Neptune Aquatics

OtakuThugster's Mini-reef

Hi Everybody,

I just wanted to introduce myself and possibly get acquainted with other members.



I've been aquareefing for over 10 years, and boy, it's been an addictive, fun, frustrating, and expensive adventure all rolled into one. Initially, I started relatively big with a 50 gallon, going off of numerous recommendations from books I read, then eventually upgrading to a 70-ish gallon along the way, which is still up and running and houses all of my homemade frags as well as some older softies.

My latest attempt at reefing is a first for me, a mini-reef weighing in at ~30 gallons. In addition, I've never kept SPS's before due to lack of halides. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the JBJ Nano Cube-HQI, while browsing at 6th Ave (yeah, I know, I know, you just have to be picky, thou'). This aquarium's now been up and running since the beginning of summer '08 and haven't had any mishaps yet ***crossing fingers & knocking on wood***. Here's some pics of it as well as some specs:

Full system shot (front view):


This is the welcoming view as you enter my house (right view):


Main viewing angle since it's right next to the couch (left view):


Inhabitants include:[*]Assorted Acroporas[*]Pink-tipped Pocillopora[*]Pink Birds Nest[*]Rainbow Montipora[*]Orange Montipora[*]Green Montipora Spongodes[*]Meteor Shower Cyphastrea[*]War Coral[*]Cup Coral[*]Horn Coral[*]Blastomussa Wellsi[*]Watermelon Chalice[*]Purple/Green/Brown Maze Coral[*]Brain Corals (Red/Green + Green)[*]Branching Frogspawn[*]Orange Acans[*]Pink Gorgorian[*]Trumpet Coral[*]Orange Ricordea[*]Pink Anemone[*]Tree Coral[*]Snake Polyps[*]Orange Clove PolypsAssorted ZoanthidsPulsing XeniaTridacnid Crocea clamFeather Duster wormsCleaner ShrimpArrowhead Crab (yup, for the bristle worms)Red/Black Sea StarClarki Clownfish (damn, this dude used to bite)Flameback Pygmy Angel









Lighting:20,000K Coralife 150 Watt HQI (on 10hrs/day)x4 blue moonlight LED's (on 24hrs/day)Additional Hardware:x2 Accela SPI-2000 Pumps (~266gph) (one uses a Hydor Deflector)Hydor theo heater, 50wattsNano Arctica titanium chillerFiltration:Live Rock/SandAirstone skimmerConverted mechanical filtration compartments to house various macroalgea and a tiny mangroveActivated carbon bag - I really just use it to transport tiny inverts and other plankton from my bigger aquarium to this aquarium; the stuff inside's pretty old and I doubt it's that activated anymoreFeeding, Maintenance, and Dosings:Spirulina brine shrimp dailyRoti Feast & DT's Phytoplankton every other day20% water change every other weekB-ionic 3 days/weekRandom Calcium and Nitrate TestsWell, that's about it. Lemmee know what'chya think, and I look forward to meeting y'all at the next meeting,--OtakuThugster
 
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5407.msg67093#msg67093 date=1228369101]
ROAB?

[/quote]

Eileen and I are wondering the samething.. ;D
 
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5407.msg67093#msg67093 date=1228369101]
ROAB?

[/quote]

lol i was thinking the same thing when i saw the title.
 
[quote author=Elite link=topic=5407.msg67099#msg67099 date=1228370882]
No we thought you are someone else.. There is/was a member who used the same screen name.


[/quote]

Ohhhhhhh...I see. Lemmee see if I can change my handle then - I'd hate to swoop on someone else's.
 
12/16/08
New inhabitants:


Another Watermelon Chalice (right below the cleaner shrimp); the other one I have isn't doing so well (I think I moved it around too much :).


Orange/White Sponge I picked up at the Aquarium Showroom during the BAR meeting + a receded Peppermint Acan I got for $5 at the LFS


This sponge has polyps sticking out of the white areas, which, I believe, is pretty untypical for sponges, leading me to believe this may be part carnivorous. Does anyone have any specifics on this sponge?
 
Sweet, another JBJ HQI owner!! :)
Your tank looks incredible!!!

I was going to pick up a piece of that sponge as well but there was little known about it. Curious to see how it plays out, please keep me updated!

Also, I'm curious as to what exactly you did in the back chambers, got some more detailed pics you could share?

Thanks,
Jay
 
[quote author=badbread link=topic=5407.msg70165#msg70165 date=1229540067]
Sweet, another JBJ HQI owner!! :)
Your tank looks incredible!!!

I was going to pick up a piece of that sponge as well but there was little known about it. Curious to see how it plays out, please keep me updated!

Also, I'm curious as to what exactly you did in the back chambers, got some more detailed pics you could share?

Thanks,
Jay


[/quote]

Thanks, badbread. Yeah, the JBJ was perfect for my living conditions. Like you, I have limited space in my condo, so I had to go for this size. In the end, I've grown more fond of mini/nano reefs. You have to be more strategic regarding coral placement and more judgmental adding corals to limited real estate.

As far as the back chamber, I wish I could supply more pics, but it's pretty flush against the wall, preventing me from maneuvering a camera back there.

Plain and simply, I removed all the media cartridges and compartments it came with and replaced the space with macro algae and a mangrove for nitrate/phosphate removal. The lighting for the back, however, is a different story. If you can see the set-up, the skimmer, wires, and tubing prevent any way of setting a light on top of that portion. Fortunately, I was able to prop a PCR light with one side up against the wall and the other resting on top, backside of the aquarium. Otherwise, I would have had to drill some holes in the wall to set up an overhanging light.

Low & behold the algae setup works great: 0 Nitrates & 0 nuisance algae.
 
[quote author=newreefnut link=topic=5407.msg70196#msg70196 date=1229547110]
I actually saw that sponge bagged up on the counter when I was buying my Oyster Feast, lol!
[/quote]

Yeah, the sponge was a pretty penny, tho'. If it does well, I'll start fragging it - more DBTC, yay!
 
nice tank, amazing variety of corals. I also like what you did with your chamber fuge. How is the chiller working for you? Did you find it as a necessity?
 
[quote author=Whisk link=topic=5407.msg70358#msg70358 date=1229622784]
nie tank, amazing variety of corals. I also like what you did with your chamber fuge. How is the chiller working for you? Did you find it as a necessity?
[/quote]

Oh yeah, definitely needed a chiller (a first for me). It's 'cause JBJ incorporated a 150 watt HQI into the hood. So, besides the back, the hood negates any efficient heat exchange between the water and air. Even with the fans running, the temp used to shoot up from the mid-seventies at night to mid-eighties after an hour or two with the lights on.

The chiller itself is cool, tho'. It keeps the temp within a much narrower range than without it - ~77 to 80 degrees. It's pretty quiet too. It's sounds like a mini-fridge when it's cooling.
 
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