JBJ nanocube 24 questions...

Brian32FSU

New member
Greetings all...I've had my 24 gal nanocube up and running for a few months now and i have a few questions about the setup. First I'll give the details of what's in there now.

24 gal JBJ Nanocube dx
stock pump
1 stock 50/50 bulb, 1 hamilton dual actinic 03 bulb
2 blue current usa moonlights
30lbs live sand
30lbs live rock
purple firefish
true percula clownfish
red and blue leg hermits
2 giant mexican turbo snails
Green BTA
orange ricordia
green and blue zoos
red and green open brain
favia brain
orange mushrooms
green blastos
torch coral

1) is there a better magnetic glass cleaner for this setup to get around the curves in the glass than a magfloat?

2) is an upgrade to the stock return pump worthwhile? If so, what size pump is good to use?

3) i've heard mixed reviews on the nano fisson skimmer and the uv sterilizer sold by nanotuners, has anyone tried either with success or failure?

4) has anyone worked out a way to put the lights on a timer? i added a set of current usa blue led moonlights, but would like to make use of the moonlights already there if possible.

5) any other suggestions that someone with more experience can offer?
 
1. No, not that I know of. I also use the magfloat.

2. I've heard yes and no. Personally I didn't and things are pretty good for me. Mostly all my corals are zoos or rics. So for the rics I don't want too much circulation. But I hear people upgrade to a Rio 800.

3. I've heard about 80% bad stories of the fission skimmer. 20% of the good were from the LFS's trying to sell them to me. I hear they make too many micro bubbles in your tank. Thats enough for me to stay away.

4. I have mine on a timer. But with the stock ballast I don't think its possible. You have to go this route. ( http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotuners/product_info.php?products_id=75 )

5. Sounds like your doing good with what you have!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6982022#post6982022 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Brian32FSU
How difficult is the moonlight fix to install?
it is very easy to install.. just have to remove the plastic cover over the pc lights and clip in the moonlight fix.. all that you need is a screw driver...
I even had nanotuners rig me up an extra 2 moonlights to the fix.. now i am running 4 moonlights on a separate cord from the pc lights.. the switch on the top still work for them..

-Chris
 
Hey Brian, I remember having that problem with the Mag-Float clearing out the algae from the corners of my Nano Cube. However, after months and months of stressing out, I discovered the Algae Scrub Pad by Pentair Aquatics. It's a 3 inch pad made for glass aquariums. It works great on getting the algae out of the corners of the Nano Cube.

In regards to the protein skimmer issue...I'm now looking into removing the hood; installing a metal halide fixture to fit my Nano Cube and install a hang-on protein skimmer. The Fission Skimmer isn't made for every reef application...IMO (after 2 months of testing) depending on your livestock and maintainence schedule, this skimmer could be the next best thing for JBJ's Nano Cube. However, some people like myself are not truly satisfied with it. I find myself checking and adjusting it more than I thought it needed. A simple assembly, but it's a hassle on a 24gallon. Maybe it is a true skimmer for 12 gallons and smaller. I never mentioned this but I am running a 24 gallon with 9 fish.

1 - Common Clownfish
1 - Sixline Wrasse
1 - Mandrarin Goby
1 - Raniford's Goby
1 - Watchman Goby w/Pistol Shrimp
1 - Twinspot Goby
1 - Firefish
2- Blue Green Chromis

Water Parameters are fine: 5 - 10 gallon water change every wk.

pH: 8.2
Ca: 475
dKH: 9
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: 0

Good luck and I hope my info helped out.
 
Thanks for the info, i'm planning on keeping my bioload pretty light, maybe one or two more fish at most, and a coral banded shrimp. I'd really like to be able to do some protein skimming so I can relax on my water change schedule a bit. i'm doing 5-7 gals a week currently. The skimmer isn't that expensive, so i might just pick one up and try it out for myself, and the same for the uv sterilizer. I'll let you know....
 
After I submitted my post, I immediately removed the skimmer from the tank and cleaned it. I also added a new bubble reducing foam ring and this morning I was surprised to see a nice amount of froth. (Never really happened until today). Thanks for your post, this helped me appreciate my skimmer all over again. I was ready to toss it out, but I gave it another try...
 
1) There is a really neat magnetic cleaner called the Nimble Nano. They are getting rave reviews and I just ordered one:

http://www.nimblenano.com/default.htm

2) There is a Maxijet 1200 but it is 20 watts so it transfers a lot of heat. You can try the MJ 900. It is slightly less flow than the stock one but it is only 13 watts.

3) I purchased 2 and never installed them because of the 30 page 54K view thread I read. People never get this to work for more than 2 weeks max. Then it falls off.

4) Check my articles, especially the upcoming one. I would recommend the Insteaon. It is cheap, flexible, and works perfectly. Use appliance modules to avoid any issues.

5) Get a surface skimmer lfrom or do the casette mod.
 
I placed an order with nanotuners for the nano fission skimmer, the uv sterilizer, the nvm moonlight fix, and for the JBJ nanocube magnetic cleaner. I should have everything by thrusday and installed friday. I'll post my results...
 
Well, I have everything installed and I'm really happy with the moonlight fix and uv sterlizer, both work and were very easy to install. The JBJ magnetic cleaner doesnt seem strong enough to do a good job, and i'm still trying to get the fission skimmer adjusted....
 
How easy was it to put hte NVM moolight fix in? I was thinking about buy it but there is no instructions. Also thinking about buy the dual ballast to gain control of the fans and lights seperatly.
 
it is really easy to install and it does come with instructions. it might have taken me 20 minutes to do, and its pretty much plug and play. the only thing different i had to do was drill a 1/2" hole to run the dc wire out of the back of the hood. I wanted to do the two ballasts as well so i can run my 03 actinics seperate from my 50/50 and be able to do a dawn/daylight/dusk light cycle.
 
yeah that is what I was thinking and also gain control of the fans too so I can run them at night and keep the heat from creeping up too much.
 
yeah i think they are standard 60mm fans. I haven't measured them. Mine are really loud when they first start up but then taper off. With the dual ballast I think they are on their own power supply but I am not sure. Would be neat to get a set of fans that were variable speed so you could ramp them up with a controler based on heat.
 
I dropped an email to them about 3 months ago about the NVM moonlight fix but didn't hear back from them. I will probably buy the moonlihgt fix once I get my taxes. I have had the tank up a year and no moonlights. think it is about time lol. you got any pics of your tank?
 
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