Questions on making the part list

[Spiffyguy]

Always full of questions. Think I am narrowing down my tank to a JBJ 24 Gallon Nanocube. About as large as I can get away with in my apartment. Local fish store has them in stock. Debating online purchase to save a little money. Worried about glass and the mail. I have seen my postal worker. Not sure he can lift the tank. But I have some other questions too as I gather my list of materials.

#1 - I will have to add in a powerhead into the tank. The return pump is only like 290 gph I think. Seems lots of folks are using the Koralia, 425 or the 625 is the better option? Will be fish, softies. Plan to use Bimini pink sand if that matters. How does these compare to the Current eFlux stuff. LFS was pushing the 1000 gph model. The 6005 I think. Is that too powerful? I like the idea of the having some undulation in the tank. What are some options here. Which brings me to...

#2 - Controllers. I really don't need anything fancy with just two pumps and 2 light switches. But is there an ecosystem you buy into as far as controllers? Seems everything has an app these days. I hope to integrate some monitoring into my system as some point down the line, curse of having an computer automation job. I am getting in Home Assistant for those that know that. Something to tinker with. Would like to here what set ups you have going.

#3 - GFCI Outlet and power strip. I was planning using something like this for the outlet and this for the power strip. I can use the 3 split to have lights on one port with dual outlet timer and the strip on another for the rest of the items. Near as I figure I will have 2 light plugs and 3 others. Would be nice to have things on hard switches. Want to know if there any concerns with that set up.

#4 - RODI. Will this system work? It has the TDS attached, not sure how accurate that will be. Do I need to get a handheld unit? I can get RO at my fish store. Probably won't use too much for top off but initial start would be a bunch of trips. Which brings me...

#5 - How much water to keep on hand, RO or salt? I am in an apartment scenario so I don't have too much storage. Was planning on hooking RO up to the tub shower when I need to make water. (I think they make an adapter) Was thinking 5 buckets on hand should cover the volume of the tank if I need to drain it for some reason. And I can have a tote to house the buckets and maintenance tools. Could double as water storage too. I remember once my last nanocube was set up and did not need too much top off. However I had a large brute trash can that I could use. New place is a bit smaller.

#6 - On the topic if salt, is it ok to go with the cheap stuff for the initial cycle? I am guessing just buy a bucket which should be plenty for my small of a system? I hope they still come with t-shirts lol.

#7 - Initial testing. What brand are good for the initial stuff during the cycle? I know specific brands are better at certain tests. But are there some must have brands for initial cycle or do you just get the cheap stuff because they will get used up before there is live stock in the tank?

Sure I will have more questions but I am getting closer to getting things set up.

 

[Ron Reefman]

#1 - I will have to add in a powerhead into the tank. The return pump is only like 290 gph I think. Seems lots of folks are using the Koralia, 425 or the 625 is the better option? Will be fish, softies. Plan to use Bimini pink sand if that matters. How does these compare to the Current eFlux stuff. LFS was pushing the 1000 gph model. The 6005 I think. Is that too powerful? I like the idea of the having some undulation in the tank. What are some options here. Which brings me to...
The pumps you have listed are all OK IMHO. I'd go with ones that have variable speed controls so you can make them as fast or slow as you want.

#2 - Controllers. I really don't need anything fancy with just two pumps and 2 light switches. But is there an ecosystem you buy into as far as controllers? Seems everything has an app these days. I hope to integrate some monitoring into my system as some point down the line, curse of having an computer automation job. I am getting in Home Assistant for those that know that. Something to tinker with. Would like to here what set ups you have going.
You don't need any kind of a controller. I have a 90g (36x30x20) DT with a 30g sump/refugium and a 16g stand alone breeding tank for Rock Flower Anemones and all it uses is a HOB filter and a small in-tank skimmer.

#3 - GFCI Outlet and power strip. I was planning using something like this for the outlet and this for the power strip. I can use the 3 split to have lights on one port with dual outlet timer and the strip on another for the rest of the items. Near as I figure I will have 2 light plugs and 3 others. Would be nice to have things on hard switches. Want to know if there any concerns with that set up.
Just keep the power strip away from the water and probably better if it's off the bottom of the stand and/or off the floor (in case of an overflow). Otherwise I think you are doing well with your plan.

#4 - RODI. Will this system work? It has the TDS attached, not sure how accurate that will be. Do I need to get a handheld unit? I can get RO at my fish store. Probably won't use too much for top off but initial start would be a bunch of trips. Which brings me...
That RO/DI is fine. The TDS is OK. Getting a handheld TDS isn't a bad idea, but not a priority. Making water for your system is WAY esier than buying it and hauling it around. What happens when you have an issue with the tank, say a spill of something into the water, and you want to do a bigger than normal water change? Having water on hand and the ability to make more is one less hassle to worry about.

#5 - How much water to keep on hand, RO or salt? I am in an apartment scenario so I don't have too much storage. Was planning on hooking RO up to the tub shower when I need to make water. (I think they make an adapter) Was thinking 5 buckets on hand should cover the volume of the tank if I need to drain it for some reason. And I can have a tote to house the buckets and maintenance tools. Could double as water storage too. I remember once my last nanocube was set up and did not need too much top off. However I had a large brute trash can that I could use. New place is a bit smaller.
It's more about space and personal preferences. I'd say 10g or 15g of RO/DI is plenty. I have a 110g system and a 16g tank and I keep 40g or RO/DI. I can use it and then make more when I empty the holding tank because my RO/DI system makes 30-40gph.

#6 - On the topic if salt, is it ok to go with the cheap stuff for the initial cycle? I am guessing just buy a bucket which should be plenty for my small of a system? I hope they still come with t-shirts lol.
Ha! It's OK to buy the cheap stuff forever. I've been in the hobby for 20 years. I started with Instant Ocean. I've tried various more expensive salts and I see no difference. Maybe if you have a difficult tank full of expensive sps corals, but otherwise, no. Now I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals just because the Ca and alk levels are more like what I keep in my tanks. BTW, the huge Georgia Aquarium uses Instant Ocean salt!

#7 - Initial testing. What brand are good for the initial stuff during the cycle? I know specific brands are better at certain tests. But are there some must have brands for initial cycle or do you just get the cheap stuff because they will get used up before there is live stock in the tank?
Test kits are not all that much different from each other. Heck, at 20 years in the hobby I still test my Ca and alk with API kits. Now I do have some Salifert test kits that I have as back ups. Our local club did a big test of lots of different test kits, all using the same water. The results varied more by who was doing the tests than by what test kit was used. The key is to always be careful with measurements, use clean tools and do it the same way every time. I've found that more than 9 times out of 10, when I double check an API result by doing the test again with a Salifert or Red Sea test kit, I get very close to the same result.

Sure I will have more questions but I am getting closer to getting things set up.
Good attitude. After 20 years I still ask questions. And I have a couple of marine biologist friends and they still ask questions as well!

 

[QuarantineReefer]

So I can't help with all of your questions since I am just getting started myself but I can possibly help with some of them. As far as the power heads go, I went with the Skimz SS6.0's. I want to say they are roughly 1500 to 1600 max on flow, but you can dial them down to almost nothing. And another added feature of these is that they have their own controllers being adjustable and with the controller you can wirelessly sync I think up to 6 powerheads. They have a bunch of preset modes and I currently have mine synced and set up to do alternating long pulses. So one comes on for a bit, and when it shuts off the other one kicks on. I liked this feature because I didn't have to buy a separate controller.

I don't have a RODI unit yet, mostly because I don't have a lot of storage room in my apartment for water. So as far as water on hand, I keep 5 one gallon jugs for top off and one extra 5 gallon hydrotote. But I also only live about 5 minutes from my LFS where I get my RO water from.

As far as salt goes, I am using the Fritz RPM blue box. I was sold on it by another LFS and I love how fast it dissolves.

I'm in my cycle phase and using Red Sea kits for pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I have a Nyos kit for phosphate. And I actually just got a Salifert test kit for nitrites just because my Red Sea kit only measured to 1 ppm, and I wanted to make sure my nitrites weren't astronomically high and the Salifert kit I think goes up to 5 ppm.

I don't know if any of this will help or not, but I figured I ought to try and give help where I can since I'm just starting and constantly asking for help lol

 

[Spiffyguy]

I will have to dig more into powerheads. Seems like there is quite a few options and I guess I need to wrap my head around them more. Long way from the plain MJ900s. Anything I buy I want to make sure I can expand later on if I get a larger tank some day.

I go back and forth on the RODI unit. Because once it is up and stable I should be able to keep 5 gallons or so of RO and mix up what I need. I can get containers to hit the fish store....but it is a bit of a drive for me. The units are just pricey. Whinging I know. Further question below.

My LFS stocks Fritz as well. two colors I think. Will dig a bit more on that. But price wise the instant Ocean is about half. Might just have to go that route to start with. Until I see what I need. Once again, don't plan on too many coral requirements. At least to start with.

Few more questions:
regarding #3 GFCI. In aquarium systems do you want an auto reset or manual? I know manual is preferred in things like construction do tools don't turn back on. The linked on seems to be manual. Amazon has an auto-reset version. Confused on best option. If it trips and manual reset, whole tank is down until button is pushed. But is that the preferable workflow?

Regarding #4 what is life expectancy out of the filter/DI Resin? I would guess I would get the filter replacement set with the unit to have one hand. I have never had to replace DI Resin before. Simple as scoop and replace? How long will that RO water stay 'fresh'. From a unit standpoint, this Marine Depot model is 100 gpd and about 35 less. How does this compare or do the units really come down to the filter medium that is used? Are there more cost effective units?

Adding #8 - Heaters. Been reading that Jagers are the best on quality. Was looking at 75w which I think should fit in the back chambers. What is the difference between the
ThermoControl and the ThermoControl e?? I will probably pick up 2 since most of the TruTemp 75s are the same price as the 50s, so I will have a spare and can use it for mixing. Unless there is a larger difference between the standard and E model besides price.

 

[QuarantineReefer]

With the GFCI automatic vs manual I dont believe it means that it automatically resets after it trips due to a short, that could be very dangerous. Someone with more knowledge may chime in and say otherwise. But what I have found the difference between automatic vs manual to be is that if say there was a power outage to your apartment the manual would trip out due to the power loss and need manually turned back on once power came back. Where as an automatic would remain in the "closed" position in the event of a power outage and everything would come back on as normal when power was restored. It wouldn't be safe if the circuit were able to reset itself after tripping. If something had shorted out and you were trying figure out what component it was in the tank it could reset and reenergize the circuit long enough to potentially hurt you before it tripped back out. Now full disclaimer here, I am no electrician but this is just what I found when I was researching when I initially was setting my tank up. I think there is a thread on here where the guy is an electrician that answers electrical questions and you may post there and see what they have to say. If I can find it again I will post a link to it if I can find it.

I can't speak much to the heater since I went with a BRS heater and their external controller and it has been working spectacularly. I did find this thread though that maybe will help you out.

am i wasting my money if i purchase a eheim jager thermoncontrol e?

after some research on the forums and the sticky thread, i think i've narrowed it down to 2x eheim jager heaters for my future build. some further searches have revealed a new version of the old eheim jager heater, and it's the thermocotnrol E version. it's almost double the price, and i was...

www.reef2reef.com

And hopefully someone will chime in on the RO set up because I'm looking into getting one as well. It would have definitely been nice in the beginning since I had to carry roughly 85 gallons of RO water up to my third floor apartment haha

Edit: Here is that link for asking electrical questions.

Your Resident Electrician for all your electrical questions!

After 25 years experiance on the field and 15 years at the office, as an electrican I think I can answer most of your questions. Thanks to my fellow electricians for helping answering your question's. And the team is: Myself and anemonekeeper :wink:

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Phil D.]

Hi Spiffy! Ok, I had a 28g JBJ Nano Cube and i would recommend going to this one because it's a little bit better. It will come with WiFi controlled LEDs and has a wavemaker which both your return pumps hook up to, (you can adjust the switching back and forth from 30 seconds to 5 minutes). For the powerhead in the back corner, I would go with the Eflux 625gph one as you won't need that much oomph. The pink sand will blow all over, so go with aragonite.
Oh, the 28g usually is offered as a package with the stand. I recommend doing a 5g water change every week, (which I did with mine), the Home Depot bucket works great and for RO water storage, just use 2 5g water jugs you can get at Wal-Mart.
The DI cartridges usually last a good150-200 gallons depending on your TDS out of your membrane.

 

[Phil D.]

BTW, if you go to MarineandReef.com, they have the JBJ in stock and they deliver via UPS or FedEx

 

[Spiffyguy]

I would love to do the 28 gallon but my Apartment has a limit. Technically it is 20 gallons but I think I can get away with the 24 because the display is only about 14 gallons or so when measured. Still mulling in my head. The unit at the LFS is a strange one. It is build like the old JBJ 24DX but the CFL bulbs are now LED. But they have the same CFL connection and look. Seems different than the other LED 24s I have seen and I am wondering if it is a retrofit. Making sure I can get replacement bulbs. So many decisions lol. Worst case I will fall back to the biocube 16. For the most part the equipment will say the same. Perhaps a less powerful power head and heater