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Geo's [BioCbe 29g] Reef Aquarium


ge0

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Trying my hand at my first reef tank. I will update this thread as time goes on.

 

I will attempt to include details on the modifications I make to my biocube with detailed pictures and drawings. My gaol is to create a softy tank with a couple of clown fish. I want to stock it to the limit with soft corals. But the kicker is, I want to do as few modifications as possible. Since this is a hobby people may do modifications that are not really necessary. I am trying to keep all my mods as functional as possible.

 

I decided on the 29g bio-cube for looks and functionality. Most people agree it is decent and can run without too many mods.

 

Started the tank on 8/4/07.

 

25lbs LR - more or less cured at my LFS

30? lbs LS

All Stock equipment - no mods (yet)

1st chamber mech/charcol fitler pack - I added some extra mech filter media for startup

2nd chamber bio-balls

3rd chamber 243gph pump

Bought the water premixed from my LFS.

Water temp is around 80F (my apartment is warm)

 

This is a view of the back of the BioCube 29g looking straight down:

biocubewr9.jpg

 

Set-up at start with 25lbs LR and 30?lbs LS. Stock 29g BioCube.

dsc03073za8.jpg

 

 

8/8/07

Just got 15 more pounds of live rock for a total of 40 lbs.

 

I installed a Tunze 9002 skimmer using this forum post as a guide. Removed the bio-balls. And dislodged the filter cartridge to allow more flow into the 2nd chamber. I went with the Tunze because it tends to have fewer problems with noise and microbubbles. I did considered the Sapphire skimmer.

 

I adjusted the water level in the 2nd and 2rd chamber so that it is about 5 inches below the top of the tank. This allows the Tunze skimmer to work properly. I mounted the tunze so that there are 5 holes above the top of the tunze skimmer. This allows the top fo the aquarium to close perfectly.Just keep adding water to the second chamber till you have the desired water level. Then I adjected the filter media in teh first chamber untill the water level stayed at about the right level. There will always be some fluctuation in water level, but that is ok.

 

My current aquascape:

dsc03080qp0.jpg

 

Top view and cross-section view of my tank after adding the Tunze 9002 Skimmer. Water level is just below the top of the skimmer in the 2nd and 3rd chambers, so yes it is very high. Also the Skimmer is actually tall and skinner, I did not draw it to the right scale, so it is miss-leading.

tankwh5.png

 

As of right now, I do not plan on upgrading the lighting, this may change in the future. I will let the tank continue to cycle and see what happens.

 

Please comment.....thank you.

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no it looks perfect.. you should have about 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon of water.. i have about 25lbs. in mine.. since a BC29 is really like 24-25 gallons

 

nice rockwork by the way.. the top rock is rather close the surface

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Obi Juan kenobi

You might want to save some room in case some of the corals you get come with LR. Ive got 30lbs. of LR in mine. I think your LR looks great!!

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Congrats to another member of the Biocube Crew here....the tank looks great thus far. Sounds like you have been doing lots of great research around here and are heading in the right direction with everything.

 

I would definitely not add any more rock to the tank but I think it looks great right now. You could always take some out here and there if/when you start adding corals. Just depends a lot on the types of softies you want to add and whether you will be able to put those types in close proximity to each other.

 

What types are you looking to get down the road: zoas and mushrooms? Are you going to try a frogspawn or other LPS?

 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have since I have the Tunze as well and have done plenty o' mods to my BC29.

 

Adam

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Thank you for your comments and support. Being new to the hobby this can all be a little overwhelming, but for now I am just trying to take it slow.

 

I haven't decided on what corals or fish for that matter. Just trying to get the tank cycled and the PS working well.

 

I definitely want a lot of softies in the tank, but will determine how many and what kinds by what catches my eye in the LFS and then what is compatible with each other, what I have room for, and what my equipment will support.

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Slow and steady is DEFINITELY the way to go in the hobby. Time to just sit back, let things cycle and do their thing, and admire your handy work with the scaping and putting things together.

 

It is a hobby after all so make sure to enjoy it :)

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Yesterday I overflowed the middle chamber where the Tunze 9002 PS is. I got the water level back to normal, but for a few minutes the air intake for the PS was submerged.

 

Now, the PS will not produce skimmate, I took the PS apart and put it back together.

 

But, it was working well before and now it is not......any suggestions?

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That happened to my Tunze skimmer one time and I took it apart like you did. Pretty much after any time you additives to the water, clean it, or get your oils on or inside the collection cup, it will take some time to start producing skimmate again.

 

How is it doing now?

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I increased the water level to above the fill line on the Tunze PS this morning.

 

It started producing skimmate, but some bubbles were leaking out the top front of the skimmer.

 

I just got home and the collection cup was overflowing. So, I have adjusted the air intake valve a 1/4 turn, and the water level is just slightly above the fill line on the skimmer.

 

thank you so much for your help!

 

Oh, wicked reef -- welcome to the nano-forums your tank looks great!

 

 

BTW a new picture:

 

dsc03091yi2.jpg

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New mods to my tank:

 

Replaced stock pump with the Rio 6hf. Bought it for $34.99 at LFS. But you can find it cheaper online.

 

Added a locline "y". Definately the way to go to split up the flow.

 

I am still running the STOCK divider from chamber 1 to chamber 2. Alot of people cut into this and mod it. I have found that leaving it stock works fine, the flow over the divider is just more turbulent. And all the solids are caught in my filter floss block.

 

Added 10 red-legged crabs today.

 

Had to kill a hitchiker coral on one of my pieces of LR. I used a syringe and concentrated Kalkwasser Solution, and shot the coral full. This has caused my Ph and akalinity to skyrocket, but, hey I have no fish, and no purchased corals.

 

Hopefully my LR wont suffer form the extremely high Ph. I will buffer tommorrow if it hasnt gone down.

 

Water paramaters:

Ammonia - 0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - ~5ppm

PH - 9 - very high I know

Alkalinety - very high

 

I almost bought a yorkshire Terrier for my fiance from the local pet store, but when we went back to the store after lunch, someone else was buying it.

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Looking good Nice tank. I just gat my tank started this week. I hope in the next two weeks i can get my Live rock. From sealifeinc.net. I went to my LFS they all wanted $7-10 a pound INSANE. keep up the good work

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Congrats on the first coral....just make sure the GSP is either separated from the mass of live rock unless you intend it to spread all over.

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i second that Dive... i would rubberband it to a seperate rock and let it cover the wholle thing...that would look prettty coooll.

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I am lighting my tank only 6 hours a day right now.

 

Is that enough time for the GSP? Also, I plan on letting it cover the rock it I placed it on. Thank you for the suggestion!

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Green Star Poylps are a aggressive grower. You may intend for it to cover a rock which is fine, but if that rock is touching any others it will take over your tank . Thats is what the other guys were telling you. My rock work in my BC 29 is similar to yours. What I did was put my GSP on the bottom of my tank with its on small rock to grow on; sort of its own little island. Check out my pics you can see it on the bottom right of the tank

 

Fulltank.jpg

GSP.jpg

IMG_0651.jpg

 

At the end of the day its your tank so make the way you want it.

 

Ray

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If the GSP grows to much, can I jsut scrap it off the rock with a sharp tool of some kind?

 

Or is it easier said then done?

 

For now I will just move it to its own spot on the sand, but as you can see, sand is a rare commodity in my tank.

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Not as easy as scraping off im afraid. Ive known guys who did just that only for little polyps showing back up time and time again. Also anytime a coral dies it releases toxins into the water, so if you scrape them you are releasing those toxins.

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nice looking FTS.

 

 

damn you gotta lotta rock and sand in there, I have only 25lbs of LR and 20lbs LS (not including the rubble in the chamber, another 7lbs there) and I figure only 22 gallons of water in the tank. How much water do you think your tanks is actually holding?

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My tank is only holding 20 gallons. That is how much I put in when I set the tank up.

 

It actually holds a little less now (I think).

 

I widened the gap between chambers 1 and 2. Now I cant get the water level to be the right hieght in chamber 2/3. It is too high for my Tunze skimmer to work right.

 

Any suggestions?

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Thank you. I was freaking out last night....LOL. But its seems to be ok now.

 

Added a Goniopora and 9 mroe CUC snails last night.

 

I'll post some pics soon.

 

I replaced the stock hose from the pump to the outlet with 1/2" OD clear tubing from home depot. I will get some black tubing and hose clamps tomorrow.

 

This increased my flow quite a bit, and allowed me to add more water to my tank /cheer!

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