JBJ 28 Gallon (First SW Tank)

[cmcimino]

I picked this tank up on a local aquarium forum for $20.00! I currently have a high tech planted tank, so I figured this would be a great start for saltwater. For $20 I got the following items:

28 Gallon JBJ Cube & Stand
2x Maxijet 1200 Return Pumps
1x Maxijet 900 Return Pump
Current Sunpod 150W Metal Halide fixture
Reefkeeper 2 Controller
Temperature Probe
pH Probe (Needed to be replaced)
Stealth Heater (Will be replaced)
UPS Battery Backup
DIY ATO system (a little too janky for me)
New container of Chemi-Pure
New bag of Purigen
Test kits, etc.

The tank was pretty gross when I got it. It looked like it had sat half full for a while, so I took it home and washed it out as best as I could. I also took apart both pumps and cleaned them up. Then I filled the tank up with a water and vinegar mixture to get any build up off. I then did some research on saltwater tanks because I had no idea what the heck I was doing. These are the purchases I made after research.

Aqua Illumination Prime ($100 of CL)
New pH Probe
Hydor Koralia 565 Powerhead
15 lbs of Dry Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand
20 lbs of Dry Pukani Rock
New ATO System
1.5 Gallons of Kalkwasser

Things I need:
New heater
Water


I'll be getting my water from the local university's aquaculture center. They have filtered sea water that everyone usually uses to start up tanks because its free! I'm trying to take my time with this so I don't get in over my head so I've been doing a little bit here and there. I have been working on a scape with my rock and wanted to get some opinions on it. Also if there is anything else I need please let me know!

-Chris

 

[Speedy]

Remember that if your rocks are right up against the glass behind and to the sides you cant reach anything behind it or clean the glass or gravel and it can create dead spots where waterflow wont reach . Otherwise nice tank

 

[cmcimino]

Remember that if your rocks are right up against the glass behind and to the sides you cant reach anything behind it or clean the glass or gravel and it can create dead spots where waterflow wont reach . Otherwise nice tank

Good point! I may have to chip some pieces off to get some clearance.

 

[cmcimino]

Filled the tank up yesterday! Going to work on the auto top off system and reservoir today. Heater comes in tomorrow so I will be putting that in tomorrow. I chipped some of the rocks up to have some clearance all the way around the tank. Now the cycle begins!

 

[Speedy]

Looks good . Your rockwork looks good . Remember having a more open rockwork increases flow and prevents dead spots for flow that create food and waste traps and nitrate pockets. Looks good though . Keep updating

 

[cmcimino]

So its been a week minus a few hours since the tank was filled. I've added the heater, and I'm keeping the water at 82F to encourage bacteria growth. I have also added another powerhead to increase flow around the tank. ATO has been installed and seems to be working great! I picked up some Seachem Stability when I went to fill up on RO/DI water last week. I'm not sure how I feel about bottled "bacteria" but it cant' hurt and I needed to add some money to my bill so I could use my debit card. Below is the current readings from my water test today. I do not have an official API saltwater chart, so I printed one off so I doubt the colors match 100%. I'll keep updating every week and when/if anything changes.

 

[alyee5]

Wow all that for $20? What a steal. Looks like the cycle is well on its way. Note- with that level of nitrite your nitrate levels may be reading high falsely. Just FYI as to something I experienced in cycling my tank- I did water changes during the cycle thinking the nitrates were sky high, but they were false levels.

 

[cmcimino]

Two weeks since tank was filled. Looks like the ammonia has gone down quite a bit, and the nitrites have risen. I screwed up on my nitrates test so it's not pictured.

 

[waterskiguy]

Coming along nicely man! Welcome to your newest addiction.
Can't believe you got all of this for $20. What a great deal!

 

[cmcimino]

It's a little slow today at work so I figured I'd do my update now and ask a few questions. I've been testing the nitrites all week, and they do not have seemed to drop at all! Is this normal? Should I maybe feed the tank some ammonia to see how it reacts? I have also ordered an HOB filter on amazon to start a 10 gallon quarantine tank I'll put in my office. I'll test my water during my lunch break and post an updated picture.

 

[Tahoe61]

Great beginnings, and good decision to change out the MH for LED. I had this tank type for 7 hours and loved it.

 

[cmcimino]

Great beginnings, and good decision to change out the MH for LED. I had this tank type for 7 hours and loved it.

7 hours???

 

[Tahoe61]

LOL sorry 7 years (need more coffee)

 

[alyee5]

It's not too unusual for the nitrites to take a while to drop...this image from the web kinda gives a feel for how the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate take a bit longer to grow in population...but as most people say every tank is different...

 

[cmcimino]

LOL sorry 7 years (need more coffee)

Hah, that's what I figured you meant! I figured this would be a great start to the SW side. Hopefully a couple years from now I can buy a house of my own and get a larger tank!

It's not too unusual for the nitrites to take a while to drop...this image from the web kinda gives a feel for how the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate take a bit longer to grow in population...but as most people say every tank is different...

This is great! I reckon I'll just be patient and keep testing every other day or so. I've also noticed my pH has been around 7.75 since I started the tank. I'm using a pinpoint probe which I calibrated when I set the tank up. The API kit is showing a similar pH as well. Is 7.75 too low? Should I not worry about the pH while my tank cycles?

 

[cmcimino]

Here's the ammonia and nitrites test from week 3! Ammonia looks like its all gone. Just waiting for the nitrites to drop!

 

[cmcimino]

Week 4 test results. Nitrites still remain high.

 

[cmcimino]

Week 5 and still no drop in Nitrites. I did pick up a Hanna Instruments ULR Phosphorous checker as well as the marine alkalinity checker for $30/each!

 

[cmcimino]

So its been about 2.5 weeks since I posted last. Nitrites have finally dropped!!! I will be setting up my QT tank this week with an HOB I have been running on the nanocube since week 2. My phosphate are at 0.35 ppm, so I'm thinking about growing some chaeto in the tank while I QT my first fish. I will update when I set up the QT tank this weekend. Any other advice?

 

[waterskiguy]

So its been about 2.5 weeks since I posted last. Nitrites have finally dropped!!! I will be setting up my QT tank this week with an HOB I have been running on the nanocube since week 2. My phosphate are at 0.35 ppm, so I'm thinking about growing some chaeto in the tank while I QT my first fish. I will update when I set up the QT tank this weekend. Any other advice?

Is you phosphate .35 on the ULR checker? If so, that's ppb and you're sitting well within acceptable range. If not, you can always put the chemipure in there to get rid of the phosphate. Cheato wouldn't be a bad idea either.