Hello everyone. Very first thread. It has been over 20 years since I've had a tank of any kind. Have never done saltwater but have always loved how they look. So I decided to take the plunge yesterday and spent most of the day placing online orders. This is what I have so far. I'm still researching what else I need. I'm trying to buy as much equipment as possible to make maintenance as easy as possible. ATO is on the top of my list of what I haven't gotten yet. Still doing research on what to put in the tank that doesn't require too much maintenance. Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.
Biocube 32
Biocube stand
Coralife BioCube NEW STYLE Protein Skimmer (V2)
Coralife BioCube Algae Cleaning Magnet
Coralife Mini Hydrometer
inTank Media Basket
inTank Fuge Basket
inTank Fish Saver Guard
Coralife BioCube UV Sterilizer for Aquarium, Mini
Cobalt Aquatics Flat Neo-Therm Heater with Adjustable Thermostat 100W
Inkbird WiFi ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat
Hydor Koralia Nano 425 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 425 GPH
ADJ Products AC POWER STRIP (PC-100A)
JBJ Nano Glo LED Refugium Light for Aquarium
Caribsea Life Rock, 40-Pound
CaribSea Aragalive Reef Sand Special Grade 40lbs
APEC Water Systems RO-90 Ultimate Series Top Tier Supreme Certified High Output 90 GPD Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System
Milwaukee MA887 Digital Salinity Refractometer with Automatic Temperature Compensation
Marineland Maxi-Jet 900, Multi-Use Water Pump And Power Head ( for mixing water )
API® Saltwater Aquarium Master Test Kit
Just a couple of things: an ATO is really not necessarily on a biocube unless you’re taking the lid off. I currently have a JBJ nanocube, which is nearly identical to the biocube, only the back chambers aren’t covered by the lid (meaning it has more evaporation than a biocube would), and even now in the summer, I only need to top off my tank maybe a cup (like a measuring cup) or two of water per week. I generally add a little bit every couple days, but I could do it once a week or even every two weeks and probably be just fine. You can mark on the back chamber where the water level is after a water change (I use this little reusable plastic sticker thing) and then you know how much water to add and how quickly it’s going through water. But again, since it’s covered, I think you’ll find that not much water evaporates. If you want an ATO to automate it, you can, but I will say that changing the level of the float or sensor in the little chambers or getting the water level just right is a PITA, I find it much easier to just add a little water once a week or every few days.
Also, I would recommend against getting the koralia, and get something that is controllable and that can randomize the flow, you’ll find that corals do much better with random or pulsing flow than just straight, constant flow. There are many options available, but for a budget friendly option, I’d recommend the Jebao SLW series (I’d probably go with the 10 or the 20 for your tank, you’re going to want around a 1000gph pump for your tank, that sounds like a lot, but when it’s not a constant direct flow, you need that much turn over to ensure you don’t have any dead spots). You can also get a flow randomizer for your return, either a nozzle that sort of directs the flow in different directions randomly, or a spinning nozzle that moves the flow in a circle. And yes, you want an extra pump in addition to the return pump, the idea is that you have two different sources of flow and where they intersect, the water deflects and creates a random flow.
I would also recommend against the biocube protein skimmer and UV sterilizer. Neither are really all that effective, they kind of work, but there are much better options out there. For a skimmer, I would recommend the Aquamaxx NF-1. It’s an efficient skimmer, it’s easy to adjust, is silent, and doesn’t release a bunch of micro bubbles. That said, whether or not you need a skimmer on a tank this size is debatable, you could just do water changes and grow some macro algae and be just fine. I don’t have any recommendations for a UV sterilizer, but I think most options that are going to fit in the back of a biocube aren’t going to be that effective, they might help with bacteria and algae blooms, but they’re not going to do much for parasites and diseases. You may be able to find an HOB option, or one that works similar to a canister filter that will work much better, but IMO they’re really not necessary.
Also, I don’t know if they’ve fixed this on newer biocubes, but you want to make sure that fish can jump into the back chambers (it’s a huge hassle to get them out). I had a biocube years ago and fish were constantly jumping back there (everything from firefish, to watchman gobies, to coral beauties). You can get some netting or some screen/egg crate and build a little fence to keep anything from getting back there.
And if there is one last piece of advice I can give you is to go with at least 25% real live rock. I understand the concern about hitchhikers, but for the most part they are manageable (plus they’re just interesting, IMO a reef tank isn’t a reef tank without all the microfauna), but what you gain in bacterial biodiversity is well worth the potential for pests. Dry rock alone can take ages to fully mature, IME the ‘ugly phase’ is much, much shorter when you have at least some live rock.
Anyway, congrats on your first tank! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
