Jeff's JBJ 30. FIRST TANK!

J

jeffsanford

Hello everyone. My girlfriend recently set up her 10 gallon again after about a year and I was instantly attached and I knew I would soon have my own tank. I also have a Panther Chameleon and Russian tortoise, but now I have the time and space to go with an aquarium. I was given a JBJ 24 cube but my room mate accidentally smashed it [smilie=punch.gif]. Accidents happen though so I decided to just upgrade to the JBJ 30 RL. It's a beautiful tank and i feel like it will give me room to play with being new to the hobby. I go all out with my animals so a long with my girls help (she used to work at riff 2 reef) and a lot of research I have finally gathered all of the supplies. The tank was the real killer... I had to get it shipped 3 times before I could finally get one that didnt look like it had been ran over by a semi. So as anxious as i have been with all my other equipment just sitting around ready to go it actually gave me more time to get an idea of the fish/coral i wanted. But after almost 2 months of waiting its all ready to go.

Equipment:
-JBJ30 RL
-Hydor slim skim (taking one of the media racks out)
-50 watt submersible heater (may upgrade, this is the only thing I'm scared isn't big enough but it was free so I can test it before fish/inverts hit the tank)
-AI Sol /w controller
-2x 266gph stock pumps (may also upgrade these depending on noise/reliability .. I've read they aren't always the best.)
-Jebao wp10 (for the money and from reviews I have come to the conclusion these are awesome for larger nanos.)
-Purigen, Filter floss, and Chemipure for my media rack
-20 lbs figi sand (probably going to snag 10-20lbs more before I put the water in)
-Digital thermometer
-Refractometer

Soon to get:
-RO/DI system because I don't want to be running to the LFS every week
-Live Rock (just enough to get the water started to cycle because I'm still looking for a decently priced piece of shelf for the aquascape I have in mind) getting it when I pick up
the sand)
-Test kit (just a basic for now until i get myself into some sps [smilie=rofl.gif]... also when i get the sand)

Fish that interest me:
-pair of clowns for sure. probably picassos or nakeds.
-Yellow watchman ( I want a Mandarin.. But I don't want to kill a timid fish that wont give in to target feeding frozen foods.. I have read great stories and methods but also bad
ones. By far my favorite fish out there though so if everything goes smoothly i might give it a try. If anyone on here has done it successfully in a nano let me know.)
-slightly larger centerpiece fish ( thinking one of the easier to take care of/ smaller pygmy angels, a Midas Blenny, Spotted Jaw fish, or a couple PJ cardinals. This fish will come
way later in the process though, after I have a handle on how the tank runs and the personalities of my existing fish.)

SO BASICALLY I'M PUMPED. and hooked before I have even really started haha. I know there will be casualties but I am going to try and take every precaution in the books to keep them as minimal as possible and hopefully none at all. Any advice or comments from here on out are more than welcome. I'll keep you all updated and throw in some picture of my setup once i get some water in the bad boy. Thanks for reading, Ill be in touch.

-Jeff


I'm so pumped. Been lurking these and other forums for months now. Will have water in it by Friday or Saturday this week.
 
Welcome to the addiction. Please post pics


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The tank setup.
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The chameleon in his slumber. He is about 3.5 years old now.
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@jeffsanford wrote:
I also have a Panther Chameleon and Russian tortoise said:
Nice chameleon. I used to have a pair of veiled chameleons and a Jackson's. They're amazing animals. [smilie=smile.gif]
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Got more sand and found some cool rocks today at mid cities aquarium. Have a shrimp in there and the process has started!
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I'll keep the updates coming as i know more. I feel like a crazy person just staring at a lifeless tank. its gonna be a rough few months.
 
http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/jeffsanford1/slideshow/JBJ%2030%20Tank%20Build
So it is a little over 3 weeks since I put water in the tank (1 month on the 18th) and I understand the addiction fully. Tank settled started cycling. I had a bacterial bloom them went away (I think my temp being around 80 made it worse so I dropped it down to 76 and the bloom quickly subsided). About a week and a half into it, I was given some corals to start playing around with. several Zoas Which are all thriving, a Ricordia that took a few days to inflate back up, a near deaths door kyptonite candycane, and a tiny 1 eye chalice (which now has 3 eyes but its still so small that with my phone camera i cant get a good shot). There are before and after candycane pictures, and it was jagged and almost completely closed when i got it but the heads are inflating every day now. I can even see the green appearing through the algae on its skeleton now but i dont know how to get the algae off! (its dark hairy brown and a turkey baster just doesn't cut it) any tips here would be helpful. After the corals I added a few small snaills and a halloween hermit. Going to pick up a micro hermit and a few more snails today. May even clear a large space in my sand bed for a tiger conch. I saw one at the LFS and they are fascinating. My PH is 8.2-8.4, NO3 NO4 and NH3 all zero. I added an Auto top off also, It's a must have IMO. My tank loses a good amount through evap with the top off.
 
Get a couple of the pyrimid looking snails astera is the name I believe they will eat some cyano algae.


Sent from pay phone in the airport.
 
Yeah I have five astrea also, forgot to mention that. They started at the top of the main rock but after about a week have started to move around. Picked up 2 itty bitty blue knuckle hermits and a small tiger conch today. They are destroying my sandbed algae at the moment. I'm adding clean up crew slowly to try and find that sweet spot. I'm going for a pair of small clowns in about a week and half though. Or a small Midas blenny. Depending on availability.

I've also got my stock list pretty much set now. 2 clowns, a Midas, and a shrimp goby (probably a yellow watchmans) and the pistol shrimp with him. I don't know which would be better for aggression aspects though. Adding the small Midas or small clown pair first.
 
Imo id add the clowns last, they r damsels and can get quite territorial once they get established in a tank. Mine don't even like my hand in the tank

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I could do that. I was thinking the same thing, but had read mixed reviews on it. You think the Midas and goby would be fine though? I would probably add the Midas first. All I know is the conch was a fantastic addition. What amazing creatures. And he is fixing the bad algae problem I had in my sand. I may even get another in the future and supplement feed them with nori or lettuce wrapped on a rock. Mine isn't shy in the least bit.
 
The ywm and Midas can be added at the same time or separately depends on your preference as the Midas is an open swimmer and the ywm is a rock dweller and will make a cave under a rock so you need to make sure your rock work is stable if they are just placed on the sand it can collapse when u add the pistol shrimp and ywm as they will tunnel.

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They are apoxy/super glued together. Picked up a sweet yellow octospawn from neptunes cove yesterday and it's almost inflated. Will post a pic when it is 100%. picked up an all test. My alk is at 9. From what I read that is good. Will be ordering my calcium test soon.
 
@jeffsanford wrote:
They are apoxy/super glued together. Picked up a sweet yellow octospawn from neptunes cove yesterday and it's almost inflated. Will post a pic when it is 100%. picked up an all test. My alk is at 9. From what I read that is good. Will be ordering my calcium test soon. said:
mine stays around 10.5 get a salifert test kit for calc i like mine easy to use.

its good your rocks are glued together less worry of them falling and breaking glass
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I few weeks back I added a bubble tip nam from neptunes. And a couple of snowflakes from mark. All are doing wonderful. The bta is even accepting food. Hard to get with my phone but he is an awesome turquoise with yellow orange tips. The clownfish found him the first time I fed him with the clowns in the tank. Picked up an acan and plate yesterday. Have a red sea test and two little fish 2 part coming in the mail. I have already been testing and dosing my alk to get it up to 10.

It becomes more addicting every day. The only loss I am sad about is my Halloween hermit crab (Richard parker) KILLED my super healthy and active conch and as soon as soon as the shell was clean he stole it. Boo.

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Thinking my anemone was very bleached now because he is getting a dark red color to him that grows every day. But I guess that a good thing. Got some sick frags and a plate coral also that I will post pics of soon.
 
Was also wondering.. what kind of coral could handle the high light intensity at the peak of my rockwork. It's directly in the flow of a pump and like 3 inches below the water line. I have an ai sol 8 inches above the waterline. It's at w-30 b-50 rb-50
 
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