JBJ 12 gallon nano cube review and pictures

[bdelaney]

If I were to redesign it I would have a spray bar at the back surface that sprayed forward.

I think I've seen someone do this before to a nano-cube. I think they used some easily obtained aquarium parts and drilled out the outlet to fit them. I'll see if I can find it later.

 

[Juck]

I'm about to install a spray bar in mine,, the stock circular current around the edge of the tank and dead water in the center is starting to get on my pecs. I had to replace my retrofit Maxi-Jet 900 with a 400 until I sort this out.

I put a small BTA clone in there and it spent days wandering/floating around the tank before it finally found a spot it liked,,, seems to be doing fine with the stock lighting,,, although it did pick a spot quite high in the tank.

I have a spraybar left-over from an old cannister filter,, I'll try to retrofit with that,,, will post a pic when it's done.

Also, I did finally figure out the story with the Darwin Clownfish I mentioned earlier in this thread,, they are a localized color-morph of A.Oscellaris that is only found off the coast of Darwin, Austrailia,,,, kinda obvious I suppose.


Matt,,, how is that Monti doing in your cube?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't like admitting it, but the purple monti is actually growing in this tank. It really surprised me, I kind of expected it to die. I wouldn't suggest anyone try ANY stony coral in this tank, unless you can frag it off an existing colony.

 

[Ticeman]

I'm looking into getting a 12 gallon jbj nano reef aquarium and have a few questions.
First off let me tell you it has been very interesting and educational reading everyones posts.
I have been into salt water aquariums for about 10 years. I have have played with reefs but nothing hard core.

When I get my jbj nano I want to set it up as best as possible the first time. I have read many posts on small modifications such as dividing the chambers to make true wet/dry. The other one I have read is removing the small power head and adding a larger one. Is it a good idea to do both of these right from the start?
Also, when adding live rock and/or sand is it OK to add these in the first day?
I keep seeing and reading more and more about people using live rock in the wet/dry area of the tank. Is this the best way? Should I not use the bio balls and go pure LR? If I do use LR in the back is there any additional maintance needed?
What are the main additives(such as calcium) I should keep on hand?

Any advise or words of wisdom would be great.

Thanks,
Tice

 

[bdelaney]

There are many ways to be successful with this (or any) reef tank. The choice of wet/dry or not is really your own personal decision. I would say that the majority of reef-keepers avoid wet/dry filtration. I chose to use it to see how it performed on a nano reef tank. With regular water changes, I have a thriving nano-reef with around 5 ppm of nitrates. I have two fish that I am guilty of overfeeding on occasion. Many claim that any amount of nitrates is too much, but all of my successful aquariums have had consistent but small amounts of nitrates with no ill effects. One advantage to a wet/dry or trickle filter is increased gas exchange.

If you are going to modify the rear filter compartment do it before you stock the tank. Some people use live rock/refugium in the back, and I think this is a great way to go as well. One option is to use the first two compartments for sponges, carbon, purigen, or whatever your favorite filter media is. Then use the remaining area for live rock. I think that regardless of what you use in the rear filter compartment, you should perform regular cleanings (every 3 months or so) to remove accumulated detrius.

Unless you go with a larger powerhead that needs modification to fit into the back filter compartment, you can upgrade it later if you wish.

As for adding live rock, I would exercise caution in adding live rock all at once. I cured mine in an established aquarium for several weeks before adding to my nano. I think curing live rock in a nano is risky. Without adequate dilution and no protein skimming, you can get a huge accumulation of nutrients very quickly that can allow nuissance algae to take hold. I'd be interested to hear what others think about this.

As for additives, I use a two part calcium/alkalinity supplement such as Kent Tech-A and Tech-B. It seems that nano's have a tendency to build up acids that cause pH swings over time. Maintaining proper alkalinity is important to combat this effect.