Bio Cube vs. Regular tank

[meanielinguine]

I am not "new" to salt water but have not had a tank since 2004. In 2004, I bought a Eclipse 14 gallon ( i believe) then moved up to a regular tank 30 gallon. Lots of errors, internet wasn't the happening thing as it is now.. There was very little info , that I found. The pet store in our area was quite pricey for salt water and they didn't seem to want to give out the info. I traveled to other areas of our state to just seek out info and buy fish..

 

When I had the 30 gallon.. I did not have anything special to keep it going. just a regular heater and hang on the back filter. Everything seemed to be okay and nothing was dieing until my husband surprised me with a Coral Beauty and placed it in the 30 gallon before placing it in the 14 gallon( turned that into the starter tank for all fish before placing in the 30 gallon) long story short. lost all our fish to sickness and I lost all ambition..

 

SO NOW I AM BACK ... been on CL all weekend trying to buy either the 29 gallon or 14 gallon Bio Cube.. both sellers have YET to reply to me. Still the only Saltwater supplying pet store that is reputable is the same I dealt with back in 2004... and their BioCubes are quite pricey.

 

Pet Smart has a great deal on a 30 gallon right now with stand.. if I was to purchase the 30 gallon.. what all would I want to purchase as well.. the 30 galon is $200 with stand.. the 29 gallon Biocube with stand is $200 ( used) the Biocube 14 gallon is $150 used.. so good deals on the used if the people will reply to emails..

 

 

All I am wanting to do is have some Clowns ad Shrimp.. maybe a star and crabs... not wanting to get all crazy with corals..

 

I was told with the BioCube I want to change up the lighting..

 

So all tips would be great.. I know I can get my live stand for about $40 a bag at the pet store I deal with and they mix salt water and sell it in regular jugs which is MUCH cheaper than the $25.00 jugs of the pre mixed. ( It was awesome the pet shop never let me know they mixed saltwater to sell until about 1 year after I had my tanks back in the 2004)

 

I hope I did not BORE anyone to bad..

[Rollermonkey]

I have a BC 29, and frankly I'd never consider the 14. I can barely fit my hands into the chambers of this one.

 

That said, IMO the BCs are ok for learning from, but not that great long term. I must have done a dozen mods to mine trying to get it to work better, and most of it was a royal PITA.

 

I'm in the middle of upgrading now, and I can't imagine ever going back to an AIO due to the relative ease of modular upgrading.

 

All that to say, go for the 30B from Pet Smart. In the long run, it will be a better decision, and you don't inherit any headaches if those BCs are still wet. If your LFS is cranky, the online vendors are generally awesome. Marine Depot, Live Aquaria, Reef Cleaners, Bulk Reef Supply, and on and on.

[Nocturnal]

I agree with Roller about the biocubes in general and do wish that I had picked up a higher end all in one cube. But, IMO the only aesthetically pleasing options are doing an all in one type like like the cube or using a sump. I can't stand the look of filters hanging off the back of a tank.

 

Also a 29cube is much more attractive than a plain jane 30 gallon. If you aren't planning on coral the stock lighting will be fine and if you don't have dreams of a bigger and better tank then I'd say go with the cube.

 

I bought mine from marinedepot, shipped to my door easy peasey. No reason to shop at a bad LFS.

[Lawnman]

I am not "new" to salt water but have not had a tank since 2004. In 2004, I bought a Eclipse 14 gallon ( i believe) then moved up to a regular tank 30 gallon. Lots of errors, internet wasn't the happening thing as it is now.. There was very little info , that I found. The pet store in our area was quite pricey for salt water and they didn't seem to want to give out the info. I traveled to other areas of our state to just seek out info and buy fish..

 

When I had the 30 gallon.. I did not have anything special to keep it going. just a regular heater and hang on the back filter. Everything seemed to be okay and nothing was dieing until my husband surprised me with a Coral Beauty and placed it in the 30 gallon before placing it in the 14 gallon( turned that into the starter tank for all fish before placing in the 30 gallon) long story short. lost all our fish to sickness and I lost all ambition..

 

SO NOW I AM BACK ... been on CL all weekend trying to buy either the 29 gallon or 14 gallon Bio Cube.. both sellers have YET to reply to me. Still the only Saltwater supplying pet store that is reputable is the same I dealt with back in 2004... and their BioCubes are quite pricey.

 

Pet Smart has a great deal on a 30 gallon right now with stand.. if I was to purchase the 30 gallon.. what all would I want to purchase as well.. the 30 galon is $200 with stand.. the 29 gallon Biocube with stand is $200 ( used) the Biocube 14 gallon is $150 used.. so good deals on the used if the people will reply to emails..

 

 

All I am wanting to do is have some Clowns ad Shrimp.. maybe a star and crabs... not wanting to get all crazy with corals..

 

I was told with the BioCube I want to change up the lighting..

 

So all tips would be great.. I know I can get my live stand for about $40 a bag at the pet store I deal with and they mix salt water and sell it in regular jugs which is MUCH cheaper than the $25.00 jugs of the pre mixed. ( It was awesome the pet shop never let me know they mixed saltwater to sell until about 1 year after I had my tanks back in the 2004)

 

I hope I did not BORE anyone to bad..

I would not buy anything right now. You have joined the right place and welcome to Nano Reef. Take a chill pill and read read read. If you can think of the question it has been asked here. Do some reading for a week you will learn a lot more and save plenty of money. Not trying to be rude but if you are asking what you need to buy you need more research. Biocubes on CL pop up everyday. Take your time and ask questions you will thank me later .

[Rollermonkey]

I agree with Roller about the biocubes in general and do wish that I had picked up a higher end all in one cube. But, IMO the only aesthetically pleasing options are doing an all in one type like like the cube or using a sump. I can't stand the look of filters hanging off the back of a tank.

 

Also a 29cube is much more attractive than a plain jane 30 gallon. If you aren't planning on coral the stock lighting will be fine and if you don't have dreams of a bigger and better tank then I'd say go with the cube.

 

I bought mine from marinedepot, shipped to my door easy peasey. No reason to shop at a bad LFS.

 

Yeah, but with a standard 30, you can start with an HOB and if you planned ahead and drilled it and put blank fittings in the bulkheads before filling it you can upgrade from that HOB to a full sump far easier than putting a sump on a BC.

 

...and then you can upgrade the tank over the sump, and then the sump again, and then the tank again...

[duncan-junkie]

What Lawnman said!!

 

I would not buy anything right now. You have joined the right place and welcome to Nano Reef. Take a chill pill and read read read. If you can think of the question it has been asked here. Do some reading for a week you will learn a lot more and save plenty of money. Not trying to be rude but if you are asking what you need to buy you need more research. Biocubes on CL pop up everyday. Take your time and ask questions you will thank me later .

[TwiceBanned]

Don't get a biocube unless the seller gives it to you for NOTHING. my biggest regret is getting one of these POSs.

[zooman72]

Even though I have a pair of BC14's, for a pair of clowns I would grab a BC29 - more room, stability, etc. in not much of a bigger footprint.

 

If you are not planning anything other than the clowns and a few non-coral inverts, then you can limit your upgrades on it to a media basket and maybe a simple skimmer lie an AquaticLife Mini 115. You can leave the lights as is and upgrade them later as needed (say for an easy anemone like a bubble tip) and after you have gained more experience.

 

Part of the fun is sometimes thinking and going "outside the box", but keep it simple early on, and good luck.

 

Oh, and welcome!

[Rollermonkey]

^Aw, they aren't THAT bad.

 

Close, but not completely worthless.

[zooman72]

I have no problem with either of mine...

 

...hope I didn't just jinx myself...

[kidnatural]

I have a biocube 29 for 10 months fully decked and still not happy with it. Upgrading tanks ATM and will be ditching the cube. Great starter tank IMO and will let u know whether your ready to heavily invest into the hobby or bow out without spending a lot of money. For me at least it was a gateway drug into this hobby

[Tamberav]

Do you have a Petco? Pecto does a $1 per gallon sale around 3-4 times a year.

 

You can get a 20G long for $20 or a $40 Breeder for $40 (the two best footprints if they don't carry 30Breeders). They also sell cheap stands but you could always build one.

 

$200 for a standard 30g is a RIPOFF. Biocubes also cost way to much for what you get. They need a lot of upgrading and aren't the best quality.

 

 

I am not "new" to salt water but have not had a tank since 2004. In 2004, I bought a Eclipse 14 gallon ( i believe) then moved up to a regular tank 30 gallon. Lots of errors, internet wasn't the happening thing as it is now.. There was very little info , that I found. The pet store in our area was quite pricey for salt water and they didn't seem to want to give out the info. I traveled to other areas of our state to just seek out info and buy fish..

 

When I had the 30 gallon.. I did not have anything special to keep it going. just a regular heater and hang on the back filter. Everything seemed to be okay and nothing was dieing until my husband surprised me with a Coral Beauty and placed it in the 30 gallon before placing it in the 14 gallon( turned that into the starter tank for all fish before placing in the 30 gallon) long story short. lost all our fish to sickness and I lost all ambition..

 

SO NOW I AM BACK ... been on CL all weekend trying to buy either the 29 gallon or 14 gallon Bio Cube.. both sellers have YET to reply to me. Still the only Saltwater supplying pet store that is reputable is the same I dealt with back in 2004... and their BioCubes are quite pricey.

 

Pet Smart has a great deal on a 30 gallon right now with stand.. if I was to purchase the 30 gallon.. what all would I want to purchase as well.. the 30 galon is $200 with stand.. the 29 gallon Biocube with stand is $200 ( used) the Biocube 14 gallon is $150 used.. so good deals on the used if the people will reply to emails..

 

 

All I am wanting to do is have some Clowns ad Shrimp.. maybe a star and crabs... not wanting to get all crazy with corals..

 

I was told with the BioCube I want to change up the lighting..

 

So all tips would be great.. I know I can get my live stand for about $40 a bag at the pet store I deal with and they mix salt water and sell it in regular jugs which is MUCH cheaper than the $25.00 jugs of the pre mixed. ( It was awesome the pet shop never let me know they mixed saltwater to sell until about 1 year after I had my tanks back in the 2004)

 

I hope I did not BORE anyone to bad..

[Nocturnal]

Yeah, but with a standard 30, you can start with an HOB and if you planned ahead and drilled it and put blank fittings in the bulkheads before filling it you can upgrade from that HOB to a full sump far easier than putting a sump on a BC.

 

...and then you can upgrade the tank over the sump, and then the sump again, and then the tank again...

 

Of course,but not everyone is as crazy as we are. Most folks will buy one tank and keep that forever or just tear it down after a year or so.

 

For me the regular old tanks just scream "please put some tetras an an algae eater in me".

 

I don't get all the biocube hate. Nice looking tank, AIO area is flexible, and comes with several options for lighting etc. Of course we will tend to get annoyed with a simple tank as we progress in the hobby but that is true of just about anything we buy.

[Javious]

I find the BioCube 29 chambers difficult to work with and limiting in what you can put in them. I have grown to dislike the bowed front and curved glass corners, distortion when viewing and difficult to clean. The black trim on the HQI model is ugly as sin and I never liked the idea of the solid flip up hood on the regular BC's. If you like the all in one design, check out Cadlights or PicO (both sponsors here).

[Formula462]

You guys complaining you can't do salt right in a biocube must have no skillz. I modify just about any tank I run, in one way or another. It's no different with the AIOS.

 

I mean yeah for sps the filter and lighting leave room for improvement, but if you are just trying to run a basic setup they're fine.

 

I've seen LeeMar make shit tanks, I've seen Tenecor make shit tanks, I've seen shit very expensive customs. Shit is everywhere, but if you know what you're doing, you can navigate the mess. I have multiple setups, and work with thousands of gallons of water daily, my biocube is still my little baby. ( modified to hell little baby)

[Tamberav]

I think the point people are trying to make is biocubes were once popular due to limited choices but there are sooo many choices for AIO nano-tanks now that biocubs fall short.

 

You can set up a reef in pretty much anything that will hold water and not rust/leech but doesn't mean its the most pleasing to work with.

 

I guess the best question for meanielinguine is what would you be most happy with? What is your budget?

 

The cheapest price? (Petco or used)

Something clean like a rimless? (Mr Aqua is very affordable)

An AIO only? or a tank + a HOB? (either gets the job done)