JBJ 45 Restart

[Stosh]

Hello all,

Trying to restart a mess. Been asking around for advice and decided to ask the experts. I had a reef 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 and looking for 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 10 days ago (we were out of town) killing all the fish and most of 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 any 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?
I replaced the sand.
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 10 days.
My neighbor has live rock in his garage covered in a bin for 1 month with saltwater but no water movement.
- Is this still good to use? If not, what can I do?

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.

 

[Hooz]

Hello all,

Trying to restart a mess. Been asking around for advice and decided to ask the experts. I had a reef 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 and looking for 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 10 days ago (we were out of town) killing all the fish and most of 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 any 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?
I replaced the sand.
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 10 days.
My neighbor has live rock in his garage covered in a bin for 1 month with saltwater but no water movement.
- Is this still good to use? If not, what can I do?

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.

I had a JBJ 45 for a while, and still have a JBJ 65, so I'll try to offer some advice.

Powerheads - Flow rate and style completely depends on what you plan to keep. LPS and softies typically demand less flow than SPS do. It also depends on how much you want to, or are willing to spend. I've owned all the big name stuff, but I've kind of become a Jebao guy. I'd think that a pair of ELW-10m pumps would be more than enough for that size tank and what you plan to keep.

Skimmer - They aren't necessarily required, but they are very nice to have. You'll be limited to what fits in the compartments in the back. Read some reviews and pick something in your price range.

Return Pump(s) - I like controllable DC pumps. They tend to be quieter and, well, they're controllable. You can run 2 smaller pumps or a single larger one. I'm also of the mind that flow in the tank should be from powerheads, NOT really from the return pumps. Sticking to my Jebao recommendations, I'd say the EP-2000m would probably be enough (on max power), but a pair of the EP-1000m pumps would probably be better. I also upgrade all of my return nozzles to VCA RFGs.

Lights - I'm not familiar with the lights you mentioned, but I ran my 45 with a pair of AI Primes, so your lights should be plenty powerful. If you check with a rented/borrowed PAR meter, you'll probably find you only need to run them at about 50-60% of their max power. Just pay attention to mounting height and spacing to make sure you get the best coverage you can get.

Lid - There are always the acrylic screen top options (Kraken and the like). I am using the DIY IM screen top kits personally.

ATO - I use the cheaper ($40-50) optical ATOs on Amazon. AutoAqua, MagTool, etc. I've been using them for years without any issues.

Doser - You likely won't need to dose for a while. When you do, I'm a big fan of Tropic Marin All for Reef. One dosing pump, and it covers EVERYTHING. Works great for most people and, coupled with regular water changes, it may be all you ever need.

Live Rock - Your rock should be fine. I'd get everything running and then do a couple decent sized water changes before adding anything back in.

Other things...

Get good test kits for the "major" elements. Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and Phosphate are the main ones you need to test. Throw in a Magnesium kit if you like. It's a "major" element, but less likely to need any special attention.

BE PATIENT! Nothing good in this hobby ever happens quickly. That should be your mantra.

 

[Stosh]

I had a JBJ 45 for a while, and still have a JBJ 65, so I'll try to offer some advice.

Powerheads - Flow rate and style completely depends on what you plan to keep. LPS and softies typically demand less flow than SPS do. It also depends on how much you want to, or are willing to spend. I've owned all the big name stuff, but I've kind of become a Jebao guy. I'd think that a pair of ELW-10m pumps would be more than enough for that size tank and what you plan to keep.

Skimmer - They aren't necessarily required, but they are very nice to have. You'll be limited to what fits in the compartments in the back. Read some reviews and pick something in your price range.

Return Pump(s) - I like controllable DC pumps. They tend to be quieter and, well, they're controllable. You can run 2 smaller pumps or a single larger one. I'm also of the mind that flow in the tank should be from powerheads, NOT really from the return pumps. Sticking to my Jebao recommendations, I'd say the EP-2000m would probably be enough (on max power), but a pair of the EP-1000m pumps would probably be better. I also upgrade all of my return nozzles to VCA RFGs.

Lights - I'm not familiar with the lights you mentioned, but I ran my 45 with a pair of AI Primes, so your lights should be plenty powerful. If you check with a rented/borrowed PAR meter, you'll probably find you only need to run them at about 50-60% of their max power. Just pay attention to mounting height and spacing to make sure you get the best coverage you can get.

Lid - There are always the acrylic screen top options (Kraken and the like). I am using the DIY IM screen top kits personally.

ATO - I use the cheaper ($40-50) optical ATOs on Amazon. AutoAqua, MagTool, etc. I've been using them for years without any issues.

Doser - You likely won't need to dose for a while. When you do, I'm a big fan of Tropic Marin All for Reef. One dosing pump, and it covers EVERYTHING. Works great for most people and, coupled with regular water changes, it may be all you ever need.

Live Rock - Your rock should be fine. I'd get everything running and then do a couple decent sized water changes before adding anything back in.

Other things...

Get good test kits for the "major" elements. Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and Phosphate are the main ones you need to test. Throw in a Magnesium kit if you like. It's a "major" element, but less likely to need any special attention.

BE PATIENT! Nothing good in this hobby ever happens quickly. That should be your mantra.

I had a JBJ 45 for a while, and still have a JBJ 65, so I'll try to offer some advice.

Powerheads - Flow rate and style completely depends on what you plan to keep. LPS and softies typically demand less flow than SPS do. It also depends on how much you want to, or are willing to spend. I've owned all the big name stuff, but I've kind of become a Jebao guy. I'd think that a pair of ELW-10m pumps would be more than enough for that size tank and what you plan to keep.

Skimmer - They aren't necessarily required, but they are very nice to have. You'll be limited to what fits in the compartments in the back. Read some reviews and pick something in your price range.

Return Pump(s) - I like controllable DC pumps. They tend to be quieter and, well, they're controllable. You can run 2 smaller pumps or a single larger one. I'm also of the mind that flow in the tank should be from powerheads, NOT really from the return pumps. Sticking to my Jebao recommendations, I'd say the EP-2000m would probably be enough (on max power), but a pair of the EP-1000m pumps would probably be better. I also upgrade all of my return nozzles to VCA RFGs.

Lights - I'm not familiar with the lights you mentioned, but I ran my 45 with a pair of AI Primes, so your lights should be plenty powerful. If you check with a rented/borrowed PAR meter, you'll probably find you only need to run them at about 50-60% of their max power. Just pay attention to mounting height and spacing to make sure you get the best coverage you can get.

Lid - There are always the acrylic screen top options (Kraken and the like). I am using the DIY IM screen top kits personally.

ATO - I use the cheaper ($40-50) optical ATOs on Amazon. AutoAqua, MagTool, etc. I've been using them for years without any issues.

Doser - You likely won't need to dose for a while. When you do, I'm a big fan of Tropic Marin All for Reef. One dosing pump, and it covers EVERYTHING. Works great for most people and, coupled with regular water changes, it may be all you ever need.

Live Rock - Your rock should be fine. I'd get everything running and then do a couple decent sized water changes before adding anything back in.

Other things...

Get good test kits for the "major" elements. Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and Phosphate are the main ones you need to test. Throw in a Magnesium kit if you like. It's a "major" element, but less likely to need any special attention.

BE PATIENT! Nothing good in this hobby ever happens quickly. That should be your mantra.

I had a JBJ 45 for a while, and still have a JBJ 65, so I'll try to offer some advice.

Powerheads - Flow rate and style completely depends on what you plan to keep. LPS and softies typically demand less flow than SPS do. It also depends on how much you want to, or are willing to spend. I've owned all the big name stuff, but I've kind of become a Jebao guy. I'd think that a pair of ELW-10m pumps would be more than enough for that size tank and what you plan to keep.

Skimmer - They aren't necessarily required, but they are very nice to have. You'll be limited to what fits in the compartments in the back. Read some reviews and pick something in your price range.

Return Pump(s) - I like controllable DC pumps. They tend to be quieter and, well, they're controllable. You can run 2 smaller pumps or a single larger one. I'm also of the mind that flow in the tank should be from powerheads, NOT really from the return pumps. Sticking to my Jebao recommendations, I'd say the EP-2000m would probably be enough (on max power), but a pair of the EP-1000m pumps would probably be better. I also upgrade all of my return nozzles to VCA RFGs.

Lights - I'm not familiar with the lights you mentioned, but I ran my 45 with a pair of AI Primes, so your lights should be plenty powerful. If you check with a rented/borrowed PAR meter, you'll probably find you only need to run them at about 50-60% of their max power. Just pay attention to mounting height and spacing to make sure you get the best coverage you can get.

Lid - There are always the acrylic screen top options (Kraken and the like). I am using the DIY IM screen top kits personally.

ATO - I use the cheaper ($40-50) optical ATOs on Amazon. AutoAqua, MagTool, etc. I've been using them for years without any issues.

Doser - You likely won't need to dose for a while. When you do, I'm a big fan of Tropic Marin All for Reef. One dosing pump, and it covers EVERYTHING. Works great for most people and, coupled with regular water changes, it may be all you ever need.

Live Rock - Your rock should be fine. I'd get everything running and then do a couple decent sized water changes before adding anything back in.

Other things...

Get good test kits for the "major" elements. Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and Phosphate are the main ones you need to test. Throw in a Magnesium kit if you like. It's a "major" element, but less likely to need any special attention.

BE PATIENT! Nothing good in this hobby ever happens quickly. That should be your mantra.

Hooz, Thank you a ton. This is great advice. Reading all the forums can get confusing. I won't post anymore with long questions but maybe a few if in a jam-