JBJ Nano 28g HQI - My first tank

[km_sg]

Hi all,

Bought this tank about 2 years back and was just sitting at home waiting to be setup. Bought it on impulse looking at the wonderful setups around and then realized what I am getting into. Started learning about the hobby ever since sporadically whenever I could find time and have been lurking around various forums.

Finally took the plunge today and set it up. Haven't made any upgrades or customizations so far.

Day 1:

Joined sgreef. Got a bag of sand some 6 kgs of live rock. Added water over it. Water is slightly murky. Have turned on the wave maker and the halide lamp. No change to the filtration setup [stock : ceramic balls + carbon + sponge]. Specific gravity is 1.022. Protein sink yet to be setup.

Let me know what you guys think of it. Do you suggest any changes to the rocks formation ? What's the usual time frame for the water to clear.

[Admiraltian]

It will take a day or two to clear up, cheers and happy reefing.

[Cedric]

Hi km_sg,

I've always been curious about the JBJ Nano 28g HQI. Infact, I was so keen to get it when it was out! Does it get hot? Do you run a chiller?

Cedric

[km_sg]

@Cedric

For now, I am just turning on the halide lamps for about 4 hours a day. Reading contrasting views on whether to turn on the lights or not during cycling process. Decided to take the middle ground. Will definitely use a chiller when the cycling is about to complete.

Day 2:

Got some testing kits to check out the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrates.

Ammonia - 0.25 ppm

Nitrite - 0 ppm

Nitrate - 0 ppm

[reef garden]

How's your tank parameters now?

[iskay]

Hi km_sg, I've always been curious about the JBJ Nano 28g HQI. Infact, I was so keen to get it when it was out! Does it get hot? Do you run a chiller? Cedric

The temp rises a few degrees when the lights are on. Imagine the MH lamp is max 6 inches from the water level in a enclosed canopy. A chiller is a must for HQI.

[reef garden]

I thought the lights that come with it are LED ones and there are cooling fans? But with a hood, it is challenging.

[iskay]

I thought the lights that come with it are LED ones and there are cooling fans? But with a hood, it is challenging.

HQI is 150W MH. LED is 28g NanoCube LED.

[km_sg]

Day 28:

Have been checking the parameters every 3-4 days. Absolutely no change in the parameters since the first week. I have been frequently dousing it with MB7 for the first two weeks according to the instructions. Now, I am worried if I have received a faulty API test kit.

The nitrates and nitrates remain stubbornly at 0 while ammonia shows at somewhere between 0.25 and 0.5. Should i just go ahead and introduce some CuC and take it from there ? Or, is there anyone around east coast who can help me validate my parameters

[iskay]

Throw in a dead market prawn to kicks start nitrogen cycle.

[km_sg]

Ok, added a prawn in a mesh bag. Will see how it goes.

Thanks!

[km_sg]

Day 32:

Allowed the prawn to decompose for a couple of days and removed it from the tank. Finally a change in the parameters.

Ammonia : 1ppm

Nitrite : 0.25 ppm

Nitrates : ~ 2.5 ppm

Water has turned a little cloudy. Could be a bacterial bloom ?

[reef garden]

Yes, the cloudiness is due to bacterial bloom. You should leave the prawn to decompose. Anyway, do not stock anything until ammonia and nitrite reads 0 ppm.

[km_sg]

Yesterday:

Checked the parameters yesterday and the readings again showed the same. Did a colour comparison between the ammonia levels in my tank and the RO/DI salt water from Iwarna. The colors exactly matched. May be the yellow does have a greenish tinge when API test kit is used.

So, got a eheim 1000 power compact pump and a JBJ Artica 1/15 used chiller. Absolutely didn't have any space to put the pump other than the middle chamber. This meant that I had to cut the filtration baskets into half and provision for the pump. Anyway all said and done, the chiller's cools the temperature down to 26. Replaced the filtration media with AquaChem's Pur II wrapped around with filtration wool.

Today:

Went to Iwarna. New stocks just landed and all of them were super busy transferring stuff. Anyway, got a striped shrimp and about 5 trochus snails right from the shipment. Got a couple of clown fishes, one bangai cardinal and one fire fish. Only 2 of the snails have started moving around. Waiting for the rest to show some signs of life.

Tested pH. Its awfully low at 7.8. Worried if the stock skimmer with airstone is not doing enough.

[iskay]

Did you do water change before putting in your livestock? WC is needed post cycling.

[iskay]

Also, jbj28 is a small tank, don't stock up so fast. Soon you'll run out of space for the nicer pricier LS. I use a 28g hqi too but I can fit eheim 1000 as replacement to the stock pumps. Airstone-driven skimmers are not useful IMO.

[km_sg]

I thought water change is needed usually to reduce the nitrates. My nitrates are still around ~ 2.5 ppm and there is not much of algae growth. Will the water change boost the pH a little ?

The pipes of the stock return pumps were blocking the eheim 1000 to go down. Do you think one return pump as a wavemaker is sufficient for the waves.

Do you have a build thread of your own. I would like to read about it.

Thanks!