New JBJ 45 build, almost a year!

[ralquist]

Hey, I have the tunze 9004 also but it doesn’t work very well and makes a lot of micro bubbles, did you have the same problem

Yes I finally gave up on it after fighting it for almost a year. The measurements are too tight in my opinion to work as intended. With the intake being on the front of the skimmer with water leaving the bottom of the skimmer, unless you have it in the first slot lined up with the overflow it will not function correctly. But I never tried that, for as poor as it performed I more worried about removing 1 of the mechanical filtration methods. I had mine in the 2nd slot, never "broke in" and always just spewed microbubbles, would rarely get and good skimmate, always very watery and would overflow often. If you follow the path of the water from the overflow putting this in the 2nd slot is forcing water into the out flow of the skimmer and around the body where the intake is so far from ideal. Lets all those micro bubbles with a direct path to your return pump. Fought adjusting up down, adjusting the dc pump and could never get it working correctly. Multiple attempts at contacting Tunze, they have great customer service but ultimately could not correct the issue. I decided to get an aquamaxx HOB 1.5, it does come with its own set of issues/challenges to get it working on a JBJ45 it performs night and day better.

 

[ralquist]

Quick update, noticed my clown fish acting odd recently. Found they had laid eggs Friday 12/13! This was last night 12/17, you can now make out eyes!! Pretty neat but no plans on doing anything with them at this point, far from set up for something like that. Don't mind the bubble algae :oops:!

Fixed this link! These have came and gone but another batch was laid Christmas Eve!

 

[ralquist]

Still need some major TLC but getting back into it slowly. Plan to trade out all torches, dominating one side of the tank and taking up too much room. Been talked into a jellyfish tank so that will be a journey I’m sure. Little 5g Amazon special I’m sure will drive me mad but will be delivered sometime first of the month. Here’s a little pic dump, still working to get better at taking photos.

 

[dangles]

Still need some major TLC but getting back into it slowly. Plan to trade out all torches, dominating one side of the tank and taking up too much room. Been talked into a jellyfish tank so that will be a journey I’m sure. Little 5g Amazon special I’m sure will drive me mad but will be delivered sometime first of the month. Here’s a little pic dump, still working to get better at taking photos.

Some absolutely stunning corals you have there my friend. Good photos too!

 

[DRENegade]

Thanks that’s very good to know, a video would be awesome! I’m at the mercy of Amazon for my light so hoping to have it done and able to get some chaeto by Sunday at the latest! The inTank baskets I have is the media ones, see there is another specific refugium. They look pretty similar, plan on trying it on the 1st or 5th chamber would still allow me to run filter floss in the top compartment of the basket. 2nd chamber is the skimmer and 4th has heaters and chemical media bags.

I'm looking to set up an jbj45 with minimal water changes. I see that you have a ton of experience. What do you recommend to start off with? I see that you've done a lot and as a new hobbyist its so confusing. Please help if you have time, thanks!

 

[ralquist]

I'm looking to set up an jbj45 with minimal water changes. I see that you have a ton of experience. What do you recommend to start off with? I see that you've done a lot and as a new hobbyist its so confusing. Please help if you have time, thanks!

Absolutely, I'll send you a DM.

 

[ralquist]

FYI Jellyfish tank from Amazon is about as good as it sounds lol. Got it, leak checked and let run for a week or so with RODI. I've never heard a return pump so loud in such a tiny little motor. Seller would not work with a solution, mailed back today! One day I will have a jellyfish but this is on hold ugh.

 

[ralquist]

I’ve seen my RFA spawn every once in a while, haven’t added anything new for well over 6 months. Noticed about 10 of these guys, sure seem to be baby RFA! I dunno, sorry for the bad photo.

 

[Anna K]

What a beautiful tank and those do look like babies!! :D

 

[ralquist]

What a beautiful tank and those do look like babies!! :D

Thank you! 100% baby RFAs now confirmed, believe they are from the runt (least attractive one go figure) haha in the tank but I count 16! Regardless kinda neat, had a few spawning this weekend so maybe I'll end up with some more who knows!!

Side note, the more I read on these babies the less I understand. What my thoughts of a male vs female are really making me question which one is which. The runt is a green/green which I found all the babies next to or in closest proximity but sure thought this was a male.

 

[ralquist]

Did a little deep cleaning, scraped all the zoas off the back wall… got out of hand before I knew it started to grow on the main rocks. Still trying to rid myself of them. Shifted one main rock to give a different feel. Plan to mount some sps up high and play around with it and get rid of one of these frag racks. Chalice and lepto are really taking over the back. Rock nem babies are all over the place, few in not so great places but I’ve kinda left them. Need to get my water chem corrected, have some cyano starting to pop up.
Pic dump time

 

[ralquist]

My wrasse has been showing out lately!

 

[ralquist]

Welp I had a bit of a crash about a month ago, heater malfunction but caught in time thank goodness for the inkbird. Had been using nopox on a doser and didn’t notice until it was too late tied with heavy feeding. Lost 75% of my sps, not that I had a ton thankfully most things are recovering well and tank is getting back on track but it’s a slow go. My first big mess up, learn and press on.
Anyway got my electric blue herm a choice of some new shells. It’s been picked, kinda gunna be a wrecking ball!

 

[dangles]

Welp I had a bit of a crash about a month ago, heater malfunction but caught in time thank goodness for the inkbird. Had been using nopox on a doser and didn’t notice until it was too late tied with heavy feeding. Lost 75% of my sps, not that I had a ton thankfully most things are recovering well and tank is getting back on track but it’s a slow go. My first big mess up, learn and press on.
Anyway got my electric blue herm a choice of some new shells. It’s been picked, kinda gunna be a wrecking ball!

Ouch!

How bad did your numbers get? Glad things are getting back on track. Were the 75% of lost SPS a total loss? Or are those the ones recovering?

 

[ralquist]

Ouch!

How bad did your numbers get? Glad things are getting back on track. Were the 75% of lost SPS a total loss? Or are those the ones recovering?

Never could get a solid number, consistent reading but phos .7ish and nitrate was 50ish and this could have been going on for weeks. I started to change water and had to leave town for 5 days with tank unattended. Caused all sorts of unwanted algae growth. Attempted to prune back most but I have a few chunks I am still trying to baby back. Oregon Tort is a beast I tell you, like not fazed one bit by this! Rest was a lost cause, l consider myself pretty lucky all and all. My SPS was not where I spend the bulk of my fun money on lol and will be pretty easy to replace, just a kick from behind watching all your hard work in growth gone. Lesson learned, really got fortunate.

 

[dangles]

Never could get a solid number, consistent reading but phos .7ish and nitrate was 50ish and this could have been going on for weeks. I started to change water and had to leave town for 5 days with tank unattended. Caused all sorts of unwanted algae growth. Attempted to prune back most but I have a few chunks I am still trying to baby back. Oregon Tort is a beast I tell you, like not fazed one bit by this! Rest was a lost cause, l consider myself pretty lucky all and all. My SPS was not where I spend the bulk of my fun money on lol and will be pretty easy to replace, just a kick from behind watching all your hard work in growth gone. Lesson learned, really got fortunate.

Man the Oregon Tort is one of my grail corals if I can ever get to a point I'm not consistently killing coral in my system

 

[ralquist]

l