5.56 CL BC29 build thread

[Five.five-six]

Instead of trashing up the biocube resource guide, I have decided to make my own build thread and just trash that up.  I found the biocube resource guid to be a really nice thread and I'd like to leave it as I found it

 

Started off with a stock biocube 29, the hood had never been used so I'll keep it for a bit.  Plan being to, once the lamps wear out in 6-9 months, retrofit in a steves's LED kit for it.  From what I can tell, it's the best I can get inside the BC29 stock hood

 

I have a stock corralife stand, which was too wobbly, I glued gussets in the bottom and it stiffened it right up.  I'll post pictures later.

 

I figured the switches would wear out from turning off and on every day, so I decided to get timers, but with that little stand getting filled up and all that, I found an old neptune ACIII pro on another site for super cheep and even though programming is a little rough, it does all sorts of cool stuff like log temp and Ph and turns off lights if tank gets hot and it has a lab grade temp probe so I don't have to rely on the crappy thermostat in my cheep heater.  It has a 8 plug power strip that can turn 8 things on and off automaticly depending on how I write the program.  I might use a float switch and a Ph probe to dose kalkwasser for my topoff.  I like SPS. 

 

 

I just got a used aquaticlife 115 skimmer cheep and used.  Thank you Sully32 for the quick ship and good deal.  It skims really nicely but I don't think I will keep it.   Chamber 1 is where the water height is stable and I need that for all the neat probes that go with the ACIII.  I think I want an aquamaxx HOB-1, once I convince the wife that it won't look all that bad in our living room.  

 

 

Right now I am cycling.  I have 2 percula clowns about 28 poundss of dead rock and a 3 pound piece of live rock to sead the dead rock.  I have more time than budget for this project so I will save money any chance I get.  

 

 

On the way and in the mail used are this aquasurf module for the ACIII, which allows me to controll the speed of the tunzie 6055 which will supply the bulk of the flow in the tank... I think that a 6055 running full blast would make that tank look like a well shaken snow globe.     

 

 

Here is a frontal and top down photo of the aquascapeing for yoru enjoyment or amusement as the case may be.   

 

[Five.five-six]

I got my aquasurf pump controller in the mail last night, hooked it up and programmed it.  Now just waiting for my 6055 and we will be good.   

 

I haven't cycled a new tank in a very loooooooong time. About 4 days after the perculas were put in, I had a less than subtle brown algae bloom.  Is this normal?  Fuge light is in for the cheato now and some GAC, I think that will help.  Also, I am trying to convince my wife that she doesn't need to feed the fish every time they "look hungry". How exactly does a fish look when he's hungry anyways?  I haven't quite figured that out but there's bleached out mysis shrimp all over the tank.  

 

I have the fuge lights set to go on when the white lights are off, program slate like this:

IF Timer LT1= On Then FUG Off

IF Timer LT1= Off Then FUG On

[WV Reefer]

53 minutes ago, Five.five-six said:

I got my aquasurf pump controller in the mail last night, hooked it up and programmed it.  Now just waiting for my 6055 and we will be good.   

 

I haven't cycled a new tank in a very loooooooong time. About 4 days after the perculas were put in, I had a less than subtle brown algae bloom.  Is this normal?  Fuge light is in for the cheato now and some GAC, I think that will help.  Also, I am trying to convince my wife that she doesn't need to feed the fish every time they "look hungry". How exactly does a fish look when he's hungry anyways?  I haven't quite figured that out but there's bleached out mysis shrimp all over the tank.  

 

I have the fuge lights set to go on when the white lights are off, program slate like this:

IF Timer LT1= On Then FUG Off

IF Timer LT1= Off Then FUG On

 

the brown is likely diatoms..... totally normal. Tell your wife to stop with the feeding or she is gonna mess sh*t up fast. lol.  Overfeeding is the greatest source of all woes in this hobby.  

 

I like the scape. 

[Five.five-six]

Well, I got that 6055 up and running and I have to say that it is prefect for a 29g cube.  Definitely enough power to snow globe the tank if it was pointed wrong and on full power but I have is ocillating between 30% and 99% during the day which creates wonderful random flow patterns and have it turned down to 30% and 45% at night.  I'll have to post a video.    

[BrandonD32]

I'm glad that the skimmer was skimming well for you. It served me well during it's use. I like the scape. It will look great as it fills in. If you do decide to go with an Aquamaxx I still have mine for sale. I want to get it sold as it's my last piece of extra equipment. I dropped it to $130 shipped. Good luck with everything!

[Five.five-six]

Do you have a photo of the aquamaxx on the back of a BC29?  I really need chamber 1 for the back magnet for the 6055, temp, ph and ORP probes eventually because they are not submersible. Even my heater isn't submersible.  

[BrandonD32]

I sent you a PM.

[Five.five-six]

All kinds of gross stuff is growning, I am not pleased

[Five.five-six]

Gusset photos as promised.  Also, I neatened up the wireing for my controller and things.  

[Five.five-six]

So, I got the body for a remora aquac skimmer and I think I can install it with the factory hood, which my wife insists on, with minor cutting... well some cutting but it will still kook nice.  My problem is that I don't think the remora is a that great of a skimmer.  I would really rather have Aquamaxx HOB-1 but I don't think my wife will like the way it looks.  I could use some advice.  Is this a fight I should have or just pass on?

 

One option is to install the Remora and let her get used to it and then upgrade.  I got the body for $10 and a cobalt MJ1200 is $32 shipped right now from Dr Foster and Smith.  That puts me at $42 for a fairly decent skimmer.

[WV Reefer]

18 minutes ago, Five.five-six said:

So, I got the body for a remora aquac skimmer and I think I can install it with the factory hood, which my wife insists on, with minor cutting... well some cutting but it will still kook nice.  My problem is that I don't think the remora is a that great of a skimmer.  I would really rather have Aquamaxx HOB-1 but I don't think my wife will like the way it looks.  I could use some advice.  Is this a fight I should have or just pass on?

 

One option is to install the Remora and let her get used to it and then upgrade.  I got the body for $10 and a cobalt MJ1200 is $32 shipped right now from Dr Foster and Smith.  That puts me at $42 for a fairly decent skimmer.

Aquamaxx Hob is the highest rated hob skimmer available.  They ARE super ugly though.  

[Five.five-six]

Well, I just ordered a MJ1200 and a MJ 900 (900 because my return pump is getting loud) because the remora is much better than no skimmer at all and with a total investment of $42 into the remora, I'm sure I can get my money back out of it if I sell it.  

[Five.five-six]

Another question, what should I be feeding my perculas?  Right now they are getting 1/3 cube of mysis shrimp.  Is that enough and proper nutrition for them?

[Five.five-six]

Sorry for the poor cellphone photo but are these starfish reef safe?

[Five.five-six]

I may have jumped the gun but all my parameters were good so I added a frogspawn but it's been 2 days and it won't open up.  I even lowered my flow from 1,600 GPH down to about 1,000 GPH but that didn't help.  The red slime is dying off and the hermits are going to town on the green stuff.   I'll post a photo later

[Five.five-six]

Well, looks like I will be taking this tank down soon   

 

My wife says I have to because she won't let me have 2 tanks and I just started setting up a 135 galon peninsula SPS setup.  

[Jcon_343]

You need to ask her "Who's the real boss here!?" 

 

JK don't do that, lol  my wife would slap me upside the head ha! 

[Five.five-six]

Truth be told, I really only want one tank. And I'm using the rock in the sand from the 29 in the big tank.

[Five.five-six]

Once it fills with RO/DI water (about 2 more days) and I mix with salt and let it settle a bid, the contents of my epic biocube adventure will be dumped into this tank

 

[Five.five-six]

So, that thank ^ is in the prosess of being replaced by a 225 gal 6’ X 24” tall X 30” wide peninsula.  

 

The sump is about 50 gallons and I think I want to put a fragrack in the skimmer section of the sump.  I just need to find a light for the frag rack, I’d like one in white.  It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just enough to grow frags.  

 

 

[Five.five-six]

Here is a photo of the sump.  

[Five.five-six]

I’ve been neglecting this thread. 

 

I took some TDS shots with a camera box I got fo Christmas.   Some are under 2X 60” ATI blue plus + Euroquatics 60” E5X “blue Pop” direct T5 replacements.  Some have those lights and 3 X Radiums.  I was playing about and the otters are 250W the center is 400W

See if you can spot the difference.  All the TDS photos used a yellow lens 

In all honesty, and the photos don’t really capture it, I mostly  prefer halides though there are a few things that really look their best under LED

Full tank shot, all the tangs begging for food

Nana coral, blueberry fields?, a something SPS, red planet and my wife’s clam

Purple stylo, green something, Steve Carroll blue ridge coral, Miami hurricane? And at the bottom, a small frame of pink setosa  dodger blue gave me years ago.

Mostly hawkins echinata but there’s also my 2 red planets, some nana a pink furry from Scott.

[Five.five-six]

More photos:

Orange passion, , various cyphastrea, JF slowburn~ish, tricolor valida, JF foxflame, Idaho grape and green cabage 

SC rainbow, Dunkans, Gold hammer and puerperal torch 

Electric Blue milli, GC ultimate Efflo, green something palays

Both my red planets (I need to sell one), 

Gold pally’s,Pink lemon aid, Favia from 17’ RAP, unknown wild mili, and a pink branching cyphastrea on the right 

Another Favia from 17’, Pally/zoo hell (I need to figure out how to control these) and the other Favia 17’ RAP