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Katie's Biocube 14


kit-kat

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Hello!

I've started a new tank after a few years off.  I used to have a 34g mixed reef but broke it down (several times) just before having my first child.  Now with the virus and being stuck at home I decided to start up again.  My 2.5 yo loves ocean stuff (mostly sharks, can't have one of those...), so here we are.

 

Full Tank Shot: 5/23/20

IMG_20200523_123610.thumb.jpg.eddf018f76174834f104d6c3f9997e29.jpg

 

Equipment

  • Tank: Biocube 14 gallon (found used locally)
  • Lighting: Biocube 14/16 LED hood, stock
  • Substrate: None, barebottom
  • Chamber 1: Long 3/4" foam covering inlets, behind that a bag of Seachem Matrix.
  • Chamber 2: InTank Media basket with floss on top. Middle divider broken out so one big middle chamber with a bag of purigen and chaeto lit with a cheap mini sump light from Amazon, foam pressed into bottom space to prevent chaeto escape.
  • Chamber 3: Jebao 1200 DC Controllable 320gph Return pump at about 75%. 50W Heater. Bag of chemipure elite (will likely move, haven't decided what to do with it...)

 

Fish

  • Longfin Black Ice Clownfish "Clownie the Clownfish"

 

Inverts

  • Peppermint Shrimp 
  • Ultra Rock Flower Anemone, red/orange/white tentacles with striped center
  • Premium Rock Flower Anemone, Orange/white tentacles, plain center

 

Corals

  • Purple Tree Coral
  • Brown Tree Coral
  • Purple Plume Gorgonian
  • Gold Plume Gorgonian
  • Orange Cloves Polyps
  • Sunny D Zoas
  • Scrambled Eggs Zoas
  • Purple Death Palys
  • Oxide Zoas
  • Green Riccordia
  • Rhodactis

 

Macros:

  • Red Gracilaria
  • Chaeto

 

5/2/20

IMG_20200502_190116.thumb.jpg.547b44fbf9b9a592bb2f5233e52f8203.jpg

 

 

 

  • Like 1
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Any suggestions on neat tank additions?

 

I want to get some fancy shrimp.  Like a Venus anemone shrimp etc.  Maybe some sexys, but I've had those before.  Can't be anything that lives in the sand since I'm barebottom. 

 

I thought about some of the fang blennies, but my 2.5 yo has his hand in the tank every day "feeding" the clown.  I know the fang blenny bites have an opiod effect and don't really hurt adults, but a 30lb toddler?  I dont know how I feel about that.  Plus they'll probably kill any fancy shrimp I get (the clown might too, but I have a toddler, so it would seem I must have a clown...)

 

Clown gobies are cute but not the fancy pizzazz I'm going for.  I'd love a red sea mimic blenny, but apparently those don't exist anymore.  I may have to settle for a tailspot.  I've seen pictures of them pretty bright and colorful.  

 

I've had a white spotted pygmy filefish before and he was a delight, maybe I should get another? I feel like I should do something I haven't done yet...

 

A teeny tiny frogfish? And trade out the clown or the frogfish when the clown can fit in it's mouth?

 

Hmmmm

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Some pictures of Clownie from when we first got him and he was interested in who we were.

 

I'm hoping the black colors out down his long fins better with age so that the fins look as long as they are. 

 

This is the biggest diva I have ever owned.  He won't eat the same food two days in a row.  Even then he turns his nose up randomly at stuff he once gobbled down. I don't get it.  Diva.

 

 

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  • Like 1
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banasophia

Love your tank! Looks like it’s off to a very nice start and Clownie the Clownfish is gorgeous, no wonder he’s such a diva. 💛 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, banasophia said:

Love your tank! Looks like it’s off to a very nice start and Clownie the Clownfish is gorgeous, no wonder he’s such a diva. 💛 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!  Big praise from you! Your tank was one of the major influences on me to get a biocube!  :bowdown:

  • Thanks 1
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banasophia
2 hours ago, kit-kat said:

Thank you!  Big praise from you! Your tank was one of the major influences on me to get a biocube!  :bowdown:

Aww thanks, that’s a really nice compliment! 🥰  I’m definitely a fan of Biocubes!! I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine! 🤗

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  • 3 months later...

So this little tank has been chugging along great.  Originally I figured I'd do a water change every weekend.  Well, that quickly became every other weekend... And now it's been like a month since the last one.  I've got a little bubble algae in a couple spots that seems to be staying steady for the past few months.  No other algae to speak of, my snails might be starving... I do basically no maintinence, just rinse the filter floss and sponges once and awhile (should be every weekend also....).  

 

I put sponges in chamber one over the intakes and they're almost always clean or only ever so slightly mucky when I rinse but the keep the back chambers cleeeeeean, it's amazing.  I need to change the purigen and carbon (haven't changed either since startup), but other than that I don't do anything but top off with fresh.  

 

If I fed more often the coral would grow faster, I always get growth spurts when I take the time to feed, but all the frags have double or trippled in size.  

 

I only noticed AFTER I took this picture that my little RFA got up and left his spot in the front, I'm working on coaxing him back out, guess I didn't feed him enough where he was, I won't make that mistake again.  

 

I can see where people say Kenya trees take over their tanks.  Mine are growing like crazy and I've seen little starts on the glass bottom under the rocks.  There's even a little start hitch hiking on one of my snails. 

 

I absolutely love the barebottom now.  I've never had such a clean neglected tank before.  I will never have sand in another tank again.  The only thing I'd like to add is a little powerhead behind the rock to move all the snail poo into the water column to be filtered out.  

 

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