HSR's JBJ 45 Build

[HSR]

Hello everyone!

I picked up my JBJ 45 AIO for a steal on fb marketplace in May 2022, and I've been slowly upgrading and building it out over the past few months. I enjoy everyone's build process and documentation, so I thought I would throw another one into the mix! I'm going to spend some time archiving what I've done before getting to the aquariums current state - the good, the bad, the ugly over the past few months. Thanks for tagging along!

Short intro - I've been keeping saltwater fish since 2010, but largely FOWLR aquariums with a few failed attempts at coral early on. My life has changed just as much as the hobby over those 12 years, and my current combination of living in Chicago (condo life, cold winters) and being a landscape architect (plant lover and collector) has brought me back to taking a stab at a reef tank. I've jokingly called my aquariums my "winter hobby" when I can't play outside in my garden, but it's been fun to take it a bit more seriously the past few months.

May 2022- Tank Purchased!
For $150 I picked up the JBJ 45 and got it home. I wasn't planning on a tank upgrade from my little 20 gallon IM peninsula, but the price was right and I had the perfect spot for it.

Equipment:
Stock JBJ 45 Aquarium and Stand
2x Cobalt Mj1200 Pumps
inTank Media Basket upgrade
Aqueon Submersible Aquarium Heater 150w
Orbit Marine LED 18" x 2 (Don't worry, these go away!)
Cheap ebay knockoff powerhead



June 2022- Tank Transfer Month
After waiting to finish up the kitchen backsplash reno, I was finally able to transfer over my 20 peninsula into the JBJ 45. I moved over my CaribSea branch rock and clownfish.

Stock:
ORA Zombie Clownfish
ORA Snowflake Clownfish

Equipment Upgrades:
Tunze 9001 Skimmer

 

[HSR]

Sept 2022 - Equipment Upgrades
August and September brought some good changes to the aquarium. As the tank started to settle in, I quickly realized that my lights weren't cutting it, so I bit the bullet and purchased the Hydra 32 - and WOW - what a difference it makes. It came along with a giant algae outbreak, but it settled down after 3-4 weeks.

Since many of my hobby years were scrapping things together as a teenager or college student, I didn't really ever have the opportunity to experience the joys of good equipment. The purchase of the Tunze skimmer and Hydra light proved that saving up and making big upgrades was worth it. Within a week my sad looking frags already looked 5x more colorful and had noticeable growth on them.

With the upgraded lighting came with the ability to indulge my partner in their many year request for an anemone for our clownfish to host - and one became two! The impulse purchase of one at a local pet supply chain wasn't my best moment of restraint as the color is quite blah, but they're doing the job for now!


Equipment:

• Stock JBJ 45 Aquarium and Stand
• Hydra 32 HD LED
• Tunze 9001 Skimmer
• ClearView Lid
• IM SpinStream Wavemaking Flow Nozzles
• 2x Cobalt Mj1200 Return Pumps
• inTank Media Basket upgrade
• Aqueon Submersible Aquarium Heater 150w
• Cheap ebay knockoff powerhead

Fish:

• ORA Zombie Clownfish
• ORA Snowflake Clownfish
• Biota Captive-Bred Yellow Tang

Inverts:

• 2 Green Bubble Tip Anemone
• Assorted snails

Coral:

• Green Toadstool Leather
• Assorted Zoanthids
• GSP Frag
• Xenia

 

[HSR]

November 2022 - Coral Collecting
In November I found an aquarium store within an hour of me that was packed with corals! Shoutout to Blue Line Coral in Naperville, IL. The small frags came with a price tag that was perfect for experimenting and dipping my toes deeper into the world of coral. What I lacked was rhyme or reason for purchases outside of wanting to experiment and try new corals.

A mistake I had made at this point was not adding more rock work before making so many frag purchases. My aquascape felt quite flat and one dimensional as I added all the little pieces of coral.

 

[dstockwell]

Lookin good

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Tank is off to a good start!!

 

[Steven Garland]

Pretty awesome scape you have going on.

 

[HSR]

December 2022 / January 2023 Update

Dreaded Dinos... I never thought I would be using a microscope for my aquarium, but there I was with a positive Osteos ID. Thank goodness for the Mack's reef...Dinoflagellates support group! on FB, and I recommend it for anyone who is struggling. Luckily I had read about Dinos so much that I quickly recognized the signs and went straight in for the kill.



I opted for a UV sterilizer in one of the back chambers and starting feeding more, adding phyto, and pods. The corals were closed and looked like a wreck for 3-4 weeks, but slowly the Dinos went away and coral started to recover. It's now the middle of February and it's been over a month since I have seen anything. No new corals, but a little rearranging happened.

Next on my list is a better camera to start capturing on something better than an iphone. Don't mind my pug breathing heavy in the background.

 

[Fishywish3]

December 2022 / January 2023 Update

Dreaded Dinos... I never thought I would be using a microscope for my aquarium, but there I was with a positive Osteos ID. Thank goodness for the Mack's reef...Dinoflagellates support group! on FB, and I recommend it for anyone who is struggling. Luckily I had read about Dinos so much that I quickly recognized the signs and went straight in for the kill.



I opted for a UV sterilizer in one of the back chambers and starting feeding more, adding phyto, and pods. The corals were closed and looked like a wreck for 3-4 weeks, but slowly the Dinos went away and coral started to recover. It's now the middle of February and it's been over a month since I have seen anything. No new corals, but a little rearranging happened.

Next on my list is a better camera to start capturing on something better than an iphone. Don't mind my pug breathing heavy in the background.

Beautiful Tank! Ran across your post while looking to add a uv sterilizer to the JBJ 45 rimless I just bought. Which sterilizer did you add and how's it working out?