gmubeach January 4, 2008 Share January 4, 2008 Hi, My name is Troy, I am new to the forum I run a nano jbj 24 gallon. I met a guy off here on a coral trade and he showed me this website I thought it was cool so I joined and paid the fee. As for my tank I have a jbj nano 24 delux and we have a love hate relationship. I started about 2 years ago cycled it properly loaded it up and then summer hit and the tank over heated. So I went out and bought a nano jbj chiller about 1.5 years ago. Anyway it ran for about 6 months until a pet store sold me some dwarve hermits that grew to the size of about quaters and ate all the fish and corals. So I recycled the tank. did water change and just waited. It was about 6 month and I started again and cycled the tank. Got everything all set up and its now been up and running for about 6 months anyway my tank started to creep up over night and I could not explain what was going on. Especailly since I had a chiller attached anyway the chillers been attached for a little over a year and it was actaully heating the water luckily I caught the probelm before the stuff died again. Anyway I have about 6 months before the room will get above 80 degrees and I need to get a new chiller or make one anyone have an suggestions? Anyway I figured I'd join the forum and see if anyone had any suggestions about chillers diy projects or other reconmendation. Right now I am working on modifing a mini fridge and making an acrylic refruguim. I had a guppy breeder in my tank as a refuguim last time but the culpera escaped and became a nuscenes Still working and Trying new things! Has anyone else had the problem with the jbj chillers if so can you get them recharged? Oh and before I had my tank grounded properly I had a faulty heater electricute me and my favorite fish:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 4, 2008 Share January 4, 2008 i have seen things that say a modded minifridge as a chiller does very poorly. I was having problems with heat and have no chiller, but wasn't using fans... put a fan over the tank and a heater in the tannk and it stays at a reasonable temperature without a chiller needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 Troy good to see you joined! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 5, 2008 Author Share January 5, 2008 Yes mate I meant to email you, but I thought you were still on vaction! Anyway every one of your corals you sold me are doing excellent. Fragging the colt soon enough hes/she/it is about 5 inchs now Anyway let me email you about that water! Hopefully, your tank is looking good I was wondering how or where you should place the fans if its a nano with an integrated hood. Problem B THE refugium is next on my agenda I am thinking that I am going to do something small in tank out of acrilic and then maybe increase the amount of water with something externailly... Sadly the nano designed tanks don't leave you much clearence for outside modifications... Sorry about the grammer and spelling I have a learning disiblity in english, but on the plus side graduated from college. It just took me forever to rewrite papers! The problem is my room is above the garage! IE the nano instead of a bigger tank. The room gets so warm I don't even need heaters on my leopord gecko tanks they just naturally keep warm. I have never clocked it but it seems like it gets into the high 80's... I was running the chiller and it worked temporarly but its mad expensive and I recenlty got royally screwed out of a job that was no fault of my own...Anyway atleast on a high note I have plenty of money saved to run my tanks for a long while! When I move out I am hopeing to get a nice big tank, but I need a job first:) anyway So fans/intank refuguim if anyone has any advice or knows of a forum from someone thats tried it I would like to read it! Thanks for saving me time and a refridgerator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 (edited) The enclosed top does indeed make it a bit difficult to keep things cool. Here's what I did: I had two clear plastic things that you use to hang a wall mirror or something similar. I placed the thick part on the tank rim and the thin part going outward. This keeps the top propped up maybe half an inch in the front and doesn't look all gerry-rigged. It has helped tremendously with keeping the temperature down. During summer months, I'd think if you can point a desk fan to go through the cracked-open lid, it will help keep temperatures manageable until you are able to replace the chiller. I'll try to get a pic so you can see what I mean. Okay....here are some pics: Tracy Edited January 5, 2008 by zotzer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 5, 2008 Author Share January 5, 2008 Cool my father is a engineer and "thinks" he can make most things... I'd say 90% of the time it works perfectly Anyway I'll show him the link I think Im going to cut the back off my nano:) The lid is already cracked so its not like I care what it looks like! The only problem I can see with cutting the lid and puting in a fan is that the tank might evaporate too much... as of now I loose very little water because of the solid lid... anyway I will figure it out Thanks for sending the pictures it was very helpfull.... Does anyone know if you can recharge the jbj nano chiller or is it shot.... anyway thanks for writing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier January 6, 2008 Share January 6, 2008 pictures always welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 7, 2008 Author Share January 7, 2008 Yes, I need to find my camera. Not much of a picture taker, but I can give it a go. My tank is more of a frag tank now then an actaul reef:O). Its pretty though, and I enjoy fragging so I guess it works. I was suprised that a jbj delux could grow a photosynthetic clam, not sure of the species in that I got it from some guy. The only problem is I cannot get my tanks nitrates down to zero. They seem to hover at one level above when I do a nitrate test. I suspected over feeding, but after cutting feeding and reducing stock. I am going to try and use a refuguim to pull off some nitrates. I was useing a nitrate absorbing pad, but I have since stopped and they havn't climbed any higher, but they will not go down either. Anyone having a problem with nitrates in a nano? Oh phosphates are zero and hardness/calcium are with in range. Thanks again Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer January 7, 2008 Share January 7, 2008 Are you using any of the media that came with the nano? ie: sponges, bioballs, ceramic rings? T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 7, 2008 Author Share January 7, 2008 I have 10 bioballs, 6 sponges, and charcoal/cermainic balls in the sump area and about 25-35 pounds of live rock and sand a protien skimmer that doesn't work very well and a uv sterlizer. I upgraded the pump when the stock pump blew out. I need to reroute it so I can figure out how to work with my chiller. As for the protien skimmer it works ok, but its hard to clean out the stuff that it accumlates. I think a water change is better option for me. I just replaced the bulb on my uv sterlizer. THe other thing that is strange is all around the base of the live rock I get massive amounts of coraline algee, but the stuff right under the light isn't thick nor is it coraline its like some green/brown colored algee, but its not growing its just there. If you move a coral its got coraline underneath. I think I need better janitors in my reef. Anyway I feed DT'S live/frozen brine shrimp and flake food. Anyway thanks for the help Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier January 7, 2008 Share January 7, 2008 I think I see where tracy was going with that question. I'd replace the bioballs with live rock rubble and I think that should handle your nitrate problem. After time they can start to work against your system and should be removed. I would take half out and wait a week or two then take out the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 8, 2008 Author Share January 8, 2008 oh ok:) I'll see if I can pick some up and try it hopefully that solves the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 Well tragedy struck my tank... I was sitting there watching it and one of my coral kind of shrank I was like what the??? So I watched for a few more mins and some polyps closed. Anyway I started freaking out and ran over and checked the temp it was 87 degrees in the tank..... Some how someone bumped my heater and it reset to 90 degrees. I lifted the lid. Turned on the house fan checked the salinity a little high and lifted the light. I hope noone dies it was only high for about 30 mins, but it got to 87. Its falling back down as we speak I am soo paniced. I think I may have caused my clownfish some stress as he never swims very fast and he was darting around the tank hope it all goes back to normal! Thanks for reading this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtfleming January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 They should be ok, temp will come back down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 Yep, I am still worried... anyway the clownfish is swimming normally and I have the heater unplugged until It resumes normal temps anyway I was so freaked out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 The morning after everything seems to be swimming around as normal accept the mandrin goby might be hurting.... Hes hiding now, but for a few mins he was on his side.... maybe sleeping but maybe worse! Maybe I am being parniod! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 How long have you had the mandarin, Troy? They typically don't do well in a small tank, unless you can get them to eat supplemental foods. Small tanks simply don't have the pod population to maintain their diet. I'd love to have one myself, but even with a 46G and a refugium, I haven't done it. (Also, I have a huge LTA that I am afraid might eat it, but that's not as much of a concern as I think the clowns would keep the mandarin out) Anyway, keep us posted. If it's a new addition, not doing well, and not eating prepared or frozen foods, you may wish to get him to another reefer's bigger tank in order to thrive. Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnguyen4007 January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 How long have you had the mandarin, Troy? They typically don't do well in a small tank, unless you can get them to eat supplemental foods. Small tanks simply don't have the pod population to maintain their diet. I'd love to have one myself, but even with a 46G and a refugium, I haven't done it. (Also, I have a huge LTA that I am afraid might eat it, but that's not as much of a concern as I think the clowns would keep the mandarin out) Anyway, keep us posted. If it's a new addition, not doing well, and not eating prepared or frozen foods, you may wish to get him to another reefer's bigger tank in order to thrive. Tracy I have a mandarin in my 30 gal that I bought from BK_Market several months back and he's doing great. BK_Market did say that he was able to get it to eat frozen food. I personally have never observed him eating anything that I put in the tank but he is going strong. Either he's eating food in the back of the tank and out of sight or that my fuge has enough pods to sustain him. My 2 year gets such a kick whenever she sees him. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 Yes I have observed him eating frozen brine and live brine shrimp. I have kept them before in my nano I just have to supplemental feed them. Anyway he looks fat if he starts to turn and loose weight I will move him asp. Hes back to being his old self, after the temperature shock anyway Luckily I didn't loose anyone...Thank goodness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 I went to my local fish store to see if they had anything else he would eat. They sold me a product called articpods and some mysis shrimp he didn't like the shrimp, but goobled down the articpods! Anyway I am going to keep figuring out what kinds of foods he likes its like a fun game! Anyway thanks for the help. Anyway the other cool thing was the clownfish(occelris) was like eating a ton of them he would dart all over the tank and then once he was full he just sat in the same spot eating hes such a puppy! So as of now he eats brine shrimp/live brine shrimp articpods I forgot to get some live blackworms to see if he would eat that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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