LFS advice and Q's

[Freyr]

I just got a biocube 14. It has a flow rate of 137 gph, with a 24 watt True Actinic 03 Blue and a 24 watt 10000K daylight for lighting (also 2 .75 watt LED Moonglow). Is this equipment fine for my needs (various corals and 2-3 fish), or should I upgrade?

 

also, the guy at the lfs said that the lights will create enough heat that I won't need a heater. Is this true? What about at night?

[DudE31]

1.) 2-3 fish for a 14 gallon is a bit much ... I would stick to two maybe a clown and a goby or two clowns

2.) the lighting is fine for most softies and lps

3.) you may want to take the bio balls out and the sponge and replace it with live rock rubble and you may want to replace the stock pump with a maxi -jet and hydro flow

4.) get a heater

[dshnarw]

1.) 2-3 fish for a 14 gallon is a bit much ... I would stick to two maybe a clown and a goby or two clowns

2.) the lighting is fine for most softies and lps

3.) you may want to take the bio balls out and the sponge and replace it with live rock rubble and you may want to replace the stock pump with a maxi -jet and hydro flow

4.) get a heater

 

 

I wouldn't replace the bio balls with live rock rubble. Realistically a useless exchange, as both do the same thing for the tank. I would recommend a macroalgae refugium - add a small light along with some chaetomorph. Most efficient use of space in the tank.

 

You will most definitely want a heater at night. The lights may very well produce enough heat during the day, but you won't want the temperature swings that will occur at night without the heater.

[MDeth]

^^ Do get a heater

[kkyyllee]

heater, change out the bioballs theyll create problems usually

[jmitchell]

I have an AP12, very similar, and honestly, LR rubble is risk free and cheap. I only got like a pound in there, and although bio balls and rubble may have the same purpose, bio balls have had complaints, so rubble is a safe bet. Just my opinion though, find whats best for you! Try some zoas, they were my first coral and theyve grown very well, theyre tough, and very cool looking!

 

-LJ:D

[dshnarw]

I have an AP12, very similar, and honestly, LR rubble is risk free and cheap. I only got like a pound in there, and although bio balls and rubble may have the same purpose, bio balls have had complaints, so rubble is a safe bet. Just my opinion though, find whats best for you! Try some zoas, they were my first coral and theyve grown very well, theyre tough, and very cool looking!

 

-LJ:D

 

 

The point I'm making is that bioballs do exactly what they were designed to do - which is convert waste products into less toxic waste products - and they do so very well (hence the so-called "nitrate factories"). Live rock rubble does the exact same thing, and realistically the pound or two you can get in the back is pointless compared to the live rock in the tank anyway. Neither bioballs, nor live rock rubble, have the ability to turn nitrates into nitrogen gas. In this way, live rock rubble is nothing more than a "nitrate factory" as well, and not so "risk free" compared to a macroalgae refugium. The fact that bioballs have complaints is nothing more than the acknowledgement that they are a poor use of space in the aquarium, while live rock rubble generally will not get complaints because its "live rock".

 

The use of macroalgaes instead of live rock rubble will remove the nitrates created by the live rock filtration in the display by incorporating it into the tissues of the algae, which can then be removed from the display.

[MDeth]

Well said ^^