JBJ 45- Project Restart

[Stosh]

Hello all,

I had a 125g tank in the office for years being serviced by a fish expert. I did absolutely nothing but look at the beauty so not a very experienced reef guy. I know some verbiage and functionality but need some help.

Purchased my 12 year old son a stock JBJ 45 2 months ago where he was adamant to do everything on his own. Well, the tank crashed about 7 days ago (we were out of town) killing all the fish and coral. We were left with one live snail. Now, starting from scratch I want to be involved learning more about the hobby. We started small with 2 Clowns, 3 Chromis and 1 Tang with LPS and softies. We'll probably go that same route this time slowly adding more. Here are my questions and appreciate all recommendations:

Type of Powerheads and how many? What is a good flow rate?
Type of Skimmer?
Upgrade the pumps (single or both)? Why people say DC is better?
Currently have (2) Zetlight UFO 90W. Is that sufficient?
What type of new lid? (the stock is horse crap)
Type of ATO?
Doser needed?
Type of feeder?
Any other professional direction or add ons?

How do I clean the live rock? Will it be safe after sitting in a crashed tank for 1 week.
My neighbor has more live rock in his garage covered in a bin for 1 month with saltwater and no water movement.
- Is this still good to use? If not, what can I do?
I'll be replacing the sand.
Lastly... how should I clean the tank and all components?

I know these are a lot of questions and no need to respond to all. Thank you and let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[Gman83]

I would skip the tang second time around.

As for flow, I would do a jebao wavemaker (SCP-50) going across the length of the tank. Then I'd get a SLW-10, and place it lower on the back wall. Both are about $60ish/each on Amazon.

If you stick with LPS/ softies you will want at least 20x flow, and likely more. So at least 900gph.

The scp-50 says it does 396-1320 gph.
The SLW - 10 has a max of 1050 gph.

Having both would allow you to not run them at max, and would give you room to up flow if the corals want it.

I am going to switch to Jebao when my current pumps die. There are tons of people on r2r that sing their praises.

Sand: I'd buy live sand from Tampa Bay Live rocks. I just bought 40lbs to supplement my old sand. My shipment was delayed (understandably) by the hurricane. If you want to see it in a tank, check out @Brisk Build thread. I'd also consider getting some live rock.

As for your neighbor's rock, it's hard to say. If it's just sitting in water without movement or aeration I'd be concerned that there is no benefit with it because all the bacteria could be dead, but I could be wrong. If it smells bad, I would avoid it or clean it before putting it in my tank.

As for cleaning, scoop everything out and rinse everything really well. I'd then clean with vinegar, and rinse again. Then let everything dry in the sun for a day or two to make sure.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stosh]

Gman, thank you much for the advice. I’m learning more everyday. Sorry late reply. The tank is fully cycled and all levels are good. Have some time today and installing a Tunze 9004. Currently using a cheap wave maker for just circulation. I have 2 ew10s about 3 years old. Is it just worth it to upgrade both for my new 45g nano jbj 45? All these different jebao models are driving me nuts. What’s difference between the scp-50 and SLW-10 other than flow rate? Why would I need 2 different flow rate models and your recommendation for settings to start?

 

[Stosh]

On line now looking at wavenaker options. One other question, what’s the jebao EP model difference over your reccomendation and what does the “m” mean on some versions? Thx.

 

[vlangel]

Hey, good luck with your new tank. I am glad that your son wants to give it another go and its great that you will be participating with him.

I am sorry that I can not answer you wave maker questions since those are not models that I am familiar with. What I can tell you is that you don't want the wave makers to bludgeon the coral but you definitely want the coral to have some movement from the wave maker. Softie coral do not need as much movement and are generally easier coral to keep. They also do not need as intense lighting so you can start out cheaper.

DC pumps generally are variable (adjustable) flow and run cooler than magdrive type pumps. That is why I like them.

As an aquarium tech who took care of other people's tanks, and my own experiences, I don't trust ATOs completely. I prefer the float type rather than the sensor type and I prefer using a fresh water reservoir that is not so much if it gets stuck on, that it will greatly dilute your salinity. With good lids a 1 gallon reservoir should do with your tank. That's what I use on my 56 gallon tank.

 

[Stosh]

This all helps. You are the third person who recommended to use a float type ATO rather than the sensor. I understand change of seasons can affect water evaporation. So, with the float ATO on your 55gal, you only use a 1 gallon supply of water to feed the tank?

 

[vlangel]

This all helps. You are the third person who recommended to use a float type ATO rather than the sensor. I understand change of seasons can affect water evaporation. So, with the float ATO on your 55gal, you only use a 1 gallon supply of water to feed the tank?

I was an aquarium tech for the tank accounts for a lfs. The 2 things that I saw crash tanks was 1. Tripped circuits that cut off pump aeration and 2. Malfunctioning ATOs that dumped enough RO water to dilute the salinity.

My tank is a 56 gallon column so a smaller footprint than a standard 55, and my sump is an X high 30 gallon. I had glass tops made to cover 90% of both tanks which cut down on evaporation tremendously. My sump only goes down about an inch a week. I only use my ATO when I will be away from the tank for a couple of weeks. (I know folks say that you should not use glass tops because of gas exchange but if the surface of the water ripples that is not a problem. My tank is also an LPS/softie and it has easier omnivore fish so it has an Eheim auto flake feeder so the animals can go a week without someone checking on them. I have ornamental macroalgae to take up nutrients, give copepods a place to live and give the aquarium an overall natural appearance.