Starting a new tank!

Hey guys,

New to 3reef but not to the hobby (a few FW, one 46 g saltwater in the past). LOVE the hobby, and can't wait to get started again. The objective this time is to keep everything really really smooth, trying to limit the amount of mad dashes to the LFS;D. For this reason I'm thinking about the JBJ nano cube 28 intermediate, seems like the perfect all in one, and I picked it over the biocube 28 HQI because of the LEDs...I think MHs are too expensive and hot.
Will the intermediate be able to support some corals? Probably never going to do any SPS, but would like some LPS and polyps, would that be possible?

As far as stocking, I really want to put some cool/unique creatures in there, but have been so far out of the hobby I can't remember half of them anymore, any suggestions? Easier care would be appreciated, definitely not skilled enough to take care of a dragonet. (Any thoughts on the flasher wrasse though?)

Any thoughts or comments appreciated!

 

hello, welcome and never say never!!!!

in terms of live stock for a bio cube i would suggest a nice bubble tip anemone and a pair of true percula. the mandarin fish is not that hard to keep in my opinion but be sure to add it once your system is thoroughly established (6months+) allowing the copepod population to be large enough to whit-stand some predation without being completely being depleted.

regarding the wrasse PM evolved he his mr. wrasse on here

 

Regarding the mandarin, unless you're able to get one that already eats frozen (unlikely) or that you're able to slowly train to eat frozen... then a bio cube is probably not going to be large enough to have a self sustaining population of copods. You would have to supplement their population fairly regularly which could get expensive if you just buy a bottle or two every week... Don't get me wrong, it's totally possible but you would need to do some research to figure out how best for "you" to keep one of these amazing creatures... Please don't let me discourage you from it though, i believe its totally possible and not necessarily complex in the long run.

 

Welcome, and congrats on the new tank! I have a JBJ 28 CF Quad, but I just replaced the lighting with a Rapid LED retrofit kit. There is an ongoing JBJ 28 thread going that you should post into once you get it setup or if you have any questions.

That lighting certainly will not support SPS IMO. However it should be fine for softies and a good amount of lower light LPS. Examples would be mushrooms, Xenia, Plate corals (Fungia), some brain corals (like Tracophyllia radiata), Zoas, some lower light Chalice, Cyphastrea (such as Meteor Shower), etc. Plenty of great options as you can see!

For livestock, I myself was told no to a Flasher Wrasse by Evolved. They should have a 30-36" wide tank minimum. Here is my list:

Blue Spotted Jawfish (takes over the entire tank; would probably by better suited in a larger tank since he dumps sand on corals all the time)
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse (highly recommend one! Just make sure your tank is established as they hunt pods all day long)
Helfrichi Firefish (awesome fish, and any of the Firefish would be great for the nano)
Tailspot Blenny (highly recommend a smaller Blenny from the Ecsenius family except the Midas or Combtooth as they get too large IMO)
I am probably going to add a Yellow Assessor as my final addition.

Otherwise, as mentioned 2 smaller clowns (Occ or True Percs) would be great. A Watchman Goby with a Pistol Shrimp would be cool as well in a nano. The Goby needs to be from the Cryptocentrus family, not the Valenciennea family as they are sand sifters and would likely starve in a nano). Plenty of other Gobies as well you could choose from. Cardinalfish would be nice adds as well.

Unfortunately your lighting does not support most anemones, including bubble tips IMO. It should be fine for a Rock Flower though! I would do 1-2 shrimp. If you are going to want LPS, stay away from Cleaner shrimp as they will steal food night and day from coral. My Blood Red Fire Shrimp is much better about leaving corals alone.

Hope this helps!

 

Great to know about the flasher, will be a no-go then. The pistol/watcher combo is pretty cool, will consider that. About the dragonet, considering my refugium will be just the second chamber modded, I don't think that there will be any way to sustain the copepod population...
Does the Blue Spotted Jawfish absolutely need a DSB? I love the look of them but the 7+ inches (I think?) of sand seems like a lot, although definitely doable. The firefish look great! I had a few dartfish a few years ago, loved them.
Do the blennies get along well with the Jawfish?

 

Oh gosh, I just remembered my aquarium dream--seahorses! Does anyone have any experiences with them, and exactly how difficult they are to take care of? Just a passing thought today, realized they were very, very cool. I think Liveaquaria has tank bred on frozen mysis, but I understand that seahorses are very delicate...

 

Yes, BSJ do need a good sized sand bed. 4" minimum. Mine has rearranged every bit of sand in the tank. Everything I put in the tank is his and treats it so. I just put a frag rack in the tank, and within 4 hours he made it part of his borrow! My Tailspot and BSJ get along fine. The only one the BSJ has an issue with is the Fire Shrimp!

Here is a post I made for another member considering one.

There is a decent amount of info on this site if you search, better site is seahorse.org. Bottom line is, they need to be in a species only tank.

 

^definitely.

will this tank:
JBJ 28 Gallon Nano Cube Intermediate Aquarium with LED Lighting JBJ Nanocube 28 LED JBJ Nano Cube 28 LED
work with this skimmer?
JBJ Nano Cube Skimmer JBJ Nano Cube Protein Skimmer
I'm somewhat confused...
Is there anything else tank-wise i should order? i have a heater, i think that's it because it is AIO... anyone know how to make one of the chambers a refugium?

 

Yes, that skimmer will work. Although there are other options out there. I have not personally used the JBJ skimmer, so hopefully someone who has can chime in. I personally use an Eshopps PSK-75H on my JBJ 28. I left the sponge in the first chamber of the media rack, removed the ceramic rings from the second and put in a ball of chaeto, and in the 3rd I have a media bag with carbon, and one with Purigen. I am using the stock media rack, but you can buy others that are larger. I am using a 3W LED lamp to light the portion of the rack with chaeto in it. It is on a reverse lighting schedule from the tank lighting.

I use a Reef Angel controller on the tank, but equipment wise, the only other things I added were two Koralia nano 425s (since I want the tank to be SPS dominant).

Other than that, you will just need to make sure you top off the tank with RO/DI as needed if you won't be using an ATO. Timers for the lighting would be nice as well, but not needed if you want to do it manually every day.

 

What are some good RO filters that are cheap? I understand the benefits of going from 100 TDS in my tap water to close to zero, but is it absolutely necessary? Right now the cost and the waster water (although that can be used in the backyard i suppose) are keeping me from buying one.