rrubberbandman January 12, 2008 January 12, 2008 Hi, as we go thru the cycling process i have noticed a few things on the system..... The overflow "skimming" effect isnt really pronounced like i thought....i have the pump running full steam... also....i have noticed my temperature range is @76 ish at night and @80ish during the day...wondering what type and where i should put a heater? One thing that really bugs me is that you can see the top of the water level i guess since the top trim strip isnt wide enough...like on my 20 high tank the water top is hidden by the trim piece of the tank. any thoughts? Bryan
Nitro Junkie January 12, 2008 January 12, 2008 I had a 12g pod and I took the sponge that was in the first chamber and cut out a long notch big enough to fit the heater in without touching the sponge and it worked like a champ, I ran the water level a little high so that i couldnt see the water level. And yea the surface skimming isnt all that great
gmubeach January 12, 2008 January 12, 2008 Least you guys got surface skimming my jbj 24g delux doesn't have it its a 2005 model... anyway they sell a little protien skimmer that fits in your sump. It works decenlty enough but requires alot of effort that could be spent on water changes!Hope you guys will post pictures soon
zotzer January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 If you look at the first chamber, you will see that there are other holes (other than the top skimmer portion). Many aquapod users have blocked those lower holes off with a piece of acrylic and some silicone to increase the surface skimming. I find I don't need a heater in the aquapod....stays warm enough on its own, so I took it out. When it was in there, however, I kept it in the first chamber, along with purigen and polyfill (fiber floss, which I change out every week). A 4 degree swing isn't that huge. It's not like you'll have any ich-prone tangs and stuff in there! LOL Just checked, and the tank is 80 degrees. It's winter, lights out, and the lid is cracked open half and inch.....although I DO have two chambers in the back made into a fuge on a reverse light cycle....that little coralife fixture can be pretty warm. I keep mine pretty full, so the water level thing hasn't been an issue for me, but I know what you mean. Tracy
rrubberbandman January 13, 2008 Author January 13, 2008 If you look at the first chamber, you will see that there are other holes (other than the top skimmer portion). Many aquapod users have blocked those lower holes off with a piece of acrylic and some silicone to increase the surface skimming. I find I don't need a heater in the aquapod....stays warm enough on its own, so I took it out. When it was in there, however, I kept it in the first chamber, along with purigen and polyfill (fiber floss, which I change out every week). A 4 degree swing isn't that huge. It's not like you'll have any ich-prone tangs and stuff in there! LOL Just checked, and the tank is 80 degrees. It's winter, lights out, and the lid is cracked open half and inch.....although I DO have two chambers in the back made into a fuge on a reverse light cycle....that little coralife fixture can be pretty warm. I keep mine pretty full, so the water level thing hasn't been an issue for me, but I know what you mean. Tracy Tracy, i do recognize the holes other than the surface skimmer.....with water in there already...i guess plgging them would be hard now......??? right now i am still cycling/breaking in.....got my sand like i want it....added a small rock from other tank to seed the sand even more than the arag-alive has..... i would be interested in seeing pix of your fuge setup! Bryan
zotzer January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 (edited) I went and took some pictures for you. Good thing I did...the back of the tank is hidden by a screen, and there is salt creep everywhere which I hadn't noticed. Time to get out a damp cloth and clean it up!! LOL Here's a view from the top with chaeto in the two middle chambers (there is a small amount of rubble underneath): The back of the nano is just stick-on acrylic. Get something sharp, cut a hole the size of the light, and peel it right off: I took some picture hanging wire, and hooks and rigged up a way to hang the little coralife fixture: That's it. Very simple.... Oh, and FYI, those two middle chambers don't go all the way to the bottom. Don't ask me why, but there is a false-bottom on them and water from the return chamber is under there. Had a little demon goby who decided that was a good place to live. LOL Tracy Edited January 13, 2008 by zotzer
gmubeach January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 wow thats cool was the acryic under the black plastic there or did you have to mount a piece in?
zotzer January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 The black backing is just a thin film of stick-on stuff. It simply peels right off after you score it with something sharp. Tracy
gmubeach January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 Wow how did you figure that out! I don't know if mine is the same way... its a jbj nano. Anyway your one smart reefer! I am impressed!
zotzer January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 Just like you just did...reading it on reefing message boards. T
gmubeach January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 good job though on the alteration its so pretty looking the way you set it up much better then dark stuff in a sump that your afraid to stick your hand into!
zotzer January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 Well, the nano has LOTS of bristle worms. Just yesterday I trimmed away 2/3 of each bundle of chaeto. I hold it with a giant reef tweezers, not my bare hands. I'm averse to bristle stings. t
dtfleming January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 Most all in one tanks you can do the same to make a fuge, You can also use a submersible light.
gmubeach January 13, 2008 January 13, 2008 Yes, but I am removing the hood and putting on a hangon refrugium and a metal halidine... Is there any way to keep the bristleworms down, in the refugium. Like hermts/narsiss or something.
rrubberbandman January 14, 2008 Author January 14, 2008 Guys, how can i plug the holes in the first chamber to get better overflow action.......the holes meaning the extra 4 vent looking holes on the fist area of the filter chamber?????????????? nice pics tracy! Bryan
zotzer January 14, 2008 January 14, 2008 Is there any way to keep the bristleworms down, in the refugium. Like hermts/narsiss or something. Bristleworms are good...you just don't want to grab one by accident. T Maybe you can try some reef putty/epoxy on the outside of the holes, especially if you can get your hand down in the chamber to mush the putty and get it shaped so it stays in place. T
gmubeach January 14, 2008 January 14, 2008 I'd say reef safe putty as well, but I have never done this job:)
rrubberbandman January 14, 2008 Author January 14, 2008 I am wondering if this, http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/218636/product.web ,, on some plexi would seal off the vent holes?
davelin315 February 3, 2008 February 3, 2008 If the overflow is acrylic, just put a piece of acrylic over it. Don't use superglue there, it won't go on clean and will end up leaving a mess that you don't want. If you want to get fancy, you could also put a slot in the acrylic and then drill a small hole in there that you could thread. Put a nylon screw in there and then you can have an adjustable overflow. By the way, not familiar with these tanks, but typically the lack of surface skimming has more to do with the water level in the overflow chamber rather than the number of openings. To improve the surface skimming, lower the water level in the entire back end of the tank by cutting some new slots or making them deeper in the rest of the back area. This will allow the water level to be much lower and cause the water to actually skim, rather than flow as do overflows that have a high water level.
shawns February 3, 2008 February 3, 2008 i covered the lower opens in the 1st section of my ap. get some of the outlet covers that they sell at home depot in the baby safety section. cut the little dickeys in half so they dont poke the sponge. then, just shove them in! they should stay in there fine and block the flow. if you get fed up w/ them later, they're not glued onto the tank. give it a shot. it has worked well for me! i too need to try lower the water level in the back. i'm sure it will help the flow too! if you think that you need more flow, i read that you can put a mj900 in there for the return pump. it seems like a lot of people are making that change too, and i will probably be doing that myself.
Sharkb8 February 12, 2008 February 12, 2008 (edited) Add one of these? http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?products_id=247 http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=50 Also, if water level is too high, just add a piece of plastic to the lower part of the intake vents so that the water enters just at the top? Just some ideas. Sorry to butt in. I been considering ditching the 90g and opting for a JBJ 12g. Still in the deciding stage .... Edited February 12, 2008 by Biodork
tranceFusion February 12, 2008 February 12, 2008 Guys, how can i plug the holes in the first chamber to get better overflow action.......the holes meaning the extra 4 vent looking holes on the fist area of the filter chamber?????????????? nice pics tracy! Bryan I used silicone aquarium sealant for mine, but in case your tank is already filled, I have read that many people take half of a CD case and stick it over the grates. Apparently when the pump runs the suction action will keep it held on.
edkruzel February 26, 2008 February 26, 2008 Hi Guys, New to the area and the club. I just purchased the AP12 w/70watt DE and am glad to have read some of the advice given here. I purchased the safety outlet plugs and placed them in the lower cut-outs as well as one in the top overflow. The water level is at the bottom portion of the top trim and the surface is skimming well. I'm hitting some of the shops this weekend for some rock and hopefully in a few months, hitting up a few of you for some frags.
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