Coop's JBJ 28 LED build

[coopj]

Hello RC, I have learned a great deal by reading what others have done. I wanted to include my build thread to add to this great resource. This is the fourth reef tank I have set up (started in 2000). The others have all been 90 gallon tanks with a sump. I couldn't believe it when I asked my wife if I could set up a small tank, and she said YES!

After much research I decided to get a JBJ Nano 28 LED. I got the LED because I did not want a chiller (I had one go bad which led to a crash). I also want to have SPS. I believe this is possible with this tank.

Another important aspect for me is to have a streamlined tank with very few power cords. I set up a Reefkeeper Lite inside the stand and pre drilled holes to mount a second PC 4 in the future.

 

[schmnr]

I didnt have a lot of luck with sps in this tank, but hopefully you'll have better results. The par drops off fairly quickly, so keep sps high in the tank.

 

[Than23]

Coop, Thanks for the post.

I am in the same boat. Going from an Oceanic 30G cube to JBJ 28LED. Currently recuring my LR as I broke everything down when I moved a year ago.

I am also trying to streamline everything as well because before I had everything HOB of tank and I need it to be more streamlined. I'm not as concerned with SPS as much, so this fit me.

Please keep me posted as to other updates to your setup. I've been reading a lot of posts about a lot of setups lately, but your target setup is the closest to mine!

 

[coopj]

Thanks for the feedback. I am trying to post these pics on photobucket. I am going out of town this weekend, so I will wait til next week to fill the tank with water, sand and rock. How about that for being patient.

http://s1141.photobucket.com/albums/n581/cooperjobe/

 

[coopj]

Just got shipment #1 from TB Saltwater. Richard is a pleasure to work with. I emailed him yesterday morning, placed the order, and picked up my sand and rocks at 4:30 PM the same day! I will post some pics when I get home tonight.

 

[coopj]

Shipment from Tampa Bay Saltwater

Shipment from Tampa Bay Saltwater

Got live sand and live rocks from TBS. Great stuff. After reading a few posts, I thought 28# of sand and 56# of live rock would be too much. I ordered 20# of sand and 40# of rock. After receiving the sand and half the rock, I think I should have stuck with Richards recommendation of 1# of sand and 2# of rock per gallon. I was basing this on the fact that there is only 23 gallons in main part of the tank.
Anyway, the rock looks fantastic. Here are some pics.

As you can see there are a lot of power cords in my stand. The idea is to only have one cord coming out of the tank. It works well, but is a tight squeeze with RKL, two PC 4's and a power strip.

Water temp went up to 82 degrees. Not sure why, I have turned the heater off - I might have had it set wrong.

 

[Than23]

Looking nice.

Is that the JBJ ATO in the last photo? If so, where do you plan on keeping the top off water? On the bottom shelf?

If not, can you move one PC down to the bottom? I see you tagged most of the cords which is a good idea.

Going with your minimalistic approach, what all do you have plugged in so far?

What are your thoughts on first purchases?

BTW... I just ordered mine and it should be arriving in a day or two! Cant wait.

 

[ange062]

Looks like a good start!

One word of caution, be really careful with all the cords in the stand and make sure that you are using drip loops.

 

[coopj]

I have drip lines on all the cords. The RKL comes in very handy. I should have bought the RKL Plus - as I have bought a PC-4 and will need an SL-1 and PH probe. I do not have an ATO, but will add one when I get the SL-1.

Here is 20# of sand and 20# of rock from TBS. The rock is awesome! It is dense, though. I think I need more than 40# total.

 

[john miller]

I think the 40# of rock will be perfect. I'm not a fan of cramming any tank full. What are your stocking plans?

 

[coopj]

Still not sure about more rock. My stocking plans are mainly SPS and some other corals. I will have 3 or so fish - clown, goby and dwarf angel of some sort.

 

[coopj]

Temp still between 80-82. House temp is 78 (still using some A/C in Atlanta)

To answer an earlier question (What do I have plugged in?)
Into PC-4's
Stock pumps/wavemaker
Tunze 9002
Heater (Jaeger 125 watt)
LED Daylight
LED Dusk/Dawn
LED Moonlight
LED Fuge light

Into Power strip
2 PC-4's
MP-10 ES

I have 20# live sand and 20# live rock from TBS in the tank now. Will get another 20# live rock and clean up crew next week. So far ammonia has been between .5 - 1.0 for the past two days. I did a small (3.5 gallon) water change yesterday morning. I am not planning on changing water unless Ammonia gets to 1.0 again.

 

[coopj]

Cooling the tank

Cooling the tank

Water is looking good on day 6. Ammonia = 0, Nitrite = 0, Nitrate is between 10 - 20 ppm. Probably do a water change before I get shipment # 2 from TBS. Like everyone says, "there rock is amazing." Everyday I see something new.

Question about cooling my JBJ nano 28 LED

My temp stays around 81-82 degrees. I am considering adding another fan to cool my tank 2 degrees. Does anyone have any good ideas or experience with this? I could add a small fan on the back to blow on the sump/fuge area. I could add one or two small fans in the hood to blow directly on the tank. I think having a fan hooked up to my RKL would just be another way to really keep my temp constant.

 

[sedorusc]

You can set the fan just like you would a chiller on the rkl. I had one set up that would only turn on if the water temp got above 80. You can see if you can find some clip on fans that you can adjust the angle. That should work well in the back.

 

[coopj]

I have seen the clip ons and I agree they would work well with the RKL. I am trying to keep the "streamlined" look. I only have one cord coming out of the stand. Of course, I have quite a few cords going into the stand from the top, but everything is "wound" inside the stand. I was wondering if the Zoo Med cooling fan would work on the back of this tank?

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22683

 

[coopj]

Shipment 2 from Tampa Bay Saltwater

Shipment 2 from Tampa Bay Saltwater

Got shipment 2 from TBS on Monday. This live rock is awesome. So many colorful sponges as well. I'll post some pics.

I really like the Reefkeeper Lite. It makes turning off pumps and skimmer for my water changes so easy. I am going to upgrade to a SL1 and a PH probe, as well as an ATO. I should have gone with the RKL level 2. I am almost there already for a higher cost.

I have the back of my tank set up:

Chamber 1 & 5: stock pumps alternating every 1 minute.
Chamber 2 : Jager 125 W Heater
Chamber 3: Tunze 9002
Chamber 4: DIY Cheato holder w/ JBJ LED Fuge light

My temp is staying 81-82, so I ordered a zoo med cooling fan (more of a blower actually).

Anyway, the tank is looking good. I have a small algae bloom - let's see if my CUC can handle it.

 

[coopj]

Photos

Photos

Here are some pics

 

[md ca]

It looks great! My son has the same tank, we got carried away and added an overflow and a sump. I have a fan aimed at the sump when the temp goes up.

He has a beautiful stylopora, a pocillapora, hawkins and another acropora that are all thriving under the LED lights.

 

[coopj]

md ca, glad to hear that your son has some sps doing well. That is my plan. These tanks provide so many options for mods. I really like it so far. I had an issue with my dawn/dusk lights (quit working). I am waiting to hear back from JBJ about replacing them.

What fish do you have in there? I am thinking of 3 or so fish, not sure what though.

 

[Bluetangclan]

Following your thread closely Coop. Thinking about easing back into SW and doing a small tank and more and more. The JBJ28 LED is looking like the way I want to go. Either things have changed a bit in the few years since I have had reefs or the tech for nano tanks different from bigger tanks(I usually go fairly bare boned with a skimmer and heater in a sump as a base). Guessing the RKL is a controller of some sort? The JB complete setup, is that the included stand( brief look on the site and I didnt see it)? All the chambers come with it? Is it possible to get a pic of the chamber section(not sure how they are positioned on the tank)? How does the Tunze fit and have you had any issues with it or noise? Looking good so far. Are the red sponges in the back what you were talking about from TBS?