29 gallon biocube

Hey all. Well, the 40 gallon tank I was going to convert to saltwater was really, really old, and was way to much of a hassle (new silicone, can't drill it, stand/hood are crap, etc.) So, I've decided to get (if you guys are mostly positive) a 29 gallon biocube. For a steal. It's used, for 200. Now I need your opinions. What do you think of biocubes. Good, bad, pros, cons. I want to know. Thanks.

 

I don't know anything about the Biocube, but I have a 24 gallon aquapod. You can get a new one from drs foster and smith for about $200 shipped. Does the biocube come with a stand or extra equiptment?

 

No, but it does come with built in lights and filtration unit/sump in the back

 

Is this going to be a reef or fish only?

 

get a 40 breeder and driil it for use with a sump. i had the 29 biocube...not expandable at all as far as filtration. i gave mine away for free

 

+1 to both. You can get the biocube 29's on the web for $250-$275 brand new, so you really not getting a very good deal.
And the thing with the biocubes is that all of the equipment in them is sub-standard. The lighting isn't very good, and the filtration is fairly weak. It has low flow. So now you need to upgrade the lights, add some powerheads, and do something with the filtration. And since nothing fits the strange design of the pods/cubes, you have a tank that looks frankensteined and sloppy unless you are EXTREMELY creative. And once you do all that, what are you left with? Just the shell. You just forked over $200 for a used 29 gallon tank and nothing else. This is what bugs me with ALL of these "packages". I have yet to see one that is truely reef-ready.

Now, you can get tanks on craigslist. Going street price for just tanks is about a buck a gallon.

In the long run, you could set up a 40-55 gallon tank for the same price as that 29 gallon biocube I have been fighting about this with my G/F for a while, but she still wants a biocube just because of the way they look : I think it all depends on what YOU want to do. If you are fine with only keeping maybe 3 fish and some easy corals, and you really like the cubes, then go for it. But if your undecided or want to keep a little more in the choices of corals or fish, then I would look elsewhere.

 

it seems easier since its a package but i think you would be better off going with regular tank and then buying a good protein skimmer, IMO the lighting on the biocubes is outdated and not powerful enough for the tank.

so sorry buy a nice tank you will like it, you don't have to drill it for a overflow, a good overflow box will work just as well.

 

do any of you people who slam the biocube have/had one? i have a 29 biocube and like it alot. albeit the lighting isnt the best, you can still house soft corals. i have xenia, star polyps, zoos, mushrooms, kenya tree and button polyps, the star polyps are growing like crazy, the mushrooms have split multiple times and all others are very healthy. i dont run a skimmer, just have 30lbs or so of live rock and do weelkey water changes. however for $200 for the tank only is NOT a steal. my buddy picked his up used for $300 cdn. tank/stand/lr/corals/fish etc. yes the flow isnt very good (i added a hydor 1) with buying tanks used you dont know how old the bulbs are and if there is any warranty left on the tank. offer the guy $100 if he refuses well then it wasnt meant to be. i look on CL everyday for tanks and people on there are insane selling junk and asking an arm and leg for there crap. if you are like me you like the look of the curved glass and the ALL IN ONE idea. it all depends on what you want to get out of the tank/hobby. if you can find a RSM they are nice looking unit with better lighting and filtration than the biocube. just be aware that you cant have many fish. i have 3 fish/ 2 cleaners/ blue star/ and a clean up crew in mine. thats about the most you can have.