Bio Cube Vs Evo?

[leaveittoweaver]

I am having a heck of a time deciding which tank to go with. This will be my very first salt tank and I have been doing a lot of research. I have maintained a salt tank before but never started one or owned one, I just maintained one at work. I have kept freshwater fish for 10 years but this will be my first step into saltwater. I understand Saltwater is never going to be cheap but I am trying to do it as economically as I can in case I find this is a hobby that is not for me(doubtful but you never know!)

I like the look of both the Evo 13 and The BioCube 16 but am wondering which one  you guys would go with and why? My plan is to do a Clownfish and some soft corals. Nothing crazy. Maybe a pretty shrimp.

 

Thanks for your input guys and I'm really enjoying learning from this forum!

[FISHnChix]

Just got back into the hobbie about 6 months ago,  I have the bio cube 32 and just set up the 13.5 evo as a qt.. for me hands down the biocube is the way to go. 

 

Things I don't like about the evo

 

The flow into the back chamber is weird there is a a surface skimmer coming off of chamber 1 but in chamber 2 there is a hole in the middle of the chamber.  Most of the flow goes into chamber 2 and by passes chamber one, makeing chamber one not good for much. Pretty much will make media baskets not as effective imo. 

 

Odds are you will change both lights out but to start the evo doesn't have a timer. And if you add a timer you can only control the white light or the blue light very annoying. Cube has a timer that can be set to simulate sunrise and sunset.

 

The hood is junk on the evo. Feels like thin cheap plastic.  The hood is in two pieces.  the peice that covers the sump is crap it will not stay on once you have your power cords running through it. The main hood is not hinged so when you do water changes you must remove it , the cube just swings open. 

 

Going hood less looks better on the evo but the evaporation on this small tank is unreal!!! I use10x more top off water on my evo then my 32 cube bc I took the top off my evo. Oh and there isnt a easy way to add a new light to the evo hood, nanobox makes a great light kit for the cube hood..

 

So for me I thing the best bang for your buck is the cube. I like it for the function of the filter chambers and the hood.  For you it might come down to the shape, some people do not like the cube style. Anyways happy reefing hope this post helps!!!

[Flexin]

I agree with Weikel, the biggest thing on that list is having a timer on the bio cube.  To me, this puts it over the top.  Also considering your mention of a budget (we all have one  ) I can grow corals up to and including SPS with the stock light (LED Cube).  So considering this and the light timer in addition to the flexibility of the media you can use in the back chamber, it's a great tank.    

 

And a suggestion, if you want to skim the water, Purigen (chemical skimmer) is the way to go.  Unless you are doing a sump, I personally don't think the small skimmers are worth it, and definitely don't buy the coralife skimmer.  I would not even sell you the one I have on my shelf...

[leaveittoweaver]

So I'm looking at the Bio Cube now and came across the JBJ Nano Cube. What are the big differences, one better than the other? The JBJ is a much lower price it seems so I'm wondering if there is a reason why. Thanks for all the feedback so far! 

[FISHnChix]

Which jbj? and the biocube 16 is 234 on Amazon shipped.. not a bad price imo...  

[leaveittoweaver]

8 minutes ago, Weikel said:

Which jbj? and the biocube 16 is 234 on Amazon shipped.. not a bad price imo...  

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18524&cmpid=03cseYY&ref=XXXX&subref=AA&gclid=CjwKCAiA9MTQBRAREiwAzmytw5_-Skq9MuFrxnqVVzFuahnq2dVQdm-eC5xfY4x7q0_pyV-4hfeSlhoCAYIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I'll have to search again. No that's not a bad price, but it is over $100 more than the Fluval Evo. I guess I'm just curious if the Bio Cube is worth a whole $100 more or not.

 

Also, another question, the Fluval light not having a timer...is this a bigger issue with saltwater than Freshwater? With my freshwater tanks, they are not on timers and I turn them on in the morning and off at night.

[FISHnChix]

It's just easier with a timer, especially if you have corals. Like with my job i am out of the house for a long period if I was to turn it on when I left I would have to turn it off when I get home. I run my lights about 9 to 10 hours a day and I want them on until I go to bed so that would require me to turn my lights on during my work hours

 

 what is your budget? My budget was about 500 and I blew past that very quick haha. Not all at once but 10 bucks here 20 bucks there. I tried to keep track at first but then decided not too so there wouldn't be any prove of the actual cost haha I'll attach my note of some of the stuff I spent money on to get me going (some of it is livestock too).  Don't get disscourged though you can build on a budget , just know in time you can put a good chunk of change into your build. 

[Flexin]

A note on the timers, you most likely will want to adjust the length of time the lights are on to find the balance with not having an algae problem.  For example my lights are only on full for about 5-6 hours and the remaining time are ramping up and down.  Having a timer in extremely useful.  

 

That aside in this hobby you get what you pay for...  Go with what you are comfortable spending.

[NGnanoreef]

I have had an evo for almost a year now (this January) and I find nothing wrong with it. But I would still go with the biocube. There's more of a following, so there is more information you could get from other people. Plus the biocube little bigger which is always a plus.

[Clown79]

I like the evo. The shape is great for aquascaping. The lights will be fine for softies and lps.

 

You can make a media basket for it, ditch the stock media. You can always upgrade the pump later if you want.

 

What I don't like about the biocube- curved glass and the hood. It looks less sleek.

 

[Cpl_Wiggles]

12 hours ago, Flexin said:

I agree with Weikel, the biggest thing on that list is having a timer on the bio cube.  To me, this puts it over the top.  Also considering your mention of a budget (we all have one  ) I can grow corals up to and including SPS with the stock light (LED Cube).  So considering this and the light timer in addition to the flexibility of the media you can use in the back chamber, it's a great tank.    

 

And a suggestion, if you want to skim the water, Purigen (chemical skimmer) is the way to go.  Unless you are doing a sump, I personally don't think the small skimmers are worth it, and definitely don't buy the coralife skimmer.  I would not even sell you the one I have on my shelf...

What SPS have you grown with the BioCube 16?

[leaveittoweaver]

Thanks for all the responses so far everyone!

I have also had an opportunity to buy a 8 gallon Bio Cube for $120, I believe it is the older model. It's somewhat tempting but I'm not sure it's a good deal plus from my understanding this would be going too small for a Clownfish. Also I think for my first salt tank that might be going too small. I am used to maintaining nano freshwater but they are still much more forgiving of fluctuation I would think.

[Flexin]

I've grown SPS in my 32, and don't have a 16.  Looking at the specs they are not too far apart in regards to the lights.  I had people say I could not do it in the 32, all I do is smile.  I also think a biocube without the lid looks unfinished.  If you want topless, go rimless JMO.

 

Leavit, the smaller the tank, the faster something happens in regards to water quality, especially evaporation.  I'm starting to consider an ATO for mine.  I can go a week, but not two between water changes without adding water.  If my tank was smaller, the salinity would go up much much faster.

[PicoMatt]

It would all depend on your budget of course, as others have mentioned. In this hobby it is very easy to overspend on items you do not need. Saltwater has been made to look so complex and tedious when it really isn't. It is only as hard as you want it to be. My advice would be to stick with AIO aquariums no matter what size. Specially for beginners. Reason for this is because they are very easy to modify when needed and you can go slowly. Whereas the plain rimless tanks you need to buy everything separate and at once like the lights, filter, media etc. If you choose biocube or evo there is inTank which makes custom made media baskets that make life a lot easier for you. and if you decide to go with the evo all you have to do is use silicone to plug and seal the hole in the middle chamber and the media basket from inTank seals the other openings making it 100% no water bypass. The lights with either are sufficient enough for simple corals until you can afford to buy a more high quality light. Items you will need to begin and be successful are:

 

1) All in one aquarium

2) Salt and Sand (I would go with caribsea aragonite as its a bit coarser and doesn't cloud as much as the finer sand. Plus it's grain size allows for accurate oxygenation through the sand)

3) Heater

4) Media basket I recommend using filter pad, purigen, chemipure nano, and seachem matrix for bio filtration

5) circulation pump because the pump provided with these tanks are usually not strong enough to provide proper water movement throughout the tank

6) RO/DI unit because constant trips to the fish store sucks just for water. Aqualife sells a unit that is super easy to use. It is a twist 4 stage unit which is very light and doesn't require packing in resins or using a special tool to unlock the canisters. It is also very affordable on amazon or dr. fosters smith. 

 

Future upgrades can be the light, maybe a skimmer if that's your thing. But this isn't a right away thing. Do not dose any types of food or chemicals just run the tank and let nature run its course. Hope this helps. As a beginner I purchased so many things I didn't need because the products sounded like they were necessary or made things easier when in fact they just polluted the tank and caused algae blooms and more issues.