Thoughts on Bio cube by Coralife?

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Im new to the hobby and have never kept a saltwater tank. Growing up I have had countless freshwater tanks but never a saltwater tank. I have been doing a lot of research over the last year and am close to making the plunge! What are peoples thoughts on the Coralife 29 gl Bio cube for a first time tank and first time hobbiest? Tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to ha. Thanks!

booth2010 · Mar 13, 2014

29 gallon is almost minimum recommended size for beginner saltwater. Bigger is always better but not too big. I know the bio cube comes with most stuff and I've seen a lot of people like them but I would personally buy a 50 gallon and piece the parts. Might be better in the long run

SloppyJ · Mar 13, 2014

That tank is what most people start out with, including myself. I say go for it. If you can swing the extra cash for the HQI version I would do that.

poorish idol · Mar 13, 2014

Are the coralifes the same as the jbjs? I'm assuming it has the filter n the rear of the tank?.that's important...eventually u r going to want to go big..and going big requires u to get a sump, UV, better loghts , etc..the list goes on and on..for a beginner, you Dont need to worry too much about all those things.. A biocube will get u the satisfaction with out too Mich of the headache this hobby can bring ones u delve in. I wouldn't get the hqi (metal halide) because for such a small system, the temp will tlrise a lot which will be an issue in the warmer months...if u want to upgrade on the lights..go with an led pendant...just be sure to keep bio load to a minimum..which means only get fish suited for nano tanks and keep it down to 4 max..too much bio load on such a small system will give u a whole world of problems...also have plenty of live rock..and always...good flow to avoid nuisance algae...

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Thanks for the advice everyone! The reason why I like the nano tanks is because its small and has everything already included that I would need. Since im new to the hobby i simply just want to keep a few corals and a few fish suitable to be put into the tank and learn from there. I also know that the smaller the tank the less forgiving they are than larger tanks. From experience how hard is it to maintain a nano tank?

SloppyJ · Mar 13, 2014

The HQI on the system is fine. I live in the south and had one over my 24g aquapod for over a year. No problems. With an all in one system, it's a little tricky. Just be religious on water changes and you'll be just fine. You might look into the Innovative Marine tanks. I have a nuvo 30 and the design is much better. They make skimmers and such you can add which is a HUGE bonus over the other tanks.

Polishpower · Mar 13, 2014

I started about 6 months ago with a biocube 14. I love it and have not had any problems with it.

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Polishpower what kind of fish and coral do you have?

Frag freak · Mar 13, 2014

Buy one used thats modded with leds and an intank media basket.

I started with a biocube and its still running. Threw a nano skimmer on it and my coral grow faster in the bio than in my other tanks. Of course mine is FAR from stock and I went rimless w leds and t5s.

Highly recommend for all all in one for a beginner.

Polishpower · Mar 13, 2014

I have two clowns and a clown goby. 7 blue leg hermits 1 peppermint shrimp, zoas, mushroom, torch and soon to add sps. as soon as I can get rid of this clown goby ( ate my across I added) all the inverts I have had since I started my tank. For the first 4 months I did weekly water changes now I do it every other week. Also have slowly been upgrading with a protein skimmer, LEDs and a circulation pump

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Are there a lot of modifications that need to be done to a Bio Cube in order for it to properly support a reef tank? Im seeing all types of youtube videos of guys doing all types of modifications their systems?

boehm742 · Mar 13, 2014

TropicalAddiction said:
Are there a lot of modifications that need to be done to a Bio Cube in order for it to properly support a reef tank? Im seeing all types of youtube videos of guys doing all types of modifications their systems?

Not really.... Sure there are lots of mods you can do to make it better but a biocube is more then able to support a reef out of the box(no heater included). I have a BC14 myself that houses a yellow Watchmen goby, Purple firefish, hermits and all sorts of corals. My son loves it!

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Good to hear. The LED's give proper lighting for the corals? I just want to know if I end up getting one whether or not I have to add a bunch of other things. One other question I have is whether or not you have problems controlling the heat in the bio cube?

SloppyJ · Mar 13, 2014

I'll say it again, the halide is your best bet and it will be cheaper than the LED version. No heat issues at all. They wouldn't be selling so many of them if they didn't work.

TropicalAddiction · Mar 13, 2014

Thanks SloppyJ!

Frag freak · Mar 14, 2014

My + a couple cheap led strips ftw.... I run t5s n LEDs because the t5 setup came with it.

My LEDs are the orbit marine programmable but it by itself is NOT enough for a 29. A 14 cube would b perfect for that light.

A lot of my friends run a bio stock and they do fine. The skimmer is most important w a bio cube IMO or any comparable nano.

Pull the bio ball, throw in some phos guard and Chemipure or Gfo similar and let her rip!

Topping off daily is a must! Don't let it go 4 days w/o top off!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frag freak · Mar 14, 2014

Mh* not my lol autocowrong

ReefMadScientist · Mar 14, 2014

I put a 29G Biocube with a AI Nano in my sons room. Looks awesome. Rainbow BTA, Sixline, Snowflake and Picasso Clowns (both hosting) = win.

SloppyJ · Mar 14, 2014

I had an AI Sol over mine for a while. It was a very slick tank.

reid429 · Mar 14, 2014

I just bought the new coralife 29 biocube last week. Gutted the hood and installed a rapid led kit. The LEDs are amazing. Went with 10 royal, 8 neutral, 4 uv, 1 red and 1 cyan on 2 drivers. The fans are louder than I want as stock. Will be replacing with quieter ones later on. The back sections are a bit larger and I run a tunze 9002 skimmer with the stock return for now along with a jebao wp10. I'd say the tank is almost perfect now an I love the coralife version as it feels a little bit better constructed then the older ones.