29 Gallon Biocube Reef Journal-My First Saltwater Aquarium!

[Braden8558]

Hello Nano Reefers!

 

I have finally gotten my first saltwater tank up and running! It is a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube (Older model) and it was bought used on craigslist for $200. It came with the stand, an extra light, a complete seperate hood, titanium heater, protein skimmer, a bunch of other extras, a circulation pump, livestock, and some live sand and live rock.

 

So lets get to the good part right? Picture time

 

 

Here is a full look at the tank and a little bit of the complementary stand as well.

 

 

A little closer view. You can see the rose bubble tip anemone front and center.

 

 

And here is Nemo! He is a Maroon Clowfish and hosts the Rose bubble Tip anemone. Pretty Original

name right ;D?

 

 

and of course Nemo and his rose bubble tip anemone.

 

 

Anyone got a name for these brown polyps? The guy I got them from says they grow crazy! Can I get a good amount of cash for the frags? How much per head or groups of heads?

 

 

The cleaner shrimp doing his thing.

 

 

 

Here is the second anemone. It is a pink tipped anemone. Pretty good sized too!

 

 

Here is one of the multiple (at least 4) emerald crabs that are in the tank.

 

 

Nemo's buddy Marlin. I know it's a guys name but I don't think she minds. She loves that anemone though, spends a ton of time in it.

 

 

Another picture of Nemo the Maroon Clownfish.

 

 

And lastly I have a question...What is this coral called? I only have one head that I can see? Is it a good and easy coral?

 

Thanks for looking, suggestions are always welcome.

 

Braden

 

[Rollermonkey]

You probably won't get any money for frags of brown zoas.

 

The last polyp looks like some sort of paly.

 

Just judging from the coloration (or lack thereof) the lighting in there is bad. It's probably way overdue for new bulbs.

 

Lastly, that maroon is probably going to kick any fish's @$$ that you try to add. They tend to be territorial when they have an anemone and not enough space.

[Braden8558]

Thanks for the reply! I do have new bulbs which I can put in the hood when I get a chance. I also have a small T5 light from a marineland eclipse 6 gallon tank to provide some extra light. The man I purchased the tank from said that the anemones didn't do so hot without the stock light so he added this one and they have been doing much better. I may upgrade it to an led retrofit kit in the future, however those setups are very pricey and I'm not sure if I am wiling to dish out that kind of money for lights.

 

Are the brown zoas or brown button polyps not worth much? Why not? Are they very popular and lots of people have them so they are not very rare and therefore don't cost much to get. I just figure that if I can bring in some of those then maybe I can trade them for some other coral frags and get some more life in my tank!

 

Originally I was planning on taking out the maroons, but once I saw that they were still fairly small, I now plan to keep them until they are bigger and more aggressive, and then probably swap them for some ocellaris clowns.

 

What do you think would be some good additions to the tank? Some fish I like are the six line wrasse, watchman goby, neon dottyback, tailspot blenny, bangaii cardinals, and firefish. There are probably some other cool ones if anybody else has ideas please comment! I would like to try and finalize what I will put in there. I was also thinking bout a flame angel but I heard they can be nippy towards corals and some people think minimum is a 29 while others might say a 55.

 

Thanks for the help, Braden

[Javious]

 

I may upgrade it to an led retrofit kit in the future, however those setups are very pricey and I'm not sure if I am wiling to dish out that kind of money for lights.

I hate to break it to you, but lighting is about the most expensive single item in a reef system. It is also one of the most important since the light is the fuel that ultimately feeds most corals. There are basically 2 ways to save money in reefing 1) don't keep a reef, 2) buy the right equipment the first time. This is from experience, in a year I have had 4 lights on my tank and finally have one that both my corals and I like. If my current light were to need replaced, I'd most likely go with a reefbreeders value if I couldn't swing a maxspect razor nano.

 

As for fish, I wouldn't add any any time soon. The general consensus would probably be no to the flame angel and sixline in a BC29. You seem to have a low amount of rock and that is where your biological filtration happens. After I sorted my lighting I would add some base rock and let the bacteria start to colonize it. If you add more waste creators without the biological filtration you are going to create a nice ammonia/nitrate soup that will only grow algae and most likely a lot of it.

 

My strategy for corals was fairly simple, since I knew nothing about keeping them or what I might ultimately like, I bought only the least expensive frags I could find and no SPS. I wouldn't put anything in my tank that I wasn't prepared to have die on me. I'm lucky to have a LFS that actually has some $10, $15, $20 and $25 frag choices. I was able to experiment and learn fairly cheaply. Lately I have been trading in some of the corals that I don't love or that don't fit the direction I would like to take my tank. A $15 frogspawn that was the size of a golf ball a year ago now has at least 3 heads, is bigger than a baseball and is one of my favorite corals in my tank. It's not that I am a genius reefer, I just managed to do a little more right than I did wrong.

 

Good luck with the BC29 and take things slowly, the only things that happen fast in a reef are bad things.

[buddythelion]

I hate to break it to you, but lighting is about the most expensive single item in a reef system. It is also one of the most important since the light is the fuel that ultimately feeds most corals. There are basically 2 ways to save money in reefing 1) don't keep a reef, 2) buy the right equipment the first time. This is from experience, in a year I have had 4 lights on my tank and finally have one that both my corals and I like. If my current light were to need replaced, I'd most likely go with a reefbreeders value if I couldn't swing a maxspect razor nano.

 

As for fish, I wouldn't add any any time soon. The general consensus would probably be no to the flame angel and sixline in a BC29. You seem to have a low amount of rock and that is where your biological filtration happens. After I sorted my lighting I would add some base rock and let the bacteria start to colonize it. If you add more waste creators without the biological filtration you are going to create a nice ammonia/nitrate soup that will only grow algae and most likely a lot of it.

 

My strategy for corals was fairly simple, since I knew nothing about keeping them or what I might ultimately like, I bought only the least expensive frags I could find and no SPS. I wouldn't put anything in my tank that I wasn't prepared to have die on me. I'm lucky to have a LFS that actually has some $10, $15, $20 and $25 frag choices. I was able to experiment and learn fairly cheaply. Lately I have been trading in some of the corals that I don't love or that don't fit the direction I would like to take my tank. A $15 frogspawn that was the size of a golf ball a year ago now has at least 3 heads, is bigger than a baseball and is one of my favorite corals in my tank. It's not that I am a genius reefer, I just managed to do a little more right than I did wrong.

 

Good luck with the BC29 and take things slowly, the only things that happen fast in a reef are bad things.

Yup yup, summed it all up really well!

 

As for the brown zoas, they're not worth much because they're brown. Why pay for brown corals when you can buy something else with more color. But do be careful with them! They may contain paly toxin.

[Braden8558]

Well thanks for the opinions and comments. I would like to get some more fish in there soon though. The guy I got it from said that the tank has been up and running for a year with the live sand, while some of the other stuff was added later on. I want to add some more live rock but I was also wondering if I could get any new fish soon? I am going to the fish store tomorrow but maybe that is a bit to early? Everything seems to be doing fine right now. The bubble tip doesn't look great right now but I think it just needs some time with the lights on and some time to adjust after the move. I took those pictures of the tank and livestock last night though. Is 1.027 an okay salinity? It will house corals and the anemones. Can anyone comment on my stocking ideas?

 

Thanks, Braden

[Braden8558]

Hello again. I think I may have a bad hitchhiker...

 

 

 

Aptasia? If so what is the best way to get rid of it? I have a cleaner shrimp in there and it is currently the only aptasia that I see. I found it yesterday.

 

Thanks for the help, Braden

[1.0reef]

Looks like an aptasia

For fish, lots of good choices. Check out the fish forum and search for other stocking threads.

HTH

[Braden8558]

I have tried that and haven't had the best luck. Will the cleaner shrimp do any work to it? What about any other fish suitable with the maroon clown pair in a 29 gallon biocube? I plan to get rid of the maroons eventually once they get overly aggressive or large.

 

What is your opinion on stocking. Thanks, Braden!

[1.0reef]

With the aptasia, just look up how to get rid of them, lots of new options.

For fish, if the maroons are young you could add more aggressive dottybacks, or little sand and rock dwellers that the maroon simply won't care about

[buddythelion]

Hey Brandon!

 

Hmm. More fish? I would highly recommend that you swap your maroon out now while you can. Having no aggressive fish will make you life much much easier than waiting to see when they go rogue.

[Braden8558]

I understand what you are saying, but I like them and they are cool looking and are already hosting the anemones. I don't want to rip them out. What about an arabian dottyback, also known as the neon dottyback and the six line wrasse. I'm going to the store today, so one of those might be an option.What do you think?

 

Thanks for the responses, Braden

[1.0reef]

Six lines are a bit too active

Neon dotty would work wonderfully, just get an ORA one

[buddythelion]

I think a six line could work in a 30 gallon, pretty spacious for a small wrasse.

 

Well, rather than telling you what not to do let's see what we can do. Sorry if I came off a bit rude and pushy. The tank does have a lot of potential though! Here's my advice though to get it up and running even faster:

 

The tank could use some more live rock. It's a bit low and fish love to swim in and out of nooks and crannies.

Here's something that's pretty similar to your scape but just taller. Makes a big difference!

 

You should also see if you can fit the heater into one of the back chambers. Would make the tank look much cleaner!

[1.0reef]

Agreed on the scape

The thing with six lines is they are so active, an adult may be better off in a longer tank, JMO though.

They can be little devils too.

[saltohio]

Well thanks for the opinions and comments. I would like to get some more fish in there soon though. The guy I got it from said that the tank has been up and running for a year with the live sand, while some of the other stuff was added later on. I want to add some more live rock but I was also wondering if I could get any new fish soon? I am going to the fish store tomorrow but maybe that is a bit to early? Everything seems to be doing fine right now. The bubble tip doesn't look great right now but I think it just needs some time with the lights on and some time to adjust after the move. I took those pictures of the tank and livestock last night though. Is 1.027 an okay salinity? It will house corals and the anemones. Can anyone comment on my stocking ideas?

 

Thanks, Braden

 

 

1.027 is a bit too high. Better to be around 1.024-1.025 IMO.

I would loose the maroon, it will make for a more tranquil tank going forward.

I love my sixline, very active darting in out of the rocks and well behaved.

 

I would highly recommend a LED upgrade. I had minimal coral growth with the stock bc29 lighting.

Did the rapidLed bc29 retrofit and it was like night and day. Lighting is most important following water quality.

The LED upgrade was around $225 (included everything).

 

Deal with that Aptasia now before it gets out of hand (and it will). Red sea makes Aptasia-x, but honestly it dosen't work very well

you'll have to use it several times even then it's iffy.

 

Work on your params and get to know them using a reliable test kit, get your lighting down, good luck!

[Javious]

Peppermint shrimp usually eat aptaisia. But it could take a few days or week2 for it to find and start working on it. A natural solution always appeals to me over a chemical one.

 

1.025 is where you want a reef tank to be.

 

A 30 gallon might be good for a 6 line, but a BC29 isn't close to a 30 gallon. Mine is like 22 gallons after rocks and sand. I was under the impression that the 6 line needs more length to swim. But while I like the look I have avoided the temptation to get one. To get a similar look to a 6 line I got a YellowStriped Cardinalfish. They have the horizontal stripes including the eyes in a much more nano friendly size and attitude.

 

Just a technicality, but I think the Nem is hosting the clowns. I'm no Nem expert, but I think water quality and light are very important for them. Adding fish that your biological filtration can't cope with won't be good for the Nem.

[Braden8558]

Thanks for all the help guys! buddythelion I appreciate your input and I did buy some base rock (2 pieces) for the tank tonight. I was tempted to get some fish, but resisted. I may wind up getting rid of the maroons though. I really like them, but they do limit my stocking quite a bit. I think that they look and act pretty cool though. They seem so happy, I don't want to take them away but it might come down to that. I believe I got about 11 pounds of live rock, so we will see if that does well. I think that there must be between 10-15 pounds in there right now so I may want to boost up the amount in the future. Going to be doing some rescaping tomorrow so be on the lookout!

 

I have checked with fitting the heater in the back and it does so I will probably do that relatively soon and maybe tommorow when I am putting in and arranging the new rock. I also plan to put in some new bulbs. They are the same ones, but supposedly haven't been used yet so they should have some more light and spectrum to them. Do you guys think I have enough water flow in there? Any other suggestions? Might be getting my first coral frags this weekend!

 

Thanks for all the help,

Braden

 

Update: I talked to another guy at a fish store today and he had a little different feeling. He said if I already have the maroons and they are in the tank and hosting anemones then I should just keep them. They will eventually outgrow the tank but dottybacks, gobies, and firefish should be okay in there with them. Do you think this is alright? I went to the fish store yesterday and saw some orchid dottybacks which was really nice looking and these black and blue ones as well

 

What do you guys think!.

[21093r53]

tank is looking good!

[Braden8558]

Thanks guys!

 

Update: The tank has been rolling and yesterday October 23, I added some base rock to the tank. What do you guys think? I made sure there was some caves especially if I do wind up getting a six line wrasse. The base rock does definitely stand out, but in time it will look better. The anemone actually moved to a higher position and is right in the middle getting good flow and more light as well. Hopefully the pink tipped condy and the rose bubble tip don't interfere with each other, but eventually I might want to solve that. Do you guys think I should add some more live rock in the back on the left and right sides or is it good the way it is?

 

Thanks for looking and commenting, Braden

 

 

 

P.S. If anyone has ideas on my stocking plans please tell me. I also might try and work a two spot goby in there. They are really cool looking even though they don't form the symbiotic relationship with a pistol shrimp.

 

Here is what the tank is looking like now..

 

 

 

 

This is my tuxedo urchin that came with the tank. He is pretty cool to watch!

 

 

Thanks again for looking

 

 

[Braden8558]

How do people like the new setup? The only thing I am worried about it rock slips if I get a goby and it digs under the rock, seeing as the live rock was not put in before the sand. Is there an easy way to take care of this? Am I making it into a bigger deal than it is?

 

Also I might be going to a new fish store tomorrow to get a new fish and some coral frags. I'm thinking about some kenya tree, pulsing zenia, green star polyps, hammer coral, frogspawn, maybe a duncan. Possibly some zoas, etc. I probably won't get to many but maybe like 4-5 because they have a $10 dollar frag tank !

 

Any suggestions on my stocking plans mentioned above, and coral selection are appreciated.

 

Braden

[1.0reef]

Don't get a Two Spot or any other true sandsifting goby, very low survival rate in nanos

[Braden8558]

Alright thanks. What about my other questions? Happy Birthday to by the way

[Braden8558]

Can anyone ok or make suggestions on my fish stocking plans? I am going to a new fish store in like 20-30 minutes. I was thinking...

 

-2 Maroon Clownfish

-1 Orchid Dottyback

-1 Tailspot Blenny

-1 Six Line Wrasse

-1 Type of Goby (Watchman, Orange Stripe Prawn Goby, Candy Cane Prawn Goby, etc.

 

 

What do you think? I might get 1 new fish today and some coral frags and pepermint shrimp to kill my aptasia!

 

Thanks, Braden

[Dramad1]

I think that's to many fish. You could have that many fish but I'd recommend a good skimmer and frequent water changes. Maybe 3gal changes twice a week. I have a bc29 and I plan on three fish max! Pygmy wrasse, tail spot, and a fire fish for the wife.

I'd ditch the clowns and anem, and that would open up a lot more options for you. Maybe pick up a pair of occelaris's if you really want the clowns in there. Jmo though. Nice addition you made with the base rock.