New to the Hobby and just got a BioCube 14!

hi everyone! Im new to saltwater tanks but ive had a freshwater tank for about two years now. I know that saltwater tanks are extreamely hard to take care of but I have always wanted one... anyways, I got a size 14 BioCube for Christmas and I am going to go to the fish store tomorrow to see how to get started... I just want a few clown fish and maybe a shrimp or starfish, I know I have to cycle and everything but are clownfish easy to take care of for a first-timer? anything else I should know before getting live rock and sand tomorrow? Thanks a lot guys, im happy to join this hobby!

 

clown fish are not the easiest.... but some are easier than others... I would reccomend a pair of true percula clowns as they IMO are the hardiest. Also a few tips --> rock first, sand second... and know the steps of the cycle/ be sure you have a good test kit

good luck!!

 

thanks, Im sure my lfs will tell me all about the starting cycle.. are the Bio-Ball things that come with the biocube not a good filtration device? I keep reading post and it seems like everyone is modding the cube by taking the balls out and putting like live rock or something in it

 

Our Journey To The Salty Side - Part One - Tropical Fish Forums

very good reading on a complete startup of an orca.

search ROWAPHOS, seems its all the rage in there tanks:thumb_up:

 

Welcome to the dark side of the pond and to 3reef. SW tanks are not "extremely" hard to keep, once you get the basics down packed. Infact, FW and SW are similar in many ways. Good luck with your journey and let us know if we can help.


Luna

 

I really found saltwater no harder than fresh, just takes some time to get everything down then it becomes routine. I'm sure you'll do great, and you have lots of help here on 3reef.

Jake

 

TyBaseball,

Welcome and good luck. A few pieces of advice. First, take your time, do your research, and do things slowly. Nothing good happens in this hobby. Make sure to read as many posts in this forum as you're willing to. Look at what others have asked, and the answers they got. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. When you make a mistake, don't worry, we've all done it.

I would go with sand and rock at the same time (I don't do live sand). LET THE CYCLE COMPLETE. Don't add fish to your tank until the cycle is finished. Don't "use damsels to cycle your tank" or anything silly like that

Once you had an ammonia spike and you're back to 0, add your CUC (clean up crew), then your fish.

If you have any questions (well...when you have them), post them there.

Again, gl

 

Take the bioballs out. I have a biocube 8 and 29 and they are just nitrate traps unless you clean regularly which is a pain. I would go with 15-22 lbs of live rock and you should be fine. I like to use the chambers for my heaters, protein skimmers, sensors, etc. I put live sand / live rock in my 8 and only live rock (no sand) in my 29 and there is no doubt that the 29 is doing much better (water conditions). When I have to clean tank sediment does not get stirred up which IMO makes corals, fish, and shrimp stress. It also does not take long for Coralline algae to cover the bottom which just makes it look like live rock base.

The only other suggestion would be to add fish slowly and make sure you do not put too much load on your biological filtration. I have two percula clowns and they do great in my 29 tank (introduced 1 week after cycling ended). If you do not want to use damsels for cycling there are other options such as hermit crabs that are hardy and often can stay in the tank (depends on what you want to put in i.e. coral or just fish).

Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

Here's an article for you to check out:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/tha-basic-nano-system-78675.html

 

I would leave the bio-balls in. It sounds like you are planning on doing a fish only with live rock system. Bio-balls can be a very effective filtering system for this. Many people recommend you take them out if you are planning on setting up a reef system, because coral will not tolerate the nitrates left behind by bio-balls. The key to success with bio-balls will be to clean them every or every-other week. When you do a water change just rinse them in the dirty water you take out. Never rinse them in fresh water; it will kill the beneficial bacteria living on the media.

Good luck and be sure to ask all the questions you can think of.