Hi everyone... I thought I would share my 28g Nano Cube HQI build with you. I purchased it from Foster & Smith after Christmas while they were still on sale. I've added a chiller, refugium, MP10, and upgraded the pumps and lighting. The substrate is 20lbs of CaribSea Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Fine Oolite Sand, and about 22lbs of Florida Reef Rock from ReefCleaners. The rock-work was created using several pieces of rock puttied together onto a heavy rock base. The sump area and refugium each have about 2lbs of rock rubble. I hope you enjoy this running log of my efforts and look forward to your comments, both good and bad!
Equipment:
Lighting:
Clean Up Crew:
Livestock:
Macro Algaes:
Measured Water Parameters:
Dosing:
Filter Media:
Change Log:
Here are the current Full Tank shots - I'll get better ones tonight when the lights are on.
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Equipment:
- JBJ Nano Cube 28g HQI
- Aqua Euro 1/13 HP Chiller
- CPR AquaFuge Small
- Acella Pump
- MJ1200 Pump driving Chiller
- MJ600 Pump driving Refugium
- Eheim Jager 125W Heater
- Ecotech MP10es in Reef Crest mode
- Tunze Osmolator ATO
- Lifeguard Time or Temp
Lighting:
- JBJ 150W HQI 14K MH
- CPR Aquatic CPRL1318 18W Full Spectrum Light
Clean Up Crew:
- 26 - Dwarf Ceriths (more like 50)
- 12 - Nassarius
- 11 - Florida Ceriths
- 6 - Large Nerites
- 5 - Small to Medium Nerites
- 3 - Juvenile Blue Leg Hermits (Hitchhikers)
- 2 - Juvenile Red Leg Hermits (Hitchhikers)
Livestock:
- 3 - Blue/Green Reef Chromis - Chromis viridis
- Pom Pom Crab - Lybia edmondsoni
- 2 - Maxi Mini Anemonies
- 13 - Various Zoa and Paly Frags
Macro Algaes:
- Chaeto (Refugium)
- Short Codium (Display)
- Sargassum (Display)
- Ulva (Display and Refugium)
- Red Gracilaria (Refugium)
- Several other unidentifed Macro Algaes [Display]
Measured Water Parameters:
- Temperature: 77.9 F
- Specific Gravity: 1.0255
- pH: 8.3 (API Test Kit)
- Ammonia: 0 ppm (API Test Kit)
- Nitrites: 0 ppm (API Test Kit)
- Nitrates: < 5 ppm (API Test Kit)
- Calcium: 440 ppm (API Test Kit)
- Alkalinty: 9 dKH (API Test Kit)
- Magnesium: 1280 mg/L (Salifert Test Kit)
- Phosphates: 0 mg/L (API Test Kit)
Dosing:
- Brightwell Ferrion Liquid Iron - 15 drops MWF
- Kent Tech-M Magnesium - As needed to maintain 1300 mg/L
- Two Little Fishies C-Balance A&B - As needed to maintain 440 ppm/11 dKH
Filter Media:
- Stock Media Basket
- Filter Floss (Middle Chamber)
Change Log:
- 2011 May 23 - Mr. Coral - Purchased 13 Zoa and Paly Frags and 2 Free Maxi Mini Anemones
- 2011 May 20 - Foster & Smith - Purchased Brightwell Lugol's, Tech-i, Reef Plus for the arriving corals, MJ 400 PRO and Pre-Filter. I need more water movement in the refugium to limit Cyanobacteria growth, but not more flow, so the powerhead will go in the refugium itself.
- 2011 May 20 - Lowered Iron dosing to 15 drops MWF. Still dosing C-Balance 2 to push Alkalinity to 11 dKH.
- 2011 May 15 - Began dosing Kent Tech-M Magnesium to bump up the Magnesium level from 1230 mg/L to 1300 mg/L
- 2011 May 10 - First algae outbreak. It's ALL Ulva! No hair algae, no diatoms, just Ulva - everywhere. I attribute this to the iron dosing of 15 drops every day.
- 2011 May 7 - Began dosing C-Balance 2 to increase Alkalinity, and Brightwell Ferrion Liquid Iron.
- 2011 May 5 - Installed bare-bottom refugium.
- 2011 May 2 - Received 3 Blue/Green Chromis and Pom Pom Crab via Fedex. Great packaging. Animals in perfect condition. Very impressed with LiveAquaria. MH light is on 7/17 schedule and refugium light is on 17/7.
- 2011 April 30 - Received CUC. Good packaging. Everything looked good but one Macro. Not quite as much Chaeto as I was expecting. Tons of snails. Five hitchhiker juvenile red and blue leg hermits.
- 2011 April 29 - Fishless cycle completed. No algae bloom at all. Lights still off.
- 2011 April 29 - LiveAquaria.com - Purchased 3 Blue/Green Chromis and 1 Pom Pom Crab
- 2011 April 28 - Foster & Smith - Purchased C-Balance and Salifert Magnesium Test Kit. Alkalinity was measuring at 6 dKH and I wanted to check the Magnesium level before dosing.
- 2011 April 26 - Sniff Enterprises Ebay Store - Purchased Ecotech MP10
- 2011 April 26 - Craigslist - Bought a lightly used CPR AquaFuge Small.
- 2011 April 22 - ReefCleaners - Purchased a 29g Quick Crew, 5 Macro Algaes and a dry barnicle cluster.
- 2011 April 22 - Ebay - Sold Remora skimmer as my build plans changed.
- 2011 April 14 - Added Dr. Tim's Nitrifying Bacteria - great stuff
- 2011 April 3 - Began fishless cycle using ammonia.
- 2011 April 2 - Did the initial build... stand, tank with updated lighting, chiller. Lights off.
- 2011 March 22 - PetStore.com - Purchase B-Ionic Saltwater System
- 2011 March 8 - ReefCleaners - Purchased 30 lbs of Florida Reef Rock
- 2011 February 16 - Premium Aquatics - Purchased an Aqua Euro 1/13 HP Chiller, JBJ Chiller Installation kit, Nano-mag and locking hose clamps.
- 2011 February 12 - Craigslist - Bought a lightly used Remora skimmer and 2 MJ1200 powerheads.
- 2011 Febrary 5 - Did actinic lighting upgrade to JBJ hood.
- 2011 January 31 - 1000Bulbs.com - Purchased Fulham Workhorse 33 WH33-120-L Ballast for actinic lighting upgrade
- 2011 January 31 - PetMountain.com - Purchased End Cap, Clips and 2 Current USA Sunpaq Dual Actinic 420nm/460nm square pin bulbs for actinic lighting upgrade
- 2011 January 18 - Built the JBJ Stand and Leak Tested the tank
- 2011 January 13 - Foster & Smith - Purchased JBJ Nano Cube HQI and Stand
Here are the current Full Tank shots - I'll get better ones tonight when the lights are on.
Front
Right
Left
