JBJ 65 Build Thread

[Dr4gula.f32]

This whole aquarium journey started for me about 4 years ago. I was in Petco with my wife getting things for the cats. She asked if we could get a fish and I immediately told her no because she would never take care of it. She left for work that night and I went back to Petco and bought a 2 gallon tank and supplies.
She came home the next day and she was ecstatic! I took her back to Petco to return that tank for a proper 20 gallon. My first tank upgrade before I ever filled it with water!
I did freshwater for 2 years swearing I'd never touch salt water, not wanting to put an ocean fish in a glass box.
Anyway I got bored and ended up filling that first upgrade 20 gallon tank with saltwater! That 20 gallon tank lasted about 45 days before I got a 30 gallon frag tank and sump.
That tank lasted about 60 days before I found this brand new JBJ 65 on craigslist for $500. Never filled with water, still in the box.

I put this tank together Septempber of 2022. I got the tank new on craigslist for $500 minus the stand. A friend of mine built me a stand out of 2x4 and since then it's sat like this in my living room. It kind of just blended in after a while.

Well today the stand gets finalized. My other friend is building the facade for the stand and so far it looks amazing!

Neptune Apex EL
Neptune ATO
Neptune Auto Feeder
2x Neptune eb4
1x Neptune eb832
Neptune leak detectors
Neptune fluid level sensors
2x AI Nero 3 wavemakers
2x AI Hydra 32 HD
Aquamax HOB 1.5 refugium
Amazon refugium grow light
Fluval planted tank grow light in back glass
Jaboa 4x dosing pump
IM 5 gallon ATO resevoir
Inkbird heating/cooling controller
Eheim 200w heater
Hydor return pump

Video of the tank as of last month - https://photos.app.goo.gl/ktt3NksjhsUWueu46

 

[magallonbuckinbulls]

Sweet rig brother. What sand did you use. Do you have high Flo?

 

[magallonbuckinbulls]

.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Sweet rig brother. What sand did you use. Do you have high Flo?

I re-used the same sand between all 3 salt tanks because they were so new when I went to a bigger tank. I did add sand as the tanks got bigger though. I have 3 or 4 bags of caribsea live sand. I forget which "model" sand it was, but it is pretty fine grain. Pistol shrimp is devious about it!

I planned for him though. The base rocks are all held up by pedestal rocks and then backfilled with sand. They have a great system of caves going under there.

I recently watched a video from WWC on YT about flow, and just turned the flow down. I had both Nero 3's set to about 75% with varying flow patterns, with a small amazing wavemaker in the center. After watching the video I turned the Nero's down to 60% max.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

This whole aquarium journey started for me about 4 years ago. I was in Petco with my wife getting things for the cats. She asked if we could get a fish and I immediately told her no because she would never take care of it. She left for work that night and I went back to Petco and bought a 2 gallon tank and supplies.
She came home the next day and she was ecstatic! I took her back to Petco to return that tank for a proper 20 gallon. My first tank upgrade before I ever filled it with water!
I did freshwater for 2 years swearing I'd never touch salt water, not wanting to put an ocean fish in a glass box.
Anyway I got bored and ended up filling that first upgrade 20 gallon tank with saltwater! That 20 gallon tank lasted about 45 days before I got a 30 gallon frag tank and sump.
That tank lasted about 60 days before I found this brand new JBJ 65 on craigslist for $500. Never filled with water, still in the box.

I put this tank together Septempber of 2022. I got the tank new on craigslist for $500 minus the stand. A friend of mine built me a stand out of 2x4 and since then it's sat like this in my living room. It kind of just blended in after a while.

Well today the stand gets finalized. My other friend is building the facade for the stand and so far it looks amazing!

Neptune Apex EL
Neptune ATO
Neptune Auto Feeder
2x Neptune eb4
1x Neptune eb832
Neptune leak detectors
Neptune fluid level sensors
2x AI Nero 3 wavemakers
2x AI Hydra 32 HD
Aquamax HOB 1.5 refugium
Amazon refugium grow light
Fluval planted tank grow light in back glass
Jaboa 4x dosing pump
IM 5 gallon ATO resevoir
Inkbird heating/cooling controller
Eheim 200w heater
Hydor return pump

Video of the tank as of last month - https://photos.app.goo.gl/ktt3NksjhsUWueu46

Tank looks great!

 

[kevgib67]

Very nice, following!

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Sunday we finished the doors! Got my anchor door pulls, soft close hinges and these 2 matching shades for the Hydra 32's! Jeff is going to build a canopy soon but for now the hoods work really well

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

What skimmer did y’all decide on?

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

I'm using the aquamax HOB skimmer. Intake is in the 2nd chamber from the right, outlet is in the pump chamber. Works great but sometimes it overflows. I made a diaper out of paper towel and masking tape. It hangs from the bottom of the skimmer. I put a leak detector inside the diaper that shuts the skimmer off it the paper towel gets wet.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm using the aquamax HOB skimmer. Intake is in the 2nd chamber from the right, outlet is in the pump chamber. Works great but sometimes it overflows. I made a diaper out of paper towel and masking tape. It hangs from the bottom of the skimmer. I put a leak detector inside the diaper that shuts the skimmer off it the paper towel gets wet.

Any recent pictures of your tank?

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Any recent pictures of your tank?

7 new photos · Sep 7, 2023 – Feb 25, 2024 📸

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photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

7 new photos · Sep 7, 2023 – Feb 25, 2024 📸

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

Is that a lion fish???

I'm using the aquamax HOB skimmer. Intake is in the 2nd chamber from the right, outlet is in the pump chamber. Works great but sometimes it overflows. I made a diaper out of paper towel and masking tape. It hangs from the bottom of the skimmer. I put a leak detector inside the diaper that shuts the skimmer off it the paper towel gets wet.

That is smart!!!

Your tank is fantastic! I really like the looks of these tanks.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Is that a lion fish???

That is smart!!!

Your tank is fantastic! I really like the looks of these tanks.

Yes. I had 2 in this tank. The dwarf fuzzy in this video, and a Fu-Man Chu.

I gave the dwarf away to a friend because it was too predatory. He would actively hunt my other fish and eat them. The Fu seems content with his weekly live fish that I get for him.

I have a guppy tank and 1 day I just took a scoop of them out and tossed them into the reef. Immediately felt like a piece of **** and have never done that since.

3 new videos · Mar 21 – Oct 29, 2023 🎬

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photos.app.goo.gl

 

[RDMVann]

Can I see a picture of your back chambers, mine middle chamber is super low on water and I’m not sure if that is ok or why

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

The pump chamber will be the first chamber to show as "low' when there isnt enough water in the tank. Add more water. It will only raise the level in the center 3 chambers.

 

[RDMVann]

The pump chamber will be the first chamber to show as "low' when there isnt enough water in the tank. Add more water. It will only raise the level in the center 3 chambers.

Thanks! That is what I was thinking but DH was flipping out that it was going to overflow the display….

 

[ralquist]

Beautiful!

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

I did a bunch of updates recently. The free awesome updates - I caught my maroon lightning clown, fu man chu, and bi color damsel fish in the wee hours of the morning with a flashlight and a net. In total this actually paid out, my LFS is very kind to me - Country Critters!

I have added a 3rd Hydra 32HD, on an HMS over the tank mount. I have added a COR15, max flow rate is only 34 percent. Even with this new pump those VCA random flow generators are dooky. The straight flow out of the nozzle. I don't understand why everyone raves about them. I also added a 3rd AI Nero 3 and ditched the Hygger I had. So now they are all linked to a parent. I dose 18ml 4x a day of All for Reef, and 4ml 4x a day of B Ionic 2 part.

About 4 months ago I got 2 plastic 55 gallon drum barrels and started on my AWC journey. A friend gave me a Neptune DOS in exchange for working on his car. The barrels are from a local makeup company. There was mud mask in them previously. I filled them both with hose water and a gallon of vinegar in each to clean them out. All great so far. I do a 1 gallon change every day 6p-8p. Previously I was doing 5 gallons a week on Sunday. I feel like the tank has shown a lot of growth since the AWC system was set up.

I attached some pics and video below. Some of them something happened with the HDR when I uploaded them to Google photos, that's why the colors seem off.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

I just googled JBJ 65 gallon images, and one of the first ones is this thread, my tank. Anyway, I was hit with a bit of nostalgia seeing this thread. My tank has come so far since I started this. Seeing the bare rocks with nothing on it really put into perspective where it started, and where it is now.