Bouncing off ideas

[Reversebeartrap]

Hello!

I have wanted a sw tank for a while and now that I am moving I plan to start one once I move in June finally. However, I am a bit stuck on what tank I should be planning for. My thing is that I do not want to do plumbing again (...sorry) I had a 110 plummed FW and I just don't want to deal with that for now. I am considering either the CoralLife LED biocube 32 or setting up a regular 30 gallon with a hob. I have read a lot of the guides on here and this is a great forum. I don't know a lot about what the regular 30 gallon would be to run or how the price would compare with supplies. My stocking plan is two ocellaris clowns, inverts (esp crabs), and eventually a BTA after it is mature.

 

[Jekyl]

Hello!

I have wanted a sw tank for a while and now that I am moving I plan to start one once I move in June finally. However, I am a bit stuck on what tank I should be planning for. My thing is that I do not want to do plumbing again (...sorry) I had a 110 plummed FW and I just don't want to deal with that for now. I am considering either the CoralLife LED biocube 32 or setting up a regular 30 gallon with a hob. I have read a lot of the guides on here and this is a great forum. I don't know a lot about what the regular 30 gallon would be to run or how the price would compare with supplies. My stocking plan is two ocellaris clowns, inverts (esp crabs), and eventually a BTA after it is mature.

Welcome to R2R!

A 30g with a HoB would work just fine. I have a 5 year old 90g with a HoB filter and skimmer.

Any setup can work. You don't need every piece of equipment advertised to have a good tank. Sumps are definitely helpful, but no where near needed.

 

[Jekyl]

Pic of my 90g RUGF system that everyone said would fail or be a nitrate factory



P.S the glass needs cleaned, don't judge me lol

 

[mike550]

@Reversebeartrap I hear you about going back to simple so you can enjoy the tank more. I have a 120 with a traditional sump. Now a couple of years later there are some things I would have done differently and I just don’t want to deal with re-plumbing

If it were me, I’d go with a Biocube or something else that’s close to an all in one. At the least I’d try to find something configured closer to what I’d want now.

 

[Spare time]

I would avoid the biocube personally. A lot of people get these all in one tanks and end up constantly upgrading them to add things they want. This would be cheaper to do if you start with just a regular tank.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

Is there something that I could add on to a regular tank to make it a bit easier? or perhaps an assembled list so I could price compare?

 

[Nemo&Friends]

I have a 40 g and an 125G tank with HOB filter only.I do not have corals. The smaller tank has macro algae. You do not need all these fancy stuff that ads for aquarium wants you to buy.
You only need a heater, a good HOB filter, lights, maybe a power head and some rocks, preferably live ones.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

I have a 40 g and an 125G tank with HOB filter only.I do not have corals. The smaller tank has macro algae. You do not need all these fancy stuff that ads for aquarium wants you to buy.
You only need a heater, a good HOB filter, lights, maybe a power head and some rocks, preferably live ones.

I would like to get macroalgae, should I get a special light or will my FW plant lights work?

 

[Nemo&Friends]

I think that FW light should work. You can also use LED.

 

[kevgib67]

I love my Biocube 32. Only real upgrade was a UV and a protein skimmer. It’s an easy tank to maintain.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

I love my Biocube 32. Only real upgrade was a UV and a protein skimmer. It’s an easy tank to maintain.

Did you get the protein skimmer + UV that are made for the biocube or did you put an outside one in? I saw there is a larger bundle that comes with those.

 

[kevgib67]

Yes I got the ones made for the Biocube. I got the skimmer initially and the uv a few months later.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

Yes I got the ones made for the Biocube. I got the skimmer initially and the uv a few months later.

Thank you! What do you keep in it?

 

[kevgib67]

2 clowns, royal gramma, 6 line wrasse, diamond watchman gobie, yellow tailed damsel, tiger conch, royal blue tuxedo urchin, emerald crabs, dwarf red and blue hermit crabs, porcelain crab, trocus snails, cerith snails, bumblebee snails, nassarius snails, turbo snails, cleaner shrimps and micro brittle starfish. Various softies, lps and easy sps. I know I’m forgetting things.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

2 clowns, royal gramma, 6 line wrasse, diamond watchman gobie, yellow tailed damsel, tiger conch, royal blue tuxedo urchin, emerald crabs, dwarf red and blue hermit crabs, porcelain crab, trocus snails, cerith snails, bumblebee snails, nassarius snails, turbo snails, cleaner shrimps and micro brittle starfish. Various softies, lps and easy sps. I know I’m forgetting things.

It can support those corals without adding more light?

 

[kevgib67]

It can support those corals without adding more light?

Yep, click on my build thread contributor badge. Good luck. Always here to answer any questions.

 

[Reversebeartrap]

Yep, click on my build thread contributor badge. Good luck. Always here to answer any questions.

Thank you!