Nano Cube

[nanoreef]

Well, this site seems to be quite a fine source of information.
I don't know what we ever did without the internet. I have had a JBJ Nanocube set up for about three weeks now and everything seems to be going ok. I do have a few questions however, that I hope are able to be answered. To fill everyone in about my aquarium, it is a twelve gallon model with about 15 lbs. of Fiji live rock, 20 lbs. of live sand, 1 blue spotted jawfish, 3 hermit crabs(1 blue legged and 2 scarlet), 1 turbo snail and several mushrooms and softcorals. I believe the lights are a 26w setup with three bulbs including one 50/50. Everything seems to be doing well, the fish and inverts are thriving and the water tests fine but the temp seems to stay inexplicably high (always near 84). What is an effective method of controlling the temp. The temp of my house is moderate, and I have tried the aquarium in several different locations. Second, how much is too much as far as cleaners? I have a rust colored algea that seems to grow as fast as I clean it. I am afraid of overloading my aquarium with organisms although I'm not really sure what the saturation point is. Third, I haven't read any posts in this forum yet regarding additives and the nano reef. I have been adding two Kent Marine products (Zooplex and Liquid Reactor) along with a product called Reef Solution. Any takes on these or anything else I should or shouldn't add to my system? Any advice is appreciated! I will post a picture as soon as I can.

[Casey]

Welcome Welcome glad ya found us

[ckreef]

Welcome nanoreef

Awesome on the JBJ 12 gal Cube tank.

As far as temp in the tank goes, either
1) lower temp in house via AC unit or
2) add another/better fan to your hood arangement. Also adding better/more vent holes in your canopy might help.

I have never seen one of these tank in person (only pics on the web) I do believe that if you vented more heat out of your hood it would help with the temp.

I use the kent CB two part calcium/alkalinity addative and thats it.

Within reason I don't believe you could add to many cleanup crew organisims (I did say within reason).

[sammy33]

Glad you joined us!

I have had a JBJ Nanocube set up for about three weeks now and everything seems to be going ok.

Is that from day one or has the tank cycled already? It usually takes about 6 weeks for a tank to initially cycle. The tank will go through a lesser secondary cycle once you add a cleanup crew and a third cycle when fish are added.
However...
Cycling in a nano may be different if you added cured rock and 20lbs live sand. I have actually heard of people never experiencing the big ammonia peaks in nanos.

I use Eco Systems Reef Solution. I use it sparingly though as it seems to make my Xenia grow like weeds. I usually dose it every ten days or so and rely on water changes for trace element and calcium consistency.

I change my water on the 10th, 20th and 30th day of each month (well most of the time ). This schedule makes it easier for me to remember water changes. Some people do less water changes but dose more frequently.

I had a similar heat problem with my retro Eclipse canopy and used to prop the cover open with a clothespin to add extra ventilation. I agree with Charles...add a fan to your setup. Keep an eye on your evaporation if you add a fan.

I think the general "rule of thumb" for cleanup crew is somewhere about 1 snail per 2 gallons and 1 hermit per 3 gallons. Maybe another hermit and about 4 or 5 more snails would be good to beef up your janitor crew.

[nanoreef]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Sammy, you are right, I didn't really have an ammonia spike like most. I have a similar method of remembering water changes, every payday. Have you looked into beefed up lights for this system? I would eventually like to try some varieties of stony corals.

[reiple]

Good luck nano-reefing! It's a challenge approach and rewarding.

The temp problem is always with small tanks because they change temp too rapidly. But that's the challenge for nano keeping!

Gets too hot? Try using small fans. Problem with this is the water will evaporate faster. Just install a good water top off system (any gravity based setup will do nicely. cheap, DIY and very effective). Additionally you can use kalwasser with your top off to feed the system supplemental calcium.

If you get the balancing act well, a nano-reef is one setup that rocks! Have fun and enjoy nano-reefing!

http://www.nano-reef.com/reiple/

[gobywankenobi]

forgive me: i'm new to the site, new to the nanoreefs, and TOTALLY obsessed...

i just went out and got one of those jbj nanocubes and was experiencing the same temp problem. i went back to the store where they had one set up, (a real nice one that totally sold me on it), and they had screwed two tiny fans to the two round vents in the lid/cover. they were selling them for like fifteen bucks a piece, and then you had to shell out another twentyfive or so for a transformer, which i thought was outrageous. i'm thinking i could get the same thing at a computer supply store for cheaper.

but hey, are you experiencing any problems with your built-in "wet-dry" filter? not sure how these things work, but, there's not a lot of "dry" action going on back there.

and another question, (if you don't mind), how long DID you take to cycle your cube? i've had mine up and running for only a few days with live rock and live sand and it already seems to be pretty balanced...

thanks for the inspiration, you guys!http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/ne...hreadid=24022#

[nanoreef]

I cycled my tank for over about two weeks. It probably could have gone sooner but I'm someone who has problems making normal plants grow so I definitely didn't want to screw this up.
I ordered two micro fans from radioshack, haven't hooked them up yet that will be tonights project. I'll get the part #'s for you later when I have more time. I'm not sure what you are talking about with the filter. Are you sure that you have the marine version of the nano and not the freshwater? I understand that there is a difference with the lighting and filter. I agree with you that there is not a whole lot of dry that goes on but I thought that was just a figure of speech with the sponge that goes in the back. I think the water is just supposed to pass through all of those different types of media.

[gobywankenobi]

oooh, radio shack micro fans. i think i'll probably go get some of those!

no, i have the saltwater nanocube with the "wet/dry" filter... i heard of someone who glued in a piece of acrylic against the second partition because the holes in the original design made every section brim with water. anyway, his "hole-less" partition allowed the pump to bring the water level down halfway in the third and fourth section, thereby causing the water to spill over the top of the new partition and trickle down through the few bioballs. (does that make sense?)

i guess i'm trying to figure out if i want to break down my tank and do this. but if you're having no trouble with the original filter design, i'll go your way.

thanks for the quick response!

[nanoreef]

The acrylic idea sounds interesting, a little late for me though. Keep in mind though, the filter is probably not as necessary to the functionality of the tank as it is in a classic aquarium. That is why it is beneficial to load your tank with liverock and do your water changes. I have a friend that has a 7 gallon and he doesn't even really have a filter. All he has is a sponge and a water wheel type thing that kinda keeps the water moving. One thing you will probably want to do is add an extra power head. I put one in the lower left side of mine and it has added a lot of movement to the water. The two fans cost me about thirty bucks shipped from radioshack.com Their extremly small (1.57"x1.57") I accidently left them at work so I guess I wont be installing them tonight but I will let you know how they work when they're up and running. What are you planning on adding to your aquarium once it has cycled?

[gobywankenobi]

i think you're right about the nanocube not needing an acrylic piece. i've heard basically the same thing from people, that in such a small tank, the live rock and live sand is enough (really, my tank cycled in like three days! not kidding.)

the powerhead sounds like a good idea. i think i need some more surface movement/agitation, but there seems to be a pretty good current in the tank already --there's a side switch on that cheap little pump that increases the flow. you said you put it in the lower left of the tank, you mean in the back filter area? i'm not sure how much water movement is really right...

i found a fish store today that sells some little fans for the nanocube so i bought a couple but i couldn't get them to work with the transformer that they came with. it was a disappointment after having an hour long discussion about whether the fans should blow in or out or both and 24 hours a day... etc. still haven't come to a conclusion on that one... but i think they should both blow out. (it was also a pain getting the lid off the tank!)

don't have any ideas about what to fill the tank with, i just love everything and am still learning the names and types of reef dudes. but i am going to go with a scarlet hermit, a blue legged hermit, some snails, a fire shrimp, two small clowns and a couple of anemones for them, maybe a goby, and lots of small to medium invertibrates. i think i want to stay within a certain range of color to keep the "beauty" balanced, but i know in the end it will all be decided by my pocketbook and daily fancy.

[ckreef]

Originally posted by gobywankenobi
whether the fans should blow in or out or both and 24 hours a day... etc. still haven't come to a conclusion on that one... but i think they should both blow out.

Nope --- They both should blow IN allowing the air to naturally find it's own way out. That will give you the most cooling power.

Some people go one in and one out which also seems to work OK

Both blowing out will not properly cool your setup.

I have tried all three ways in the past and now go with both blowing IN on all new setups I do.

Also you should run the fans on the same timer as the lights so it goes on and off with the lights. That should be more than adequate considering the lights is what usually causes you to have a heat issue.

A fan 24 hrs will give you more cooling but also much more evaporation which you will have to deal with. Only do 24 hrs if that is absolutle necessary to keep the tank at a resonable temp.

[Tony240ZT]

I have had a nano cube up and running for about a month now. I tried just dumping in live rocks, and running with few animals, but the tank really didn't seem to cycle this way, and I didn't want to hurt my fish, so I've taken all of the animals out and am now doing the fishless cycle process, and hope this works out better.

I have two fans in the back they are 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 1" and blow in. No cooling problems after this. They run off of a 12vdc power supply, and bolt right in. I had suface scum problems, and I think the solution to this may be to install a small external skimmer by putting a couple holes in the back for feed to an inline pump, and return of skimmed water. A lot of nano guys seem to do okay without skimming, but I've had problems where my tanks crash without them.

You are correct the dry part of the filter is just not there, and these bio balls don't really get the oxegen that they require. I will find out if the system is able to convert ammonia in a few days here, right now I have it sitting at 5ppm with the lights off, and live rock in the tank.

The brown algae is likely caused by nutriens added from tap water such as phosphates, silicates, and nitrates. It also could be from your fish, and the tank may not be properly cycled. I suggest cycling without having your lighting on, this promotes the proper algae growth while the bad kind die out.

I talked with JBJ about the lighting intinsity, and they seem to be pretty happy with their results. Here is a list of life in one of their test tanks that has been running for 10months with no problems.

1) Long tentacle plate
2) Elegance Coral
3) Button Polyps
4) Flame Scallop
5) Orange Sponge
6) Green Frogspawn
7) Blue Mushrooms

I'm curious how the tanks go for people, and if you ever rid of your algae problems. Were you using RO water to start out with?

[gobywankenobi]

true about the fans both blowing IN on the nano cube. i tried all three ways today over the course of the whole day and watched the temp go up and down, and decided on IN.

i think the live sand, in conjunction with the LR, is really the trick to a quicker cycle. but i admit i am having a tough time keeping my pH up. any ideas?

and i'm thinking of just taking the ceramic rings, bioballs, and carbon out of the back altogether. is there any benefit (or detriment) to doing this --such a tiny tank... how about just the rings and bioballs? anyway, i'm still learning.

[nanoreef]

Well, I finally have my fans up and running. They have cooled my tank about six degrees which is a relief. I have noticed a thin film across the surface of my water. Does anyone have any idea what this is and how to prevent it? It almost seems to have a reddish or brown tint to it.