JBJ 28 Intermediate

Thinking of picking up the JBJ intermediate led series tank and stand from a local guy to make into a seahorse tank for my girlfriend, he's selling tank and stand for 300, anyone have experience with these tanks?

 

We have a couple of them, and I can't say I'm too impressed, to be honest, but they work fine as QT/growout tanks.

They run too warm for tropical sp. SH, which should be kept no warmer than 74*F, so you'll need to deal with their intrinsic heat problem (use more efficient, lower power draw pumps, maybe a fan over the "sump" in the back (C-breeze is a good one that fits), maybe leave the feeding lid open, run a chiller, and/or use low heat lighting.

The other thing that I dislike is that they have a terrible "bow front" distortion, which makes viewing or shooting pix a PITA (we actually view the tanks thru one of the flat sides).

You could take that $300 and pick up a std. 29 gal, a good HOB power filter, some lighting, and will have a much better setup for SH than a plug-n-play (we own 6 PNP's and we used to breed SH, so I have some experience here).

 

Agreed, plus the leds in there are near worthless.

 

I would take Greg's advice, he knows what he's talking about I just want to say that it's really sweet that you're building the tank for your girlfriend.

 

Ah i knew someone with experience would chime in;D.
Thanks for all the tips, So do you think those AIO tanks are worthless for SHs?
I like how sleek they are and would be nice to just have one thing rather than piece it all together but if thats what it takes, I'm game.
Ill keep researching I suppose

 

It's really mostly about temp...SH are very prone to bacterial infections (usually Vibrio), and in a captive system the bacterial growth skyrockets at 75*F and above. This is why we see so many sick SH in the spring when tank temps spike. Tropical species SH should be kept between 68*F and 74*F to mitigate this.

They also tend to be a bit "short" for SH, but if you're not planning on breeding them, it's not a big deal. Besides, I've had SH get knocked up in 10 gal QT's, which are shorter.

I'd go with one of the PNP 24's for a pair of SH over the NC28 if you like the AIO/PNP thing (oddly, the distortion is a lot less noticeable). They do go up in a snap, and look nice tho.

Just a final word on SH...get TRUE CB stock. They'll come to you happily eating frozen mysis, and will be acclimated to life in an aquarium. My choice as a supplier would be Dan and Abby at SEAHORSE SOURCE. Their stock is first rate, and their customer service is second to none, and Dan is THE expert on SH...one of the world's best IMHO.

 

Sweet, and what do you mean PNP 24, who manufactures it? Are you referring to a specific brand or just the 24g in general

 

PNP = Plug-N-Play...my pet name for the "nano-cube" type tanks. Some peeps also call them AIO (All-In-One), altho an AIO isn't necessarily a PNP, as they don't all come with pumps or stands.

We have a few JBJ NC24's and a BC24...I like them both better than the JBJ NC28's. What I do like about the NC28 is the open-back design that helps them run a bit cooler. I think the BC24 we have is open-backed as well, but it's the model that had the HQI that sits on top of it kinda straddled on the rim.

Mike Yip, whom we've known for many years, over at Innovative Aquatics has some pretty nice tanks out now, and they have flat panels. I think his 30 gal runs about $300. I believe the model is Innovative Marine Nuvo Micro 30. I've seen them running (one as a SH tank), and they look pretty nice, but I've never run one myself.

 

I like the rimless innovative marines, maybe with a kessil over the top, that way it matches my 100gallon rimless, and the girlfriend is happy lol

 

Don't forget the ear splitting fans! When it would go off at night, I swear my ears felt like I just left a loud concert!