Vicki's Biocube 14

[phoenix91]

FTS 1/19/12

 

 

Tank details: Start date - 12/1/11 (moved over from 5G)

 

BC14

4+ lbs Live rock + 13lbs RC rock

Stock lights

Intank media basket w/ activated carbon, filter floss & purigen

 

Fish: Darcy and Lizzy

1 Picasso clownfish

1 Percula clownfish

 

Stock:

Various Zoas/Palys

Frogspawn

Blue/purple mushroom

Kenya tree

Pulsing xenia

GSP

Green Devils hand leather

 

 

Inverts:

RC crew

2 hermits (red legged/blue legged)

1 Turbo snail

Brittle stars

1 very large bristle worm

[phoenix91]

Finally got round to cleaning and setting up the new to me BC14 i bought a few weeks back.

 

 

I know what you're all thinking "another biocube thread", that's fine. This probably isn't going to be all that special, but i wanted to keep track of it's progress.

 

So after cleaning it and all the stuff it came with i found a good spot for it in my living room, my cats are both very interested in the new tank.

 

Everything from this tank: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry3566765 will be moving into the biocube probably the middle of next week. I also have 13lbs of rock from John at reef cleaners. I've got it sitting in the tank for now but will probably take a hammer to it tomorrow to break up the big piece slightly. I need to make some room for the rocks from the 5g.

 

Got my RO/DI BRS system last week and will be installing it (with the help of my dad who does't trust me to do plumbing of any kind) on Sunday.

 

Stocking plans are mushrooms, zoas and various other softies for now. Not sure i'm ready to tackle anything else but maybe in the future. I plan on getting 2 clowns for the tank too, not sure what i want yet though.

[phoenix91]

A hammer, chisel and 3 hours later i have a new scape.

 

 

And from the right side:

 

 

 

and the left:

 

 

I made sure to leave room at the back for the larger rock in the 5G, the smaller ones will just have to be put where ever i can fit them. I also tried to consider swimming room for the eventual fish. I would have liked to make the left side a little taller but i liked the look of the flat platform, it reminds me of the Flintstones.

 

The only rock left to be glued/epoxyed in place is the arch/bridge rock, everything else should be quite solid once it all sets.

 

I was thinking maybe once the older rock is in that i might be able to create another bridge to it with a spare piece of rock i have.

[surgicalsense]

Very nice scape, so it is kind of angled across the sand bed from almost corner to corner?

[phoenix91]

Thanks. Yeah, i wanted to go with depth instead of just sticking everything against the back wall. Plus i had to make sure i left room for the LR in my 5 g which is moving over. I like how it looks and i think once the tank gets established i might even remove the big rock that will sit in the back and leave it with the more open feel it has now.

[Jonboymd]

Interesting scape.

[dhutch]

Like the aquascape. I think it's what sets each of our BC's apart from each other.

[Sashimi]

Like the aquascape. I think it's what sets each of our BC's apart from each other.

 

Awesome rockscape. It looks incredible I wish I had the skills to do that.

[phoenix91]

Jonboymd, Thank you.

 

dhutch & mberridge, thanks. i think so too, i've been scouring through so many different biocube fts to see what could e done and what other people had done. I really like metrokat's scape, the shelves just look so great. I could have gone a bit more adventurous but didn't want to get involved with drilling the rocks and using pipes. I just broke up the bigger piece and epoxyed bits and pieces together. It helps that RC rocks had some interesting bits sticking off here and there that i could use.

[phoenix91]

Water is in, heater and pump are on; i was shocked that everything actually worked when plugged in.

 

I'm going to let it run until tomorrow night then remove some of the new water and replace it with the old tank water, maybe about 3-4 gallons. Then LR is going in. I'll siphon the old sand to get any snails that have buried themselves and move everyone over to this tank. YAY!

 

If everything looks stable and nothing dies i will probably head out at the weekend to get a few more corals.

 

On a side note, me and my dad installed my RO/Di yesterday in the kitchen and now i'm stuck with no cold water. I think one of the pipes from the tap has either come lose or it's just not pushed in far enough. We have to pull the whole system out and repair the slight leak. That's going to happen tomorrow. I did manage to leave the unit and the water running long enough to get water for the tank.

[sublunary]

Oooh you upgraded. I really like your scape! Can't wait to see it grown in.

 

(Also, I can't believe we have the same name and actually spell it the same way! That never happens.)

[phoenix91]

I did. The hex just wasn't cutting it. I'm so excited to fill this tank with awesome colours.

 

(You're right, it never happens!)

[RedStang]

Love the scape!

[phoenix91]

Thanks very much.

[phoenix91]

Everything was moved over last night, what a faff. It's done now and the only thing left to do is sift through the old sand and rescue the remainder of the cuc.

 

The two rocks lying on the sand in front were just put there to acclimate them, they will be moved up onto the bigger structure on the right. The biggest old rock in the back is pretty hidden, it really only has gsp on it which i might move.

 

My car died yesterday, i think the transmission might have given up so unfortunately this tank is going to be subjected to quick growing softies for a while. I'm heading out either this weekend or next to the lfs to look in their "bargain bins" to find cloves, probably more gsp, and some mushrooms. Since most of my money will be going to fix the car, if it can be fixed, i plan on getting a few colourful items and letting them grow out.

[msscha]

Cool rockscape! I look forward to watching you stock it. Sorry about the transmission -- that's happened to me and it is sooo pricey. Good luck finding affordable frags!

[phoenix91]

Thanks. I'll have to wait until after i'm paid to get new frags, i hope i can find nice colour for low cost.

 

Oh don't i know it, my parents replaced their transmission a few years back and it was so expensive. My car just has bad mojo, last year it was hit by a pickup truck that took out the whole right side

[msscha]

Thanks. I'll have to wait until after i'm paid to get new frags, i hope i can find nice colour for low cost.

Any chance of finding a local reef club? Sometimes members have frags to swap or sell, and since overhead is lower, the prices can be, too.

[phoenix91]

Maybe, i can check around. I think there's a reef club in Cincinnati.

[phoenix91]

Replaced the daybulb after it went out this morning and while i was at hte lfs i spent a little $$. What are credit cards for!

 

[phoenix91]

New corals today. Please excuse the awful putty, i ran out of glue so couldn't do the glue, putty, glue method. I'm probably going to end up moving things around anyway once i see where everything likes to be so the putty can be pulled off.

 

I seem to be having the worst luck with clove polyps. The first ones i thought i bought turned out to have none on the piece of rock, the second lot i bought today broke off from the rock during the journey home and when i tried to attach the frag (plus some random zoas) to the rock it sort of disintegrated What's left of it (and the zoas) are now sitting in the sand and i'm hoping it recovers. On the piece of rock that the cloves broke off of there were some hitch hiking yellow palys i think, they look yellow, or maybe green. Couldn't get a good pic of them.

 

 

Also got what i think is a colt coral, correct me if i'm wrong. It's very pretty when it's not being all mad, i think i might have to move it to a higher flow area.

 

 

Check the tank parameters tonight and everything looks good. Water is mixing for a wc.

 

That being said gsp is all closed up and has been for a few days, and my mushroom is hating it's life right now. I moved it further back in the tank out of the flow and hopefully to a more shaded area. I feel bad, it was doing so well in the 5g's crappy flow.

[tinkerer]

i'm late to the party, but love the scape. hope the corals come back.

[phoenix91]

Thanks.

 

The frags i got yesterday have mostly opened up. All except the poor cloves. Maybe it'll come back since it still has some kind of structure to it.

[RedStang]

Thanks.

 

The frags i got yesterday have mostly opened up. All except the poor cloves. Maybe it'll come back since it still has some kind of structure to it.

 

Never know. I had a kenya tree that pretty much disintegrated when I put it in the water. I got as much as I could out and then a week or two later noticed that a couple of the scraps that I left behind had started growing. One has recovered very well and is several inches long at full size while the other is still alive but struggling along the back wall. My kids won't let me get rid of either since it was one of two corals first put in the tank.

[phoenix91]

That's good to know. It's 'body' is mostly intact and it does look better today that it did yesterday. I might need to cut it's connection with a piece of rock it's partially clinging to, that might stop it being so stretched out.

 

 

The kenya tree is looking very pretty today