new biocube

It was not easy to get my hands on one but it finally happened...I think I may be the only person in Switzerland to own a 29 coralife biocube...

The reason I wanted to get my hands on this model so badly was because iv read many posts of people "modding" them, and that appealed to me very much....plus I had some equipment catching dust so I figured "why not"....

the Idea behind this tank was to provide a new home for my black and white occelaris that is in my 120g with two true percula. The occelaris often starts the "fights" with the male percula but usually looses them, also due to the fact my fat female percula comes in and clams everything right down...
I have noticed that the occelaris fins are often damaged, nothing major, but clearly a situation of tension that im hoping to alleviate....plus Ill be able to get him a mate of his own in the new system.

thats it in terms of stocking though, the rest of the inhabitants will be corals, mostly frags from my 120g

specs

Volume: 29 gallons biocube with the sand + single rock piece + equipment maybe 20 gallons actual water volume?

Lighting: I replaced the stock lights with a radion G3, had to "mod" the light itself in order to fit it in the splash lens. the lights are running at 50% "radiant color"...haven't decided if this will be the final setting

circulation: I replaced the stock return pump with a 800gph pump I had and added an mp10 running tsm at 50%

filtration+ heater+ ato: a single 100w heater designed for 150l tanks, tunze osmolator nano, tunze 9004 skimmer (so happy I was able to mod the middle chamber to host this guy) and 22lbs of redseas "live reef base" as sand bed...

thats pretty much it, started cycling at the start of the week and im looking forward to your comment and suggestions.

 

OMG I love this, my roommate in college had the exact same tank and we modded it to have a much stronger pump in the back that barely fit but it was a great little tank. His came with the combo fluorescents originally which we added some moon lighting to. You will have fun with this

 

Good score Swiss. There's some good threads on here about moding the bio cube. It's pretty impressive what people can do with them.

 

I nodded mine, big ole return, de rimmed, no hood, nodded my first chamber to fit an eshopps nano. (I had the 14) a 29 biocube without sand or rock holds 22-23 gallons

 

I de-rimmed mine as well


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been just over a week and the white rock has started browning out....I started the cycle with two small pieces of raw frozen cod (had no shrimps in the freezer) and a cup of sand from my established 120g...had a bacterial bloom for the past couple days but things seem to finally be clearing out....I plan on leaving the cod in there till it has fully decomposed unless you folks have any real reason to remove it (smell is not an issue).... otherwise yeah...just going to let nature do its thing for the next couple of months.... im trying to figure out what nitrate exporting system will best work in such a small system and ill admit im at a loss.....

I have some space in the middle chamber for a mini DIY refugium maybe, but finding a way to light the cheato/build the refugium will be a pain. so Im leaning more on maybe a chemical/biological filtration?...I was thinking maybe....wait for it....glass rings to supplement my single, though porous, rock sculpture? I realize many advice against these rings for similar reasons to the bioballs, IE they become detritus traps but I dont see what else I could do without adding some sort of bulky hang on reactor.... the rings comes in small stackable plastic boxes so they are easy to remove and rinse

I will probably be dosing Nopox as well….

just as a reminder the tank will be "lightly" stocked, just a pair of occelaris clowns

 

I have the newer Biocube in my second chamber I run Marco algae and a bag of carbon with a tunze skimmer... I can send you pics of you would like


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thx Cody...I never say no to pics (well sometimes....) as long as its no bother

 

Never a bother bro, so it starts at chamber one. I have a bag of Matrix and a heater, then I have a 5K lamp over some cheato and kulurpa (excuse spelling) with a tunze skimmer and a bag of carbon in chamber 2 chamber 3 is my return and that is we're will put my ATO. Now my water level I run high in the back and that is so I can have more water volume in the tank... Makes up for the rocks a bit. and this is it from the front. Very simple scape.


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yeah was thinking of adding carbon in chamber one as well. when ill have some spare time ill see if i can rig up the lighitng system for the possible refugium in the middle chamber (im sure i can think of something)

in the meantime I ask again....cermaic glass rings....yay or nay?