Hello everyone, it has been quite some time since I have had the chance to sit down and share the joys of recreating a beautiful piece of the reef right within my own home. I have focused on the preservation of a Nano Reef Aquarium within my home so that I can share the experience with my now 1 month 6 day old son Jayson Michael Natal.

Who Says Good Things Don't Come In Small Packages?

Life is full of difficult decisions especially when the decisions pertain to being able to provide for you family and participate in a hobby that you enjoy. So with that being said a large Reef Aquarium was definitely not in my future anytime soon. But that of course is not necessarily a bad thing. So I though why not venture into the world of Nano Aquariums. In my personal opinion it is definitely cheaper to setup and maintain. However, the benefit of being able to make a small mistake here and there that are acceptable in a larger aquarium definitely does not apply on this playing field. In the world of Nano Aquariums attention to detail is the key component in what seperates an aquarium that is doomed for catastrophe.

In search of the perfect aquarium to suite my needs I have decided to go with the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI which has an open back for easy access and addition of external components and a stock 150 watt Metal Halide Lighting System with 14,000k Bulb, Dual 300gph Return Pumps, JBJ Wave Maker and Protein Skimmer. So the Ms. and I drove out to a Local Fish Store and purchased the setup with Aquarium & Stand for just over $750.00, not a bad deal in my thoughts.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs001.jpg
Photograph Thursday October 25, 2007 - After a long drive and no help from any friends in lifting this Aquarium it is finally home. Too bad I actually have to go to work in 1 hour.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs002.jpg
Photograph Thursday October 25, 2007 - The location for my new JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI Reef Aquarium. I painted the room for this occasion.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs003.jpg
Photograph Thursday October 26, 2007 - Finally standing after 3 hours of ridiculous instructions to setup the stand, which I acutally had to hunt down instructions on Drs. Foster & Smith's website to complete the construction.

Gotta say, i love the nano cubes.

Do, the HQI definitely opens up some possibilities.

What r u thinkin, mini reef complete with sps?? Or just a pair of clowns and a nice anenome??

Gotta say, i love the nano cubes.

Do, the HQI definitely opens up some possibilities.

What r u thinkin, mini reef complete with sps?? Or just a pair of clowns and a nice anenome??

I'm actually going to create a full blown SPS Reef Aquarium. I like to push the envelope. :D

A Strong Foundation Is Just The Beginning.

Well in my past experiences I have dabled with different types of sand from different manufacturers and I always find myself coming back to my favorite. CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Aragonite Reef Sand. Best part about it the sand is already seeded with beneficial bacteria to speed up the cycling process of new Aquariums. A 20 lbs. bag can be purchased for around $28.00.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0012.jpg
Photograph Friday, October 26, 2007 - 20 lbs. of CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Aragonite Reef Sand made for the perfect sandbed. Looks absolutely beautiful as well.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs008.jpg
Photograph Friday, October 26, 2007 - Fillling the Aquarium with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals and RO/DI Water using the good old fashioned bag trick to reduce the sandstorm.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs007.jpg
Photograph Friday, October 26, 2007 - A beautiful look sand bed for the foundation of my greatest Aquarium ever.

Ooooh, this is gonna be good. Tagging along!

Very nice. I am happy with my NanoCube 24 and the MH on your's makes it that much better.

friday october 26th???? ARE YOU HOLDING BACK!?!?!

LOL, come on, post where your at now already, ur holding us in suspense :p

Harnessing the Power of the Sun In Order to Create Life!

Lighting was an important factor in the consideration of selecting a Nano Aquarium that was suitable for creating a full blown SPS Dominated Nano Reef Aquarium. Many of the Nano Aquariums available on the market currently availble with only Power Compact Lighting Systems which can sustain Soft Coral such a Mushrooms and Leathers at best. Some customizing option are availble to upgrade to Metal Halide Lighting Systems but come at a cost of drilling or removing stock Aquarium parts in order to achieve this goal. The JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI that I selected is a new product that comes stock with a 150 watt Metal Halide HQI Lighting System with four 1 watt LED Moonlights already intregrated into the hood for a 24 hour lighting solution. The electronic Ballast is a bit huge for my taste but it has integrated sealed ball bearing fans that run silent within it and 4 sealed ball bearing fans that are also integrated into the hood.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs006.jpg
Photograph Friday October 26, 2007 - Integrated 150 watt Metal Halide Lighting System with 14,000K Bulb and four 1 watt LED Moonlights. The glass is tempered to keep it from shattering from water condesation or splashing.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0042.jpg
Photograph Friday October 26, 2007 - The Electornic HQI Ballast is a bit large for my taste but it has integrate seal ball bearing fans which run silent. Don't ever touch it though, its hot!

way to go bud, glad to see you back on the horse.

if your ballast is excessively hot, i hope you have it on non heat resistance material, before your misses hammers you for melting the floor boards:huh:

Temperature Swings: Managing Heat & Keeping It Cool.

Maintaining an environment while minimizing the fluctuations within temperature whether it be too hot or too cold is a common concern with Nano Aquariums. Since my Nano Aquarium has a Metal Halide Lighting System integrated into the hood it was time to put a chiller into play. I have integrated a JBJ Artica 1/15 hp Titanium Chiller into the aquarium setup in order to cool things down a bit. But when the chiller does its job alittle too efficiently or the night time air cools the entire room I have installed a Marineland Visi-therm 100 watt Heater. The two pieces of equipment working in conjunction with each other manage to keep the Aquarium temperature within a range of 78.0 degrees Fahrenheit to 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The swing is minial at best but I'm thinking that sometime in the near future that I can install a Digital Aquarium Controller such as the Digital Reefkeeper 2 so that is can independantly controll both pieces of equipment to reduce the range even further.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0062.jpg
Photograph Friday, October 26, 2007 - My JBJ Artica 1/15 hp Titanium Chiller fed water by a Maxi-Jet 1200 powerhead.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/AquariumChillerSetup-1.jpg
Photograph Friday, october 26, 2007 - Water Flow diagram for JBJ Artica 1/15 hp Titanium Chiller and Phosphate/Carbon Reactor.

way to go bud, glad to see you back on the horse.

if your ballast is excessively hot, i hope you have it on non heat resistance material, before your misses hammers you for melting the floor boards:huh:

Thank's buddy. The Ballest is actually on Hardwood Floors and it has little feet so it cool. Just have to remember when I'm feeding the Aquarium barefoot not to get to close.

Jason, the setup is looking great. Fantastic job of documenting as well. I can't wait for you to start stocking it.

Jason, the setup is looking great. Fantastic job of documenting as well. I can't wait for you to start stocking it.

Phurst, thank you very much for the compliments.I actually already started stocking the aquarium so photographs are to be posted very soon.

sweet!

correction while no-ones looking, "Non heat resistant material, what a nuff nuff" ! :rotfl:

The Family: My Little Piece of the Reef.

Just thought I would stray off topic a bit and show some photographs of my family and myself. Smile!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/Jayson%20Michael%20Natal/JaysonMichaelNatalPhotogaph0008.jpg
Photograph Saturday, October 27, 2007 - Me and my little frag... I mean son Jayson Michael Natal taking a nap while mommy cooks.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/Jayson%20Michael%20Natal/JaysonMichaelNatalPhotogaph0009.jpg
Photograph Saturday, October 27, 2007 - My little man in his camo Go Navy! (Yes the Navy actually wears camo.)

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/Jayson%20Michael%20Natal/JaysonMichaelNatalPhotogaph0011.jpg
Photograph Thursday, October 25, 2007 - The little man and me at Beital's Aquarium. Already starting early or using him as an excuse to buy something for me... not entirely sure.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/Diana%20Rose%20Natal/IMG_3736.jpg
Photograph Saturday, October 27, 2007 - The love of my life, my best friend and mother to my child Diana Rose Natal. She is the most beautiful mermaid I ever laid eyes on!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/Jason%20Anthony%20Natal/JasonAnthonyNatalPhotographs0001.jpg
Photograph Saturday, October 27, 2007 - The there just plain old me in need a shave desperately.

Aquascaping the Reef: The Journey for the Perfect Live Rock Structures.

With a limited amount of space I found that I had to be pretty precise in what pieces of rock I would purchase to recreate what I believe in my opinion would be the perfect structures for my NanoAquarium. The difficult part would be locating such pieces that would allow for not only a natural look but allowing for the most real estate to place my SPS Coral, Clams, Polyps, etc. As many of us now purchasing Live Rock from a store comes with its pros and cons just like many other things. Your definitely going to pay a large amount and quite naturally walk out with very little rock since your rock is weighed wet and you may get some cool hitch hikers that you love or get some nasty terrors that you just can't seem to get rid of.

Well I decided to turn to a local member and sponsor of the Talkingreef website since I have heard such great feedback about the quality of his goods and services. I gave Marc from Marco Rocks "The Finest Aquarium Rock Available" a call... and another call... and yet another call... and an E-mail... and eventually after finding out about the Hurricane in his area I finally got in contact with him after much stalking! :D I spoke with him about finding some of his signature pieces and placed my order. Now normally my patience is well... lets just say I have no patience. But I waited and wow is all I could say. My order of Marco Rocks was delivered in record time and the quality was amazing! I will never ever get my rock from anywere else. Thanks once again Marc for the assistance! So with Marc's cherry picked rocks and two sticks of Marineland Molding Putty I went to work (my wife thinks I should put up caution signs when I do this).

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0073.jpg
Photograph Thursday, November 08, 2007 - My shipment of 27 lbs or Marco Rocks delivered via UPS. I'm glad the UPS driver thought this was too heavy to toss around (you should see some of my other deliveries).

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0102.jpg
Photograph Thursday, November 08, 2007 - My Marco Rocks unpacked and quite frankly they are the most beautiful pieces of rock I have ever seen.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0112.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs012.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0132.jpg
Photograph Thursday, November 08, 2007 - After some trial and error and creative thinking my Captive Reef has been created... Gensis 2:2 And God had finished on the seventh day his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Compensating for Evaporation While Minimizing Swings In Salinity.

Due to having a limited volume of available water evaporation is one aspect that must be checked in order to minimize the swing in salinity. I have installed a Do-it-yourself Automatic Freshwater Top Off System to effectively reduce the effect of Salinity reduction due to evaperation. The Float Switch is installed in the rear chamber of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube Reef Aquarium which is activated when the water level falls below a particular level. Fresh RO/DI Water is then pulled from a 2.5 gallon All Glass Aquarium Resevior by use of a Tom's Aqualifter Pneumatic Pump rated at 3 gph. Once the water level has returned to normal the pump is deactivated and water flow stops. Their is a secondary safety float that will deactivate the unit should the primary float switch become stuck and continue to pull water from the Freshwater RO/DI Resevior to prevent an overflow of water into the aquarium which would result in a sever drop in salinity and a flood.

Personal Observation: I am definitely pleased with the results of the Do-it-yourself Automatic Freshwater Automatic Top Off System. However, their are some shortcoming to this system. Evaporation is currently occuring at a rate of about 0.75 gallon per week which represents about 50% of the Freshwater RO/DI Resevior capacity. I anticipate that once I incorporate Kalkwasser or another type of Calcium Additive that evaporation will increase requiring a need to upgrade the resevior capacity. Also the JBJ Wavemaker which is currently set to alternate pumps every 2 minutes causes chamber where the float switch is installed to have a slight reduction in water level with causes premature dosing of Freshwater into the Aquarium. I'm considering upgrading the the Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 "Water Level Regulation System with Static Sensor".


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0092.jpg
Photograph, Thursday, October 26, 2007 - Do-it-yourself Automatic Freshwater RO/DI Top Off Float Switch with Secondary Overflow Sensor.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs011.jpg
Photograph, Thursday, October 26, 2007 - Freshwater RO/DI Resevior with Tom's Aqualifter Pneumatic Pump.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/WaterFlowDiagram-1.jpg
Photograph Saturday, November 10, 2007 - Water Flow Diagram of the Do-it-yourself Automatic Freshwater RO/DI Top Off System and Toms Aqualifter Pneumatic Pump.

Your tank is looking good. Thanks for sharing the pix of your family, your little guy is a cutie!

Your tank is looking good. Thanks for sharing the pix of your family, your little guy is a cutie!

CarmieJo, thank you for the compliments.

Electrical Sparks: Bringing Life to the Aquarium.

In order to allow all my toys to work of course electricity is required. I have used 3 seperate Power Strips to provide more then enough outlets for all the gadgets within the Aquarium while allowing plenty of space to add more. The load for each outlet is staggered to the next seperating each set of electrical components based on the level of importance. I'm not pulling an extreme level of power but just a precautionary measure.

Personal Observation: I'm considering replacing all power strips with an Eletronic Aquarium Controller such as the Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper 2 or the Neptune Systems Aquacontroller 3. This will allow me to better automate components of the aquarium with less clutter and allow for digital logging and control through a Personal Computer.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0072.jpg
Photograph Thursday, October 27, 2007 - 3 seperate power strips mounted within the lower cubicle of the Aquarium Stand each with Electrical Power Surge Supressing capabilities.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/AquariumElectricalDiagram0001.jpg
Photograph Thursday, October 27, 2007 - Electrical Wiring Diagram for my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.

Phosphate/Carbon Reactor: Giving That Extra Touch of Perfection.

I have incorporated a Precision Marine Fluidized Reactor which is filled with Fauna Marin Ultra Carb L (Fauna Marin Ultra Carb L is an extremely pure, vapour-activated and pre-washed activated carbon for efficient removal of yellowness, turbidity and harmful toxins, essential for maintaining good water quality in any aquarium. Ultracarb is almost entirely free of phosphate and has an extremely high capacity). This Reactor is maintained for 1 month and then media is swapped out. For the next month I will use ROWAphos (ROWAphos is the most effective phosphate remover on the market today. ROWAphos will not only remove phosphates but will never release them back into the system. The product is easy to use and will improve the water quality wherever Phosphate or Silicate is a problem. It is of interest to Marine and Reef Aquariums where its unrivalled capabilities have shown it to be extremely beneficial in the control of nuisance algae’s and the growth of hard corals. Unlike other phosphate removal products, it does not shock the animals or cause problems when used regularly. In fact constant use of the product is recommended, as its abilities to control nuisance algae is a major benefit). This schedule will rotate continuously for every month.

Personal Observation: I am considering purchasing a second Precision Marine Fluidized Reactor which will be daisy chained to provide constant removal of Ammonia, Phosphate, Silicates, etc. without the need to have a swapped media schedule within a shared Reactor.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs0052.jpg
Photograph Thursday, October 26, 2007 - Precision Marine Fluidized Reaactor currently filled with Fauna Marin Ultra Carb L media for another 2 weeks.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/AquariumChillerSetup-1.jpg
Photograph Thursday, October 26, 2007 - Precision Marine Fluidized Reactor Water Flow Diagram.

Ultracarb is almost entirely free of phosphate (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/member-tank-projects/5394-jasonanatals-jbj-28-gallon-nano-cube-hqi-nano-reef-aquarium.html#) and has an extremely high capacity. (for absorption or high absorption capacity.?);)

mate, well done brother, your certainly cutting the mustard bud!
Great display graphs, great pictures, abit of background info, good chop up with the family inclusive,( your youngling looks great by the way) & to compound it all, the end product is coming out orsome.:cool:
You clearly dropped in cubes, but not quality. Look forward to your future updates, - just a side note though - dont make your posts tooooo good ok, your setting the bar alittle to high, & if im to compete in the same arena:p , i still love to be lazy remember,lol

Ultracarb is almost entirely free of phosphate (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/member-tank-projects/5394-jasonanatals-jbj-28-gallon-nano-cube-hqi-nano-reef-aquarium.html#) and has an extremely high capacity. (for absorption or high absorption capacity.?);)

mate, well done brother, your certainly cutting the mustard bud!
Great display graphs, great pictures, abit of background info, good chop up with the family inclusive,( your youngling looks great by the way) & to compound it all, the end product is coming out orsome.:cool:
You clearly dropped in cubes, but not quality. Look forward to your future updates, - just a side note though - dont make your posts tooooo good ok, your setting the bar alittle to high, & if im to compete in the same arena:p , i still love to be lazy remember,lol

Brother V, thank you for the compliments as always. Now if I manage to slack off a bit what fun would that be. To bad were no longer doing Tank of the Month or featuring an Aquarium on a monthly basis like Reef Central. *hint hint*.

Water Quality & Chemical Test Results.

Date: Monday, November 05, 2007
Previous Water Change: Never
Temperature: 77.9 Degrees Fahrenheit
Salinity: 1.025 SG
Ammonia: 0.0 PPM or Undetectable
Nitrite: 0.0 PPM or Undetectable
Nitrate: 0.0 PPM or Undetectable
pH (Lights Off): Not Tested
pH (Lights On): 8.0 pH
Calcium: 420 PPM
Alkalinity (Carbonate Hardness): 9.0 dKH (Carbonate Hardness)
Magnesium: 975 PPM
Phosphate: 0.0 PPM or Undetectable
Notes:

45 ml. of Kent Marine Tech M Expert Series ionically balanced Calcium supplement added. Calcium level currently at 450 PPM.
62.5 ml. of Kent Marine Tech M Expert Series ionically balanced Magnesium supplement added. Magnesium level currently at 1350 PPM.
5 g. of Seachem Reef Builder pH supplement added. pH level currently at 8.1 pH. Alkalinity level currently at 9.5 dKH (Carbonate Hardness).
No Alkalinity supplement added.

Looks like JBJ fixed a lot of the glitches from the 24DX... nice looking tank!

Moonlight: Watching the Sea Come to Life at Night.

The JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium come with 4 1 watt Blue LED Moonlights built into the hood of the Aquarium. It emits a beautiful blue glow that is not intense enough to light up the room, but bright enough to allow night viewing within the Aquarium.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs030.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Four 1 watt Blue LED Moonlights installed into the Hood of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs002-1.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs003-2.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.

Ultraviolet Sterilization: Safer than Ozone, Better for Fish and Corals.

After much thinking I have decided to install an my Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer. In my pesonal opinion I feel that it is safer then Ozone dosing and will provide a safer parasite free Aquarium environment for my Livestock and Corals with the benefit of destroying free floating Algae. The Aqua Ultratviolet 25 watt Sterilizer can handle Marine Aquariums with a total water volume of 125 gallons and features a safety window that allows you to see that the unit is currently on while still protecting you from Ultraviolet Radiation. The Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer has been plumbed directly into the rear center chamber of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium and powered by a Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 1200 Powerheadrated at 295 gph. The unit has been mounted vertically and secured on the floor in order to ensure that air bubbles if pushed into the Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer are able to escape the unit.

Personal Observation: I have installed the Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with some reluctance of the unit actually being to power for the total water quality. On one side of my debate you have a poweful Ultraviolet Sterilizer that will operate efficiently and eliminate any Parasite & Free Floating Algea with ease. On the other end of the spectrum you have a Ultraviolet Sterilizer that is too powerful for the setup and is not only eliminating Parasites and Free Floating Algae but beneficial Bacteria as well which could adversly effect the Aquarium Environment in some aspect. Well I guess experience will be my teacher and if any adverse effects are being observed then the unit can be easily removed from the system.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs020-1.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer measuring 22.5 inches in Height and 4.5 inches in Diameter.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs019.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer Ballast. Nicest looking Ballast I have seen.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs021-1.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 1200 Power Head rated at 295 gph. This particular type and manufacturer of Power Heads have been the most reliable I have ever used in my Aquariums.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs025-1.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer safety window. This feature allows you to observe the light in operation while protecting you from harmful ultraviolet light so that you know the unit is operational.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs022-1.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer plumbed into my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium with 0.25 inch Flex Tubing.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs001-2.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer safety window being obeserved at night.

Ultraviolet Sterilization: Safer than Ozone, Better for Fish and Corals Continued...


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/DigitalRebelPhotographs023.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer plumbed into my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium with 0.25 inch Flex Tubing.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/JBJ28gallonNanoCubeHQISPSReefAquari.jpg
Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium Diagram displaying the current equipment setup and water flow patterns.

I don't have a UV sterilizer but I have read that the vast majority of beneficial bacteria is not free floating, thus the UV is of little consequence.

I don't have a UV sterilizer but I have read that the vast majority of beneficial bacteria is not free floating, thus the UV is of little consequence.

CarmieJo, that is just as I was thinking but just needed some confirmation from other members to make me sleep better at night. Everytime I work on the Aquarium I keep having dreams that it is flooding when I sleep. :unsure:

CarmieJo, that is just as I was thinking but just needed some confirmation from other members to make me sleep better at night. Everytime I work on the Aquarium I keep having dreams that it is flooding when I sleep. :unsure:

I think that our aquariums are like babies, we become so attuned to the normal sounds that if some different sound happens it can bring us out of a deep sleep.

Our Habitual Duty, the Good Old Fashion Water Change.

During a normal day on the forum we Reef Aquarist can be onslaughted with different debates concerning what duration Photo-period is mody beneficial for our Corals or what Salt Manufacturer to use for your Salt Mixes and what level your Salinity should be at, etc. But in a world where I do it this way and it works and you do it the opposite and it works one thing we can all agree on. Their are no substitutions for water changes! Whether your Aquarium has been established for 1 month and you do weekly water changes or your aquarium has been estblished for years and you have your routine of doing water changes every 2 months it al narrows done to this one little fact. Water changes eventually have to be done and in an Nano Aquarium such as mine. Water changes are the deciding factor if all the money that I spent provides a beautiful habitat that my little one can thrive in or if I just wasted thousands of dollars for the world's most expensive headache.

My JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium receives weekly water changes every Saturday (Water changes used to take place on Sunday but my work schedule changed). But I can't just mix up a bucket of Saltwater and throw it right in. Due to the small volume in the system (28 gallons minus the space taken by the Live Rock, Live Sand, some of which I managed to recapture which the use of the chambers in my Aqua Ultraviolter 25 watt Sterilizer and Precision Marine Fluidized Bed Reactor) I have to properly prepare my Saltwater and get as closely to the temperature, salinity and pH in an attempt to minimize as much stress as possible for the inhabitants. I do so by incorporating a few devices listed below:

Two 5 gallon Buckets. One bucket to mix my Saltwater in and one bucket to syphon just the right amount of water out of my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium when performing my water changes.
One 200 watt Marineland Stealth Visi-Therm Heater. Great for quickly raising the temperature of 5 gallons of water to 76.00 Degrees Fahrenheit which is were I prefer to keep my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium water temperature at.
One Pondmaster Mag 7 water pump. Placed with the bucket and plenty of power to spare when mixing the Salt into the RO/DI Freshwater. Definitely beats mixing Saltwater by hand.
One Coralife thermometer. Allows me to monitor the temperature of the water so I know when it matches my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.
An RO/DI Filtration System. An absolute must in my book when keeping a Marine Aquarium.
A TDS Meter. A Measurement device used to ensure that Total Dissolved Solvement or TDS is as close to 000 PPM as possible.
Salt Mix. I personally used Instant Ocean since I started in the hobby but just this past week I switched to Kent Marine. I'm interested to see if their clams stand up.Personal Observation: I the past few weeks of conducting my water changes I have noticed that there is no place to actually remove water from that will not alter the water level within the Main Display of the 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium and should I choose to remove water from the Rear Chambers I would have to power off the entire Aquarium as to prevent the Pumps and Equipment from running dry and possibley damaging them.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0092.jpg
Photograph - My generic 75 gpd. RO/DI Filtration System. This monopolizes my bathroom and causes my wife to yell at my while I'm Filtering Tap Water.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs007.jpg
Photograph - Aquatec CDP 8800 Water Presure Booster. Most of us don't have the required water pressure within our home to operate an RO/DI unit without one of these. This one increases water pressure from 40 PSI to 120 PSI (water pressure is required to push water through the RO Membrane).

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs014.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs013.jpg Photograph - Hannah Instruments TDS Meter. I use this each time I Filter a bucket of RO/DI water to ensure that I am getting the purest water possible and to red flag when either the Deionization Resin, Carbon Block, Sediment Block or Reverse Osmosis Membrane require replacing (when the TDS reading rises above 000 PPM that is a red flag).

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs010.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs009.jpg
Photograph - Color Changing Deionization Resin. This is on of the first items I look to replace when my TDS reading is not 000 PPM. The color changes from Black to Brown indicating that the lifespan of the chemical has been reached.

Our Habitual Duty, the Good Old Fashion Water Change Continued.....

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs021.jpg
Photograph - Kent Marine Salt Mix. I just switched to this Salt Mix since Kent Marine is making some pretty strong statements concerning quality we will see how it holds up.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs016.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs017.jpg
Photograph - The final process of my water change. My trusty 5 gallon bucket, Pondmaster Mag 7 Water Pump for mixing, Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Heater and a Coralife Thermometer for knowing when my bucket of water's temperature is the same as the Aquarium's

Video of My JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.

Hello everyone, this is my first video of my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium shot Saturday, November 01, 2007. It nothing great but I'm sure I will be putting something together in the weeks to come. Enjoy!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/th_28GallonJBJNanoCubeHQISPSReefAquari.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/?action=view&current=28GallonJBJNanoCubeHQISPSReefAquari.flv)

Jason, thanks for the reminder that we all have this obligation in order to keep our critters in top form.

Yes, and I'm glad this thread remained intact through the issues.

Jason, thanks for the reminder that we all have this obligation in order to keep our critters in top form.

CarmieJo, this should always be a number one priority of all Reef Aquarist in my personal opinon.

Yes, and I'm glad this thread remained intact through the issues.

Phurst, thank you for the compliment. I'm glad as well a put alot of work into this to start over again would not be cool. LOL

CarmieJo, this should always be a number one priority of all Reef Aquarist in my personal opinon.

Unfortunately people forget, put it off, just don't do it, etc. And then they give newbs advice like "I haven't done a water change in years and look how great my tank is." Rrrr!

Thread Rating Request.

Could everyone take some time to Rate this Thread located in the upper right hand corner. It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Signs of Progress Which Tells Me I'm Doing Something Right.

We all spend hours and hours if not days in front of our Reef Aquariums looking for just the slightest signs of success. This could mean a spot of Coraline Algae on an area of Live Rock or even the growth of your favorite SPS Coral. Either way we get that fuzzy warm feeling inside and a sense of accomplishment in a hobby where attention to detail can never be understated if success if your goal. I've been keeping Reef Aquariums for about 2 years and in what I consider my best Reef Aquarium yet I managed to see a sign of success. Which I feel great because in my two years of maintaining a Reef Aquarium I have never accomplished this or at least been able to view it happen and bringing into consideration the size of my Reef Aquarium in relation to the difficulty make me say "look hunny all that time and money paid off".

My Electric Bue Legged Hermit Crab decided that it was time for some new clothes. I saw some of the legs laying at the bottom of the Sandbed and immediately searched for the little guy in a panic. After locating him hanging underneath my little drop-off my worries were over and then came the wow I've never sustained an environment where this could happen. I consider this a milestone in my Reef Aquarium which make me very happy!


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs025.jpg
Photograph - First signs of death for my Electric Blue Hermit Crab and I start to panic.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs026.jpg
Photograph - More signs of death and no Eletric Blue Hermit Crab in sight.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs027.jpg
Photograph - Time to accept the fact that I may never have my little Electric Blue Hermit Crab anymore. My Halloween Hermit Crab is going to be lonely.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0102.jpg
Photograph - Found the little guy hanging out with the rest of the gang showing off his new clothes.

Have you ever seen one of your hermits changing shells?

Have you ever seen one of your hermits changing shells?

CarmieJo, I have never actually seen the changing of shells but I heard it very interesting to watch. I doubt I will see it any time soon since the shells that my Hermit Crabs currently have are quite large already.

Mine house hop a lot, It's so entertaining watching one looking for a new shell. It'll find one to try, pull it over, clean it up, then turn it over and over dumping out sand, and checking it over. Then it will pull the shell as close as it can, and hop from one into the other. It's very cool.

I like how they measure and clean them. Sometimes I think they change just because they want a new house, not because they outgrew the old one.

Mine house hop a lot, It's so entertaining watching one looking for a new shell. It'll find one to try, pull it over, clean it up, then turn it over and over dumping out sand, and checking it over. Then it will pull the shell as close as it can, and hop from one into the other. It's very cool.

Phurst, I'm a bit jealous that you get to see such things in your Aquarium and I cannot. Maybe if I order them to do so they'll listen. LOL

I like how they measure and clean them. Sometimes I think they change just because they want a new house, not because they outgrew the old one.

CarmieJo, if only it were that easy in our lives to just jump into a new house, let alone search for a reasonable rent or availability of apartments in New York. LOL

Ah, just give them time and empty shells.

Ah, just give them time and empty shells.

Phurst, patience is always sounds advice in this hobby.

Santa Made An Early Delivery featuring My New Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer.

Well everyone knows that it's not fair to everyone else within your family to purchase anything right before Christmas but I was really never one to concern myself with something like that especially when it comes to my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium. With help of my credit card, Marine Depot and FedEx my new Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer was delivered early by Santa.

No everyone knows that with a limited water volume as in the case of my Nano Reef Aquarium it very difficult to maintain prestine water quality without the use of some fancy gadgetry... that is the case unless your a fan of daily to bi-daily water changes which I'm not! So I searched the Internet and Polled the Forums in search of a great Protein Skimmer for my setup. Now me selection was extremely limited since I had factors effecting what I could and could not purchase. These factors included:

Size of the Protein Skimmer, which affected where I could place the Protein Skimmer on the rear of my Nano Reef Aquarium.
Performance/Efficiency of the Protein Skimmer, which affected what type of bioload my Nano Reef Aquarium could sustain and what type of Corals and Livestock I could house.
Price of the Protein Skimmer, well lets face it I don't want to be left withouth any Christmas shopping money. My wife would murder me!Finally the decision was made to place an order with Marine Depot for the Tunze Nano DOC Protein Skimmer. Now many people that I questioned did not have any personal experience with this Protein Skimmer and where relying on the reputation of Tunze as the basis of their recommendation. Well I went along and said hell their Tunze if their bigger equipment works wonders then what do I have to loose, other then $12.00 in return shipping should it not work out they way I hoped. The equipment arrived a short time after and it was amazing to see the construction of this equipment. It was so simple that I started to question whether I would get the results that I wanted. After placing the base into the Rear Center Chamber of my 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium, which just fit with a little elbow grease and firm love.

Well after a few days of monitoring and documentation I can say hands down this is the most efficient and absolutely silent running Protein Skimmer I have ever used. Their are no micro-bubbles produced as a byproduct of the Foam Fractionization process and the sludge that this thing pulls out is comparitive to mud. Also the collection cup requires no twisting or unlatching to remove it. Simply grab and lift and it slides out with no problem. Best of all you don't have to turn off the Tunze Nano DOC Protein Skimmer 9002 when emptying and cleaning the collection cup. The Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer received the seal of approval from me hands down!

Personal Observation: Unfortunately the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer fits very snuggly within the Rear Center Chamber of my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI Reef Aquarium. However, the collection cup cannot be mounted properly withithout removing the Integrated Hood of the Nano Reef Aquarium entirely, unlatching the Integrated Hood and resting it in a position where it crosses the top edge of the top of the Nano Reef Aquarium Glass or Using a Dremil tool to modify the Read of the Integrated Hood to allow for the collection cup to sit properly on the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer body. Also note that the skimmer requires that the collection cup sit properly on the body without any break in the seal or the Protein Skimmer will not function as all!


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/th_28GallonJBJNanoCubeHQISPSReefAqu-2.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/?action=view&current=28GallonJBJNanoCubeHQISPSReefAqu-2.flv)
Video - This video was shot just a couple of hours after the installation of the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer. Please excuse the fact that the video is sideways.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs032.jpg
Photograph - Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer. A small package with big results.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs035.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs041.jpg
Photograph - Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer in operation Day #2.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs042.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs043.jpg
Photograph - Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer in operation Day #3.

Santa Made An Early Delivery featuring My New Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer Continued.....

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs064.jpg
Photograph - Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer in operation Day #4.

My Most Prized and Only Derasa Clam.

Here is my 6 month old Derasa Clam. It has grown substatially while in my posession and has relocated 3 times in the 6 month period. It's first home was a 90 gallon SPS Reef Aquarium that was tore down do to associated maintenance expenses being too high. The second home was a 10 gallon Aqurium with 300 watt of Metal Halide lighting which was a halfway home for my most recent setup and it's final destination. During the time in its second home a 1 inch Bleech spot formed on the Mantel which is most likely due to too much light and a very immature Aquarium setup. It's new home and final destination... at least for the time being is my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium which has been up and running for 7 weeks now. It is very happy and since being housed in its new home has recovered from it's Bleeched Spot. The Derasa clam is roughly 3 inches in Width, has an amazing Mantel extension and has some significant weight when out of water I'm estimating 6 lbs to 7 lbs roughly. It is fed Marine Snow once a week on Mondays and a mixture of Cyclopeeze and Mysis Shrimp once a week Wednesdays as well. Funny thing is my Gold Stripped Maroon Clownfish has decided to host within it and honestly it doesn't seem to mind. Go figure!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs056.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs057.jpg
Photograph - My 6 month old Derasa Clam. My most beautiful Clam specimen.

Nice! It looks like the skimmer is working well for you.

Time for a Little Do-It-Yourself Modifications: Making Some Space

Due to my recent addition of the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer which has been one of the most beneficial upgrades to my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium. However, in the process of solving one problem another problem managed to show itself. How about that for Murphy's Law? Even though the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer main body was able to just barely squeeze into the Center Baffle of the Rear Chamber of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium the collection cup was too large and occupied a substantial amount of real estate that caused me to have to disconnect the stock Integrated Hood to accomodate for the Collections Cup's space requirements.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0023.jpg
Photograph - The Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer Collection Cup occupying just a little more space then I had hoped for.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0052.jpg
Photograph - The stock Integrated Hood of the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium disconnected from the latches and hanging about 0.5 inch over the front of the Aquarium edge allowing light to spill out. Not the prettiest site especially with someone who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder such as myself.

Now a couple of choices were available as possible resolutions for this issue. First solution would be to remove the stock Integrated Hood and purchase a pendant, hanging or bracket mounted Metal Halide Lighting System to replace the Integrated Hood. This option was indeed to most expensive and would wast a perfectly functioning Reflector, Electronic Ballast, and Moonlights. So I opted out of choosing this option. Second solution would be to get alittle creative and break out some tools without loosing an eye or finger in the process and reminding my wife that she cannot drive without a license and that the hospital is just a cab ride away! Plus this would save me money so that I could spend it on another form of equipment for my hobby. So I choose option two.

Here was the gameplan, I was going to use my Cordless Titanium Dremel tool in order to accurrately create an opening in the rear of the Integrated Hood so that it can be connected back to the latches while allowing suffiicient space for the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer Collection Cup to sit properly. I measure approximately 4 inches in Width x 0.75 inch in Depth in order to accomplish the end product. I made sure our son was out of the room and yes I wore safety goggles even though I didn't photograph them and went to work.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-4.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-5.jpg
Photograph - The Cordless Titanium Dremel tool that will help me save some money and maybe lose a finger.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0053.jpg
Photograph - The Integrated Hood disconnected entirely from the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI Reef Aquarium.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0063.jpg
Photograph - My work in progress no I just have to smooth the edges and clean up the mess before my wife yells at me that were having company over.

Time for a Little Do-It-Yourself Modifications: Making Some Space Continued.....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0073.jpg
Photograph - The surgery is complete and it doesn't look half as bad as I thought and here the kicker I still have all 9 I mean 10 fingers.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0083.jpg
Photograph - Now that looks just right! My Integrated Hood back on the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium with smooth edges. Now what can I buy with $250.00?

Electricity, Saltwater & Living Creatures Not a Good Combination.

My wife is such a wonderful woman who wants to make our very first Christmas together as special as it can be so she decided to give me a stocking stuffer from Santa Clause a bit early. I'm glad she pays attention when I bore her to death about the Marine Aquarium Hobby. It shows how much she loves me! Okay back on track, she remember that I had mentioned something about a Titanium Grounding Probe and decided to pick one up for me.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0192.jpg
Photograph - My stocking stuffer, the Rid Volt Titanium Grounding Probe.

This is definitely an area that I can see makes enough of a point through common sense. Unfortunately I don't own any devices that can measure the electricl current in water if any at all before I setup the probe in comparison to after using the probe. In theory it makes perfect sense and what does it cost me? Not a penny so I just connected it to a grounded outlet as instructed and submersed the probe into the Aquarium Saltwater within the Far Left Baffle of the Rear Chamber on my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium.

Very clever!

Very clever!

Thank you CarmieJo, as always your compliments are very much appreciated we might have to start sharing the thrown as Nano King & Queen. LOL :agree:

In my book there is always room for one more. :D

Something's Fishy with My Deresa Clam

Well I have all my thing packed for work and I'm just about to walk out the door and through the corner of my eye I see something unspeakable. My most priced possession and only Deresa Clam has an area of Pinched Mantel. Of all the things in the world why my Deresa Clam! Well out to work I go and hopefully in the morning I will see my Deresa Clam good as new. I'm come home the next morning and normally my Deresa Clam still has bout 0.25 Inch of the mantel extended during the Moonlight Photo-Period and brief time during the morning where both the Metal Halide Photo-Period and Moonlight Photo-Period are not in progress. But yet the same area that was experiencing the Pinched Mantel issue. With the Metal Halide Photo-Period about to kick in a few hours I decide to get some rest and come back to investigate.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-6.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-7.jpg
Photograph - My Deresa Clam displaying signs of Pinch Mantel.

Now the Metal Halide Lighting is on and the Deresa Clam should have the entire Mantel Extended but unfortunately it is still displaying sign of Pinch Mantel. So I do a little looking around and what do I see causing the problem... an Aptasia Anemone! Now in the past this particular coral had an Aptasia Anemone growing on the side of it shell which was removed by using a Tweezers. This particular Aptasia Anemone was growing within the crevis of the already formed shell and the new layer that was growing. Precisely located underneath the normal Mantel extension area. The same method of using a tweezer to remove the Aptasia was performed and within an hour the Deresa Clam was fully extending its Mantel as normal. Thank goodness!


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-8.jpg
Photograph - My Deresa Clam feeling all better an hour after the removal of the Aptasia Anemone.

Nice catch! That's a LOT easier than risking a FW dip!

Nice catch! That's a LOT easier than risking a FW dip!

Phurst, thank you. Personally I do not believe in Freshwater Dips as a resolution to any problem that I may be having with my specimens. I'm by no means implying that they do not work, but I feel that if their is always a method to resolve any issue that does not result in the added stress to my Aquarium specimens then that is the route I will take.

A More Detailed Look at Weekly Water Changes.

Hello everyone, I just thought I would go into a bit more detail on the processes that are included in the weekly water changes for my JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium. As I have stated in previous post, the world of Nano Reef Aquariums is not forgiving in making honest mistakes or miscalculations which in the most minuscule amount can have devestating effects on the specimens your care for. This in turn means that I must pay careful attention to parameters of the newly mixed Saltwater as oppossed to the Saltwater already within the Nano Reef Aquarium.

Reverse Osmosis/Deionization or RO/DI Filtration

Well everything has to start somewhere and our first task is to ensure that nothing but the purist water possible can be used to in addition to a quality salt mixture. In order to do this I incorporate a Reverse Osmosis?Deionization or RO/DI Filtration System to purify the tap water coming from my bathroom faucet. Now some people might not now exactly what an RO/DI Filtration System is and how it works so here is a detailed explination. Water coming from you faucet has been chemically treated in order to bring it to any acceptable level for human consumption. Chemicals contained within the water can be anything from Flouride or Phosphates and here a kicker Arsenic. Well to be short about it their are many chemicals that vary from location to location that we do not want in our Aquariums. An RO/DI unit such as mine passes tap water at high pressures through Prefilters developed to chemically remove impurities (Carbon Prefilter) larger Solids (Sediment Prefilters and eventually extremely small solids (Reverse Osmosis Membrane) and finally removing the last amount of impurities both described as a chemical and mechanical filtration method (Deionization Canister) and into your bucket. Resulting in Freshwater that is reffered to as pure or scientifically have the least amount of Total Dissolved Solvents or TDS. Waste water is a byproduct of the filtration at a ratio of 1 gallon of purified water to an average of 4 gallons to 5 gallons of waste water which is expelled from the system at the Reverse Osmosis Membrane.

Notation: All Reverse Osmosis/Deionization Filtration Systems have a Reverse Osmosis Membrane labeled with a Gallons Per Day rating on them. This does not mean that you can leave your unit on for 24 hours and produce for example 75 gallons of Purified Freshwater on a system rate for 75 gallons per day. This means that your unit can process 75 gallons of water in that day which include both purified water in combination with waste water.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs0092.jpg
Photograph - A standard Reverse Osmosis /Deonization Filtration System with Carbon and Sediment Prefilters rated at 75 gallons per day.

In order to confirm that level of Total Dissolved Solvents of the purified water a hand held TDS Meter or Inline TDS Meter is required. This device works by measuring the electrical conductivity of the purified water by passing electrical current from one prong and receiving/measuring it at the other prong. The closer the reading is to 000 the more pure that water. This device can also ensure that your Reverse Osmosis/Deionization Filtration System is functioning properly.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs013.jpg
Photograph - Hannah TDS Meter measuring the purity of the water.

Notation: Please ensure that your TDS Meter prongs are submerged in the water you are measuring the purity of. The photograph above was take for viewing purposes only. Also it is impossible to get the TDS Reading of saltwater so don't be alarmed if you place the TDS Meter in saltwater and the reading goes off the chart.

Mixing Synthetic Sea Salt for the Nano Reef Aquarium

Now this section is not meant to start a debate on what manufacturer of Synthetic Sea Salt will provide the optimal results for a Nano Reef Aquarium. Since I started in the Reef Keeping Hobby I was an avid Instant Ocean preffered hobbyist. But recently I have switched to Kent Marine Synthetic Sea Salt and I am quite pleased with the results so far. I measure my Kent Marine Synthetic Sea Salt at approximately 2.5 cups for 5 gallons of Freshwater which results in a Salinity Grade of 1.026 Salinity Grade or 35 Parts Per Thousand. I personally found standing at the bucket with a stick manually mixing the salt to be quite time cosuming. So I moved to a more aumated method incoporating a Mag-7 Water Pump to do the mixing for me. I also use a 200 watt Marineland Visi-therm Stealth Heater to match my Nano Reef Aquarium Water of 76 Degrees Fahrenheit and a Coralife Digital Thermometer to see when the temperature is an exact match.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs038.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs002.jpg
Photograph - Kent Marine Synthetic Sea Salt Mix. The bag include a sealing mechanism like a Ziplock which is worth the high price itself. the seal it creates is airtight which ensure that your Synthetic Sea Salt Mix will not get clumpy from absorbing excessive moisture.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs005.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs003.jpg
Photograph - My Pyrex measuring cup with Metric measurement for easy European measurements. Definitely comes in handy with European chemical dosing instructions.

A More Detailed Look at Weekly Water Changes Continued.....


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs006.jpg
Photograph - Beginning of mixing process.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-1.jpg
Photograph - 10 minuts into the mixing process.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs008.jpg
Photograph - 25 minutes into the mixing process and the Saltwater is ready for the water change.


Notation: The time allowed for the Synthetic Sea Salt to completely mix with the RO/DI Freshwater is a personal preference and will vary based on what manufactuer's Synthetic Sea Salt you use as well as the Gallons Per Hour ratiing of the Water Pump used to mix it together. It normally take me about 30 minutes for water temperature and salinity grade to reflect the water parameters of the Saltwater contained withint he Nano Reef Aquarium.

Removing and Replacing Nano Reef Aquarium Water

Now this method is personal preference but to keep it short and sweet I incporaate a Python Syphon to remove Saltwater from the Nano Reef Aquarium and use to also add the newly mixed water so that I don't injure my back.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-2.jpg
Photograph - The Python Syphon one of the most useful items ever developed for the Aquarium.

New SPS Coral Frag Addition

On Saturday, December 15, 2007 I purchased a Coral Frag of Orange with White Polyp Montipora Capricornis from NaCl-H20 of the Manhattan Reefs Forum. It was dripped acclimated over a period of 2 hours and allowed 1 week before being photographed. It is honestly one of the most beautiful specimens I have seen.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-9.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs01-11.jpg
Photograph - Orange with White Polyp Montipora Capricornis from NaCl-H20 of the Manhattan Reefs Forum.

Coral Family: Acroporidae
Coral Genus: Monitpora
Common Name: Montipora Capricornis
Common Morphologies: Plating
Origin: Pacific Ocean
Acquired: Saturday, December 15, 2007
Lighting Requirements: Moderate to high. Metal Halide Lighting is suggested, but these Corals are tolerant of a wide range of lighting conditions and have been known to grow successfully under Very High Output Lighting or on occassion Power Compact Flourescent Lighting.
Flow Requirements: Moderate to high flow.
Availability: High.
Growth: Fast.
Difficulty: Moderate.

A Sad Day In My World of Reefkeeping.

I'm extremely dedicated in the maintenance required to have a thriving Nano Reef Aquarium and it is definitely heartbreaking to come across an issue directly related to a common task in the Reek Keeping hobby. I normally don't have to clean my glass of Algae but I do so just to remove even the finest film that may adhere to the Internal Pane. I use a Mag-Float Small which is rated for use on Glass Aquariums up to 30 gallons with a maximum pane thickness of 3/16 Inch. Now at the time of my cleaning my Photoperiod had ended and the damage that was created was not noticable until the next morning. When the lights came on I could see multiple abrasive marking on the Internal Pane of the Aquarium Glass.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs05-2.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs054.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20Reef%20Aqu arium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs055.jpg
Photograph - Abrasive markings left behind after the use of my Mag-Float Algae Cleaner.

After a minor breakdown of sorts I reviewed some forum searches and found that scratching Nano Aquarium Glass is more common then you would think and not isolated only the JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI Aquariums. But nothing was described to be near the level of damage that I experienced. In turn I contacted Transworld Aquatic Enterprises Inc. and advised them of the situation. I explained that the possibility for a grain or multiple grains of substrate being caught between the Internal Mag-Float and the glass could not have caused the abrasive marking since the pattern clearly depicts the bottom of the Mag-Float and that I never keep my Mag-Floats within my Aquarium. The Mag-Float is also removed after use and before use I make sure that no foreign objects exist that could possibly cause something like this. After a supervisor reviewed the photographs Transworld Aquatic Enterprises Inc. advised that they are sending me a replacement Aquarium. Which is both a blessing and a curse. It is scheduled to arrive on January 07, 2008 and I will set it up shortly after.

J, im not even going to ask how your going brother..lol, damn.....you dont do things in half measures do you? You know the saying, 'when it rains....it :raining:

Your thread is great, your continuing to explain the inner workings of our circle & im sure helping a great many people in the process.......Even some of the potential & plain freaky pit falls apparently. Besides that last mishap, your efforts are duly applauded. Just because your doing such a good job, im going to read your thread properly from the beginning now just in case i need to edit this post...lol J/K

Wow, I've truly never seen anything like that before. I'm glad to hear they stepped up and are going to replace the tank, but man, that's still heartbreaking.

J, im not even going to ask how your going brother..lol, damn.....you dont do things in half measures do you? You know the saying, 'when it rains....it :raining:

Your thread is great, your continuing to explain the inner workings of our circle & im sure helping a great many people in the process.......Even some of the potential & plain freaky pit falls apparently. Besides that last mishap, your efforts are duly applauded. Just because your doing such a good job, im going to read your thread properly from the beginning now just in case i need to edit this post...lol J/K

Brother V, you know me quite well. If I'm not pushing to envelope or at least performing at top speed then I'm not a happy camper. This just gives me a chance to futerh document my setup and to make some modifications based on observations that I just wasn't ready to apply but by an act of nature now feel that I am required to. Just remember to rate my thread when your doing reading. I just got a present from the land down under for my Reef and will be unvailing it shortly.

Wow, I've truly never seen anything like that before. I'm glad to hear they stepped up and are going to replace the tank, but man, that's still heartbreaking.

Phurst, I'm glad as well. I was affraid that Transworld Aquatics Enterprises Inc. were going to leave me all washed up in the middle of an ocean of sorrow. But I was all happy and tingly inside when I say the E-mail containing the UPS tracking number for the delivery of my replacement Aquarium.

Your ordered one of my aqua-turds didn't you...lol
Free shipping cause they float.:p


& you are lucky to get a replacement tank, what are you doing with your new/old one now?

Your ordered one of my aqua-turds didn't you...lol
Free shipping cause they float.:p


& you are lucky to get a replacement tank, what are you doing with your new/old one now?

Brother V, you are hilarious! Well I'm not sure but I'm thinking of turning the Aquarium with the damaged glass into a frag tank with nothing but live sand, a few pounts of live rock and a 150 watt 10,000k Metal Halide HQI Bulb.

Wow, that is an awful thing to have happened but I too am glad they didn't leave you high and dry. Any speculation on why it happened? Was it a new MagFloat?

Wow, that is an awful thing to have happened but I too am glad they didn't leave you high and dry. Any speculation on why it happened? Was it a new MagFloat?

CarmieJo, they were completely clueless as to why this happened. It was a brand new Mag-Float which I tested in a 10 gallon AGA just to be sure that it wasn't defective and I had been using it for 2 months with no issues. But hopefully it wont happen again.

New LPS Coral Frag Addition.

On Saturday, December 29, 2007 I purchased a Coral Frag of Acanthastrea Lordhowensis from NaCl-H20 of the Manhattan Reefs Forum. It was dripped acclimated over a period of 2 hours and allowed 1 week before being photographed. It is my first every LPS Coral from Australia and I have been providing it with extra attention and some tender loving care since it was the smallest piece left from the fragging of the colony.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20SPS%20Reef %20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs013.jpg
Photograph - Completed mounting the Coral Specimen: Acanthastrea Lordhowensis to a Boston AquaFarms Reef Disc. Photograph taken Saturday December 22, 2007.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20SPS%20Reef %20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs025.jpg
Photograph - Coral Specimen: Acanthastrea Lordhowensis after a little over one week in my Nano Reef Aquarium.

Coral Family: Mussidea
Coral Genus: Acanthastrea
Common Name: Acanthastrea Lordhowensis
Common Morphologies: Encrusting
Origin: Pacific Ocean
Acquired: Saturday, December 22, 2007
Lighting Requirements: Moderate to high. Metal Halide Lighting is suggested. These are Shallow Reef Corals so their tolerance to light will vary.
Flow Requirements: Moderate flow. Australian Acans do best under medium flow. Medium flow is considered flow that will not disturb the coral or cause the flesh to peel off.
Availability: Low.
Growth: Growth rate increases when feeding, light and flow requirements are met. If you allow this coral to be exclusively photosynthetic then growth will be slower.
Difficulty: Moderate.

Very nice acan!

Very nice acan!

Phurst, thank you for the compliments.

Will it be staying on the sand bed? I'm picking up my HQI fixture today and I'm starting to think about how I'm going to have to rearrange some of the stuff in the tank.

Will it be staying on the sand bed? I'm picking up my HQI fixture today and I'm starting to think about how I'm going to have to rearrange some of the stuff in the tank.

Phurst, currently it will remain on the sandbed until it starts encrusting and reaching the end of the Boston AquaFarms Reef Disc. After that I will mount the Reef Disc on a piece of Live Rock to allow it to grow accordingly.

So this is your mussid ozzy eddition, nice bud.
Some can fetch a nice price tag along with it though, i definately wouldn't call them rare, but export can add to the weight quite easy. Not bad for a rock hugger lol
http://www.jareed.com/reef/images/acan_lord1.jpg

Food for thought from closer to home... check the hunger factor... Link me (http://www.asaquaculture.org/15.html)

Middle Beach, Lord Howe

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/178266135_c8efbc6d46.jpg?v=0

Kims Look-out
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/334391765_d0e0fac2ac.jpg?v=0

Mount Lidgbird is on the left, Mount Gower on the right.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/323613085_d51f7711a3.jpg?v=0

Totally controlled island thats mostly protected. & That includes people.:up:

So this is your mussid ozzy eddition, nice bud.
Some can fetch a nice price tag along with it though, i definately wouldn't call them rare, but export can add to the weight quite easy. Not bad for a rock hugger lol

Food for thought from closer to home... check the hunger factor... Link me (http://www.asaquaculture.org/15.html)

Brother V, well that's easy for you not to consider them rare since you live in Australia. Cheater! :p LOL "Just Kidding" When are you shipping me some then. LOL

V,

Nice to look at those pictures since it's 15 degrees F here today in Ohio.

Jason

Nice acan. I've had an acan frag on a peg for a couple of months that hasn't grown much. Still looks healthy though.

Nice acan. I've had an acan frag on a peg for a couple of months that hasn't grown much. Still looks healthy though.

Raises a good question. How fast can Acans be expected to grow when thriving?

Nice specimen. They are definitely on my list...

Oie, good question, I'll leave the average growth rate for someone else, cause honestly without locking down a species i couldn't tell you.
There's plenty in the family & especially when your talking an enclosed environment a great many factors matter, some will require great light & love being high, some will love great light & happy to be shaded, others prefer low light & high flow, others prefer high light with low flow, plus couple that with the type & regularity in which you gross feed them & the space in which they have to colonize will dictate your question, or someone can tell you about 3inchs a year..lol

V,

Nice to look at those pictures since it's 15 degrees F here today in Ohio.

Jason

Nice acan. I've had an acan frag on a peg for a couple of months that hasn't grown much. Still looks healthy though.

Thank you for the compliments on the Acan. I have no previous experience with them so unfortunately this is a learning experience for me and could not provide you much information on speeding up their growth.

Raises a good question. How fast can Acans be expected to grow when thriving?

Nice specimen. They are definitely on my list...

roselavy, well I will be taking weekly photographs so we can document their growth visually and I'm sure that we can come to some sort of conclusion but as Brother V stated it honestly is dependant on the particular species and environment.

with my acan colony, that i had for about 6 months, i experienced growth of about 1 polyp (or head) every two months, relatively slow compared to most corals. Of course, mine died, so lets not measure by what i say XD

my god this nano tank have everything but living in NY where is the heater

my god this nano tank have everything but living in NY where is the heater

Thesaent14, their is a 150 watt Marineland Visi-therm Stealth Heater installed within the Middle Right Baffle within the Rear Chamber of the Nano Reef Aquarium. This Baffle and the Middle Left Baffle Both maintain a constant water level which was designed specifically for the placement of a Heater or two in my case for redundancy and reduced workload. (The second Heater will be ordered on Tuesday January 15, 2008). I will take more photographs to fully document when my replacement JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium arrives.

Out with the Old In with In with the New: Elos & LaMotte Test Kits.

In my quest to achieve a striving Nano Reef Aquarium my philosophy mainly revolves around among the belief that you get back what you put into it. Now there is much debate on the accuracy of more expensive Liquid Test Kits in comparison to the less expensive and more accessible brands and this post does not provide any type of scientific information to back my particular opinion on why I choose these companies/test kits over their less expensive competitors. Both companies caught my eye since do to their use in very large and captivating Aquariums of other members of various online communities as well as the companies guidelines as to the preperation, storage and eventually sale of these quality items. Both Elos and LaMotte take pride and care in extensively documentating the shelf life and batch numbers for each test kit as my previous test kit Aquarium Pharmeceuticals Incoporated did none of that. And if a company can take the time to document even the most miniscul item then they definitely have my attention. (My wife being Italian and subecting my to the quality foods, drinks and culture of Italians had nothing to do with me selecting the Elos Liquid Test Kits).


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20SPS%20Reef %20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-4.jpg
Photograph - My new Elos Expert Line Liquid Test Kit for Phosphate (PO4) and pH. Photograph taken Friday, January 04, 2008.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20SPS%20Reef %20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-5.jpg
Photograph - My new LaMotte Liquid Test Kits for Alkalinity (dKH) and Calcium (CA). Photograph taken Friday, January 04, 2008.

[B][U]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/28%20gallon%20JBJ%20Nano%20Cube%20HQI%20SPS%20Reef %20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTPhotographs00-5.jpg
Photograph - My new LaMotte Liquid Test Kits for Alkalinity (dKH) and Calcium (CA). Photograph taken Friday, January 04, 2008.

LOL! I just picked up the ELOS dKH and Ca kits!

The only odd aspect of both ELOS kits that took me totally off guard is the lack of resolution of the tests. Both kits are titration methods. The Alk is 1 drop = 1 dKH, and the Ca test is 1 drop = 25 ppm. My first test for Alk was 8 drops (8 dKH) and Ca was 15 drops (375 ppm).

It was not until I re-read the Ca instructions that I realized that this was as precise as the dropper allows. The ELOS kit requires that you buy a "Reagent D" if you want more precision. This is really odd since the test seems almost identical to the Salifert test, down to the color of the reagents and solutions. The only difference is that the Salifert kit uses a syringe with a precision tip for much smaller drops. I do not see why the ELOS kit cannot do the same. If I am raising my Ca gradually with 2 part or Kalkwasser, I'd like to see the results more clearly to make sure my efforts are making a difference. The ELOS kit is almost half the number of tests than Salifert. For that, I would expect to have reagent D (or a precision tip) already in the box.

With that said, the glass vial is a nice touch, the test is easy to perform, and the NIST quality checks offer peace of mind.

I suppose the Alk kit is precise enough, but I was expecting precision to the nearest tenth of a dKH.

Please let me know how you like the Lamotte tests. I am very curious. I also appreciate those plastic cases they come with.

the bigger the hole, the more you use.....the more you use the quicker you'll use up the product.......the quicker you use up the product the sooner you have to buy..........the sooner you buy, the richer i get..umm, the richer whom ever own the company will get:p

The only odd aspect of both ELOS kits that took me totally off guard is the lack of resolution of the tests. Both kits are titration methods. The Alk is 1 drop = 1 dKH, and the Ca test is 1 drop = 25 ppm. My first test for Alk was 8 drops (8 dKH) and Ca was 15 drops (375 ppm).

I actually heard from the Elos rep today, who kindly explained in detail that there are many hidden aspects of Elos kits that are well worth the price. Apart from the NIST reagent checks, Elos is obsessed about maintaining the regents at controlled temperatures almost all the way to the customer. Precautions were made to insure that MD is keeping the reagents stored in a controlled manner. Other efforts, such as using safest reagents possible (which is usually more expensive), proper child-proof safety caps for the more toxic reagents, color charts re-calibrated every 6 months, and raised labeling for the visually impaired make the Elos kits stand out. He also made it clear that Elos will consider ways to improve upon these kits (including sensitivity) wherever possible and especially as increased sales afford.

There seemed to be real commitment there, and I appreciate that.

Jason- Please let me know how the Elos PO4 kit works for you. I hear it is a good one!