Starting an Oceanic Biocube 8 Gallon

[TRAP ADAMS]

I have been working on a 40 gallon reef tank for about 5 months now. I absolutely love it, its like healthy crack. Addicting, and expensive. Anyhow, my wife was always admiring how pretty it was but never really helped or did any research. She just liked to look. Suddenly out of no where she has taken this die-hard interest in it. She loves saltwater tanks. She doesnt really give a damn about the fish (well she likes them), but way more than the fish her interest is coral. She is fascinated by their beauty in a way I have never seen. She stares for hours, and now....she wants to set up her own tank now. Due to the fact that this hobby is so expensive, she steered away from a larger tank. Also, we also already have a larger tank right next to the couch in the living room, and I thought it would be sick to set up a wall mounted stand in the corner by the bed to look at while we fall asleep. So, the journey begins...

 

To start I have been told the Oceanic Biocube 8 is excellent, as long as some mandatory mods are made. I am more than willing to make the mods as Im a pretty DIY guy, and I like to learn the way this stuff works. Here are a list of Mods I have been told to make already (im no electrition so there is an extent to my capability)

 

T H E - M O D S

 

1: Make a mod to the jet output (return nozel that makes the current) (Unfortunatly no specifics were mentioned so input on this is greatly appreciated.

2: Remove the bioballs and replace with LR and remove the sponge

3: Replace the return pump (recomened a brand you used on your OBC8 that worked well

4: Switch the lights around to assist in temperature control ( I heard switching the lights helps keep it cooler)

 

Please give more Mod ideas if you know any good ones

 

T H E - P L A N

 

We plan to do some small astreas and a small hermit for clean-up crew, and 2 false percula clowns as the only fish in the tank. Rather than having a long cycle we will be jumping in fast, as Im going to use water from our well (as the quality is better than btld water), and my established tank to speed the cycle (which is almost flawless aside from a minor algae problem I cant shake for the life of me).

 

I will be using putty (please recommend a specific brand that is safe and works well) and also will be using gel type super glue to make 2 custom Live Rock pillars for coral placement by glueing difference pieces together.

 

10lbs of live sand for substrate

 

T H E - C O R A L

 

I have been told too not atempt any type of lps or sps with the stock lights IF THIS IS WRONG PLEASE ADVISE AS THIS NEWS IS HEARBREAKING. (as i mentioned im no electrician so I wont be doing any light work that is above a rather easy difficulty). Provided if it isnt rocket science and is taht much of a benefit I may breakdown and try it.

 

Im thinking Ill frag off some of my Pom-Pom Xenia, as well as some of my leather coral (the purple and white kind). I will glue the frags to the custom LR formation, as Im not a fan of plugs ( Look tacky IMO)

 

Small ricordia beds at the bases of each pillar, along with some green star pollys randomly scattered.

I F - & - O N L Y - I F - hard coral can be done I would L O V E 1 or 2 orange plating montipora on the pillars as they add so much character to a tanks appearance IMO.

 

Some mushrooms randomly scattered, and what ever anemone has the best chance of being hosted by a false percula ( Please Advise a Good Kind).

 

 

Well, thats it for now. Let the wallet eating process begin, and by all means share all of your expertise, advice,and ideas as it is most welcome, and desired.

 

King Regards

Trap Adams

 

[jojoe972]

T H E - M O D S

 

1: Make a mod to the jet output (return nozel that makes the current) (Unfortunatly no specifics were mentioned so input on this is greatly appreciated.

do you mean adding a hydor-flo?

 

2: Remove the bioballs and replace with LR and remove the sponge

Do not add LR replace with a media rack something like this www.intank.com. You can leave the sponge or toss people have mixed feelings about it. I would toss unless you will rinse it each week

 

3: Replace the return pump (recomened a brand you used on your OBC8 that worked well

EvoPico or Maxijet

4: Switch the lights around to assist in temperature control ( I heard switching the lights helps keep it cooler)

Switching lights around?

 

For your plan I think that two clowns is too much unless you will be changing the water frequently. I would go with one and possibly a small goby.You can use aquamend for putty or others that the LFS carries and some internet sites.

 

For corals SPS is a no no but you can do some LPS (candy cane, trumpet, elegance, frogspawn, torch) Just make sure they are higher up in the tank IMO

 

[fishiegirl]

When you first get the lights, the fan is set to come on with the white bulbs, not the actinic ones. So if you set your actinics to come on before the other lights, the fan will not be on which could cause temperature issues. If you switch which ballast they're hooked up to, the fans will come on with the actinics. I'm not sure if this actually makes a difference in temperature or not. But as soon as I got my Biocube it was one of the first things I did. Its such a simple mod, so i figured, why not?

[TRAP ADAMS]

What change did you make? Sorry I didnt quite understand. When I say switch the lights around thats what I meant. The actinics with the whites. I read that it helps with temp control. If you have a better idea, please by all means share.

 

And thanks a lot

[TRAP ADAMS]

A hydor flow yes, thats what was mentioned. Exactly what is that? A powerhead over the return nozel?

 

Thanks alot for the help

So appreciated

[fishiegirl]

Just switched the lights and that's it. Sorry I made that much more complicated then it needed to be. But since I did it right after I set the tank up, I have nothing to compare it to. I have a biocube 29, and don't have temperature issues. So I'm assuming it shouldn't be an issue on the bc 8. If it is, there are things you can do, such as upgrading the fans or drilling holes in the hood. But I would wait to see if there actually is a problem before dealing with those mods.

[TRAP ADAMS]

So, you just switched the lights on your BC and that was all the modification you needed?

 

Thanks agian,

Love you for the help

[jojoe972]

Oh ok when I recieved mine I did not think about that simple change..... makes sense now but I have my fans set on a timer now so dont have to worry about that.

 

Hydor-flo is just a peice that you put in place of the nozzle and it rotates the water 360 degrees. It is a nice feature but causes less flow out of the nozzle and can build up with gunk. Regular maintance will be needed so the instrument will not get stuck in one place and a higher pump will correct the loss in flow

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/wavemakers_filt...aerobic-ap.html

 

thats just one place I found that you could read up on it. Also check some peoples tanks in there thread to see how they placed it in the tank.

 

yea just switch the lights

[fishiegirl]

Well my Biocube is only a few days old... So basically the only thing I know for sure is working is that the lights are not causing my tank to over heat. Other changes I have made though...Took out the bioballs because they are apparently a pain to clean and will just cause nitrate build up. Removed the false bottoms in chambers 1 and 2. This will make cleaning the chambers easier, makes my heater fit better, and will make room for a media rack. Took the sponge out of chamber 3, I have filter floss in chamber 2, so I figure the sponge is just one more thing to get dirty, plus I don't need it. Took out the stock filter pad and began making a custom media rack for chamber 2. All I have in for filtration now is live rock in the display and filter floss in chamber 2. I'm cycling my tank so I want to let the tank do it's thing instead of over filtering. Since the tank is so new I have no idea how these changes will work for me, but I decided to do them based on reading a ton of threads and seeing what others have suggested.

[Mitch619]

I don't know why people recommend live rock over bio-balls? They are BOTH potentially bad. They can be effective when used properly. Rinse them once a week and you won't have problems.

[fishiegirl]

Perhaps I should clarify... my live rock is in the display portion of my tank and acts as filtration in there. I will not be putting any live rock in the chambers. Eventually I will have purigen and chemi pure in my media rack, as well as cheato. I think this is a much more productive use of the space than bioballs.

[jojoe972]

Also you can cut the tab in the biocube from chamber 1 to chamber two for more flow.

[TRAP ADAMS]

Thanks so much for the tips. Got any others?

 

Thanks,

Trap Adams

[jojoe972]

hmmm not off the top of my head.....

[TRAP ADAMS]

How do you switch the balasts so that the fans come on w/ the actinics?

 

Thanks,

Trap Adams

[TRAP ADAMS]

You mean cut the whole plastic wall between the chambers out?

 

Thanks,

Ian ADams

[fishiegirl]

All you need to do to make the fans come on with the actinic lights is switch the actinic and 10000k bulb. The actinic should be closer to the front of the tank, and the 10,000k should be in the back.

[jojoe972]

 

Step by step on how to cut the tab

[TRAP ADAMS]

Awesome, what are the benefits of this procedure?

 

Thanks,

Trap Adams

[jojoe972]

more filtration and flow

[StevieT]

2: Remove the bioballs and replace with LR and remove the sponge

Do not add LR replace with a media rack something like this www.intank.com. You can leave the sponge or toss people have mixed feelings about it. I would toss unless you will rinse it each week

 

mediabaskets.com

 

[jojoe972]

opps for some reason today I told a few the wrong website to look at ..... my bad