HoomHow Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Hey everyone! I am in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and have been lurkin on the site (awesome!) and a few others for a while now. I can't wait (but will) to get a SW tank up and running. I recently had the opportunity to buy a used BioCube 14 with the nanotuners 3.24w lighting upgrade. The overflow from chamber 1 to chamber 2 has also been modded. Game plan is LR, LS, some softies and a few LPS. I am taking this slow and will definitely keep you guys updated. I want to get the tank cycling for a month or so now. QUESTIONS: 1) I need new 24w PC bulbs. From reading are 2 50/50s and 1 Actinic sufficient? Any other thoughts? 2) I was planing: Chamber 1--> stock filter w/ heater, Chamber 2 --> LR rubble, Chamber 3 --> MJ900 (I would rather the MJ1200 but general consensus is that it runs too hot). Any other suggestions? What is this PhosBan, ChemiPure and/or Cheato I keep reading about? Do you recommend adding it? Those are pretty much my questions for now ... I do appreciate your help. I am SO excited! Thanks! Link to comment
royaloaksmoke Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Welcome neighbor...I am just across the river outside the Big D. I have had a biocube 14 for about 4 months now. I am running the MJ900 wih a hydor flo attachment, live rubble in chamber 2. I got rid of the stock filter...too expensive and hard to find. Instead I have my heater, a bag of purigen and a bag of carbon in chamber 1. On top of chamber 2 I have some filter floss(you can get a big bag for $4). you might want to get rid of the sponge in the bottom of 3 whee the intake is. As soon as I can afford it I intend to add the nanotuners lighting upgrade. I would go with the 1 10,000k 1 actinic 1 50/50 on the bulbs.....good luck! Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 Welcome neighbor...I am just across the river outside the Big D. I have had a biocube 14 for about 4 months now. I am running the MJ900 wih a hydor flo attachment, live rubble in chamber 2. I got rid of the stock filter...too expensive and hard to find. Instead I have my heater, a bag of purigen and a bag of carbon in chamber 1. On top of chamber 2 I have some filter floss(you can get a big bag for $4). you might want to get rid of the sponge in the bottom of 3 whee the intake is. As soon as I can afford it I intend to add the nanotuners lighting upgrade. I would go with the 1 10,000k 1 actinic 1 50/50 on the bulbs.....good luck! Thanks RoyalOak .. where do you shop in the Big D? I love Tropicorium in Romulus and Oceans and Seas near the 94 and 696 .... Aquatic Discoveries in Sterling Heights is kewl to walk through as well. How do you find the water flow with the MJ900 and hydor Flo? Do you wish you had more? What are you keeping in your tank? Link to comment
supahtim Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 check out how people have been turning the filter sections into mini refugiums. natural filtration will always out-compete man made filtration. unless of course you are up to the daunting task of cleaning out your filters daily... for the lights, your choices seem good. personally, i'd get 2 actinic and 1 50/50. nothing beats blue. either that or i'd toss the hood and get MH. lol lets see some pics! Tim Link to comment
NanoReefaholic Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Careful with shopping in the states HoomHow. I'm sure you already know about the hefty duty we pay, CITES, and more than a few warranty issues Canadians have had shopping in the south. I'd go 2 50/50K and the 03. If you like a bit whiter look go 1 10K, 1 50/50, and an 03 for sunrise/set. Depending on the exact coral this may be more than enough. Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 Thanks guys, I will have pics up when I can. The tank is currently sitting outside filled with water as I check for leaks --> none! Time to go shopping I definitely know about the hassles of border crossing ... I mean, wow! Ok, 'nuff said. I will have to check out the difference between using 2 actinics and one 50/50 vs. one of each .... sounds pretty much like a personal preference and since this is tank #1 .... I wonder if my LPS has two tanks set up with the different lightening .... Ok, I saw someone's AWESOME thread on modding the 2nd chamber of a BC14 to add a 13w compact florecent light (shaving the back, electrical box, velcro, etc.) and that looked amazing... my questions .... with the Chaeto, do we grow it to remove nutrients and then throw out pieces of it as it grows? ... I am kinda lost on that one .... any 'splanations? Thanks all! PS - Supahtim -- MH is not quite in bag just yet ... give me a year Link to comment
NanoReefaholic Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 You can use chaeto, xenia, or GSP to polish the water and remove the excess nutrients. When you prune it either sell it off or toss it. Usually there is always some wanting cheap coral or free macro. Link to comment
racerfreak Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 make sure you take your time and do your reasearch some people think it's better to learn from your own mistakes but it's smart to learn from others... I did alot of reasearch and I'm just waiting for the funds to get my baby up and going... I am doing a pico for the mean time I am looking forward to see your tank getting started Link to comment
fries852 Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 welcome!! from a fellow ontarian. I'm about 2 hrs down the 401. Sounds like u are off to a good start. Look forward to seeing your setup. Keep up with the research you will find it invaluable. People here are very helpful. Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 23, 2007 Author Share Posted September 23, 2007 Alright, pics to follow soon. My shopping is complete. For lights I have 3x24w. One 10,000k (Coralife) , one 50/50 (Coralife), and one actinic (Ocean Blue)... hmmm, does brand matter? we shall soon find out .... seems 24w PCs are in high demand at my local LFSs Bought a MJ900 to replace the stock along with a HydorFLO. API test kit. Bottle of AragaMILK (Calcium & Buffer liquid --> in place of Purple UP!) Also got a 15lbs bag of Aragalite sand and 4 lbs of LS from 2 difference live tanks. (Didn't put the entire 15lbs bag in though, maybe half .. I will wait till it clears to see how much to add.) Put the LR in, then the LS then the SW which I bought 10G of plus 5G of RO water. THEN I FREAKED OUT! I was so worried that the LR would dry out and hitchhikers would die that I put it all in and then added the SW not thinking that the SW was currently room temp! (around 72-74). Well, we shall see if anything survived I guess. Ended up buying too much LR. When the tank clears I will post pics to see what you guys think. I will probably crush the extra up to add to the 2nd Chamber. Now, just waiting ... and watching! (and now I can't find the cable to hook my digital cam up to the comp... grrrrr.....) Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 23, 2007 Author Share Posted September 23, 2007 Hmm, the water is pretty darn clear this morning. found one aiptasia a couple small seastars(??) and one brown "slug" .... anyone have any idea what it may be? if I lifted up a rock outside I'd swear i'd find the same thing. 1/2cm brown and crawls around like a snail (without a shell i think) nanotuners fans are making a lot of noise.... I may have to replace .... currently they are EverCool 50x10mm I believe ... any thoughts ....? I will take tests later today and posts. Thanks for your interest and help! Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 25, 2007 Author Share Posted September 25, 2007 Alright, brief update. As I posted on another thread I am having a heckuva hard time setting up my aquascape to my liking ... I keep fiddling with it! Grrr ... I think I am going to bust up the largest pieces and try again ... am I doing any damage to my hitchhikers? Also, my tank is running a little hot I think ... daytime temp with 1 50/50, 1 10,000K and 1 actinic is about 82.7 degrees .... night time with just the lunar lights is 79 .... is this a problem>? I do have a MJ900 running. I am thinking of putting in new fans ... the old ones (used) is making a lot of noise. Parameters are well and good I believe ... bought premade saltwater from LFS, PH = 8.2, minimal nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia for day 2. Can't find the stupid cord still to hook up my digicam to my computer. GRRRR! Link to comment
NanoReefaholic Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 The temp swing is a bit of an issue, and 82 is too hot for my liking. Replace the fans, they may not be pushing enough air and causing a bit of this problem. Link to comment
bubbles3660 Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 Welcome, fellow canuck. I am in T-Dot with a BC14 that's been up for about a year with lots of mods (and mistakes). There is always a trade-off with upgrading lights and heat issues - especially with the lid down. There will be consequences for each mod that you make. I went for the nano-tuners in-hood MH upgrade and I finally surrendered and bought a chiller to battle the temperature spikes. --bubbles Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 26, 2007 Author Share Posted September 26, 2007 Alright, new update ... with pics. Day 4 I think? Temp ... problem ... runs about 82.5 during the day with the lights on.... sometimes 82.9 .... yikes .... Question: should I set the thermometer to 82 to eliminate the temp swings? Or try to lower the temps altogether? I probably will replace the old fans (Nanotuners EverCool) PH: 8.2 Ammonia 0 Nitrates: 0 Nitrates: 40 Sound good? Pics -- sorry for the poor quality ... I dropped the cam one too many times and need to get it fixed .. Pic of the sandy dusty water .... this was so frustrating! hard to set up the rocks ;-) Here's where it sits in my living room .... THis is the final setup I think.... It is kind of "mountain" like but with a trench/cave in the middle (you can kinda see it in the next shot)What do you think?(first tank, would like ideas)And yes, it is stable. Top down view ... Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 27, 2007 Author Share Posted September 27, 2007 Also, my lighting cycle is Actinics on at 11am and off at 11pm... 50/50 and 10,000K on at noon and off at 9pm .... Does this sound about right ..? Added the Hydor FLO nozzle .... seems to add different flow ... anyone have any thoughts on this device? Temp still around 82 Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 27, 2007 Author Share Posted September 27, 2007 ACK!!!!! Got home from work today and the temp was 93!!!!!!! CRAAAAAAAAPPPP!!! Seems the heater got stuck(??) and just didn't turn off ..... Right now the lid is open and a fan blowing across .... I hope it helps ... I HOPE I DIDN"T KILL ANY OF MY LITTLE GUYS! (i.e. hitchhikers, pods, bacteria, etc ...) What do you think? Link to comment
HoomHow Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 Alright, one week has come and gone. I have realized that yes, my heater is broken. I am off to get a new one tomorrow. On the plus side I have noticed a little white and brown crab making a home under one of my rocks.... going to try to identify it this week. Also have seen a few pods moving about as well as some slug-like creatures (that have a "fingernail" like shell on their back) ... I think they are the good guys ... On the down side, when I first set up the reef (before the temperature fluctuations) I saw 5-10 little starfish, brownish ones on the rocks and whitish ones moving on the glass .... I have yet to see them again .... I am waiting for my diatom blooms ... Till next time :-) Link to comment
supahtim Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 6-8 hours of light is all that is needed. 12 is waaaaaaay too much. hydor flo is a great idea and yeah... looks like it's time for a new camera. lol the tank does look great though. nice aquascape! Tim Link to comment
HoomHow Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 Thanks SupahTim ;-) As of right now, I just installed two brand new EverCool exhaust fans ... Don't know much about them 50mmX10mm and there are more fan blades than on the previous EverCool ones from nanotuners (which were old and very creaky) ... Very quiet now, I like it :-) So, we will see what this does to my heat levels.... anyone know if more fan blades are better than fewer big blades? I dunno ... Will test water shortly ... ;-) Link to comment
HoomHow Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Operation: CrabCatch is now in full swing. After mulling over many of the threads on nano-reefs I have decided that the cute little crab that hitchhiked on one of my pieces of LR is going to have to go .... better to catch him now that find out he is a killer a little later on ..... The general consensus it seems is that for a peaceful reef, one should do without a crab (seems, in most cases, emeralds as well) So, with a glass tumbler in hand and a frozen spat of brine shrimp I set the trap up. Right out side his hole. Now we wait ....... hmmmm, I hope he likes shrimp ...... my wife said it looked like a boullion cube ... Mmmmm, shrimp boullion ..... I now lie in wait ...... Link to comment
HoomHow Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Ok, still no crab in my trap ... I see him .... I may have to spear him .... we shall see tomorrow ... patience On a 2nd note, here are my parameters on Day 8 ph --> 8.4 Ammonia --> 0 Nitrite --> 0 Nitrate --> 20 I used well cured live rock, and 15lbs LS with about 4lbs LS from two difference existing tanks .... Are my levels as they should be? I am beginning to see hair algae growing on the glass and some on the rocks .... I plan on waiting it out ... some sand appears to be turning brown, thats about it .... How about some feedback? Link to comment
TUDIZZLE Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 the brown algae should be the first part of your cycle, diatoms, and maybe the cycle will take care of that crab for ya. Like the aquascaping, just make sure it is nice and secure. Did you end up trimming back your light cycle? Hair algae this early in your tanks life is scarry IMO What is your water source? Link to comment
HoomHow Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Yes, actinics are now on from 2 till 10 and 50/50 are on from 3 till 9 .... I removed th 10K for now as I try to work out my heater issue ..... Ok, maybe it is not hair algae .... little LITTLE tufts of green grass-like individual pieces on the glass ... I will look more into it .... Water source is RO topoff and premixed SW from an LFS. And thanks for the compliments on the aqua scaping. It is secure although from time to time I wonder if I should glue it in .... Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.