The Biocube Resource Guide

[benoitcdc]

This stupid hole btw chambers 2 and 3 is a pain in my a**. Has anyone

found out what the purpose of it is? My sealing job pretty much sucks and

it's still leaking like a siv. When I shined a light down there on it there was

a bunch of dried up sealant in and around it that I had to razor blade off

first(not easy getting my hand in there for that one). Now I'm afraid to take

it back off because of potential leaching from the glue I used. arrrggggggg....

 

I did all this while in the middle of a water change thinking that would

be the easiest time.....Just waiting now hoping all the livestock survives.

I believe the hole is there because the newer BCs were having air trapped in the 2nd chamber so the hole is to allow the trapped air to escape. Don't know for sure. I have an older BC 14. Hope your live stock survive.

[MSunkin23]

This stupid hole btw chambers 2 and 3 is a pain in my a**. Has anyone

found out what the purpose of it is? My sealing job pretty much sucks and

it's still leaking like a siv. When I shined a light down there on it there was

a bunch of dried up sealant in and around it that I had to razor blade off

first(not easy getting my hand in there for that one). Now I'm afraid to take

it back off because of potential leaching from the glue I used. arrrggggggg....

 

I did all this while in the middle of a water change thinking that would

be the easiest time.....Just waiting now hoping all the livestock survives.

 

 

I diddnt use any glue, and it seems mine is working fine; I just moved the sponge up and wedged a piece of plastic in there (actually the sponge itself gave enough resistance to divert the flow.

 

One thing to think about, if you block it on the chamber 3 side, you need to glue it. If you block it on the chamber two side, you just need something light weight to vacuum seal the hole because the pump should be running ( no glue ). Downside to taht is, when you turn the pumps off the plug will fall.

 

Last Resort - Wet a bunch of filterfloss into a dense ball and shove it in there, if that doesnt slow it down, at least it will filter out particulate

[gagaliya]

Hi, i got the nano tuner's biocube fan upgrade kit, but fans are still very loud :/

 

In a moment of stupidity, i didnt order the variable ac/dc adapter because i didnt know what it was. Does anyone know if this adapter will let you control the fan speed - make it spin slowers to reduce the noise? thanks

 

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php...products_id=119

 

 

 

 

This stupid hole btw chambers 2 and 3 is a pain in my a**. Has anyone

found out what the purpose of it is? My sealing job pretty much sucks and

it's still leaking like a siv. When I shined a light down there on it there was

a bunch of dried up sealant in and around it that I had to razor blade off

first(not easy getting my hand in there for that one). Now I'm afraid to take

it back off because of potential leaching from the glue I used. arrrggggggg....

 

I did all this while in the middle of a water change thinking that would

be the easiest time.....Just waiting now hoping all the livestock survives.

 

i went to home depot and bought a stick of aquatic safe epoxy glue, applied PLENTY covering the hole and half the wall on both sides, it seems to do the job good once dried even though they are not sealants so to speak. Yeah i really like to have a chat with whoever decided to randomly drill on the hole there...

[IllinoisPlumber]

Hi, i got the nano tuner's biocube fan upgrade kit, but fans are still very loud :/

 

In a moment of stupidity, i didnt order the variable ac/dc adapter because i didnt know what it was. Does anyone know if this adapter will let you control the fan speed - make it spin slowers to reduce the noise? thanks

 

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php...products_id=119

 

 

 

Yes that's exactly what it does....

[iKenn]

HEy guys, need a few recommendations. Ive had my BC8 up and running for about 8 months now. The stock parts are slowly dying on me. I am still a beginner as i am running on bare essentials. First one of the fans went out, i cant get it out because the screw is stuck( it just keeps turning and never comes out, how do I fix that). The other fan makes a loud noise when running. Also, one of my ballast went out and I just have one bulb on now. Ive been running on one fan and bulb for about 2 months now. I have no corals and just a pistol shrimp and goby pair.

 

I decided to get my tank back up and running and was looking at the LED retrofit for the BC8 on nanotuners. The total comes out to $360. Thats a bit pricey since im in college. I have no idea what other option there is. I dont want my tank running hot, i dont like high power consumption so i thought the LED's would be perfect.

 

Would it be cheaper to just build my own LED retrofit? Also, what lighting mods have you guys with a BC 8 have done? I can barley find and BC8 mods.

[gagaliya]

today my biocube temperature went up to 84F from the set 79F, even with both fans blasting at full speed (i also cut out the grills on the reflector to allow better airflow.

 

this is terrible.

 

it's warm today but not that hot, as the temperature continues to go up when the real summer is here, all my fish would be dead. I work all day so cant really stay home and take care of the tank. Checked out the chillers, cant find a good options for nano tanks and all are expensive and huge!

 

My tank is fully planted so i have to keep both lights running for 8-10 hrs a day further exacerbating the heat problem.

 

what do i do?

[reefbike]

I've had the same temp issues this week with

my 14. I've dialed down my heater at least 6 clicks

now and it was 81 this am so I dialed it down once

more before leaving for work.

[gagaliya]

but how will dial down the heater help. If the room temp is 85F, it wont matter if the heater is set at 65F vs 80F for example, it will be off anyway.

[-Joe]

I purchased a 14 gallon Oceanic Biocube. I live in S FL and my indoor temp ranges from 76-78F. With the lid closed and lights on, the water temp tops at 85.6F, too high for a healthy marine, let alone coral, environment. How do I best cool this tank. I understand my options to be:

 

1. Install an IceProbe Chiller or a small in-line chiller?

Question: The glass is not tempered so I can drill from the back or side. Has anyone done this or recommend this option? Size of unit is attractive and apparent temp drawdown adequate without controller, since I am tying chilling to light circuit. Do I have acces from the hood to drop an IceProbe from the top without drilling the glass? I purposefully have not put much into the tank until it stabilizes. Ideally, I would like a mini Indo-Pacific set up, like what I had 10 years ago in a 225g tank. The temps are discouraging. Elegance of the solution is key given where the tank sits today (on a granite bar top). Thanks in advance.

 

 

I can also do this for marginal benefits at varying costs (I think):

2. Change pump to higher flow rate, more efficient product.

3. Change lights to LED set up for more output and lower heat

[inTank]

[Garf]

HEy guys, need a few recommendations. Ive had my BC8 up and running for about 8 months now. The stock parts are slowly dying on me. I am still a beginner as i am running on bare essentials. First one of the fans went out, i cant get it out because the screw is stuck( it just keeps turning and never comes out, how do I fix that). The other fan makes a loud noise when running. Also, one of my ballast went out and I just have one bulb on now. Ive been running on one fan and bulb for about 2 months now. I have no corals and just a pistol shrimp and goby pair.

 

I decided to get my tank back up and running and was looking at the LED retrofit for the BC8 on nanotuners. The total comes out to $360. Thats a bit pricey since im in college. I have no idea what other option there is. I dont want my tank running hot, i don't like high power consumption so i thought the LED's would be perfect.

 

Would it be cheaper to just build my own LED retrofit? Also, what lighting mods have you guys with a BC 8 have done? I can barley find and BC8 mods.

 

if you are spending $$$ on the LED from nano tuners, upgrade the tank to a BC14. Tank is cheap, and see if you can get a used hood. I think the price of the LED kit is roughly the same, and you will be happier with more room. My BC14 did the same thing, after a couple of years. I ran one light with no fans for several months until nano tuners got their #### together for the LED upgrades (I ordered in October, didn't get the hood till February due to stock issues).

 

If no LED retro, you should be able to pull the fans out, just yank the stripped screw. Hopefully the three other posts can hold the fans. Buy quality, quiet fans, look at mods out there, maybe put a larger, quieter fan in there. Replace the ballast, and maybe do the 3.18 upgrade from nano tuners. Of course, adding up the ballast, lights, fans and such, you are probably over halfway to the cost of the LEDs..

[Meengineer0128]

Enjoy the thread!!!! Good info.

[QuickSilver525]

hey guys i got a question. on my biocube 14 after i added the maxijet 900 to the back and everything it is starting to kinda fill up almost to overflow into the back chambers over the wall. i have steviet's media rack and everything. any ideas on whats up? thanks any info would be great

[jojoe972]

hey guys i got a question. on my biocube 14 after i added the maxijet 900 to the back and everything it is starting to kinda fill up almost to overflow into the back chambers over the wall. i have steviet's media rack and everything. any ideas on whats up? thanks any info would be great

 

Are all three chambers full to the top? when I added my maxi 900 and stevieT's media basket it was fine but when I took off the plastic peice that holds the media rack in place in chamber two it kind of started to move the water up in chamber three more because there was no restriction to slow the water down.

[BonnieC]

Im still researching everything. Can you keep any corals in a STOCK 29 Biocube?

[QuickSilver525]

Are all three chambers full to the top? when I added my maxi 900 and stevieT's media basket it was fine but when I took off the plastic peice that holds the media rack in place in chamber two it kind of started to move the water up in chamber three more because there was no restriction to slow the water down.

 

no i have the water right under the top level in the media rack that has my filter floss on there. i have the little clear plastic thing from the media rack on but i have it where it is set all the way to the sides so for maximum flow but still flows through the media rack

[Rick778]

Im still researching everything. Can you keep any corals in a STOCK 29 Biocube?

 

 

You sure can, with limits. Check the tank threads to see what folks are able to keep.

[JakeF150]

I couldnt find the info or i m blind

 

I need to know if you guys keep blue small sponge square that placed in 3rd chamber on the bottom ??

 

What did you do with it ??

 

I already have a media intank system but havent set up 29 Bio yet.. I need to move to different place to live then i will set it up from there.

 

THANKS!

Jake

[Maddevil1]

I couldnt find the info or i m blind

 

I need to know if you guys keep blue small sponge square that placed in 3rd chamber on the bottom ??

 

What did you do with it ??

 

I already have a media intank system but havent set up 29 Bio yet.. I need to move to different place to live then i will set it up from there.

 

THANKS!

Jake

Remove blue sponge, its not needed.

[BonnieC]

You sure can, with limits. Check the tank threads to see what folks are able to keep.

 

Im trying to sort it out because the system I really want is going to cost me over $2500 to set up. And I probably will not be able to do that for over a year.

 

I could start with a biocube and work my way up. BUT..if I have to start upgrading things like lights, then I might as well just wait. That's why Id like to find out what I can store in the stock biocube with no upgrades.

 

Any thoughts?

[JakeF150]

Remove blue sponge, its not needed.

 

 

THANKS!

[benoitcdc]

Im trying to sort it out because the system I really want is going to cost me over $2500 to set up. And I probably will not be able to do that for over a year.

 

I could start with a biocube and work my way up. BUT..if I have to start upgrading things like lights, then I might as well just wait. That's why Id like to find out what I can store in the stock biocube with no upgrades.

 

Any thoughts?

You can keep softies and some lps in a stock BC 14 without any problems or major upgrades (lighting, chillers, filtering systems). If its only temporary until you get you other system up, I wouldn't wast your money on a BC but rather spend it on your future system IMHO. If you just have to have something now, the BC 14 is a good choice and after you have your other system up you could use your BC 14 as a QT, frag/grow out tank, or keep it as a softies tank. HTH.

[jojoe972]

Quicksilver I don't know what to say about that then..... I heard of people having issues when adding a maxi 1200 to the system but not the 900. I would say just watch your levels. it's okay to have the water high in chamber three. allows more water to flow quicker through the system. Sorry i wasn't anymore help to you.

[kevincaughey]

I just got a BioCube 14g The LFS has one set up with a heavy load and isn't running a skimmer.

I was wondering ow many of you guys run skimmers in your BioCubes?

 

Also I have all the bio balls in the tank now. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about this.

I have read some people say use them and others say not to.

If I do keep them I could clean them every few months but it would be hard to get to the balls on the bottom.

Any Ideas? I would like to make a decision before the tank runs to long..

 

Thanks for any info.

[Rick778]

I just got a BioCube 14g The LFS has one set up with a heavy load and isn't running a skimmer.

I was wondering ow many of you guys run skimmers in your BioCubes?

 

Also I have all the bio balls in the tank now. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about this.

I have read some people say use them and others say not to.

If I do keep them I could clean them every few months but it would be hard to get to the balls on the bottom.

Any Ideas? I would like to make a decision before the tank runs to long..

 

Thanks for any info.

 

I don't run a skimmer, but do weekly water changes. I would get rid of the bio-balls, sponge and carbon filter cartridge, then replace with media rack and filter floss. Check this thread out for specifics.