Possible BioCube Mod!

[stallen]

Wasn't sure if I should put this here or in the DIY thread, but here it goes....

 

I have BioCube 8. I'm sure the physics behind this idea will apply to BC 12 and BC 29 as well.

 

I currently have chamber one nearly full of rubble. Chamber 2 is half full of rubble then a bag of purigen, then a 5oz bag of chemi-pure (charcoal), the drip tray with filter floss on top. Seems to be working out well, but I'd like to turn chamber 2 into a fuge.

 

My concern with that is the fact that putting any filter media (aside from rubble) in chamber 1 causes slower flow and raises the level of water in the main tank too high. Yes, I have cut the plastic in between chamber 1 and 2 to improve flow, but it's not enough. I want the water level to be low enough so that the top intake is still surface skimming.

 

Like this...

 

 

So, on with the idea! I am considering buying a reactor. Like one of these...

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113427

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113427

 

Get a small pump like the MJ 404 and put it into chamber 1. It pumps water from the chamber 1 into the reactor through the filter media and out back into the top of chamber 1. This mod would involve cutting an opening on the back of the lid just behind chamber one to allow for two tubes. I would have the reactor in a cabinet below the tank so the tubes would have to be about three feet long.

 

This idea sort of adds a fourth chamber in a way. I could have chemical filtration while not slowing flow and this would allow me to set up the fuge in chamber 2. What do you guys think?

 

One concern that I have is having a pump in chamber 1. Since this water hasn't been filtered it could clog the pump. Are there pumps that are made to handly water with a little debris?

[mdbrit]

I like the thought behind this. Maybe in the 29 you can fit the reactor into the first chamber somehow?

I'll be interested to see how this develops. I actually switched a 10g with home made hood and hang on filters/protein skimmer to the Biocube 8 for neatness, so I'm not really looking to add any external chambers, but it might not look too bad. You could even switch the media without having to open the lid!

I'm finding that the filter floss on top of chamber two really gets dirty quickly. I have purigen at the top of chamber 1, but water can flow around it, so I guess it's just not getting maximun flow through it. I think in a little tank like this it'll just mean that it'll last a lot longer, as long as I change the filter floss regularly.

Fuge is going great though. I have to scrape the inside glass of chamber two to keep the light shining in every now and again, but otherwise it's working a treat.

Keep us posted, I think you should give it a go! It should be possible to test first before then having to cut the tank for the tubes.

[djitchy]

I like the thought behind this. Maybe in the 29 you can fit the reactor into the first chamber somehow?

I'll be interested to see how this develops. I actually switched a 10g with home made hood and hang on filters/protein skimmer to the Biocube 8 for neatness, so I'm not really looking to add any external chambers, but it might not look too bad. You could even switch the media without having to open the lid!

I'm finding that the filter floss on top of chamber two really gets dirty quickly. I have purigen at the top of chamber 1, but water can flow around it, so I guess it's just not getting maximun flow through it. I think in a little tank like this it'll just mean that it'll last a lot longer, as long as I change the filter floss regularly.

Fuge is going great though. I have to scrape the inside glass of chamber two to keep the light shining in every now and again, but otherwise it's working a treat.

Keep us posted, I think you should give it a go! It should be possible to test first before then having to cut the tank for the tubes.

 

You mentioned that you have to scrape the inside of chamber two:

 

I just realized this the other day...is it normal for there to be algae build up inside chamber two?

[SaltyVT]

Interesting mod. Does Chaeto thrive of of phosphates?? I have my first chamber half full of LR rubble and a bag of purgien, it raises the level slightly, I feel as though my tank has too much flow. The over flow from one to two seems to be strong. My chaeto in chamber two is growing like crazy!!! I haven't noticed a build of algae. I do change my fliterfloss quite often!! I have modified the MJ 900, it was blowing my corals around too much, so I had that adapter that you can add on the venturi attachment. I removed the plug from it and it reduces the flow just a bit and it helps stir up the thrid chamber!!! So now I can add a heater when I need to!! Let me know if you go with this hang on chamber, it would be interesting to see what it could do, why not use the old stock pump its wicked small and delivers a good gph??

[stallen]

I considered the old stock pump. Its actually a little too much gph for a reactor. One of the reactors that I'm looking at recommends a GPH <90 and the other recommends <100. I should probably go with something that is going to put out ~80 GPH.

 

As far as cheato thriving on phosphates. I need to do some more homework. Maybe someone will chime in. However, I'm not necessarily looking at this reactor for phosban or phosguard. You can put any filtration media you want in the reactor. So I'm not sure exactly what I plan to put in the reactor. I figure you can probably put a combination of things. I figure the benefit is knowing that you have optimal flow of water through the filter media instead of around it. Along with the other benefits I metioned: keeping lots of rubble in chamber 1 and bettter flow between chamber 1 and 2, and a fuge in chamber 2.

 

Maybe I'll give it a try. One concern I have is the possibility of leaky fittings. Having a "chamber" outside of the tank could be a mess. I would like to hear from someone that uses a reactor and let me know if they have any leaks or what they think about the product.

[mdbrit]

I actually had a Seaclone protein skimmer that had a faulty seal. I exchanged it and it's still running fine now. I know what you mean about seals outside the tank though.

Maybe you could pick up a Seaclone and adapt that for your filters? Same principle really!

 

By the way, the algae that I'm scraping in chamber 2 is inside the window I created for the fuge. Just some algae on the glass that developed which would in time shade the cheato in the fuge. Of course I scraped it and then it ran straight to chamber 3 and out the pump into the tank Next time I'll hold a small net over the outflow to catch it, shouldn't be a problem.

 

I think that it might even look quite cool having a free-standing reactor/filter next to the biocube. I'm sure people will ask about it. Of course, I'm a fish geek, so this kind of thing interests me....

[RayWhisperer]

If you plan on putting it under the tank, you'll need more flow than what is reccomended. The reason being, is head loss. The higher a pump has to push water, the lower the flow. Also, any bends or 90 deg angles will further reduce flow.

 

Another thing to consider. If you run the hoses through the canopy, you'll need to make oblong holes to allow the canopy to be opened without pinching on the hoses.

[stallen]

Woa! A protein skimmer? That sounds even better! You say you have this running on a BioCube 8? Must see some pics! Can this SeaClone Skimmer be rigged in a similar fashion as what I was describing for a reactor? Meaning- can it be mounted a couple feet below the tank with tubing leading to and from?

 

At my LFS, one of the guys is telling me that Oceanic is working on a skimmer that will fit into chamber 2 with the lid closed. Not sure how accurate that information is. But that would be great!

 

@RayWhisperer - You are probably right a pump delivering ~100 gph (like the stock pump) might be a better idea to make up for the distance it's travleing through the tubing. Also, I've thought about the hole for the tubing. I would put the hole in the back of the cover. Actually, not a hole but a noch. Sort of an "n" shaped opening. When I lift the top up on the hinges, the tubing will stay put resting on the tank. When I lower the lid back down I would need to be careful that the tubing didn't move a little and get pinched.

[mdbrit]

Didn't mean to create the wrong impression there, I don't have a skimmer on my biocube. I was just talking about external seals breaking etc. The Seaclone I have running now is on my 36g. The first one I bought would leak at the bottom seal. Always a potential problem with anything external, but if your pump is high enough up, then I guess it could only pump out a fraction of the waters.

I was thinking, if you place the pump at the bottom of chamber one and there's an external leak, you could potentially run the risk of pumping out your whole tank!

[jokercykoe]

So the reactor will be like an extra large extra chamber for the biocube. Sounds like a pretty cool idea. What if you just skipped turning chamber 2 into a fuge and just turned the reactor itself into a fuge. That way you can put your filter media in chamber 2?