HerAnatomy's Biocube HQI 29g

[heranatomy]

Hi there! I have recently gotten back into this hobby. Prior, I had a seahorse dedicated tank and I started a saltwater 20 gallon long with some beginner coral. Life happens, and I got out of the hobby but now I'm back and would like to try my hand at some more intermediate coral!!

 

I haven't decided where I'm going yet with this tank, but I have begun the cycling process as of April 14th.

 

I started with some base dry rock from Bulk Reef Supply (a mixture of their Reef Saver Eco and Pukani), got a couple pieces of live rock from a LFS, and then order some beautiful live rock from Sea Life Inc (now called K&P aquatics). I absolutely LOVE their premium cultured live rock. It is covered in beautiful color and I got some great hitchhikers! I also live in Florida, so I did their priority shipping. I think since they are located more in the keys, and I'm in central Florida, it came in 2 days. There was some die-off. It was loaded with feather dusters and each day, I'm finding more things. Some macro algae is growing, as well as a tiny looking coral. I will have to wait until it gets bigger to ID it. It's awfully tiny right now. I highly recommend them! They had fantastic customer service and answered my random question emails during odd hours of the night! I also specified certain sizes, and they really followed through.

 

Enough of that, here are details:

 

Tank:

29 gallon BioCube HQI

Stock 150w MH

Chamber 1: AquaticLife Skimmer 115. Installed, but not running during cycle.

Chamber 2: inTank Media basket and Fuge basket (not yet installed, waiting for cycle to complete) (May install and add Chaeto soon) Once cycle is complete, I have filter floss, purigen and chemi-pure elite to place in the media basket.

Chamber 3: Stock pump

 

Filtration:

20 lbs of Arag-Alive live sand

Mixture of live and dry rock (probably 50/50 lb wise if not leaning towards the live vs dry) (Not sure of the lbs...over 20 lbs)

 

Accessories:

Hydor Theo 100w heater...currently not installed. Tank runs 79.2-80.0 without any assistance.

Reef Keeper Lite w/ temp probe.

NImble Nano

2 Koralia evolution 550 gph powerheads on alternate cycles, 30 seconds on/off each side.

 

Lights run from 12:30pm-9:30pm.

 

I also have a JBJ nano glo LED for the fuge once I decide to get Chaeto.

 

Tank pics:

I put parchment paper on top to help the colors on the rock adjust to the MH

 

 

Right Side

 

Left Side

 

Cute little macro algae! ^-^

 

Great colors on rock. Bottom rock on the top left center has the brown "coral" i'm waiting to grow so I can ID. It looks like it has "polyps".

 

More color.

 

Really bad pic of the "coral". It's so tiny, it's hard to get a picture! lol

 

 

Feedback/Suggestions are welcome!!

 

Thanks for looking

[Rollenbor]

Hi! It looks like you have a pretty good start so far. Nice scape as well.

[RedStang]

Looks like you read up before you bought! Good luck!

[Luckylefty]

So are you going to put the chaeto in the fuge basket when you decide?

[heranatomy]

Looks like you read up before you bought! Good luck!

 

Indeed, I did

 

So are you going to put the chaeto in the fuge basket when you decide?

 

Yes, my tank is finally cycled. I'm going to put a couple of snails in and purchase some chaeto and put it in and still monitor my parameters for probably 2 more weeks

 

 

I didn't get a large algae bloom, but there is algae on my rocks and such to help sustain a couple of small snails. I'm going to add a couple and wait and watch

 

I went to reef cleaners to pick up some snails and chaeto, and of course, right when I select my shipping option the site goes down for maintenance lol. Back to *patiently* waiting lol.

[RedStang]

Indeed, I did

 

 

 

Yes, my tank is finally cycled. I'm going to put a couple of snails in and purchase some chaeto and put it in and still monitor my parameters for probably 2 more weeks

 

 

I didn't get a large algae bloom, but there is algae on my rocks and such to help sustain a couple of small snails. I'm going to add a couple and wait and watch

 

I went to reef cleaners to pick up some snails and chaeto, and of course, right when I select my shipping option the site goes down for maintenance lol. Back to *patiently* waiting lol.

 

FWIW I thought that 5 hermits and 5 snails would be a large enough CUC when I started. It was when there was little to no bio load. With 5 fish, 2 shrimp, and many corals I finally ordered a quick crew from reef cleaners. Ended up with over 100 snails and the vast majority of them are still around a couple of months later. They actually do a good job at cleaning the glass. Just something to consider when the time comes.

 

The really cool thing is that as far as I can tell, all 5 hermits are still alive and kicking nearly a year later. 2 or 3 more snuck in with quick crew.

[heranatomy]

FWIW I thought that 5 hermits and 5 snails would be a large enough CUC when I started. It was when there was little to no bio load. With 5 fish, 2 shrimp, and many corals I finally ordered a quick crew from reef cleaners. Ended up with over 100 snails and the vast majority of them are still around a couple of months later. They actually do a good job at cleaning the glass. Just something to consider when the time comes.

 

The really cool thing is that as far as I can tell, all 5 hermits are still alive and kicking nearly a year later. 2 or 3 more snuck in with quick crew.

 

I definitely plan to add more! I just wanted to how the few do initially, i'm taking it slow (as slow as i can stand! lol). Thanks:)

 

P.S how are you liking those RapidLeds? Good growth? I was considering getting some, but I have the HQI, so no hood... also considering Kessil and AI nano sol... down the road...going to see how my MH do first

[louy99]

good start, ill be following!

[RedStang]

I definitely plan to add more! I just wanted to how the few do initially, i'm taking it slow (as slow as i can stand! lol). Thanks:)

 

P.S how are you liking those RapidLeds? Good growth? I was considering getting some, but I have the HQI, so no hood... also considering Kessil and AI nano sol... down the road...going to see how my MH do first

 

Love the rapidled kit but yeah, without a hood I'd go with something that comes in an enclosure. Definitely stick with your MH. Not worth looking to move to LED's at least until bulb replacement time. I'd love to go with the Radion just way too much $.

 

As for growth my monti is growing like crazy. Not getting as much zoa growth as I was expecting but maybe my expectations were out of whack. I received several SPS frags at a frag swap back in February and all are showing growth. Most have started encrusting over the frag plug and all but one or two are coloring up nicely. One in particular is just gorgeous. Purple body with bright yellow polyps. It'll be my pride and joy eventually. I just bumped my blues up to 100% this weekend. Before that I wasn't going over 50% on either blues or whites. I'll start ramping up the whites over the next week or so.

 

Have to add that I don't dose anything. Just water changes.

[heranatomy]

Do you notice more growth in specific colored coral or all colors of your SPS grow faster?

[heranatomy]

Here's an update on my "mysterious" hitchhiker coral:

 

 

Any ideas what this could be? My guess is leaning towards GSP.

[neuwave]

Here's an update on my "mysterious" hitchhiker

 

Any ideas what this could be? My guess is leaning towards GSP.

 

Looks like your tank is coming along nicely. Nice little hitch hiker. Doubt it's gsp if that piece of rock is from sea life and gsp doesn't come from Florida. Might be an encrusting gorg which is a similar looking coral from down south. Just hard to tell since its so tiny.

[castiel]

Hmm assume you mean the light brown coloured piece? Looks like it has a centre and outer ring. Rock anemone perhaps?

[RedStang]

Do you notice more growth in specific colored coral or all colors of your SPS grow faster?

 

Only SPS I had prior to LEDs was the monti. It's growing faster under the LEDs for sure.

[d'Espresso]

What are you talking about! Your tank is going in the right direction and everything is looking great so far. That rock looks like it have alot of life on it. Keep up the good work and keep us updated! looking forward to the new FTS. Can't wait!

 

Best Regard,

david

[heranatomy]

So, just a small update. Things are going well! Nothing bad has happened so far. Just a surprise lol. I never owned an AIO before. There is a glass lid on the BioCube HQI that I use to help with evaporation and jumpers.

I thought that my evaporation was great!! I hardly had any!! The level in my tank was consistent. Until I started hearing strange noises from the back... I peeked back there and chamber 2 and 3 were pretty low!!! There is a viewing water level of chamber 3 on the side...but I didn't pay attention. I learned my lesson! My salinity was about 40 ppm, but luckily that was when I only had only a couple snails and hermits in there!!

 

I've added a few frags and got my bigger clean up crew from ReefCleaners. I must have received 100s of snails!! I think I only ordered 15-20!

 

So everything is going nicely!

 

I do have a question for the community though... I dip all my frags in Revive before placing them in my tank. I also inspect them carefully before and after the dip.

 

Recently, I found 1 frag that has 2 tiny aiptasia growing on it. Since the frag is still in my sandbed, growing out a little...what can I do to remove it? I own Aiptasia X and have used it with great success in the past.

 

I did add a cleaner shrimp recently. Also, there are only 2 aiptasia-- so a peppermint shrimp isn't really an option to me. No point for 2 aiptasia.

 

However, the aiptasia seems to be attached directly on my paly "stem". I'm nervous about using Aiptasia X near my wonderful new frag. Does anyone have any recommendations on removing it? I can definitely take the frag out of the display for aiptasia killing purposes if that helps...

 

Here's a pic:

One aiptasia is on the frag disk on the left of the frag and the other is obviously right on my paly lol.

[RedStang]

So, just a small update. Things are going well! Nothing bad has happened so far. Just a surprise lol. I never owned an AIO before. There is a glass lid on the BioCube HQI that I use to help with evaporation and jumpers.

I thought that my evaporation was great!! I hardly had any!! The level in my tank was consistent. Until I started hearing strange noises from the back... I peeked back there and chamber 2 and 3 were pretty low!!! There is a viewing water level of chamber 3 on the side...but I didn't pay attention. I learned my lesson! My salinity was about 40 ppm, but luckily that was when I only had only a couple snails and hermits in there!!

 

I've added a few frags and got my bigger clean up crew from ReefCleaners. I must have received 100s of snails!! I think I only ordered 15-20!

 

So everything is going nicely!

 

I do have a question for the community though... I dip all my frags in Revive before placing them in my tank. I also inspect them carefully before and after the dip.

 

Recently, I found 1 frag that has 2 tiny aiptasia growing on it. Since the frag is still in my sandbed, growing out a little...what can I do to remove it? I own Aiptasia X and have used it with great success in the past.

 

I did add a cleaner shrimp recently. Also, there are only 2 aiptasia-- so a peppermint shrimp isn't really an option to me. No point for 2 aiptasia.

 

However, the aiptasia seems to be attached directly on my paly "stem". I'm nervous about using Aiptasia X near my wonderful new frag. Does anyone have any recommendations on removing it? I can definitely take the frag out of the display for aiptasia killing purposes if that helps...

 

Here's a pic:

One aiptasia is on the frag disk on the left of the frag and the other is obviously right on my paly lol.

 

I'd use a razor blade and ever so carefully scrape the aptasia off the frag and paly.

 

As for the evap. That's actually kind of funny. We all make mistakes. I nearly flooded my tank when I was working on mounting my Apex unit under the stand. Bumped loose the break out box which turned the ATO pump on. Didn't notice it till the tank was about an inch from overflowing. I've since rectified my float switches and programming to have the ATO be off in case of an open circuit.

[chrssprngs]

I think there may be three aptasias.

[heranatomy]

I think there may be three aptasias.

 

 

I agree after I posted the pics... I still was unable to see any...

 

The aiptasias were clearly not happy where they were so they moved around the frag until finally, one was attached to the sand underneath the frag, and the other onto the rock surface of the frag. I successfully pulled the frag out, into a separate container and shave the rock off around where the foot of the aiptasia stuck. the other one, stuck on the sand after i removed the frag from the display, so i just scooped it up into another container and threw it down the sink lol.

 

As for a third one, when I was examining the frag up close in the separate container..i didn't see a third... so hopefully there isnt one.