Jasonanatal's JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI Nano Reef Aquarium.

[reefgirl]

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

[Jasonanatal]

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.



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.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Moonlight viewing at night.

[Jasonanatal]

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.



Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer measuring 22.5 inches in Height and 4.5 inches in Diameter.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer Ballast. Nicest looking Ballast I have seen.


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.


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.


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.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer safety window being obeserved at night.

[Jasonanatal]

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



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.


Photograph Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - JBJ 28 gallon Nano Cube HQI SPS Reef Aquarium Diagram displaying the current equipment setup and water flow patterns.

[CarmieJo]

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.

[Jasonanatal]

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.

[CarmieJo]

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.

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.

[Jasonanatal]

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. An RO/DI Filtration System. An absolute must in my book when keeping a Marine Aquarium.
6. A TDS Meter. A Measurement device used to ensure that Total Dissolved Solvement or TDS is as close to 000 PPM as possible.
7. 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.



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.


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).


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).



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.

[Jasonanatal]

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


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.



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

[Jasonanatal]

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!

[CarmieJo]

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

[Phurst]

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

[Jasonanatal]

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.

[Jasonanatal]

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]

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!

[Jasonanatal]

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.

[Jasonanatal]

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!



Photograph - First signs of death for my Electric Blue Hermit Crab and I start to panic.


Photograph - More signs of death and no Eletric Blue Hermit Crab in sight.


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.


Photograph - Found the little guy hanging out with the rest of the gang showing off his new clothes.

[CarmieJo]

Have you ever seen one of your hermits changing shells?

[Jasonanatal]

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.

[Phurst]

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.

[CarmieJo]

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.

[Jasonanatal]

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

[Jasonanatal]

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

[Phurst]

Ah, just give them time and empty shells.

[Jasonanatal]

Ah, just give them time and empty shells.

Phurst, patience is always sounds advice in this hobby.