JBJ 12g nanocube filtration

[chad590]

Hello everyone! First time poster, long time lurker. Its time to start a shrimp tank after a while of being out of the fishkeeping hobby. A friend of mine just gave me her like-new 12gallon JBJ nanocube.

I was wondering what i should do for the filtration? Should i just stick a screen over the opening to the overflow so the shrimp cant get in? Should i take the fale wall out and try for a HOB/canister filter mod? 

also, would the stock pump be too much water movement?

 

thank you for your time!

[fishmosy]

I have found putting a screen over the intake works well in other brands of aquariums. Alternatively a HOB will allow you to have more volume (of water) in the tank as the filtration material will now be outside the tank. It really depends on what your budget and aims for the tank are. Which shrimp and how many do you intend to keep?

 

[chad590]

I'm first planning to set me tank and get some plants established before i add anything. I also live in florida where i get constant 90º+ days (omg it was 85 yesterday and its just march) so I need to see what my peliter cooler can handle. 

I'm not 100% sure what kind of shrimp to stock with, I love them all and just want to make sure i can handle them. I'm a college student on a shoestring budget, so i want to make sure everything is perfect before i start stock so i dont have to re-stock.

 

also, can you keep crayfish with shrimp? or will they get randomly hungry and eat them?

 

Edit: thinking about Sapphire shrimp, green babaulti, orange sakura. 

Edited March 8, 2016 by chad590

[jayc]

With temperatures like that, you would want to look at keeping Neocaridinas, the cherries and rillis. They would be able to withstand those higher temps with the aid of your peltier cooler. Lots of colourful choices in the Neos.

 

8 hours ago, chad590 said:

can you keep crayfish with shrimp?

If your crayfish are anything like our yabbies, I don't think it's a good idea to keep that with shrimps. Anything with claws will prey on the shrimps. They are slower and would go for the easier meal like pellets or fish food. But there is no asking the crayfish to please kindly keep his claws to itself. A moulting shrimp in hiding would be easy pickings. 

In a bigger tank, you might have more success keeping them together, but a 12g will increase the chances of the cray chomping down on a shrimp due to the limited hiding spaces.

So if you don't mind loosing the odd shrimp then go for it. But I wouldn't risk more expensive shrimp. Cheap-ish neo cherries would be a good start with a crayfish.

[chad590]

I hate it when i lose any stock (unless its a feeder).

Since i have you guys here... what media is best to put in the back of the nanocube?

[jayc]

2 hours ago, chad590 said:

what media is best to put in the back of the nanocube

Some sponge filters to trap big debris, but put as much Biological filter media as you can fit in there.

Maximise your biological filter using media with the most surface area.

I like Cermiedia's Marine Pure. 

[chad590]

4 hours ago, jayc said:

Some sponge filters to trap big debris, but put as much Biological filter media as you can fit in there.

Maximise your biological filter using media with the most surface area.

I like Cermiedia's Marine Pure. 

this may sound stupid, but ive never used an all in one tank, but where does each media go? first chamber sponges, second bio media?

im way more used to canister/hob lol

[jayc]

1 hour ago, chad590 said:

where does each media go? first chamber sponges, second bio media?

I'm not familiar with the JBJ tank.

It all depends on the path of the water flow. You want the dirty water to be filtered by the sponges first, then flow to the bio media. 

 

The idea is for the sponges to filter the undissolved solids first, then the bio media filter dissolved solids. If the bio media is clogged with undissolved solids, they don't function as well.

Edited March 10, 2016 by jayc

[chad590]

thanks for all the help. I will post more when i get the tank!

[chad590]

GOOD NEWS! Through the lovely website of craigslist, I found a flat broke college kid selling his setup. I got him to part out the  JBJ Mini Arctica Chiller 1/15HP , for $80USD. I may be able to have a wider variety after all :)
 

[Disciple]

$80 for a chiller sounds like a bargin.

[chad590]

used, for one year. I'm assuming he's paying for college textbooks ( which are insanely priced in the US ) and needed the money lol.

[chad590]

Another question. What is a good beginner (black) substrate for shrimpkeeping?

[jayc]

On 12/03/2016 at 10:26 AM, chad590 said:

Another question. What is a good beginner (black) substrate for shrimpkeeping?

The answer depends on what sort of shrimp are you planning on keeping in that tank.

[chad590]

I'm obviously not planning to stock any time soon, but i plan on keeping OEBT, some sakura yellow, and some fire red. If they can be kept together without crossbreeding. 

[jayc]

Then all you need is an inert gravel.

Something like this ...

http://www.thetechden.com.au/Pisces_Diamond_Black_Quartz_Gravel_2kg_p/gravel432.htm

or

http://www.thetechden.com.au/Carib_Sea_Eco_Complete_Black_9_1kg_p/cs00821.htm

or

http://www.thetechden.com.au/Carib_Sea_Eco_Complete_Black_9_1kg_p/cs0770.htm

I'm pretty sure Carib Sea Eco Complete Black is inert.

 

These are just suggestions. Check to see what you can get locally. You wouldn't want to ship gravel from Australia of course.