new dude with a biocube

[fish n chips]

bought a 29g used biocube a couple weeks ago. finally filled it up last night and got the water circulating. i am already overwhelmed.

i only have experience with freshwater, and this was years ago ... over a decade now that i think about it. so i definitely consider it a resurrected hobby, except this time with a little bit of salt added.

with a little bit of help and guidance from a friend, i've got my beautiful biocube flowin' with nothin' but water and sand. this cube is my oyster. and that's just my problem. i've already been researching starfish, specifically linckia and fromia, but have slowly learned the incompatibility with the size and dimensions of the tank. i've read some success stories with a tank like mine but i've also read a lot of the warnings. i realize getting a star fish is quite possibly 1yr+ down the road, but ... i believe this hobby will make me into a patient man.

i'll stop here. if ya'll would like to know anymore about my setup i'd be glad to answer. i'd also love to meet some fellow biocubers or people with similar setups. thanks for reading.

~ fish n chips

 

[Oceanwave45]

Ha!!! I get it everyone loves star fish!!! I think you'll be able to get one and I mean one! However keep in mind the size of your and the additional livestock you may want to add. Having a star fish will take space and I wouldn't get one in that small of a tank in my opinion. I am sure you can find smaller species. I think...

Also you cannot and DO NOT get one until your tank is at least 1 year old! It WILL die!!!

Good luck and make sure you cycle correctly otherwise you'll be in trouble later!

Cheers

 

[the_reef_keeper]

Linckia stars are a little more difficult than other sea stars. You could get a serpent sea star as those are WAY easier to keep. Fromia milleporella is a moderately hardy sea star and would fit nicely in your tank. Sea stars cannot handle sudden changes in PH and Specific Gravity. Also, make sure you don't expose them to air!

Good luck dude with a bio-cube

 

[fish n chips]

thanks for the input guys! great introduction to the community.

Also you cannot and DO NOT get one until your tank is at least 1 year old! It WILL die!!!

like i said, this hobby is gonna turn me into a patient man ...

Fromia milleporella is a moderately hardy sea star and would fit nicely in your tank.

i'll definitely look into those!

 

[Salty1962]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[fish n chips]

two things i've been wondering:

1. do i need a sump, either now or eventually? again, it's a 29g biocube with a built-in wet/dry filter.

2. how do i change my default font?

 

[Surfandturf]

I would definitely get some live rock for some more biological filtration. What type of light do you plan to get?

 

[fish n chips]

i definitely plan on getting live rock.

it's a coralife biocube with a light canopy. came with one 36 watt actinic blue straight pin, another 36 watt 10,000K daylight straight pin, and a .75 watt lunar blue LED bar. it has four additional LED receptors.

--EDIT--
i also just ordered these puppies:
http://www.marineandreef.com/Lifegard_Aquatics_Carbon_Bio_Mate_Media_Balls_p/rrl40304.htm

http://www.marineandreef.com/Lifegard_Aquatics_Foam_Filled_Bio_Mate_Media_Balls_p/rrl40308.htm

http://www.marineandreef.com/Lifegard_Aquatics_Ceramic_Filled_Bio_Mate_Bio_Ball_p/rrl40312.htm

 

[Surfandturf]

I had a biocube before. Great starter tank. One issue I had was the hood with the fans in it. They will die and then your tank could overheat. You can solve this by either removing the hood and buying a better light, or looking in ebay or amazon to buy the extra fans just in case. The lights are not the best so be very careful when buying corals. The lights and the fans are the only drawback to this tank, otherwise it is amazing to start with.

 

[NickNiz]

Congrats on the Biocube! I used to have an Oceanic 29 model. They're great tanks!

I second the notion of getting a serpent star... Very cool scavengers and they're pretty hardy. You don't really have to wait a year for this species either. You could introduce one a few weeks after your first fish!

As for the sump, there's really no need. Unless you plan on keeping SPS corals, which the increased water volume would help with. Your current lighting isn't enough for most SPS corals anyways though... If you do want to increase filtration, you can use a bag of ChemiPure and a protein skimmer, instead of the normal filter cartridge. You could even use the middle filter chamber as a refugium by putting chaeto in it.

 

[fish n chips]

thanks for the tips!

One issue I had was the hood with the fans in it [...] The lights are not the best so be very careful when buying corals.

i've already replaced the fans! bought some PC ones off Amazon. they're quiet and seem to work great!

what lights would you recommend that would fit this fixture?

You could even use the middle filter chamber as a refugium by putting chaeto in it.

i just bought those bio balls i linked to above, so it may be a while before i look into that. what's the difference between using that and bio balls? could i just add it to the top or something?

 

[Surfandturf]

So you could probably get an AI prime and grow just about anything you want. Its about 300 bucks with the arm.

 

[fish n chips]

i like having the hood on there, since i have a cat who is naturally curious and likes to jump on things. could i not get additional LEDs? there's a total of five receptors in the canopy.

 

[NickNiz]

You could do both but I'd typically advise against bio balls... After a while they collect a bunch of gunk and cause higher nitrates.

The chaeto serves a different purpose entirely. It actually absorbs nitrate, lowering levels in the water, and using it to grow. When you trim it (chaeto grows very quickly in right conditions), you're basically removing nitrates from your tank.

And the AI Prime HD is a fantastic choice if you want to upgrade lighting at some point... Currently on Amazon with the arm for about $250.

 

[NickNiz]

i like having the hood on there, since i have a cat who is naturally curious and likes to jump on things. could i not get additional LEDs? there's a total of five receptors in the canopy.

You could always take out the CF fixture and retrofit your own LED bulbs into the hood. There are also websites where you can buy a Biocube hood with LEDs already retrofitted...

 

[fish n chips]

There are also websites where you can buy a Biocube hood with LEDs already retrofitted...

i believe i've seen those, i'll look into 'em

 

[NickNiz]

i believe i've seen those, i'll look into 'em

Check out Steve's LEDs.
http://www.stevesleds.com/Biocube-29-LED-Turbo-Upgrade-System--Plug-and-Play_p_298.html

 

[fish n chips]

was literally just looking at those, haha! definitely out of my budget atm ...

would it make any difference to just get some more of those .75 watt LEDs?

 

[Reefrookie220]

Intank media baskets, spin stream nozzle, nano glo fuge light, maxi jet 1200 pump.

These upgrades will make this kitty pur!

I'd also vouch the ai prime, you could always mod the hood to fit and save from buying tree mounting arm! Love these tanks!

Welcome to r2r!

 

[fish n chips]

thanks!

i'm also looking at just getting this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1N43UI/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2U0IAEKB300KD&colid=117WCSZJXIYWM
hopefully they don't discontinue/stop selling them, 'cause that's something i'd definitely save up for ...