Cali-girl Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 This is the story of a little Biocube14 that grew to a beautiful 29g mixed reef....... i finally did it! I went down to the store yesterday afternoon and got myself a Biocube 14. I'm soo excited. I've been reading forum after forum after forum and researching since probably early spring. I got about 10lbs of live rock consisting of kailini, figi, and tonga - more will be coming soon, put in about 15lbs of Aragonite sand. Since everything was live already, i'm assuming that the cycle won't be that big, but i plan on letting it do it's thing for at least a few weeks. I just have the actinics on for about 12 hours a day. As of right now, I have everything stock. I plan on taking out the bioballs and adding rock rubble in the 2nd chamber, putting the heater in the 1st, and maybe doing cheato on that top tray or just on top of the rock. i know that some of you guys use chemipure, so i'm looking into that too instead of the carbon filter. I want to upgrade the pump to add more flow. I'm noticing that the skimming isn't that great, until i move the carbon filter out of the way. It ends up blocking and reducing the incoming flow of water. That's my plan so far!! I posted all this in the beginner's forum, but i figured i should do it here as well, then i can update and post pics as i go along! You guys are a wealth of information and i welcome any comments or suggestions! Link to comment
Nat_RH Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Good luck to you. There are quite of few of us Proud Biocube 14g owners lurking around. Have fun! Link to comment
spanko Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 It will be easier to remove the bio-balls right from the start. The longer you leave them in there the more they become part of your biofiltration, then you have to remove them over the course of a couple of weeks so you don't upset your tank. Just sayin,................... Oh and to N-R Link to comment
HoomHow Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Welcome! I am 28 days into owning and operating a BC14 and I couldn't be more excited! Welcome! Have fun with it! I too would recommend getting the bioballs out sometime this week and replacing it with LR rubble ... Also, though there are many debates, I don't think you need your actinics on for 12hrs right away ... I think I started mine at 6hrs actinics and 4hrs 50/50 for the first week and increased it from there .... Again, welcome! Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 I think i'll be able to pick up more rock on wednesday. I'll take the bioballs out tonight. Should I leave the carbon and the sponge in the other chambers or take them out and just let the rock do it's own filtration? Link to comment
the gzaa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Welcome! I am 28 days into owning and operating a BC14 and I couldn't be more excited! Welcome! Have fun with it! I too would recommend getting the bioballs out sometime this week and replacing it with LR rubble ... Also, though there are many debates, I don't think you need your actinics on for 12hrs right away ... I think I started mine at 6hrs actinics and 4hrs 50/50 for the first week and increased it from there .... Again, welcome! In reality replacing the bioballs with lr rubble wont do anything...the purpose of the bioballs is to take the more toxic ammonia and nitrites and convert them to nitrates. The live rock in the tank and live sand can also serve the same purpose and harbour the bacteria. The only way the lr will make a difference and actually convert nitrites and ammonia into nitrates is if it is a huge chunk of lr. Lr rubble is too small to harbor the bacteria. I made a thread about using the bioballs. Some have kept them and others have thrown them out, however lr rubble wont do anything at all! heres the link to my thread hope it helps http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=134482 Link to comment
fraggle rockette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 In reality replacing the bioballs with lr rubble wont do anything...the purpose of the bioballs is to take the more toxic ammonia and nitrites and convert them to nitrates. The live rock in the tank and live sand can also serve the same purpose and harbour the bacteria. The only way the lr will make a difference and actually convert nitrites and ammonia into nitrates is if it is a huge chunk of lr. Lr rubble is too small to harbor the bacteria. I made a thread about using the bioballs. Some have kept them and others have thrown them out, however lr rubble wont do anything at all!heres the link to my thread hope it helps http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=134482 i was under the impression that in nano-tanks, every little bit of added filtration counts. since the LR is "live" and bio-balls are, well, "dead plastic balls", it should make a bit of a difference, even a wee one. but they are certainly not the same. oh- welcome to N-R CG!!! Link to comment
supahtim Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 the whole dealio with the bioballs is that they do create nitrates and those nitrates will eventually leach back into the aquarium. they're sorta like carbon. they have an expiry date, and when that expiry date is up... kaboom! the only difference between carbon and bioballs is that you can wash bioballs and it is recommended to do so, probably in small amounts every few days to a week. Tim Link to comment
the gzaa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 i was under the impression that in nano-tanks, every little bit of added filtration counts. since the LR is "live" and bio-balls are, well, "dead plastic balls", it should make a bit of a difference, even a wee one. but they are certainly not the same. oh- welcome to N-R CG!!! nope...makes no difference...there is no point at all having lr rubble...its too small!!!!!!!! the rock has to be like a chunk of 5lb rock or bigger to actually make a difference...all the lr rubble does is catch dirt and make it dirtier back there Link to comment
kgehrke Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I just got my biocube about two months ago, I hope you enjoy your's as much as I have enjoyed mine. It looks like your threads getting taken over by the "bio balls vs live rock rubble" debate. There are plenty of other threads where this has been argued over. In the end it's up to you to decide. It sounds like you want to do some of the same mods I and many other biocube owners did. I swapped my pump out for a maxi jet 900 and cut a little bit of plastic off the chamber 1&2 splitter for better flow. I went with the live rock and cheato route in chamber 2 also. Good Luck! Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Day three turned on the lights this morning and i looked around on the rock to see if i could see anything yet, I think i've got a few aptasia....grrrrr! they are pretty small and i wasn't sure at first but i looked at a few pics to identify. Should i let them be during the cycling? or should i get Joe's juice now, or wait till i can get a peppermint shrimp after the cycling? Link to comment
spanko Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 This is just my opinion, but I think if you already have three I would Joe's, Lemon juice, or hot water them now before they get away from you. You have less of a chance of making some other livestock mad since there is nothing much in there now. Then after cycling I would add a peppermint for any later aip's that show up. Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Everything looks great so far- have you considered the nanotuner's 3.24 mod? Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Thanks Spanko - I'll try those and see if it takes care of them. I haven't really thought about the mod for it yet. I'm thinking for now i just want to make sure that i can actually keep this thing alive!!! haha. I'm not really looking to do SPS and the really heavy duty corals. If i decide later that's something i want I might look into it, but for now I'm just keepin things simple. Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 KISS Gotcha. I doubt you can fail, unless you blatantly ignore our advice Very few people actually fail at nano reefing if they are a regular member of N-R.com... wait, what's my tank doing... ahhh! It's crashing.... The reason I do recommend it (although jumping to MH is even better ) is that it will allow you to keep most zoas and softies, whereas ATM, you are limited to shrooms and basic zoas, sun coral (ironic name, no?), and low light softies. Just something to think about Good Luck, and PM me if you have any questions about the BC14. Check out mine too (linky below) Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 thanks Gvtv44, i might take you up on that! I "stopped" by my lfs on the way home and picked up the maxi jet and the hydoflow and then some more live rock. Finally got it all set up about an hour ago. The rock looks good! I barely have about 15lbs, but it still looks like sooo much! The maxi-jet mod took longer than i thought it would. It's super hard to get your hands back there and still be able to fit everything where it needs to go. But it's all up and running and the flow of the water looks really good. Had trouble at first because the green hose was too long and kept kinking down at the bottom. I ended up cutting about 4in off. the rippling effect looks awesome with the moon lights! so far so good! Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 this morning i checked the tank, everything looks good except for the temp. for the last 2 days it's been at a constant 82 degrees. It was the same even this morning before the lights went on. i switched out the pump for the maxi jet so i thought that would knock it down at least a degree. anyone have any ideas? Link to comment
bubbles3660 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 this morning i checked the tank, everything looks good except for the temp. for the last 2 days it's been at a constant 82 degrees. It was the same even this morning before the lights went on. i switched out the pump for the maxi jet so i thought that would knock it down at least a degree. anyone have any ideas? A constant 82 sounds fine to me. --bubbles Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Check my thread for the fan mod- it will lower it to a cool 80 degrees or so, unless your room temperature is 80 or more Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Good luck with your new BC14. It's the perfect tank for beginner reefers like me. BTW: I took the bio balls out completely. If you think about it, there should be enough live rock in your main display tank for biological filtration. Any excessive live rock in your rear chamber will only create more places for detrius to build up in your system. Remember, it's tough to use a siphon back there for routine cleanings! I'd simply lay additional floss on top of the 2nd chamber instead and drop a bag of purigen inside. Anyhow, what do I know. I'm just a beginner like you Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 i'm wondering if that's what is making it hot. The fires around here have made the air quality bad so we can't open the windows and the temp has been pretty warm. It's been getting really hot inside, although i don't think up to 82. i opened the hood for a little while and it cooled down, i'll keep an eye on the temp today. I might have to do the upgrades.... Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 first FTS. took this with photobooth on my computer. fyi, everything is flipped. it's how the computer camera saw it...... Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 I was gonna say, that's no Bio Cube! Link to comment
Cali-girl Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share Posted October 28, 2007 turned the lights on today. Got a really good diatom bloom happening! it's on it's way. I was a little worried the last few days as all the levels have remained stable and i wasn't getting any "cycle" readings. I posted in the beginner's forum and it's possible that most of my rock had already been cycled to begin with, which wouldn't really give me a big swing in readings - at least that's what i understood from the responses.... i'll keep doing the water testings and see if i end up with a true cycle, but it looks like the process was sped up for me already!! Link to comment
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