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JPC763's 29G - Mile High Reef!


jpc763

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Well I should have started this thread in July since that is when I started the tank, but I didn't so I am doing it now.

My story is that I had a 200g system for 5 years that I broke down in 2011 for a number of reasons. After 9 months I began missing a tank, but not a big tank so I decided to go for a AIO tank. I settled on a Coralife Biocube 29g for my birthday and so without further adue!

EQUIPMENT LIST
Coralife Biocube 29g
ReefKeeper Lite - 2 x PC4 - Controls:
- ATO - Float valve and MaxiJet 900 pump
- Heater - Temp <79*
- Fan Mod - Temp >81*
- Right Pump - Wave A - Koralia 750
- Left Pump - Wave B - Koralia 550
- LED Lights
- Night Lights
Echotech Marine Vortech MP10es

Stock PC Lighting
Steve's LED upgrade - 16 Royal Blue, 7 4K White, 5 Cool Blue
Steve's cut to size LED night lights
InTank Media Basket - Running Purigen and Cemipure Elite
InTank Fuge Basket - Chaeto
100w Hydor Heater
MaxiJet 1200 Return Pump
Hydor Koralia Evolution 750
Hydor Koralia Evolution 550
AquaticLife 115 Skimmer with Airline Mod


LIVESTOCK
Fish
2 Pajama Cardinal Fish
1 Firefish Goby
1 Oscellaris Clown Fish
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Coral Beauty Angelfish
1 Filament Flasher Wrasse

Inverts
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

2 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Collector Urchin

1 Maxima Clam
CUC

Coral
Duncan Coral
Acan Lord
Frogspawn
Branching Hammer Coral
Lobophylia
Purple Monti Cap
Zoanthids
Palythoa
Neon Green Toadstool
Green Star Polyp
Ricordia
Milipora

Acropora

Ponape Birdsnest

Red & Green Favites (2)

Acan Lord (2)

Pink Birdsnest

Historical FTS

Current FTS - May 4, 2013

http://s224.photobucket.com/user/jpc763/media/BioCube%2029/2013_05_04/IMG_4973_zpsb35a34fd.jpg.html'>IMG_4973_zpsb35a34fd.jpg


Day 1 - July 29th

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A few days later, after the sand settled down. We are cycling!

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Still cycling, but noticing that the lights are generating a bit of heat. Opening the rear panel helps, but I am going to need to fix that! Also notice that the diatoms have broken out! Good sign!

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OK, cycling took a month. I have added my cleanup crew and a couple of fish. My friend also gave me a couple of frags from his tank! Here they are!

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Unfortunately "Sparkey" didn't make it too long!
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We had a frag swap in Northern Colorado and I picked these guys up!

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Here is an FTS under Actinic

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OK, it is September 19 and I got a pistol shrimp and goby pair. They are very cool!

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And another shot of the tank.

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It is now October 30 and my friend had to break his tank down to move to CA -QUICKLY- so I ened up with new livestock. Not a great idea to add all this at one time, but he showed up at my door with a bucket and was leaving town the next morning!

 

Today I added a Brain Coral, Duncan Coral, Urchin, Coral Beauty, Clown & Flasher Wrasse

 

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November 28th. Tank is running nicely!

 

I have to say, these guys are my favorites!

 

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More updated pics

 

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It is now December 28th and I am planning a Steve's LED upgrade! Here are some before shots. Sadly, the Flasher Wrasse died. Just stopped coming to dinner!

 

 

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My complete StevesLED upgrade thread can be found here!

 

 

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/317259-coralife-biocube-29g-steves-leds-upgrade-diy-thread-pics/

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Here is a picture of my fan mod. This saves me from buying a chiller. I am not sure it is still necessary with the LEDs but I thought I would post a pic.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another update. I have gotten the lights up to about 60% and balanced for color. I may tweak again, but here are some pictures.

 

Frogspawn

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Neon Toadstool

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Yellow Watchman

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Cleaner Shrimp

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Ricordia

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Zoas

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Full Tank Shot

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Beautiful tank. I'm setting mine up similar to yours. I'm taking it real slow. I bought Premium Fugi LR already cured and LS. The LFS provided the water. I have 18.5 lbs of LR and 20 lbs of sand. I just got my media basket from Intank and I'm planning on a DYI fuge.I'd light to place the fuge basket next to the media basket in chamber 2. I bought the Aquatic 115 skimmer. I figure I can place it in chamber 1. I'm going to let it run/cycle for a month (even though they claim I don't need to) before I buy some coral. I was wondering if you can take a pic of the back of your tank. Do you have a submersible fuge light or a suction cup on the back? Do you have a skimmer and what was the fan mod all about?

 

Thx

 

Weiserboy

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Beautiful tank. I'm setting mine up similar to yours. I'm taking it real slow. I bought Premium Fugi LR already cured and LS. The LFS provided the water. I have 18.5 lbs of LR and 20 lbs of sand. I just got my media basket from Intank and I'm planning on a DYI fuge.I'd light to place the fuge basket next to the media basket in chamber 2. I bought the Aquatic 115 skimmer. I figure I can place it in chamber 1. I'm going to let it run/cycle for a month (even though they claim I don't need to) before I buy some coral. I was wondering if you can take a pic of the back of your tank. Do you have a submersible fuge light or a suction cup on the back? Do you have a skimmer and what was the fan mod all about?

 

Thx

 

Weiserboy

Thanks for the compliment!

 

I *had* the AquaticLife 115 but sold it because it does not work in a Coralife Version of the Biocube 29 without cutting the wall between chamber 1 and 2.

 

I have the inTank fuge and media baskets in chamber 2 and have the submersible light that they sell on the InTank site.

 

The fan mod is for the tank temperature. In the summer the stock PC lights would heat the tank up to 84* or higher. Once I put the fan on the back chamber set to turn on when the temp hit 81* I no longer had to worry about overheating. I have recently upgraded to LED and expect that I will no longer need the fan.

 

The back of my tank has clear glass in chamber 2 (the Oceanic model had painted glass). I can try to take a pic, but will need to pull the stand away from the wall to do it.

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Crap, so what should I do with that skimmer. Why does it need to connect to the 2nd chamber?I have the Coralife Ver.

I *had* the AquaticLife 115 but sold it because it does not work in a Coralife Version of the Biocube 29 without cutting the wall between chamber 1 and 2.

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Crap, so what should I do with that skimmer. Why does it need to connect to the 2nd chamber?I have the Coralife Ver.

There are a couple of ways to get it to work. You can raise the height of the skimmer so it pops out of the back chamber. The problem with this is that you cannot open the lid without knocking the collection cup off. Here is a thread where I was asking about my problem with the skimmer.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/308988-aquatic-life-skimmer-in-a-coralife-biocube-29/

 

The picture at the end is for an Oceanic model, not a Coralife model. The Coralife model has an access door across the back.

 

The other option would be to run the skimmer in chamber 3. I did that for a while and then gave up as you need to have an ATO to make sure the water level stays up. Now I am going skimmerless.

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Thanks for the info, I'll try my luck. I'll let you know if you like.

 

Thx again

 

Weiserboy

Yes, please let me know how it goes with you. I did try the airline mod and I really think that is the way to go but could not get the water level right so ended up trading the skimmer for a frag that has since died.

 

Looks good!

Thanks! It is a fun tank!

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OK, I thought I would add a historical FTS reply to my thread. Here goes!

August 1, 2012
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August 12, 2012
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August 28, 2012
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October 30, 2012
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November 28, 2012
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January 15, 2013
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January 27, 2013
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February 23, 2013

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March 3, 2013

 

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April 17, 2013

 

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May 4, 2013

 

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My Coralife Biocube 29 with 21.5 lbs of LR and 20 lbs of LS. Just added a new skimmer (Aquatic Life 115). Hope you like it.

Looks great! I like the rockwork!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yesterday my tank turned into a chrime scene!

 

I visited Gonzo's Corals who happens to be local to me to get a couple of frags and a clam. He had just gotten in some small Maximas which would be perfect for my BC. While there I picked up a couple of SPS frags.

 

Gonzo's Pics:

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My Pics:

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I acclimated them and placed the clam on a little clam stand at the front of the tank, then went about my day. Around dinner time, I noticed that the CLAM WAS GONE!

 

I checked the usual suspects (collector urchin) and did not him. Further investigation determined that the crime was committed by these two:

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The clam had been moved deep into the rock work to become part of their cave. I was able to retreive the clam with minimal rock movement by using long tweezers. He is still happy this morning!

 

Latest FTS (I really need to take pictures with a better camera than my iPhone).

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That's bad ass! You can only have the clam because you upgraded your lights?

Yes. Clams need intense lighting. PC will starve the clam (and SPS).

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I've all ways meant to check out Gonzo's stuff. How was the pricing in house, same as online?

 

Good looking tank man.

Thanks for the compliment!

 

I got the clam for $39 and the frags for $15 each. He only has a small subset of the stuff online. I thought prices were good.

 

You going to reefstock next weekend? Josh (Gonzo) told me he will have a 6' frag table there.

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I was going to, but I've decided to put that money in to my upgrade instead. It sucks, but it's the sensible thing to do at the moment.

 

If you wanted to grab a nice millie for $15 and maybe overcharge me for it, I wouldn't complain :P.

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I mounted the 3 frags today and moved my acan colony which was very unhappy with the encroaching zoas!

 

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Here are some other shots of the coral.

 

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I was going to, but I've decided to put that money in to my upgrade instead. It sucks, but it's the sensible thing to do at the moment.

 

If you wanted to grab a nice millie for $15 and maybe overcharge me for it, I wouldn't complain :P.

If this thing grows well, I will DTBC it for ya!

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