basser1

Congratulations to Basser1 for being selected for our June Reef Profile! His 29 gallon BioCube aquarium is a very diverse nano reef with a wide array of corals. Below he has written a profile of his nano reef's development, and shares his experiences in the hobby. Check it out and share your comments or questions in Basser1's featured reef profile thread.

First of all, let me say how honored and humbled I am to be selected for the June reef profile. Especially after seeing the previous selections, EZCOMPANY, Junkitu, c est ma, and others. All of them are truly great tanks and something we should strive for.

My Tank Specs

Front Tank Shot
BC29 Stand Storing Supplies & Electrical
Rear Chambers With SapphireAquatics Skimmer

Dimensions: 20" L x 20.75" W x 19.25" H Oceanic BIO CUBE 29 Gallons.
Lighting: Bio-Cube hood retro-fitted with NanoCustoms' 150W (Phoenix 14K DE) w/ 2 Double Actinic 10K Bulbs.
Circulation: Upgraded stock pump to Rio 6HF (runs cooler), with a Hyfor-Flo attachment, 1 TUNZE Nano-Stream 6025.
Protein Skimmer: SapphireAquatics BC29R Re-Circulating Skimmer.
Cooling System: None yet. I keep the house A/C at 73 degrees and I also keep both front and back lids open to facilitate cooling.
Other Equipment: 75W Stealth heater in chamber 3.
Filtration: 25 lbs. of live rock, 4" deep sand bed, bag of Chemi-Pure and filter floss pads (cut to size) in chamber 1.
System Age: This tank has been going strong since September 2006.

Maintenance

I take a sample of water to my LFS to be tested for all parameters twice a month. This includes Magnesium, Calcium and Alkalinity. Clean algae off the glass daily. Do a 5 gallon water change every week. I feed fish, corals and inverts every day. I dose daily with DTs' PURE Reef Elements, 3 Part System, Ca, Alk, and Mg.

SPS Coral

ORA Green Slimer
ORA Rose Millepora
ORA German Blue With Green Polyps Acro

ORA Blue Tort, ORA Green Slimer, ORA Rose Millipora, Rainbow Monti, Idaho Grape Monti, Red Cap Monti, Green Cap Monti, Green Stylophora Pistillata

LPS Corals

ORA Duncan Coral
Red-Cap Monti, Rainbow Monti, Red & Green Micromussa, Maxima Clam
Neon Green Stylophora

2 Colonies of Dendros, 11 Head ORA Duncan, Red and Green Micromussa Colony, 1 Pink and Yellow Brain Coral, 1 Neon Green Fungia Plate Coral.

Soft Corals

Fire & Ice Zoanthids
Orange Ricordea & Neon Green Toadstool
ORA Maxima Clam

Various Zoanthid Colonies, 2 Neon Green Toadstools, Anthelia, Mushrooms, Orange and Green Ricordia, 6 Head Purple People Eater Colony, Yellow Polyp Colony, Green Palythoas.

Fish

Bluespot Jawfish
ORA Picasso Clownfish
Bluespot Jawfish, Dendrophyllia, & Micromussa

1 Pair of Picasso Clownfish
1 Blue Spot Jawfish

Invertebrates

1 ORA Maxima Clam
1 Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Emerald Crab
30 Hermit Crabs
6 Turbo Snails
4 Nassarius Snails

Feeding

Hikari Frozen Brine Shrimp, P.E. Mysis, Frozen Cyclopeeze, Omega One Marine Flake Food w/ Garlic DTs' Oyster Eggs.

History

First, a little bit about me. I'm a 57 year old Grandpa and have been married to my wife for 33 years. I'm sure I don't fit the "demographics" of many here. It's nice to see us "old folks" can still do some things that we enjoy. I have been involved with both FW and SW tanks since the early 1980's. Back then everything had to be pretty much "sterile" before it went in a saltwater tank. Live rock was a definite no-no and believe it or not, we used under-gravel filtration! When my wife and I started to raise a family and I lost my "fish room" to become a nursery. I was out of the hobby for quite a while, and the saltwater hobby passed me by with advancements in technologies and improved methodology. After my daughter got married and my son went to college we were "empty nesters," so I decided to get back in the hobby. As I started to research saltwater aquariums, I remember going into my LFS and seeing this small aquarium (about 10 gallons). It had fish, hermit crabs, and live corals in it! I was really impressed to say the least. The salesperson called it a nano tank. I was hooked. I came home, got on the computer, and started to search for anything called "nano." That's when I came across a web site called "Nano-Reef.com". I probably visited this site and read everything I could for 2 months or better before I decided to take the plunge. The rest as they say is history.

One Month After Cycle
Three Months Old
Seven Months Old

In some ways I feel like a pioneer when it comes to the BioCube. When I purchased my tank back in August of 2006, another member (br1910) and I were probably among the first to discuss this "new" tank here on Nano-Reef. As a matter of fact it was his idea to widen the chambers to increase flow. I had to order my tank online because none of my LFS' had them in stock! Soon other fellow N-R members, like TEALCOBRA, purchased BioCubes and posted various ways to improve on this all-in-one tank. We've all greatly benefited from this shared knowledge.

So far I've managed to avoid major crashes. I've had my share of hair algae, flat worms, and red slime, etc. But I've been able to get them all under control through advise from my LFS and reading the threads here on N-R.

A Work in Progress

Like most of you, my tastes have changed as time went on. Originally my BioCube had stock lighting, so I kept corals that would do well in this type of lighting. I knew, however, that I wanted to keep more light demanding corals as well as clams. I was able to acquire a stock hood with the lighting upgrade I was looking for, thanks to JSW. Now I'm able to have a mixed reef with various SPS, LPS, and soft corals. And I was able to get my first clam, a Maxima! The challenge in this tank was to get proper water flow throughout the tank. Some LPS corals don't like strong currents, while SPS corals do. I think the combination of the rotating Hydor Flo and the NanoStream provides the right mix. I have the NanoStream strategically placed in the lower right hand corner of the tank behind some live rock. This helps to disperse the current. I also have the NanoStream on a timer that runs on a 15 minute On/Off cycle.

I need the deeper sand bed because I decided to keep a BlueSpot Jawfish. They are notorious diggers and jumpers. I have the open areas of the top covered with plastic gutter screen cut to fit. It's worth the extra trouble because these fish have great personalities!

And of course as with most all-in-one tanks, my equipment is housed in the rear chambers, i.e. skimmers, heater, and filter material.

Words of Wisdom

It's not the size of the tank that counts. It's what is in it!

Advice For Beginners

• Read, research, and ask questions! As I stated earlier I was on this web site frequently for over 2 months reading as much as I could. I also read various books on this hobby.
• Use the SEARCH feature on this web site. Believe it or not, it really does work.
• Don't always take the word of your LFS as the final word. I made the mistake of buying a Kole Tang as one of my first fish. I told my LFS that I thought they needed large tanks to survive, but he convinced me that since it was a juvenile, it would stay small in my tank. It didn't and eventually out-grew my tank.
• Have Patience. Let that tank cycle completely! Resist the urge to start stocking it. Don't put that anemone in there until the tank has had time to stabilize, usually around 6-9 months.

Acknowledgements

First, thanks go to my wife, for putting up with wet carpets from numerous water changes and messy kitchens. Also to my favorite LFS where I live. The owner and his associate have many years of knowledge and have helped me along the way. Also to all of you, who contribute with your help and advice. One in particular is tinyreef. He helped me bring back a toadstool that was not doing well. And last, and certainly not least, to Chris Marks for keeping Nano-Reef what it is today...the best place for nano reef information!

@basser1