JBJ 28 Gallon Nano Owners Club

Im using the Geissman 20K bulb and two attenics (from nanotuners) - Currently my birdsnest is on the bottom of the tank, but its not pink any more its kinda white... Could be stress from getting it from the LFS? I cant imageing its too much light...

I'm dosing Potassium and Amino as well.
 
Birdnests need quite a bit of light ... get it in the top 6"-12" inches of the water ideally (or as high as possible). It should brighten up pretty quick. Check your MG levels too - those directly effect your CA and ALK, without sustained levels you won't get the colors you deserve
 
SlvrSurfRidr

Ca is 450 to 470
Alk is holdin 9.6 to 9.9
Mg is 1450 - 1475

Im doing weekly 5gal water changes which is also helping maintain these levels. Plus I'm dosing Kalkwaiser, Seachem Builder, and Advantage Calcium.

I manually add Mag and Strontium 2x a week but might put those on dosing pump since Ive got one left.
 
Hello everyone, I hope I can join the club. I have the nano cube quad version, not the HQI, as I was not willing to deal with the heat issue I have heard about. I finally have a few pics to share...

The first is the emergency tub set up I had to use as my old 20gal began to leak at the bottom corner. I noticed some salt creep and had to go into damage control!

The next are the cube front and side view, and a view of the quad light. Any comments are appreciated.

Rubbermaid1.jpg


FTfront.jpg


FTside2.jpg


Cubetopandlight.jpg
 
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Going well there. Like your rockwork. Only I would be scared of it all tumbling down! :thumbsup:
 
SlvrSurfRidr (and others please)

I recently tried my luck with another SPS (blue tort). Its a small frag of about 3" high. Got it home and aclimated it slowly (little over an hour) then placed it mid tank for a couple days the higher up (apx 8" from surface).

After about a week the polyps stopped coming out (they had been fully extended). They would shoot out about 1/2 or 1/4 normal size and withdraw... Then nothing.

This evening I got home and found the bottom 1/4 of the frag is now white... No its not bleaching because I can see the skin flapping in the flow... Its been about 1.5 weeks since I got this coral.

Please helpf folks.... I'm starting to think the only thing these tanks are good for is raising clowns and anenome (and a few recordia).

Tank params are solid:
Ca is 450 to 470
Alk is holdin 9.6 to 9.9
Mg is 1450 - 1475
Temp 78
SG 1.0255 to 1.026
pH 8.2 - 8.3
 
Balloonpilot: You cant just say that these tanks are only good for clowns etc...that sounds you are giving up and not really identified/resolved the actual reason for such corals failing in your setup.

At the end of the day these tanks are made of glass and other bits. No differant to any other tank out there. Glass is glass. The halide bulb is very powerful for a nano tank. You can change out the bulb and match the spectrum of any other tank (eg use a Phoenix 14K - good reviews). You can upgrade the pumps for extra flow or even go with a Vortech MP10 etc. The only issue I have with this tank is the skimmer.

However, even though I was very critical of this skimmer myself, now that it has run in, it is producing a very dry foam AND I only have 2KG of liverock and two hermits in there! I hate the skimmer due to practical issues, not performance. Its performance is ok for what it is and how it is built to work.

I think the issue is either with your water or rocks or even some other unknown foreign item in the tank or even something you are dosing . Something is causing issue with certain corals. I cant really blame the equipment

I actually grew SPS corals (alongwith softies and LPS) under NO T8 tubes many years ago in my 24G Long. This tank was over 15 years old and had seen too many freshwater copper and every other freshwater medicine/treatment. Some of those corals started as frags and grew larger and even turned very nice colours from beng brown. Though I grew placed them about 5-6 inches below the water and the tubes were 1inch above water. I also had a Red Sea Prizm skimmer (crap) and had play sand. I simpply dosed with C-balance (two part). This tank also won Nano tank of the month when Nano reef dot com first started. It wasnt great by todays standard, but it worked and it looked nice.

If it can work in such a tank as above, then SPS corals must be able to grow in these tanks which are so much more advanced.

You might want to post a thread in the SPS speciality forum. Those guys there might be able to help out.

I would run a high quality carbon for a few weeks and make sure all your parameters are spot on. I would also make sure that no soft coral are nearby in the tank that can attack with long sweeper tentacles. Also make sure that you there is no soft coral sitting between a pump or outlet and the coral that is failing. A pump can easily blow toxic chemicals off a soft coral and wack it onto the SPS causing damage.

There are simply too many variables. I suggest you post a thread in the SPS forum (including a clear full tank photo) and submit full details of your setup as well as your maintenance procedure. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this. PM me or pos a link here for me and I will take a look if you decide to do this. :)
 
MH Replacement Bulb?

MH Replacement Bulb?

Well, it's time to replace my metal halide bulb. I currently am running the stock 14K MH bulb with the Nanotuners 36 watt actinic upgrade. What MH bulb would you recommend, where to buy it and why? I have a mixed reef with soft, lps and sps corals. If I switch to a 20K bulb will it slow down coral growth?
 
I read that the 20K radium looks very nice though growth slows down. I bought a 14K Phoenix. Its a blue colour but not too blue on my magnetic ballast. Growth is very good on the Phoenix 14K.
 
Re: MH Replacement Bulb?

Re: MH Replacement Bulb?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15715391#post15715391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thegrun
Well, it's time to replace my metal halide bulb. I currently am running the stock 14K MH bulb with the Nanotuners 36 watt actinic upgrade. What MH bulb would you recommend, where to buy it and why? I have a mixed reef with soft, lps and sps corals. If I switch to a 20K bulb will it slow down coral growth?
For lights: HelloLights.com
 
sahin -

Dont take me wrong, I think these tanks are great - but yes I'm frusturated!

I've replaced stock motors with Maxijet 1200 to get more cycleing of the water.

I've replaced replaced stock skimmer w/ Saphire

I've added a Koralia 1 to shoot across the rear wall and have 4 Koralia Nano's in the display itself.

I've got a chiller, refugium, phosban and charcol filter/reactor.

i do weekly 5 gal changes.

Ive added the nanotuners compact bulbs and replaced the stock light with Geishman 20K.

I check my water 2x a week.

All water params are, as previously noted, well within specs (ie when some folks say their Alk is stable because its between 8 and 10, mine is solid between 9.6 and 9.9

I've been able to keep softies (recodia and zooanthids). My anenomea has split, so has teh recordia.

But when it comes to keeping SPS - They die less than weeks.

So I'm really confused
 
Ballonpillot: Please post a full tank shot. I'd like to see how the rocks and corals are placed in your tank.

If you replaced most of the basic equipment and then carry over the rocks/corals/new (ie non stock) equipment to a new glass box, other than the glass, how can it possibly be tank at fault? Do you sort of understand what I am trying to say? It cannot be the tank and you have replaced a lot of the equipment anyway. You might want to replace the stock lighting if it is approaching 1 year.

Other than literally changing the glass container, what else can it be? I bet my money on either; water, rocks, sand or something living in the tank that is causing the SPS corals to die off.

I do recall you saying you dont know how to post photos so go to photobucket and sign up, upload a photo of your tank then link it here.

Also, perhaps you ought to try get your SPP frag frm a differant source.
 
Has anybody drilled their nano cube?.....do you have any pictures you can post, I want to see if it is possible to drill mine and connect it to a sump.....or in the other hand has anybody connected a sump to theirs jbj without drilling....please let me know.

Thanks a lot.
 
sahin -

Yes I understand what your saying. Tank is faily new. Initially setup in March '09 but didnt understand chemistry (chasing pH caused Alk issues, etc.) Tank has been stable for apx 2 months now.

All bulbs are 2months old.

Off hand - what could be living in the tank that doesnt kill off other corals but doent like SPS?

I'm starting to really 'consider the source' - of the SPSs
 
ctniners: I do recall some UK reefers on ultimatereef dot com drilled thier nano cube. Though I am not sure if it was a 28G or 24G. I also recall maybe a thread on nano-reef dot com - I definately remember someone asking how to remove the false wall etc, so definately feasible...I'll try and do a search tomorrow for you, hopefully I will remember...

Alternatively you can try this:

IN google type:

JBJ 28G Nanocube sump/drill site:reefcentral.com

All the search words are the words before the word site, then google searches the site you write after the word site.

Hope that helps. If you do find it, please place a link here for anyone else to use in the future. Thanks.
 
ballonpilot-

I have been growing SPS in my tank for over a year with nice growth rates and color (Acro's, monti's, milli's, birdsnests). I am running the Phoenix 14K and actinics. Water params are close to yours. I dont do more then single water change a month (~5gals). I dose kalk in top off and 2-part weekly.

when you get the frags are they freshly mounted or have they been on the plugs for a while? Often a new frag will look ok for a while but die off from an infection, handling, etc. If the RTN starts near the base it probably is from where the frag was cut.

Are you using a dip or other type of treatment for the frags before you put them in the tank?

Why dont you try an easier SPS like a monti to get some confidence that your tank is ok. They grow like weeds and usally a lot cheaper. Torts/acros are some of the hardest to keep happy.
 
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