ojonas JBJ 28g build thread

Ange: You mentioned earlier to frag the Birdsnest, or at least trim it. Mine is very densely grown and have not branched out at all as much as yours. Not sure if that is a good or bad sign. Do you recommend me doing some maintenance on it and frag off some limbs to make it less dense? Afraid I will end up with a big dense Birdsnest ball soon. :-)
 
Ok, so today the temp in the tank hit 86F for the 2nd day on a row. Temp has slowly increased in the tank over the last month or so and I have seen bleaching going on on some of my corals. Thought it was bad water values first but everything is within good range. Never thought that the temperature could cause it. Anyway, this could not go on for much longer or I would boil everything in my tank.

Off to my LFS and talked to them and they had a used JBJ Nano chiller for a very good price. Bought it and hooked it up earlier today. Very easy hookup with the included pipe set. I wanted originally to get the temperature down slowly, maybe a couple of degrees per day until I hit 77ish. Unfortunately it turned out that the warmest setting on this chiller is 81F. So with no other option I set to to 81F and after a few hours the temp was down. Will leave it for here until tomorrow when I will turn it down to the 77F I want to be at. Picture of the chiller in the stand below.

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7147016445_e19a7c25c6_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="_MG_5086">

I was also able to snag a couple of pictures of the reactor plumbing. Not the best pictures but show the general idea on how they are connected now.

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7147015703_6fbe7fd1b9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="_MG_5084">

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/7147015965_fe481140d9_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="_MG_5085">

I also picked up a JBJ ATO today. Have not hooked it up yet. Looking for a good pump and container for that purpose. Any ideas?
 
Just placed an order for a BRS top off doser to use with my ATO system so I finally can get away from having to manually top off water. Should be here in a week or so. Next step would then be to get a doser for Alk and Ca.

The temperature in the tank is now down to where I like it, 77F and stays at that temperature. Lets hope everything will come back in full color over the next week or so.
 
Ok so today I took a big bite in the apple and invested in a controller, the Neptune Apex. I know it is overkill for a nano but but my wife and I are traveling for work a lot and it is just easier to be able to be gone for a week not having to worry about the tank, dosing, top off water etc. Now I will be able to get email alerts should something be wrong etc. Most stuff can be done without a controller but by the time you add the extra cost for everything the controller have paid for itself. And besides, I see myself upgrading the tank in a year or so to something bigger and will get very good use of it then.
 
Thanks!

Finally installed my ATO last night. Went with the JBJ ATO and a BRS top off doser pump. Was a little tricky to get the float switch installed due to the limited space available but got it to fit nicely. One thing less of the daily "chores" that need to be done. My Apex system will arrive on Friday and then I will set up dosing for Alk and Ca as well.

Fighting some bleaching on some of my corals (acan, RBTA, purple hammer and one of my SPS). Think (hope) it was because of the high temperature I experienced (86F+) and then the rapid cooling after I installed the chiller. Hoping for a full recovery.
 
heat issues

heat issues

Hello,

I'm just curious, as I have no experience with a closed-top aquarium like this, so don't be offended with the question/suggestion.

If heat is an issue, open airflow is often the best solution--have you considered going open-top and figuring out a new way to light it? I have seen some units like yours without the lid that look great and seem to solve the problem. Very cool aquariums. . . I like the look, but I think the lid on them is unnecessarily limiting. Just a thought.

That being said, I love the look you have created--congratulations!

Enjoy,

Gordon
 
Thanks!

I have considered going lid-less but I think that even would bring me to get a chiller. I know Ange here is running lid-less with the EcoTech Radion LED and he need a chiller as well. I would go lid-less more for the cleaner look of the tank than for keeping the temperature down.
 
Finished installing my ATO last night. Got a 1 gallon food container from Walmart to store the water next to the tank. Should last me for a week at least. One thing less to do on my daily to-do-list.

Tomorrow my new APEX will arrive. Then a weekend of fun programming and cable sorting.
 
ojonas81 said:
Finished installing my ATO last night. Got a 1 gallon food container from Walmart to store the water next to the tank. Should last me for a week at least. One thing less to do on my daily to-do-list.

Tomorrow my new APEX will arrive. Then a weekend of fun programming and cable sorting.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, the joy of having a hood!! My topoff container is 2.5g and I have to refill about every 4-days :) Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the controller.

Oh and when I made the comment about your birdsnest, I wasn't saying that you needed to frag it now, was just making a general statement about it's placement long term. Up front and center + a fast grower means that over time it's going to block view of everything behind it. Just something to consider.
 
I actually a few days ago moved the birdsnest to the back rock of my tank. Opened up the tank a lot. and I know have room for a couple of more SPS in the front at prime positions. Will see if I can add a picture tonight on the new "look".

Another funny thing I discovered last weekend that i forgot to mention. One of the first purchases I did back in November of last year was a Candy Pistol shrimp and a YWG. Well, the shrimp hide immediately and I could not find him at all. A few weeks later I got a Tiger pistol instead that paired up with the YWG after just a few hours and they have been looking out for each other ever since. So, last weekend my wife saw something under one of the rocks. I took a closer look and there he was, my original Candy Pistol, still alive and kicking. I thought he was gone long time ago. Have not seen any sand piles or nothing. So now I have 2 pistol shrimps thriving in the tank.
 
So FedEx tried to deliver my APEX yesterday, a day earlier than estimate. But since I was at work nobody were home to sign so they did not leave the package. Apparently you cannot manually pick up a package if it needs a signature. Signed the paper they left and hope they will leave the package today instead.
 
I finally got some time to post a bigger update. A lot have happened since my last major update, some which have been briefly mentioned in short updates. So, here it comes.

Let's start off with the ATO. I decided to go with the JBJ ATO before I decided to get the Apex controller. I did contemplate returning it and let the Apex do everything but decided in the end to keep it. The reasoning for it is backup safety. Now I can have the JBJ ATO control the water flow as it is designed for and I can add a second sensor hooked up to the Apex that would control the outlet that powers the ATO. So even if the ATO float switch would get stuck I still have control of the outlet controlling the ATO system itself. Think that safety will serve this tank well and will let me head out on vacation with no worries. I managed to squeeze in the float switch in the left pump chamber. It was a tight fit but worked out very well once done. Below is a picture showing the installation of the float switch.

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7258335266_e5f9da7116_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="ATO_Float_Switch">

I got a 4 liter jug from Walmart, drilled a hole in the top and pulled the water tube through. Mounted my BRS doser (50 mL/min) in the side of the tank and hooked it up to the JBJ ATO. The other end of the tube is ending above the right pump chamber. (See picture further down).

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7258333736_87e30b45ba_b.jpg" width="505" height="1024" alt="ATO_Pump_Reservoir">

Next thing that got delivered and installed was my new Apex system. Decided to go all in with the full version including a temperature and a pH probe. The JBJ stand is not the biggest in the world and I had a hard time getting everything mounted nicely. I am still not completely happy with how the wires are pulled but it does look better than before and leave more room for air movement.

I connected the controller immediately to my home network and started to program all 8 outlets. At the moment I am controlling the following:

  • Main light
  • Dusk/Dawn light
  • Moon light
  • Skimmer
  • Chiller
  • Heater
  • Return Pump
  • Reactor pump

I must say that this might be one of the best investments I have done for the tank. So much easier to handle everything from water change to feeding. Before I had to unplug correct cords from my spider web of cable mess hoping I did not pull the wrong cable. Now I can just go to the display and manually turn an outlet off.

For feeding I have it programmed to with a push of a button the Apex is turning off the return pumps, skimmer, chiller and heater outlets and pump to my reactors. Then it will all be off for 10 minutes while my MP10 is moving the food around. After 10 minutes the return pumps, heater and chiller outlets are enabled again. The skimmer will remain off for another 15 minutes before coming back on. This gives ample time for the food to be floating around the tank before eventually get flushed into the overflow. Will program another mode for just feeding the corals.

I have also handed over the heating and cooling control to the Apex instead of relying on the heater and chiller thermometers. I trust the Apex more than those individual devices. So far it works like a charm. At the moment the chiller outlet is enabled when the temperature hits above 78F and is turned off when below 76.8F. Heater kicks in when the water gets cooler than 76F and stops at 77.5F. I might consider making the range tighter but so far it works well for me.

Here are some pictures of the Apex setup.

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7258337156_3bf30ab8de_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Apex_Display">

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7258335836_34efa005b3_b.jpg" width="636" height="1024" alt="Aquabus_Wiring">

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7258329434_776f2bb511_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="Probes">

I connected the Apex to a wireless bridge and have now wireless access to the controller from anywhere in the house. I have yet to configure so I can have access to it from outside my network as well. Will be the task for Memorial weekend. I have however, after a lot of struggle, managed to the the email setup to work and now the controller is sending me an email and a text message should something not work as expected. Very comforting to have when away from the home.

Not sure if I have rose colored glasses but I have notices some crazy PE lately, probably partly due to have better control of my temperature. I have also managed to keep more constant Alk, Ca and Mg levels lately which I am sure helps as well.

All in all this controller is a great investment for me. It is pricey and maybe overkill for a nano tank but since I am hoping to upgrade in the future and it will come very handy at that time as well. I have two more dosers on order from BRS (1.1mL/min) as well as 2 part solution. Once it arrives (tomorrow) I will start setting up automatic dosing to keep the parameters even more constant. Will not dose Mg automatically at the moment. I am still fighting slightly higher than normal Mg values so need to get that under control first. Hope to get all this done over the weekend.

I am also planning to add the wireless module and control my MP10 from my Apex switching between different modes throughout the day seamlessly without my involvement. Might also play around with the seasons tables to have the temperature in the tank mimicking the real world water temperature changes over the different seasons. So much fun to experiment with.

Below are some new tank pictures.

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/7258332096_06d4ff2f72_b.jpg" width="1024" height="945" alt="FTS_May_20_2012">

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7258331646_45bdeae2bd_b.jpg" width="1024" height="814" alt="FTS_Side_May_20_2012">

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8019/7258327668_89db57362f_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Top_part_of_tank_May_20_2012">

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/7258332576_d2042db3c9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Aussie_Acro_moon">

This ended up being a mega update. Most of you are probably asleep already. Thanks for tuning in.
 
wow!

wow!

Your tank looks great! I have a question about your controller: Does it keep track of and chart when a particular device is used and how much? For example, your heater and chiller? I have never used one before, but am exploring the idea with my next setup.

Enjoy,

Gordon
 
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