UX Designer's Biocube 14

[uxdesigner]

Started - April 9, 2010

 

May 17, 2010

 

June 18, 2010

 

July 12, 2010

 

In the past 2 months I began to notice my anenome was slowly starting to bleach. I decided to move it up as I thought it was bleaching due to insufficient light. After some research and discussions from anenome experts we concluded that the problem was not the lights. The bleaching is due to my very high water temperature, constant 84. This explains the progressive bleaching as the Summer months begin to get warmer. It's still doing very well (eating, sticky and a strong foot deep in the rock ) but I've put it up for trade on a local reef forum as I don't have plans to invest in a chiller at this time.

 

The rest of the tank is thriving, everything is growing extremely fast and healthy. I have to give credit to the cheato in the middle chamber. Since added the growth rate of all corals has significantly improved. Even my hairy mushroom that wouldn't open has opened and getting large.

 

August 5, 2010

 

 

Current FTS - August 17, 2010

My tank had been aquascaped around my RBTA so not that its gone (a local reefer) I decided to redo my tank and go for a zoa, mushroom and ricordea tank. Mainly because my water temps are constantly high and those corals have proven to thrive in my tank. Really enjoying my new tank. The colors on those ricordea are awesome.

 

 

 

Stock Biocube 14 - Specs

15lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive - Bahamas Oolite

7lb live rock (Tonga Branch)

4lb live rock with zoa colonies

Biocube is the new version with the window in the back of chamber 2

 

Mods:

Hydor Pico Evolution 1200 (Works great!)

Removed Bio-Balls from chamber 2

Hydro Flo

Hydor Koralia Nano

 

Chamber 1:

Theo 50 watt heater in chamber 1 (false floor out)

Oceanic Protein Skimmer (removed) - Performance started out ok but quickly got worse

 

(6/28/2010)

Purigen moved to this chamber when cheato was added

 

Chamber 2:

Top rack with filter floss

False floor in with Chemi-Pure Elite.

 

(6/28/2010)

Middle Chamber now has cheato with Nano-Glo light being used through the window in the back. Got small zip bag of cheato and 1 month later it has now doubled in size

 

 

Chamber 3:

Hydor Pico Evolution 1200

 

CUC:

4 Hermit crabs

15 Blue Hermit Crabs

4 Snails

1 Cleaner Shrimp

 

Livestock:

2 Ocellaris Clownfish

 

Coral:

15 Ricordea Florida (Coral Morphologic)

1 Live rock - 3 colonies of Zoas (Member from another forum gave to me)

1 Green / Purple Frogspawn

1 Xenia

Purple People Eater Palys

1 Large Hairy Mushroom

1 Purple Mushroom Frag

1 Blue/Green Mushroom Frag

Reverse gorilla nipple Zoas

Yellow polyps frag has grown really fast into large colony

1 Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (Neighbor gave it to me!)

1 Green Star Polyp

1 Kenya Tree

 

Additives:

(Started Adding PurpleUp once a week)

5/17/2010 - PH 8.2 / Ammonia 0 / Nitrite 0 / Nitrate 0

[QuickSilver525]

hey bro looks good for starting out i would add any livestock until u finish ur cycle. ur LR eithEr looks like tonga branch or some old coral.. i cant really tell. but it looks like ur off to a good start. i still need to make my tank thread lol my camera is broken but ya good job so far

[uxdesigner]

hey bro looks good for starting out i would add any livestock until u finish ur cycle. ur LR eithEr looks like tonga branch or some old coral.. i cant really tell. but it looks like ur off to a good start. i still need to make my tank thread lol my camera is broken but ya good job so far

 

Thanks for the help I think you're right on. I looked up tonga branch and it looks very similar. Unfortunatley most images on-line are covered with live growth to compare accurately. I have noticed those small purple polyp looking pieces sprouting up all over the rock along with some rust coloration on some of the surfaces. On day one it was skeleton white, it's great to watch something coming alive!

[uxdesigner]

Update: 4/26/2010

 

Went through brown algae bloom (was ugly). Remained calm and it all went away on its own. Soon after came the bright green algae and copepods "looks like fleas/lice" covering the entire display windows.

 

[mmelnick]

Looks good. Where are you planning to put those frags that you just bought from me?

[uxdesigner]

Looks good. Where are you planning to put those frags that you just bought from me?

 

That's a great question.

 

Anthelia - I now have an island area of live rock rubble in the front right where I want to put the Anthelia.

 

Mushrooms - I was thinking th purple on the right and the blue/green on the left of the rock. I've debated about getting more live rock but I kind of like the simplicity of the 1 with the fingers.

 

Kenya tree - is going right in the center

 

Any suggestions or tips to avoid? Do any of these have issues with strong current? LFS said my star-fish was reef safe so I don't think it will harm any of the frags right? Although it doesn't climb on the rock it does keep my sand spotless.

[nanew reefer]

did you remove the sliding slots for the stock filter cartridge in chamber 1??

 

also, in chamber 1 there are 2 intakes, a top and bottom, on the top intake grating, is 1 slot covered up (inboard side) b.c thats where the plastic slide is on the other side? this is how my brand new bc29 came.

 

thanks for the responses, nice start!

[uxdesigner]

did you remove the sliding slots for the stock filter cartridge in chamber 1??

 

also, in chamber 1 there are 2 intakes, a top and bottom, on the top intake grating, is 1 slot covered up (inboard side) b.c thats where the plastic slide is on the other side? this is how my brand new bc29 came.

 

thanks for the responses, nice start!

 

You know what I did not remove the sliding slots in chamber 1 but did knock out the false floor with the wooden end of a hammer. Pops right out.

 

The intake in Chamber 1 were left untouched and there are no slots being covered nor is there a plastic slide. That me be a new feature to the newer biocubes. I just bought mine a month ago and it already had the nice window in the back to avoid having to scrape the cover to create the refugium window so many users here have done.

[EvoKnvl]

did you remove the sliding slots for the stock filter cartridge in chamber 1??

 

also, in chamber 1 there are 2 intakes, a top and bottom, on the top intake grating, is 1 slot covered up (inboard side) b.c thats where the plastic slide is on the other side? this is how my brand new bc29 came.

 

thanks for the responses, nice start!

 

In the BC14, there is no sliding slot... The filter actually sits left to right about half way back in the chamber... Versus in the BC29, the filter sits front to back, needing the plastic slide piece...

[uxdesigner]

New addition (Added May 13, 2010) :

 

Rose Bubble Tip Anemone

A neighbor of mine has a 200 gallon reef set up that was having issues with this anenome moving around and attacking other corals. He asked if I wanted it and now has a new home.

 

[Degener8]

Pretty pre mature for an anemone. I sure hope he does OK in it,.

 

no mention of what lighting is on the tank either. Looks like your using the stock hood and Power compact lighting? If so this is relatively weak i think for the anemone. Just a few things to think about..

 

Great looking anemone at this point though.

[uxdesigner]

Pretty pre mature for an anemone. I sure hope he does OK in it,.

 

no mention of what lighting is on the tank either. Looks like your using the stock hood and Power compact lighting? If so this is relatively weak i think for the anemone. Just a few things to think about..

 

Great looking anemone at this point though.

 

 

Yeah I agree completely with you. It's a risk but one I felt I was ready to take on.

 

It did look pretty bad the first day. It was closed and didn't have any bubbles what so ever. I changed the water about 15% after the first night then fed it some brine shrimp on the 3rd day as it began to "puff" up. Immediately after the feeding it has looked amazing and I have noticed the clown has taken a liking but has not committed to hosting in it. I am sure it will take a while but for know it just swims by every now and then.

 

Lighting is stock but I have a lot of current which the anemone has shown it likes, at least in my tank.

[uxdesigner]

New addition (Added May 14, 2010) :

 

Mushroom, Kenya Tree, Anthelia Frags

Purchased a few frags from user mmelnick out of the livestock for sale forum. Great user and highly recommend.Frags were delivered in 2 days and packaging was awesome. First time attempt at fragging and I have to say its fun and addicting. We'll see how they progress but so far the mushrooms have gotten larger and the Anthelia looks like it may make it after all.

 

Questions:

What's the correct process for adding a Kenya Tree, Mushrooms, Anthelia to your tank? I super glued them either in a small hole on a piece of live rock or glued the rock frag directly to a larger piece.

 

[NaClCrocodile]

You may look into a retrofit in the future. That BTA may live under the PC's, but don't expect it to remain as happy as it looks now. Also, beware of overfeeding it. Mysis the first few days may be okay, but give it about a week between feedings. Low light will only give it so much energy to digest with.

[uxdesigner]

So my fans started making a lot of noise last night. It doesn't sound like anything is broken its more of an accelerated speed sound that competes with my refrigerator. Narrowed it down to only when the daytime 10,000k lights are running. Runs silent with only the Actinics are on. Time for a replacement fan. I'ts only been a month .

[EvoKnvl]

So my fans started making a lot of noise last night. It doesn't sound like anything is broken its more of an accelerated speed sound that competes with my refrigerator. Narrowed it down to only when the daytime 10,000k lights are running. Runs silent with only the Actinics are on. Time for a replacement fan. I'ts only been a month .

 

That's because the fans don't run when the actinics are on... Only the daytime. In any case, those 40mm fans are notorious for making lots of sound. I think it's the fan being out of whack or whatever. Anyways, you can contact Oceanic, and they will replace it, but it will probably happen again. I was looking into replacing them as well, but I ended up getting a BC29 for a hot price...

[uxdesigner]

New addition (Added May 25, 2010) :

 

Live rock with 3 Zoa Colonies

A member from another forum was taking down his 200 gallon reef tank and I got this rock from him. Please help identify the types of zoas.

 

[uxdesigner]

New addition (Added May 25, 2010) :

 

Green Star Polyps (GSP)

Nice little live rock piece with a great looking GSP.

 

 

New addition (Added May 25, 2010) :

 

Frogspawn - Green and Purple

Very cool looking frogspawn. This this is so bright at night with the LED moonlights on!

 

[mtnsky]

I like how you can see the brittle star's legs hanging out below your GSP.

[CrushtheTurtle]

Hows the BTA holding up? i have a BC14 stock lighting, wondering how well it can sustain other types of life outside of softies

[uxdesigner]

Hows the BTA holding up? i have a BC14 stock lighting, wondering how well it can sustain other types of life outside of softies

 

The BTA is holding up very well. Looks very healthy, nice and full. Some days it shrinks to expel waste but quickly fills back up with nice bubbles on all the tips. I would recommend a BTA to anyone with a biocube. Hasn't moved out of the rock since I got it so it seems very happy in that spot with its lighting/current.I do find that my cleaner shrimp likes to mess with it and crawl all over it causing it to close, very odd.

 

Lighting:

I run my stock lights from Actinic from 7am to 7pm with the 10,000k from 9am to 5am. I am looking to upgrade my bulbs to the new PC-R just released at Nanotuners.

 

Feeding:

1 cube feeding of defrosted brine shrimp once a week with a turkey baster. Actually not the entire cube more like a squirt since most of it I give to the clowns and spread all over the tank.

[uxdesigner]

Interesting read about Anemones: http://www.w3page.com/fishline/anem.html

 

"Excerpt from link"

 

Entacmaea quadricolor, Bulb, Bubble, Bubble tipped, Maroon anemone

Recently obtained individuals will usually have unmistakable swollen ends on the tips of their tentacles. Specimens in captivity will often loose their bubble tips for periods of time and just have long straight tentacles. The tentacles usually have a green color especially when exposed to only actinic light. The tentacles may also have a frosty white ring around the tip. The base is often rusty red but may also be purple or just tan. The Rose anemone is a color variation of this anemone.

 

Good points

Normal reef lighting is enough [ above 4 watts per gallon ] for this type of anemone and may be more than enough. Nitrate levels bellow 20 ppm are preferred. Small ones may reproduce asexually in your aquarium by dividing into two smaller anemones. Their sting is rather weak and won't harm your other fish. They are accepted by Clarki type clowns, all the different Tomato type clowns, Maroon clowns and sometimes, although very rarely, Percula and Ocellaris clowns.

 

Bad points

These anemones tend to wander around the tank more often than others, sometimes causing their own deaths from lack of light or being sucked through a power head. They like to have their foot shaded inside a crevice in the rock or coral with their tentacles in the light. This preference might be met by placing a short piece of PVC pipe sized to the anemone, where you want the anemone to stay and putting its base into the pipe. They seem to be sensitive to being shipped. Make sure the one you pick out has a tight mouth and is firmly attached to something in the dealers tank. Any anemone that is not attached to something in the dealers tank is probably not healthy. In addition, when the dealer tries to remove the anemone from the tank the anemone should show some type of reaction, usually they contract.

[lorenz0]

I'm really digging the tank. just started my own biocube which was a huge downgrade. but you have for sure given me hope on the bubble tip.

[uxdesigner]

Thanks! I say if you want a bubble tip go for it. My bubble tip has not only been fine in my biocube for 3 months. Its actually grown in size and hoping for a split sometime soon

[CrushtheTurtle]

hey man, been following, ne updates?