Coop's JBJ 28 LED build

[coopj]

Bluetang,

Things seem to have changed a bit since my last tank (90 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump) back in 2007 - 2008. The Reefkeeper Lite (RKL) is a controller by Digital Aquatics. They make some really neat stuff. I have 8 outlets that can be controlled by timers or sensors (only temperature right now). That is the stand that is made for it (MTS 60 I believe). It's not so bad. Not really a nice piece of furniture, but gets the job done. I will post some pics of my back chamber. I have taken the advice of many people on this forum to come up with what I believe is a very good solution. Remember that I am keeping things very contained within this tank and stand (I have very curious one year old twin boys). So I didn't want any HOB skimmers or Fuges. Tunze fits well in middle chamber - I did break part of the plastic when removing the magnet, but repaired with silicon and plastic. I am pleased to report it is doing well. Sponges and fans were all sent with my "package" from TBS. Richard does a great job!

 

[ange062]

That TBS stuff looks sweet! Hopefully at least some of it will survive.

 

[sedorusc]

I had the same issue with my dawn/dusk lights, but then they started working again without any problem.

 

[yoggi58]

What happened with your Dawn/Dusk leds? I have the same problem, they just stoped working. Now JBJ is being a pita to work with. And to top it off I can find my receipt. Hopefuly they fix this. I wonder if this is a common problem with these units.

 

[coopj]

JBJ Customer Service

JBJ Customer Service

THey sent me new Dawn/Dusk lights for no charge. The funny part was, I never received any correspondence that they were sending them. They just showed up this weekend. I took off the light cover and replaced the dawn/dusk lights. It was pretty easy, but the lights seemed to dim a bit as I put the last screws in the cover. This was a bit odd. Not nearly as odd as what happened next.

I was leaving for work this morning, when I noticed some water on the floor. Too much to be anything good. I looked the tank over, and noticed a large crack in the glass towards the bottom of the tank! I have corresponded with JBJ and sent them photos. I believe they will be sending me a new tank, but right now my rocks, water and some inverts are in a rubbermaid trash can, and my sand and a few crabs/snails are still at the bottom of the tank. I am not sure how long they will last. I called and spoke to the woman who helped me with the lights. She said I could pay the difference to expedite the shipping, and I said I would. Obviously, I am a bit upset. I will let everyone know what happens. Here are some pics.

 

[ange062]

Bummer about the tank, I hope you get everything sorted quickly and am sure you will have much better luck going forward.

 

[coopj]

New Tank on the way

New Tank on the way

I received the tracking information on the new tank that JBJ is sending to me. That is the good news. The bad news is that it will not be here til Tuesday of next week. I have my live rock, water and some inverts in a rubbermaid trash can with a pretty strong pump running. I think they will be OK. I have the sand and about 2" of water still in the tank. There are also some inverts in there. I pour a little bit of water into the sand every day in an attempt to keep the organisms alive.

Any advice on how to keep this going until Tuesday?

 

[ange062]

I received the tracking information on the new tank that JBJ is sending to me. That is the good news. The bad news is that it will not be here til Tuesday of next week. I have my live rock, water and some inverts in a rubbermaid trash can with a pretty strong pump running. I think they will be OK. I have the sand and about 2" of water still in the tank. There are also some inverts in there. I pour a little bit of water into the sand every day in an attempt to keep the organisms alive.

Any advice on how to keep this going until Tuesday?

The stuff in the trash can should be fine with a powerhead in there keeping the waterflow and surface agitation going. I'd honestly recommend setting up something similar in a 5gal bucket and transferring out all the sand and remaining livestock in the tank and then you should be fine until Tuesday.

 

[SlvrSurfRidr]

What Ange said, wouldn't hurt to make sure to have a heater!

 

[coopj]

Got the sand in a bucket with another powerhead. It is doing pretty good. The trash can with the rocks got a little warm. I put another powerhead in there and changed out half the water. I will start this over again on Tuesday. Thanks for the advice.

 

[adamk22]

I'M BACK BABY!! (Not that any of you know or missed me). I'm just excited to be back in the game. I haven't had a tank since I moved and broke down my old 90 gal in 2004. I live in a Co-op, so I never even though it was possible to have a tank. Then, because I enjoyed and missed it so much, I began thinking Nano. A few weeks later that Show "œTanked" came out on Discovery and the next day I began my research.

I'm working on a very similar JBJ 29 LED setup right now.

Coop, that tank crack sucks "“ I feel your pain.
I also broke the Tunze 9002 when I removed the magnet. I sanded off the glue and patched it up with Weldon 16 and a thin piece of plexi.

Here is my setup:
JBJ LED 28G Nano Cube LED Advanced and stand
Return pumps alternating at 45 seconds
EcoTech Vortech MP10 "“ reef crest/lagoon/nigh mode.
Tunze 9002 skimmer with this collection cup.
Eheim Jager TruTemp 75 Watt
ReefKeeper Elite with (3) PC-4s, SL1 and NET modules. I will likely add the SL2 for the salinity probe if they ever get them back on the market.
(2) Dosing Pumps for two-part (1.1 mL Per Minute)
(1) ATO Dosing Pump (same pump as above except it's 50 mL Per Minute).

Amazing dosers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-kt513NoII

Inside the stand:
On the top shelf I have all three doser pumps and the 2-part B-Ionic. The RO top off water will be in a 2Gal bucket with lid on the bottom shelf/floor of the stand.

FYI, this dosing pump tube holder is also amazing.

On the inside of the door, I mounted the Reefkeeper head unit and the Vortech Controller.

Outside the stand (this is my favorite part):
I positioned the stand next to a dresser, cut a hole in the back and dedicated the top drawer for all power strips, and reefkeeper modules - NO mess of wires! Actually, it is a mess, but a mess that no one can see.

My biggest problem right now is heat. How many degrees can a fan possibly bring the temp down? I don't really have room for a pump big enough to run a chiller, which means that I may have to add a sump "“ I REALLY don't want to have to do that. Generally, I don't keep my A/C on when nobody is home, but right now I'm at 81 degrees and it's October (in NY). Thinking forward to next Summer, this will definitely be an issue. I'd really like to keep the tank at 77 - 79, I mean literally inside this range at all times. I don't see how this would be possible without a chiller. Any cooling suggestions?

I am running out of room in the back of the tank. Over the left main return is the doser tube holder; then pH & Temp probes; then the Skimmer; then the heater; finally, the right return.

Where do you all keep you water level? Are you using ATO? I think I'm going to try to squeeze a dual float switch high/low in the right main return area to be used in conjunction with the ATO Doser pump and reefkeeper.

Right now, I'm going for the world record for the longest leak test because I have serious plumbing issues getting the RO/DI hooked up "“ long story "“ need a plumber and more time in the day. I assume that explains why the water is still cloudy after a full week "“ no sense in wasting carbon on tap water.

My long leak test has allowed me to fine tune several things with the Reefkeeper.

I attached a few pics from day 1 of the nano, and an old pic of my 90. I'll post more when I get my water supply issues resolved.

-Adam

 

[coopj]

Adam,
Glad ypu have your tank up and running! I like your set up. As I learn more about the Reefkeeper system, I want more and more devices. I will need to get more info from you before I set up my ATO. Right now I am anxiously awaiting my new tank from JBJ. It should arrive tomorrow. I will then put my rock and sand back in and cycle the tank again. Oh well, it could be worse. I look forward to hearing about your tank.

Coop

 

[adamk22]

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing your tank's progress as well. This is my first reefkeeper, and I've been playing with it for a little over a week. A few things I'm loving about the reefkeeper are alerts and remote access. If, for example, my temp exceeds 80 degrees I get an email alert on my phone. I also have the ability with the NET module to make changes to the settings via a web browser from anywhere in the world, look at historical graphs, turn devices on and off, and setup new devices without having to use the MyReef 2.0 software and plug in that relatively short USB cable. The web interface is not as robust as the MyReef software, but it gets the job done. And it's nice to be able to check in on your tank's parameters from afar.
If you haven't seen the youtube reviews, they will provide you with some ideas. Just search for 'ReefKeeper Lite Review'. The product has some amazing capabilities. You can almost say that it's limitations are a function of your imagination.
If you have any questions let me know.

 

[adamk22]

Here is a pic of the web interface. I haven't put the pH probe in yet because I don't want to have to recalibrate it after I actually get saltwater in the tank. I haven't even ordered rock and sand yet. I have to wait until I sort out the RO/DI problem.

 

[yoggi58]

Adam that's a great start to your set up, congrats on coming back. But you just hijacked Coops build thread while his tanks down. You should start your build thread.

Coop did they ship the tank jet? I still have not heard back about them replacing my LEDs. Not even an email:angryfire:. I hope your having better luck than I am.

 

[adamk22]

Point taken. Sorry about that. Just excited.

 

[coopj]

Update on build

Update on build

OK, so here is the latest. I received the replacement tank from JBJ, and of course, it was broken. I understand this is not JBJs fault, but I have had enough. I spoke with the guys at Marine and Reef, and they were understanding. They agreed that they would refund my money if I sent them the tank and associated equipment back at my cost. I packed everything up and sent it to them! It was just under $90, but I have had enough of this tank. My live sand and some of the clean up crew in that bucket are still OK, but the live rock and invertebrates in that trash can had a very high ammonia spike, which led to much die off. So much for my awesome stuff from TBS. Anyway, I have LR, LS and a couple of snails in a new trash can and the ammonia level seems to be under control ( <1 ppm).

This was a tough break, but I will set up a new tank soon - need to do some research.
:angryfire:

 

[adamk22]

So sorry to hear that. Really tough break. Hang in there and come back soon.

 

[Jfoster33702]

My worst nightmare. Hope it all works out.

 

[IndexKey]

I'm so sorry to hear you had to deal with that twice :-/ are you still going with a JBJ, or are you gonna purchase a different aquarium?

John