Jump to content
SaltCritters.com

Medic's LED Biocube 14


MedicBMC

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone! My name is Brice I live in So. Cal. I've owned a couple freshwater tanks, but have never got the courage to start SW. So finally I decided to with help from my girlfriend who upgraded her tank and gave me here BC14 for $50. Since then, I've been running through this forum gaining as much knowledge and advice. Being on a budget it took me a while, but I've finally got it up and running and have started the cycling process. I'm starting this thread for any helpful advice and also just to journal my tanks progress.

 

Equipment

  • Biocube 14
  • LED lighting
  • LR 20lbs cured fiji
  • LS Carib-sea Oolite
  • Hydor Koralia Nano
  • Stealth 50w Heater
  • Maxi-jet 900
  • InTank media rack w/ 5w submersible light

Livestock:

Fish

  • 2 Ocellaris clown fish
  • Black clown goby

Inverts

  • Cleaner shrimp
  • 2 turbo snails
  • 2 margharita snails
  • nassarius snail
  • conch

Corals

  • Sunset Monti
  • Watermelon chalice
  • 15 ricordea
  • zoanthids
    -Darth mauls
    -Rainbow Palys
    -Nuke Greens
    -Whammin' watermelon
    -Radioactive Dragon eyes
    -Gorilla Nips
  • GSP
  • Rainbow acans
  • Xenia

 

SPS coral

  • ORA Borealis
  • Cali Tort

 

 

 

 

FTS as of 12/4/09

P1040502.jpg

P1040503.jpg

Link to comment

I'd skip on the hermits for now (Or forever) they aren't as much of a work horse as the snails will be.

 

So get a few more snails for now. If they do good, add a couple more.

 

I personally like the "fancy" nassarius snails and the mexican turbos. I like the margaritas as well.

Link to comment

Thanks Surfzup I'm only going to pick up 3 hermits just cause I like how they look. I'll start off with 1 Astrea and add if needed.

 

Today I picked up another piece of LR. It took me a while to fit it in, but I'm very happy. All I need is one more medium sized piece to fill in the back.

 

Not sure if cycle is done or what. I noticed the sand is turning brown so I'm guessing it's the diatom bloom.

Did a water test

pH- 8.2

Ammonia- 0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate 10

 

I'm going to wait and see if this piece of LR changes anything because I'm not sure if its cured of not.

post-46728-1251932669_thumb.jpg

post-46728-1251932711_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

Ok so I picked up the beginning of my CUC. I got

1 Nassarius snail

1 margharita snail

1 electril blue hermit

2 scarlet hermits

 

So I fragged a little piece of zoas from my gf's tank and super glued them to a rock. This morning I get off a 24 and the scarlet hermit is eating them. The frag had some hair algae on them. I am wondering whether he is eating the zoas for food or eating them because there was some algae on them from my gf's tank? Everything I've read says they are reef safe. Should I keep them?

 

 

Anyways other than that all is good. Going to the coral reef farmers market tomorrow. I'm going to scout some corals.

Link to comment

That is part of the reason I said not to get the hermits... nothing but potential problems. They will kill snails for their shells, and eat very little. They are nothing but potential problems. I will say they are cooler to watch than snails though.

Link to comment

Well I should have listened to you, but I really really like hermit crabs (especially my electric blue).

 

Update 9/7/09 Day 8

- 4 lb piece of LR

- 1 turbo snail

- neon green trumpet coral

- blue/green ricordea

 

I went to the coral farmers market yesterday and wanted to buy everything. So far so good I did my first water change which was about 2 gallons. Heres a FTS picture from my cell I will update when I get home with a better one. Ricordea is in the front. trumpet coral in the back right

post-46728-1252346218_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

So my tank is about 5 weeks old now and I finally added my first fish on wednesday. I went to my LFS looking to get a diamond goby but before I made my way to their tank my gf spotted a tank with juvenile oscellaris clown fish. I've always wanted a mated pair so I picked up 2 in hopes they become mates. I also picked up a small cleaner shrimp. In addition I got a few zoa frags and have a green birdsnest and a blue trumpet coral frag coming in the mail tonight. So here is my tank now.

post-46728-1254249810_thumb.jpg

post-46728-1254249892_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

So it's week 8 and everything chuggin along. I picked up the most beautiful firefish I've ever seen and along with that I got a nice piece of ORA birdsnest which adds some maturity to my tank since everything else is just a little frag.

 

All my params are within normal limits. The only thing bothering me is the diatom/cyano bloom I've got going on, but I know with time it will go away.

 

I will be going to Reef-A-Palooza on Saturday and will be buying something nice. Anyways here are some new pics let me know what you think.

CIMG0856.jpg

CIMG0854.jpg

CIMG0860.jpg

Link to comment

I have now finished my LED build for my BC14. I did a lot of research over the past month and now have an understanding for LED's and how they work. I got most of the information from: (Evilc66, waterproof, Maddevil1, and autopro) Thanks guys! Here is my build list.

 

 

(1) 8.5x 5" Heatsink from Heatsinkusa.com $27.20

(2) 1000ma Wired Buckpucks w/ pots $44.98

Project box, DC plugs/jacks, solder from radioshack $25.45

(6) Cree XR-E Royal Blues @ $6.29ea

(6) Cree XRE-WG-Q5 @ $6.29ea

(12) Thermal pads @ $0.49ea..... $94.97

(2) MPJA 24v @ 6.5A Protrans power supplies $40.56

Weller 40w soldering iron $19.76

Silenx 80mm fan, grill, power cord (Fry's) $18.45

 

Total: $271.16

 

These numbers above are exact and include tax, shipping etc.

 

 

My plan for the heatsink was to use nanotuners.com thermal pads instead of drilling/tapping my heatsink. this was the way to go because it's cheaper and only took me about 15 minutes to mount my LED's

 

 

Nanotuner's thermal pads on heatsink

CIMG0883.jpg

 

LED's layed out on thermal pads

CIMG0886.jpg

 

 

LED's soldered in series CIMG0893.jpg

 

Inside of my project box

CIMG0908.jpg

 

Project box all finished

CIMG0911.jpg

 

Top mounted Silenx 80mm fan blowing in

CIMG0937.jpg

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

P1040507.jpg

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

LED's are now installed and running! All I can say is WOW! The shimmer and glow is beautiful. I had a great time building this and just want to say thanks to Evilc66, autopro, Maddevil1, and crs2k for all your help..thanks guys! So I'm going to have full tank shots up soon using my gf's really nice camera (mine just doesn't do justice). Anyways here's a pic (before i put my LED's in) of my small zoa garden I'm starting.

 

 

CIMG0918.jpg

Link to comment

Brice:

 

Awesome job for your first saltwater setup, you are doing well!!! I am glad that someone was able to use my template for the LED's. What is the size of that Silenx 80mm fan? is it a 10mm or 15mm? If it's the regular 15 mm did you have any problems fitting it? I still have my stock fans in my hood, they seem to be working well since I have noticed a decrease in heat.

Link to comment
Brice:

 

Awesome job for your first saltwater setup, you are doing well!!! I am glad that someone was able to use my template for the LED's. What is the size of that Silenx 80mm fan? is it a 10mm or 15mm? If it's the regular 15 mm did you have any problems fitting it? I still have my stock fans in my hood, they seem to be working well since I have noticed a decrease in heat.

 

Thanks your template helped out a lot! The Silenx fan is a 10mm... I didn't have any problems. As for the fans I kept one of the stock fans and wired them in series to my PS so they turn on when my whites do. I had to pull one out and change it though, and when I touched the heat sink it was cold. I was very surprised I'm guessing these thermal pads are just a good as tapping and mounting

Link to comment

I wired them in series +-+- and just hooked it up to the terminals on the PS. Both fans are 12v I top mounted the silenx and just kept one stock fan.

How'd you go about wiring the fans to the power supply?
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
I'd skip on the hermits for now (Or forever) they aren't as much of a work horse as the snails will be.

So get a few more snails for now. If they do good, add a couple more.

I personally like the "fancy" nassarius snails and the mexican turbos. I like the margaritas as well.

 

I like margaritas too. Seriously though, amen on skipping the hermits. I found Ceriths to do a better job of sand sifting than Nassarius (Nassarii?).

Link to comment
I like margaritas too. Seriously though, amen on skipping the hermits. I found Ceriths to do a better job of sand sifting than Nassarius (Nassarii?).

 

You live and you learn :D I should have listened to him all along. I currently only have 1 margarita 2 turbos and a conch. My emerald passed away which is due to a lack of food. My tank was too clean for him and I don't think he had anything to eat.

 

P.S. I'm starting to get the itch for a bigger tank.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Just ordered my InTank media basket and the 5w single underwater light!

 

Cant wait to get it! :happydance:

 

New pics will be up soon of some new frags and my new black clown goby!

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
does the 80mm fan do better blowing in or pulling out in terms of cooling?

 

IME and the way I have it, blowing out works better. Otherwise you might just be blowing around warm air.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...