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8G Biocube with pics!! Also some questions plz . . .

41K views 111 replies 12 participants last post by  MattD 
#1 ·
Hi!

Well, I just set up my new 8 Gallon Biocube. Here are some pics of it. Nothing too exciting but I want to start recording it from day 1 - setup all the way until when I'm done stocking my tank. Expect many photos from here on. I haven't filled it with water yet, because I still need salt mix.

And we're off:



Just the setup from the outside with flash.



A picture of the stock lighting. 1 18-watt 10000k Daylight, and 1 18-watt True Actinic Blue. It also came with two .75 watt Lunar Blue Moon Glow LEDs. There are also 2 50mm cooling fans in the hood.



The stock filtration system. Here's one of my questions: should I keep the stock media (plenty of bio-balls), or convert the large compartment to a refugium (in which case I'd need to makeshift some sort of lighting)? I think for now I'll need to stick to the bio-balls because I don't see how I could modify the hood to fit a palmlight in it. I'll definitely be stuffing crazy media into the first compartment which is large enough to fit all kinds of stuff in there. I think that in conjunction with the natural filtration my idea will work just fine. Opinions needed though, please. Thanks. edit - actually upon further investigation, I've discovered that the light encompasses even the filtration system! I suppose I will combine the two then. I will put plenty of bioballs and media in the first compartment, and then convert the second compartment into a refugium! Awesome! :D :D :D



Just a shot of the uncleaned tank with the lights on (mighty bright!), and of the pump. The flow rate is 106 gph, will this be enough for my tank, or should I consider purchasing a submersible pump in the future? I dp fear dead spots, particularly in the far right corner.



Just an overall shot of the tank. I'm VERY excited about this and can't wait to begin stocking the live sand and live rock. I'll be posting more pics within the next little while. In the meantime, research, research, and more research will follow.

Also, another focus of this thread is to get feedback on the livestock I plan on putting in the tank. I'm not sure which species of coral to put in here yet, however I have had my eye on Zoanthids, Pulsing Xenia (although my lfs says they spread like wildfire), and the beginner's choice: mushrooms. I'd appreciate any suggestions that are suitable for my tank.

Regarding fish, I've decided to go with an Ocellaris, and a Firefish Goby. My CUC will consist of several snails (species recommendation needed please), and possibly 1 Cleaner Shrimp or a
Blood Shrimp. Again, any suggestions regarding livestock are needed and much appreciated.

Opinions, ideas, and advice are very valuable to me at this time, seeing as I haven't started anything yet. Thanks!!

:D :D :D[/list]
 
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#27 ·
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd prefer not taking my rocks out of my tank, plus my mom would kill me if she came into my room and found another bucket, with more stuff in it, etc.. I'd be willing to leave the lights off in the main tank for as long as it takes. I was wondering whether this could destroy algae (seeing as they need light to thrive), but wasn't sure.

I have a small update. Picked up a Koralia Nano to help the flow in my tank. The stock pump just move the water around enough, so I bought this badboy which has over double my stock pump's flow rating at 256 gph. At first it seemed like a lot but after aiming it at the rear of my rock formation, the flow broke drastically, the sandstorms disappeared and now my featherdusters are really flapping in the wind. Looks brilliant, kind of like what my LFSs tanks look like. Is strong flow good for all corals? That is, are there any corals that do not benefit from strong flow, or prefer low flow?

Also picked up two Cerith snails, just to see how well they do. If they're doing well over the next week, I'll purchase the rest of my CUC. Here are some pics of my endeavors for the night.

Bought a Koralia Nano



The installed Koralia, and my tank.



Acclimating the snails using the drip method (1 hour)



The 2 Ceriths just cruising around!

 
#29 ·
sometimes alga get used to no lights at all, if you syphon your bubble alga and you tear it as long as you are syphoning, most spores will go thru the hose, they do not reproduce very quicly, so you will have enough time to take it out , do not forget to clean your filter daily with fresh water, ok , i know there are beneficial bacteria in it but you might also have some buble spores, do not worry about your nitrifying bacterial, they are on the rocks and sand too, so you wonst disrupt the nitrogen cycle by cleaning your filter up. Try to be more persuasive in taking all the bubble alga out before it takes your whole tank. By no means use medication or alga killer in a reef tank. You are doing just great but you still have to learn well how to manage your tank. Make sure your pump is not too strong for the new corals to come, you will see that later when the corals are ins the tank. The snails are great, i myself prefer turbo snails. I am sure you will defeat your alga problem, by the way , are you using kalkwasser? this solsution tends to precipitate phosphates and when you syphon your sand they will go down the drain.
 
#30 ·
Thanks for the info Jesus, but it would appear I may have been wrong all along! There seems to be a bit of a misconception in my tank. I thought I had a problem with bubble algae, it has been driving me crazy. But today at the LFS, they really have a problem with bubble algae and it looks absolutely nothing like what is in my tank! Their bubbles are really green, large, and quite sturdy-looking. The growths in my tanks are stretched out, light green, and flap violently in the current. Hmm, suddenly I'm more concerned not knowing wtf it is.

I've checked my parameters again today, and the nitrates have lowered to around 5 - 10 ppm. I'd say in another week or two, they'll be at 0. I've stocked a couple of more members of my CUC. Added 2 Astrea snails and 4 Blue Legged Hermits. They're tiny little guys, so I paid for two, and the nice guy at the LFS hooked me 4 (yay!). I'd post pics but the hermits are way too small, the camera doesn't focus them well enough. My Astreas are in a spot that's far too bright to pick them up properly, so I'll leave the pics for next time.

I think I'll pick up two more Ceriths, and that will be my CUC. So far, this is what my CUC consists of: 2 Astrea Snails, 2 Ceriths (soon to be 4), and 4 Blue Legged Hermits. I think 10 members is good enough, yes?
:lol:
 
#31 ·
THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE IT, THEN IT IS HAIR ALGA, THIS ALGA IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO SYPHON IT OUT, USE A PIECE OF STICK AND TRY TO ROLL IT OVER. THIS IS IN FACT A NUISANCE ALGA, HERBIVORES SUCH AS TANGS EAT THEM, BUT TANGS ARE VERY CRYPTOCARION-PRONE, SO YOU HAVE TO MANAGE THE NUTRIENT PARAMETERS CLOSE TO ZERO AT ALL TIMES. SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY . WAIT UNTIL YOUR TANK IS FULLY CYCLED, BUT BY WAITING AND STARVING THE ALGA WILL FOUL THE WATER AND WE DO NOT WANT THAT. KEEP THE PICTURES COMING .
 
#32 ·
LOL darn matt.......i dont know if im gonna start a saltwater tank......seems to be alot of trouble starting it out.....unless you wanna help me :D but anyways your tank is lookin good......cant wait to c it again
 
#33 ·
Dude try it, I'll help you every step of the way man. There are bound to be some problems, just like there have been with our freshwater setups . . . but that's how you get l33t, by dealing with them ;)

Patience is key, you know I waited 3 weeks for my tank to cycle before doing anything. :lol: :lol:
 
#34 ·
Well, I've left the lights off all day today, and just now in the wee hours of the morning, I switched my tank lights on just to check the algae, and it has decreased significantly already. It has disappeared almost entirely from one rock, and it's thinning out on the other. I think another couple of days of darkness and it should be gone. What are the chances/likelihood of this making a re-appearance?
 
#37 ·
I have great news. The algae is gone, at least for now. I credit this to lack of lights, and to my Astrea snails, who have done an excellent job of clearing ALL the algae in my tank. There is no longer any brown algae or even green algae, and I know the Astreas ate it because their trail marks are seen all over. I frequent another forum and some members there said my Astrea snails will handle the bubble algae but I wasn't sure. Not sure what method did the most damage, but I'll be recommending both the addition of Astreas and lights off to anyone else with this problem.

Thanks for the heads up Jesus, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any signs of return. Also, my nitrates are around 5 - 10 ppm so I think one or two large water changes will drop them to 0 and my chaeto should keep it there. I also have a question regarding cleaning my chaeto of debris. Should I just rinse it out with tank water from the next water change?

Thanks for the comments, occ. Stay tuned, I'll be adding corals soon.
 
#39 ·
I didn't post any pics of the tank with the algae problem, primarily because the camera couldn't focus the algae into the picture well enough. I could show you a pic of the tank now, but the difference is not noticeable to you guys obviously.

Here is my tank, free of the strange algae plaguing it recently. I know it's bare, and not much to look at, but believe me it's much prettier than what it looked like several days ago. Also, soon I will be adding corals. :D :D :D:



My Astrea Snails, hard at work. They've even removed the traces of the original algae which looked like a pale version of itself just yesterday. It's gone now, with only bare rock:



Here's are side shots, just to give an idea of how much (or little) space there is:





This by the way, is the strange growth on my best rock. It is white, about the size of a small snail, and is bubbly in appearance. It closes when the lights are off, but opens again when the lights are on. My friend says it's nothing but clearly it's alive:



Just a shot of the tank from the top, with the rear chambers exposed. My furthest chamber, the third to the left of the image, is a cryptic zone which I've stuffed with sponges. :D



I've also pruned my chaeto for the first time yesterday. DAMN it grew a lot, it was very thick and I had to throw the excess out. It is now about 1/3 of what was there, and has already began thickening. Soon I'll add some corals, probably start off with one or two heads of Zoos.
 
#40 ·
you are doing really great. what i like about you is your patience and perseverance. you are becoming a true reef aquarist and that speaks well of you. ok the alga problem is gone (for now) there are certain living things on a rock and i do not have the name of the one gowing on your rock but it is harmless, i can assure you, because in my reef tank i have hose growings too. so do not worry. Now, you want to buy some corals. WOW! That is something serious, but nevermind, you are upt to the challenge, so let's buy he corals. An advice, buy them one by one, do not overstock so quicly, give time to adapt and keep checking the parameters, acclimatize your new corals by the dripping method( 3 hours), and do it slowly, this is the only way to succeed. As a said before, check always the ph, kh, calcium (main parameters) , temperature. We need coralline alga, they show us we are close to perfection in water quality, but the corals also react bad to water quality nsot suitable for them. Anyway, i will try to help you in whatever i can. SALUDOS DESDE MEXICO.
 
#41 ·
Thanks for the comments Jesus, I also really appreciate all the help you've given me and everyone else in this thread.

My tank is doing well. My nitrates are at 5 ppm, and I will be doing another water change in the next couple of days. I will be posting pictures, there is a ton of coraline algae growth.

I purchased a green emerald crab a few days ago and it cleaned my tank almost overnight. No more GHA, or that other algae that was taking over my tank. She DID eat that strange white growth off my rock, and bent my feather duster over, cracking it. I was mad, it was getting so big. I removed the piece of the tube at the crack, and saw it extend its fans today, so I guess I saved it.

One of the fans failed in my crappy hood. How am I supposed to replace this? I was thinking of disassembling the hood and possibly modding some computer fans into it when I was looking at my PC today. I can probably buy them cheap at a local comp shop. It would be awesome. :D
 
#42 ·
Well I removed the hood and disassembled it to remove the fans. While doing this, I thought it to be a good opportunity to remove the louvers blocking the fans from the inside (didn't want pieces of plastic falling inside the hood while it is setup). They looked obstructive to air flow, there's way better circulation now. I left a fan on the tank all day and kept the feeding door open to compensate for lack of air flow inside the hood.

The fans are now out and pending replacement. I'm going to go to the local PC store and pick up the same size fans (either 50mm, or go for a bigger size, the 80mm). My only question is will the same size fans for PCs ports be compatible with the ones used inside the hood. I guess I'll have to bring the cords in to compare. I'll probably mount the new ones on the outside. I'm gonna get little LED for effect. :lol: :lol:

The louvers removed.


the crappy stock fans.


The coralline growth on my rocks.





My Green Emerald Crab (trying to hide, sorry bout flash).

 
#45 ·
500 really. Did you buy anything used. Or is it all new. I'm thinking of buying used live rock and tank and stuff. If you know what i mean. I don't have a job so i can't afford it yet (only 13). Next year i hope to have a job and a liking still for fish. I can lose likings of things easily. But i've always wanted a pet thats no hassle to take care of. Even though fish can be chalenging, they are way better than dogs to me right now.
 
#46 ·
If you get bored of things fast, and want hassle-free pets, do not start a saltwater tank. If you browse my thread you'll see how much work and hassle it's been so far. And this is just a small tank, nevermind the larger setups with more complex equipment/requirements.

It was all brand new, and LR is best when it's 'used' (cured). It will not be cheap in this respect.
 
#47 ·
Ya. how much was the nanocube on it's own. Here is what it was http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=367 since there is a fish store near me i'm gonna see if i can go buy some of their saltwater so i don't have to wait months for it to cycle so it won't be much of a hassle. i would also buy the Liverock and sand there so i won't have many problems. For the next week i would monitor it and see if anything bad happens then i will put fish in there. I usually get tired of thing really really REALLY fast. But i've always either wanted a bird but my oma's alergic. I've also wanted a reptile of some sort but my parents think thats too much of a mess. So i went with fish. I had a goldfish before but they always died on me since i didn't have any experience. Now since i do i'm going to have a want satisfied. If you have an answer please post on my thread okay. i don't want anything unrelated on yours. so that the viewers don't have to look through what i need not what you need.
 
#49 ·
I know but i'm going to get cycled water from my pet store and the live rock and sand there too so that i don't have to wait. If you get what i mean. If i'm able i'd get some water from their established tank with fish in it and the live rock too. I'd still wait a week but since the water has done it's normal cycling period before hand i won't have to wait months apon months for this. If my all my fish die unexpectedly i might just switch to a salt water but my room is so small the only tank i could fit maybe is a 20gal.
 
#50 ·
you cant just add fish after a week you have to let the bacteria grow in your tank first. it will take about a month before you can consider adding fish. and if you add to much to fast you wont have enough bacteria to break up the waste and you tank will crash and you will have wasted alot of money in a dead tank. if you dont have the patience to let a tank cycle sw might not be for you
 
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