Classroom Saltwater tank ?

[James Hammett]

Ok I am not totally new to saltwater tanks as I put one together in my home and maintained it for about a year. That was a few years back and when I moved I sold the whole thing because moving it seemed too much at the time. That tanks was successful although I have no idea how as i fumbled through and never really knew what I was doing. also never got ito corals that I remember.

I just got my school to buy me a Bio Cube 32 complete reef kit with stand. It should be delivered in a week or so to my classroom and I want to do it right and teach my science classes about reef biology as I learn how to maintain it. The long term plan is to establish a thriving tank and in time develop a frag tank and grow corals to populate other tanks.

Question the kit does not come with a wave maker for extra flow. iIs that essential in initial set up? Also I have read somewhere that a set up from new to fully stocked should be a slow up to 6 week process. TIPS PLEASE?

 

[JBKReef]

You will get a lot of the standard answer of "watch the BRS 160 52 weeks of reefing" this will give you MORE than enough information to get yourself rolling.

It will depend on the kind of tank you want, the return could be upgraded and a wavemaker would not be needed for super simple corals and fish. If you want to get into LPS or SPS an upgraded return, upgraded light, and powerhead could be needed.

The process should be very slow, and patience is key.

 

[._Z_.]

You could probably find several bio cube 32 build threads and just emulate the ones that are successful, along with watching YouTube videos that will be a good start.

I would think paying special attention to automation will be very important, to help with summer vacation and what not. That or the ability to pack it up and move it for the summer will be important.

 

[JoshKReef]

You could probably find several bio cube 32 build threads and just emulate the ones that are successful, along with watching YouTube videos that will be a good start.

I would think paying special attention to automation will be very important, to help with summer vacation and what not. That or the ability to pack it up and move it for the summer will be important.

Also, climate control during the summer may be an issue. At the school my dad taught at, they did not keep the AC on during the summer. That would not work if you live in a place that has hot summers, unless you take the tank home during the summer, or invest in a chiller.

 

[James Hammett]

You could probably find several bio cube 32 build threads and just emulate the ones that are successful, along with watching YouTube videos that will be a good start.

I would think paying special attention to automation will be very important, to help with summer vacation and what not. That or the ability to pack it up and move it for the summer will be important.

I am a football coach and spend most of my summer at school for camps and what not. I never go more than three days without coming in to the building. SO I think I will be ok there.

 

[James Hammett]

Also, climate control during the summer may be an issue. At the school my dad taught at, they did not keep the AC on during the summer. That would not work if you live in a place that has hot summers, unless you take the tank home during the summer, or invest in a chiller.

The ac is not completely off in the summer the building is usually in the high 70s low 80s inside.

 

[._Z_.]

I am a football coach and spend most of my summer at school for camps and what not. I never go more than three days without coming in to the building. SO I think I will be ok there.

Sounds like you’ve got a good handle on things. I know I would have been blown away by a saltwater tank when I was in school. The way chemistry and biology all comes together will make a great teaching tool, you’ll have an entire ecosystem in your classroom full of symbiotic relationships and all that cool stuff. Good luck!

 

[mjlash22]

As mentioned above, check out the Nano forum. I'm sure there is a build thread of your exact tank, if not something close. In regards to the wave maker, MP10 is a higher end but good choice. Jebao would be a cheaper alternative.

With Nano tanks, the return pumps can typically get you close to what you want for water flow, but I would still highly recommend a wave maker at some point. Probably not be critical to startup.

 

[James Hammett]

so i've looked at them on amazon and the wavemakers look like they are for bigger tanks. what size would you recommend for the 32 BC

 

[Jesterrace]

Ok I am not totally new to saltwater tanks as I put one together in my home and maintained it for about a year. That was a few years back and when I moved I sold the whole thing because moving it seemed too much at the time. That tanks was successful although I have no idea how as i fumbled through and never really knew what I was doing. also never got ito corals that I remember.

I just got my school to buy me a Bio Cube 32 complete reef kit with stand. It should be delivered in a week or so to my classroom and I want to do it right and teach my science classes about reef biology as I learn how to maintain it. The long term plan is to establish a thriving tank and in time develop a frag tank and grow corals to populate other tanks.

Question the kit does not come with a wave maker for extra flow. iIs that essential in initial set up? Also I have read somewhere that a set up from new to fully stocked should be a slow up to 6 week process. TIPS PLEASE?

Yes, a powerhead/wave maker is essential to keep the bacteria alive/forming on the live rock. Even if you never did corals you would still want 800-1000 gph of water flow just for that very reason. A Hydor Koralia will do the job and isn't super pricey. I ran a Koralia Hydor 3rd gen 1950gph powerhead in my 36 gallon bowfront and my LFS runs one in their 32 gallon biocube they have next to the register and corals are their specialty so I figure they know what they are doing in that regard. As for setup to fully stocked in 6 weeks? I would say that at 6 weeks you are generally ready for a couple of fish and maybe an easy coral frag to try out. Obviously there are many variants in how quickly your tank is cycled (ie are you buying cured rock that has already cycled in another tank), are you buying dry rock and seeding it with bacteria from a piece or two of live rock (generally takes longer).

 

[mjlash22]

so i've looked at them on amazon and the wavemakers look like they are for bigger tanks. what size would you recommend for the 32 BC

Both pumps I mentioned are definitely do-able as their flow can be controlled via an external controller. The Hydor mentioned above is another cost efficient option for you.

 

[James Hammett]

Yes, a powerhead/wave maker is essential to keep the bacteria alive/forming on the live rock. Even if you never did corals you would still want 800-1000 gph of water flow just for that very reason. A Hydor Koralia will do the job and isn't super pricey. I ran a Koralia Hydor 3rd gen 1950gph powerhead in my 36 gallon bowfront and my LFS runs one in their 32 gallon biocube they have next to the register and corals are their specialty so I figure they know what they are doing in that regard. As for setup to fully stocked in 6 weeks? I would say that at 6 weeks you are generally ready for a couple of fish and maybe an easy coral frag to try out. Obviously there are many variants in how quickly your tank is cycled (ie are you buying cured rock that has already cycled in another tank), are you buying dry rock and seeding it with bacteria from a piece or two of live rock (generally takes longer).

The rock I ordered I have discovered is not real it is Caribe sea life rock I assume a synthetic product colored purple? Have you heard of it? Is it going to work? I paid 169 for 40 pounds

 

[mjlash22]

The rock I ordered I have discovered is not real it is Caribe sea life rock I assume a synthetic product colored purple? Have you heard of it? Is it going to work? I paid 169 for 40 pounds

It is more than likey a "reef saver" type rock, which did not come straight out of the ocean. They aquaculture it them selves. Rock is rock though. You will still be able to build bacteria colonies no matter if it's from the ocean or "dry"

 

[Jesterrace]

The rock I ordered I have discovered is not real it is Caribe sea life rock I assume a synthetic product colored purple? Have you heard of it? Is it going to work? I paid 169 for 40 pounds

As it so happens that is exactly what I have been using for the last year. I had 40lbs of it in my 36 gallon and after it cycled properly it takes the exact same characteristics of live rock, but without the potentially nasty critters. The coloration is loaded with lab produced bacteria that will produce what you need to keep a healthy tank. I transferred the 40lbs from my old 36 gallon to my 90 gallon and have another 50lbs of the stuff cycling in a garbage can. They claim it doesn't need to cycle, but that is bull. Both the 40lb set and the 50lbs currently cycling definitely got ammonia and nitrite spikes after being exposed to frozen fish food.

 

[James Hammett]

As it so happens that is exactly what I have been using for the last year. I had 40lbs of it in my 36 gallon and after it cycled properly it takes the exact same characteristics of live rock, but without the potentially nasty critters. The coloration is loaded with lab produced bacteria that will produce what you need to keep a healthy tank. I transferred the 40lbs from my old 36 gallon to my 90 gallon and have another 50lbs of the stuff cycling in a garbage can. They claim it doesn't need to cycle, but that is bull. Both the 40lb set and the 50lbs currently cycling definitely got ammonia and nitrite spikes after being exposed to frozen fish food.

So is cycling as simple as setting up tank with sand and rock and letting it run for a number of days before adding anything else? I seem to remember years ago when I set up my other tank I put some kind of fresh water fish that could handle the salinity in the tank to help???

 

[James Hammett]

As it so happens that is exactly what I have been using for the last year. I had 40lbs of it in my 36 gallon and after it cycled properly it takes the exact same characteristics of live rock, but without the potentially nasty critters. The coloration is loaded with lab produced bacteria that will produce what you need to keep a healthy tank. I transferred the 40lbs from my old 36 gallon to my 90 gallon and have another 50lbs of the stuff cycling in a garbage can. They claim it doesn't need to cycle, but that is bull. Both the 40lb set and the 50lbs currently cycling definitely got ammonia and nitrite spikes after being exposed to frozen fish food.

So is cycling as simple as setting up tank with sand and rock and letting it run for a number of days before adding anything else? I seem to remember years ago when I set up my other tank I put some kind of fresh water fish that could handle the salinity in the tank to help???

 

[CNDReef]

You can use ammonia or ghost feed the tank. You need some kind of bio load to cycle the tank

 

[James Hammett]

Thanks for all the input I ordered the
Hydor Koralia Evolution Aquarium Circulation Pump 1050-1150 gph
I am sure Ill have more questions as I go forward Thanks in advance for your help to me and my students.

 

[Jesterrace]

You can use ammonia or ghost feed the tank. You need some kind of bio load to cycle the tank

This is correct. You will still need some source of ammonia or bacteria to start the cycling process. I recently used a few small chunks of reef frenzy over the course of a week (every other day) and it took a few weeks but it did just cycle. This is to cycle the additional 50lbs of life rock I have in a garbage can for my 90 gallon tank that I upgraded to in November. DO NOT PUT FISH OF ANY KIND INTO THE TANK until it cycles. This is just cruel as the Ammonia and Nitrite stage are both very toxic to fish.

 

[James Hammett]

ok here is another question. I visited my LFS and was told the Hydor pump I ordered was too big for my 32biocube. she said that an 800 was the biggest that tank could handle? Does that make sense?