments. The chiller is actually not plumbed into either one of the two return pumps. The powerhead that is cycling the water from the aquarium to the chiller is a Maxi-Jet 1200 which has been placed within the far left chamber in the rear of the Aquarium and returned into the far right chamber in the rear of the Aquarium. Also I have thought about integrating a Canister Filter as well but more for detritus removal since I have Fluidized Bed Filters Running Activated Carbon but your idea work as well. Just remember that Canister Filters have a bad rap for being Nitrate Factories and eventually polluting the water quality within Aquariums. I personally believe that deligent maintenance weekly or bi-weekly cleaning on a Canister Filter should be enough to prevent this from happening.

[226-fan]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have heard the bad rap for canister filters but figure with regular cleaning they would be fine. For now I will probably do something similair to what you are doing for the chiller.

How is the flow since the powerhead has to get the water back up to the tank after going through the chiller and reactor?

[Rainman69]

Great thread man. That's good documentation. Tank looks pretty good too.

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by 226-fan

Thanks for the quick reply. I have heard the bad rap for canister filters but figure with regular cleaning they would be fine. For now I will probably do something similair to what you are doing for the chiller.

How is the flow since the powerhead has to get the water back up to the tank after going through the chiller and reactor?

226-fan, unfortunately the flow is not as great for Carbon media within the chamber since they are heavy pellets and too much distance from the inlet tubing to the outlet tubing exist. I ordered more tubing and another pump to redo the setup slightly but it has not arrived yet.

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by Rainman69

Great thread man. That's good documentation. Tank looks pretty good too.

Rainman69, thank you for the compliments. They are very much appreciated.

[Jasonanatal]

Our Habitual Duty, the Good Old Fashion Water Change.

During a normal day on the forum we Reef Aquarist can be onslaughted with different debates concerning what duration Photo-period is mody beneficial for our Corals or what Salt Manufacturer to use for your Salt Mixes and what level your Salinity should be at, etc. But in a world where I do it this way and it works and you do it the opposite and it works one thing we can all agree on. Their are no substitutions for water changes! Whether your Aquarium has been established for 1 month and you do weekly water changes or your aquarium has been estblished for years and you have your routine of doing water changes every 2 months it al narrows done to this one little fact. Water changes eventually have to be done and in an Nano Aquarium such as mine. Water changes are the deciding factor if all the money that I spent provides a beautiful habitat that my little one can thrive in or if I just wasted thousands of dollars for the world's most expensive headache.

My JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium receives weekly water changes every Saturday (Water changes used to take place on Sunday but my work schedule changed). But I can't just mix up a bucket of Saltwater and throw it right in. Due to the small volume in the system (28 gallons minus the space taken by the Live Rock, Live Sand, some of which I managed to recapture which the use of the chambers in my Aqua Ultraviolter 25 watt Sterilizer and Precision Marine Fluidized Bed Reactor) I have to properly prepare my Saltwater and get as closely to the temperature, salinity and pH in an attempt to minimize as much stress as possible for the inhabitants. I do so by incorporating a few devices listed below:

-Two 5 gallon Buckets. One bucket to mix my Saltwater in and one bucket to syphon just the right amount of water out of my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium when performing my water changes.
-One 200 watt Marineland Stealth Visi-Therm Heater. Great for quickly raising the temperature of 5 gallons of water to 76.00 Degrees Fahrenheit which is were I prefer to keep my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium water temperature at.
-One Pondmaster Mag 7 water pump. Placed with the bucket and plenty of power to spare when mixing the Salt into the RO/DI Freshwater. Definitely beats mixing Saltwater by hand.
-One Coralife thermometer. Allows me to monitor the temperature of the water so I know when it matches my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.
-An RO/DI Filtration System. An absolute must in my book when keeping a Marine Aquarium.
-A TDS Meter. A Measurement device used to ensure that Total Dissolved Solvement or TDS is as close to 000 PPM as possible.
-Salt Mix. I personally used Instant Ocean since I started in the hobby but just this past week I switched to Kent Marine. I'm interested to see if their clams stand up.
Personal Observation: I the past few weeks of conducting my water changes I have noticed that there is no place to actually remove water from that will not alter the water level within the Main Display of the 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium and should I choose to remove water from the Rear Chambers I would have to power off the entire Aquarium as to prevent the Pumps and Equipment from running dry and possibley damaging them.



Photograph - My generic 75 gpd. RO/DI Filtration System. This monopolizes my bathroom and causes my wife to yell at my while I'm Filtering Tap Water.


Photograph - Aquatec CDP 8800 Water Presure Booster. Most of us don't have the required water pressure within our home to operate an RO/DI unit without one of these. This one increases water pressure from 40 PSI to 120 PSI (water pressure is required to push water through the RO Membrane).



Photograph - Hannah Instruments TDS Meter. I use this each time I Filter a bucket of RO/DI water to ensure that I am getting the purest water possible and to red flag when either the Deionization Resin, Carbon Block, Sediment Block or Reverse Osmosis Membrane require replacing (when the TDS reading rises above 000 PPM that is a red flag).



Photograph - Color Changing Deionization Resin. This is on of the first items I look to replace when my TDS reading is not 000 PPM. The color changes from Black to Brown indicating that the lifespan of the chemical has been reached.

[Jasonanatal]

Our Habitual Duty, the Good Old Fashion Water Change Continued.....


Photograph - Kent Marine Salt Mix. I just switched to this Salt Mix since Kent Marine is making some pretty strong statements concerning quality we will see how it holds up.



Photograph - The final process of my water change. My trusty 5 gallon bucket, Pondmaster Mag 7 Water Pump for mixing, Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Heater and a Coralife Thermometer for knowing when my bucket of water's temperature is the same as the Aquarium's

[Jasonanatal]

Video of My JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.

Hello everyone, this is my first video of my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium **** Saturday, November 01, 2007. It nothing great but I'm sure I will be putting something together in the weeks to come. Enjoy!

[jimw369]

Hey Jason! Good thread you have going on your build!

I hate to burst your bubble but a lot of people do not do water changes. Yep, maybe one every 2-3-4-months. Some cases years. Some of these are awesome tanks. They just monitor params and dose accordingly. Not here to argue about water changes as I do them on a regular basis. Just thought I would point out not all aquarists agree here either. LOL

[plecosword]

did you use google sketch up? I tried it and it was hard!

[stephaniesquires]

Jason, excellent posts, I think these threads are really great for both newbies and for those who have been around awhile, lets us see what others are doing...

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by jimw369

Hey Jason! Good thread you have going on your build!

I hate to burst your bubble but a lot of people do not do water changes. Yep, maybe one every 2-3-4-months. Some cases years. Some of these are awesome tanks. They just monitor params and dose accordingly. Not here to argue about water changes as I do them on a regular basis. Just thought I would point out not all aquarists agree here either. LOL

Jimw369, thank you for the compliments on my Aquarium. As for not doing water changes my personal opinion is . But at least we can agree that 2 reefers can agree on what the 3rd is doing wrong no? LOL

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by plecosword

did you use google sketch up? I tried it and it was hard!

Plecosword, yes I'm using Google Sketch Up to render my 3D schematics. It appears tricky at first but if you take the time to play around with the application it actually is fairly easy to use. I am to confess that I uninstalled the application once before giving it a chance.

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by stephaniesquires

Jason, excellent posts, I think these threads are really great for both newbies and for those who have been around awhile, lets us see what others are doing...

Stephaniesquires, thank you for the compliments on my Aquarium. I think its great to see what other people in the hobby are doing and documenting it definitely will allow people new to the hobby to understand concepts of Reefkeeping much easier.

[Jasonanatal]

Thread Rating Request.

Could everyone take some time to Rate this Thread located in the upper right hand corner. It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.