Oceanic BioCube 29 G - Poor Design

[Rob12]

I watched this thread for last 2 days .... From my perspective the BioCube design is really good considering the size of the bulkhead and the chambers relative to the tank itself ...... I have yet to see any serious problems other that the bio balls are useless to anyone who is going to use the tank for saltwater ..... Ive had the biocube running for about 7 weeks now and I didn't decide to mod chamber 1 until I added a larger pump 2 weeks ago .... the prefilter sponge was so porous I almost threw it out upon opening the tank .... I don't really see how it could be blocking your water flow unless your somehow getting the sponge itself into the intake on your pump..... I will recommend this however, the Biocube carbon/filter cartridge is a poor design and even if you dont mod your chamber's flow rate I'd get rid of the cartridge and replace it with a product called Seagel or just a sock of carbon by itself .... the seagel is nice as it has phosguard mixed in with it so it with help lowering phosphates if that ever becomes a problem .... Seachem sells Purigen and Seagel in large containers or it comes in its own pouch if you dont have filter bags ... the cost at my LFS was around $6 a piece for the Seagel and $8 for the purigen ..... I think the oceanic replacement pads are over 10 bucks and they block so much flow that they casue more problems then anything ...plus purigen and seagel can be cleaned and reused for upto 4-6 months whereas you have to replace the other once a month

 

I'm new to this game so you need to help me out here.. What do I do with the Seagel? It looks like I would need to get a universal filter with changable pads... Am I on the right path? And why did you upgrade the pump and what pump is it? I was just thinking about adding the Maxi900 with the hydroflo to the tank. Any suggestions would help. I even saw someone put the pump in the chambers so you couldn't see. He drilled a hole between the tank and the chamber for the outage. Sorry about the lingo.... newbie

[DontBlink]

Ugg... I really wish I would have waited to get this 29 bio cube. Hearing all these problems is starting to make my sweat a little.

[bp1829]

Ugg... I really wish I would have waited to get this 29 bio cube. Hearing all these problems is starting to make my sweat a little.

 

TO all,

 

I just tried adding water and it may have solved the problem. I was able to use the filter with the pre-filter cartridge and the flow seems fine. Chamber 3 is holding its own. I will run it overnight and try turning off the pump in the morning to see where the water level is with the pump off. I will keep you all posted. Thanks to all who may have helped me solve this problem before I gave up on my new hobby.

[Ricoch3t]

I'm new to this game so you need to help me out here.. What do I do with the Seagel? It looks like I would need to get a universal filter with changable pads... Am I on the right path? And why did you upgrade the pump and what pump is it? I was just thinking about adding the Maxi900 with the hydroflo to the tank. Any suggestions would help. I even saw someone put the pump in the chambers so you couldn't see. He drilled a hole between the tank and the chamber for the outage. Sorry about the lingo.... newbie

 

Rob12 .... to answer your questions

 

1.) What do I do with the Seagel?

Well you goto you LFS and either buy it prebagged or you buy a jar of it with some mesh media bags ....... if you've never used them b4 they are alot like a sock with either a plastic zipper or a string at the end of it ..... you just add the media ( in this case the seagel ) tie it off and place it inside chamber 1 ... once its in there youre done .... you can refresh it after a few months by just following the directions provided on the container ... piece of cake

 

2.) And why did you upgrade the pump and what pump is it? I was just thinking about adding the Maxi900 with the hydroflo to the tank.

 

The 1st thing that going to happen in your tank once you add a hydor flo is that your pump's output is goign to drop about 10% ..... any time you mod a water line with a diverter you lose flow .... its just how it is

I recommend getting the hydorflo becasue it will help circulate water around your lifestock .... and instead of the flow pushing all the corals in one direction you get a waving in the wind kind of effect

 

The maxijet 900 is not an upgrade over the stock pump that is provided ... just fyi ...you actually lose 5gph by swtiching to it .... the MJ1200 which is almost teh same size rates in at 295 gph which is bout 25% more flow than the stock pump.

so by adding a Mj1200 w/ a hydor flo you have in effect incresed your tanks water flo by about 10% roughly.

 

For all the new reefers out there that dont know why flowrate is important ... here ya go ... live rock in your system has two real purposes ... to host lifestock and bacteria and to buffer the water quality of your tank ..... for live rock to be used as nature intended you have to have a way make the water move through the rock and not just around it .... this is where water flow becomes important .... how much water flow you need really depends on how much LR and what type of rock it is ...also what type of Coral/inverts you are going to incorporate ...

 

For instance, if you were going to add less than 1 lb of LR per gallon of saltwater the pump upgrade is really not necessary as the 230gph the stock pump outputs is sufficent in this kind of tank ... but if youre like me and you did some serious aquascaping .... I have around 1.75-2 lbs of LR in my Cube and teh stock pump flow rate inside the tank is dismal ... I had a Mj1200 in the tank but i decided i needed just a little bit more so i decided to go with the RIO1400+ .... the major difference between that and a MJ pump is that the rio is just a little it taller so i had to cut the stock pump line about a 1/2 inch to make it fit right.. the rio pump has a rating of 420gph but i also have close to 50 lbs Marshall Island LR in the tank/fuge ... i wouldnt recommend the rio over the mj1200 though unless you had a similar issue.

 

Another reason I needed the larger pump is that the Marshall Rock I used is a fairly dense rock when compaired to your average "joe schmoe" Fiji cop-out rock ... fiji is lighter so it doesnt take as much flo to push the water through the rock .. so you have to mod your tank again for what kind of rock selection you use

 

3.) I even saw someone put the pump in the chambers so you couldn't see. He drilled a hole between the tank and the chamber for the outage.

 

Personally, becasue of the size of this tank would not add a second powerhead to the0 inside of the tank ... becasue of the size of the tank your better off finding a large pump to fit inside teh bulkhead if your havinf flow issues .... You are trying to simulate a natural enviroment and it wouldnt be wise to create turbulence ( of course this would depend alot on the size of the pump and its location but id find it hard to see where you could plumb another powerhead anywhere other than inside chamber 1 ) .... Think of it like this .... if youre in a jacuzzi and you turn the jets on opposite side of the tub to a direction where they can flow into one another what happens?

 

I hope this helps

[Ricoch3t]

Ugg... I really wish I would have waited to get this 29 bio cube. Hearing all these problems is starting to make my sweat a little.

Dont get discourged by this thread ... all Nano's are not created equal and each have there own quirks ..... The Oceanic Cube has a really good design for the size and has alot of nice features that make it shine and from what i've seen most people are enjoying theirs... You can't look at a forum for people who like to customize and say oh well he/she is having problems with his so maybe i shouldnt have got that one .... anything you do your cube that is outside of the factory design goes against its design parameters .... but it is those personal tweaks that allow us to get so much more out of the cubes

[DontBlink]

Dont get discourged by this thread ... all Nano's are not created equal and each have there own quirks ..... The Oceanic Cube has a really good design for the size and has alot of nice features that make it shine and from what i've seen most people are enjoying theirs... You can't look at a forum for people who like to customize and say oh well he/she is having problems with his so maybe i shouldnt have got that one .... anything you do your cube that is outside of the factory design goes against its design parameters .... but it is those personal tweaks that allow us to get so much more out of the cubes

 

Yeah, I hear you. Its coming no matter what now, just shipped so I am excited. Pumped actually.

[bp1829]

Yeah, I hear you. Its coming no matter what now, just shipped so I am excited. Pumped actually.

 

I do not agree. There are those people who buy a sports car just for the driving experience. They will never work on the engine or get underneath the car. Then there are those that will buy it just to tweak the engine to get a few more horsepower.

 

I am the former. I bought the BioCube to enjoy it. If I wanted to modify it, I would have become a marine bioligist or an engineer. I thought that the "all-in-one" meant it was a plug-n-play. Unfortunately, I am still having problems. The tank is level and has more than enough water-however flow in chamber 3 keeps dropping. Eventually, the water level is so high it just flow over to all three chambers. In addition, the filter, even with the pre-filter cartride, is not strong enough to pull floating particles out of the water. Not to mention that this is my hood does not fit well on the tank and the fans sound like an old computer they are so loud. I am at a loss and wish that I had not bough an all-in-one.

[ENraged]

Ok well first of all like mentioned earlier you have to keep adding water till the level at the rim is almost over flowing.

Ditch the bioballs as mentioned above Toss in some live rock rubble in the return chamber and a bag of what ever your favorite chem might be.

Its not that hard to figure out if the water level keeps dropping out of the chamber add more water.

when my co-worker got his and i helped him set it up his did the same thing so we added more water and bingo done.

As to filtering out all the particles i just don't see how filtering everything out of the tank would be beneficial as you would or could filter out living food that has reproduced and is floating around in there.

I mean the ocean itself is far from scrubbed water so i wouldn't get all bent out of shape cause of some stuff floating around in the water.

 

If your water level is at max and you are still having issues then you have a faulty tank simple as that if you have torn her apart and checked for obstructions like perhaps some bioballs have fallen below the lower drip shelf and are blocking the third chamber return slot.

It sounds like you should have saved up a bit more cash and went with one of those finnex-m systems and not a infant all in one system. or even one that has been around for a bit. i will agree the fans are loud on them but its only 4 screws or so to replace it with a lower db.

But if anyplace is able to help you figure out what is wrong this is the place..

I would rip everything out but the water pump add water and get it to max level at which point add back in the lower drip shelf then upper if all is fine and you are determined to use the stock filter put that back in. if it turns out the stock filter is the guilty party you can widen the return spout or get a new filter and see if the one you had is just faulty.

 

Hope some of that helps Over all i am impressed with the biocube tanks thus far. But next month the red sea all in one hits the market so who knows.

[DontBlink]

I do not agree. There are those people who buy a sports car just for the driving experience. They will never work on the engine or get underneath the car. Then there are those that will buy it just to tweak the engine to get a few more horsepower.

 

I am the former. I bought the BioCube to enjoy it. If I wanted to modify it, I would have become a marine bioligist or an engineer. I thought that the "all-in-one" meant it was a plug-n-play. Unfortunately, I am still having problems. The tank is level and has more than enough water-however flow in chamber 3 keeps dropping. Eventually, the water level is so high it just flow over to all three chambers. In addition, the filter, even with the pre-filter cartride, is not strong enough to pull floating particles out of the water. Not to mention that this is my hood does not fit well on the tank and the fans sound like an old computer they are so loud. I am at a loss and wish that I had not bough an all-in-one.

 

Okay this sounds to me like the pump is working, but the flow into chamber 3 is the problem. I have to clarify what chamber is what: Chamber 1 (filter pad), Chamber 2 (bio balls), Chamber 3 (out going pump). You said the flow in chamber 3 keeps dropping, meaning that something in chamber 2 or chamber 1 is decreasing the flow into the 3rd chamber, eventually the pumps outflow over comes its inflow.

 

Possible causes

1. Low water can mimic this situation. If the pump is working, filling the tank up will eventually cause chamber 3 to be constantly filled. Inflow = outflow.

 

2. Some have suggested that the blue sponge (chamber 3) and the bio balls (chamber 2) could be the culpret. However, both mediums are designed to allow water to flow through them with little or no resistance. That being said, the inlet from chamber 2 to chamber 3 could be blocked. When my tank came I noticed the grate that held the bioballs up had collapsed, make sure you inspect chamber 2 because that is wheret the problem could be.

[FishGuy35]

Sorry you are still haveing problems. I think your fan noise is from the hood not fitting properly. I did not have my tank closed quite right once and the fans were loud. I just reclosed it and the problem was fixed.

 

I have noticed that when my filter gets extremly dirty the water will drop some in the pump chamber due to reduced flow. This seems to be your problem since the tank funtions properly when the filter is out.

 

solutions....

 

1) Are you sure the filter is placed properly there are two notches in my tank.

 

2) Have you tried a new filter? Maybe yours is clogged up or just bad.

 

3) You should not have to but if you can no longer return the tank then maybe you could use a less restrictive (non stock) filter.

 

4) It is not acceptable that your hood does not fit right. You should be able to get a new one or a whole new tank. I know it is a hassle though.

 

By the way I have a 3 gallon eclipse tank that has the same problem. Only it will overflow when the filter is clogged so it could be worse!. I know you are frustated but do not give up. When I set up my first tank I got so annoyed I took it down and put it in my closet for a couple weeks. I eventually got it back out and have been enjoying it (and the two additional tanks I now own) ever since.

 

Good Luck,

 

Mike

[DontBlink]

Okay this sounds to me like the pump is working, but the flow into chamber 3 is the problem. I have to clarify what chamber is what: Chamber 1 (filter pad), Chamber 2 (bio balls), Chamber 3 (out going pump). You said the flow in chamber 3 keeps dropping, meaning that something in chamber 2 or chamber 1 is decreasing the flow into the 3rd chamber, eventually the pumps outflow over comes its inflow.

 

Possible causes

1. Low water can mimic this situation. If the pump is working, filling the tank up will eventually cause chamber 3 to be constantly filled. Inflow = outflow.

 

2. Some have suggested that the blue sponge (chamber 3) and the bio balls (chamber 2) could be the culpret. However, both mediums are designed to allow water to flow through them with little or no resistance. That being said, the inlet from chamber 2 to chamber 3 could be blocked. When my tank came I noticed the grate that held the bioballs up had collapsed, make sure you inspect chamber 2 because that is wheret the problem could be.

 

Good point. I assumed that his tank was new, however enough debris could have accumulated in the chamber 1 filter pad to decrease flow to the chambers down stream. Simple check will be to take filter out and see if chamber 3 fills up, if it does, then a new filter pad is all that is needed.

[Ricoch3t]

BP1829 .... i agree with enraged .... you got a bad tank .... go to your lfs and try and exchange it (hope you didnt shop online) .... However, if the Oceanic Cube was intended to be bought with no further equpiment to run a reef tank .... it would be way more than $250 roughly ( more like in the $800-$1000 range ) .... modded nanos that come close to being reef ready sell for round $600 easy (with no stand) .... the plug and play concept just doesnt apply here ... from the manufacturer the tank is equipped to be a fish-only saltwater or a planted freshwater tank .... sorry you feel duped ... but more research was needed on your part .... my suggestion to you if you are still unhappy with it and you cant return in is to put it back up on ebay ....sell it and get a Cube or system that is more to what you had in mind

 

Just so you know apart from the $250 i spent on the cube and $125 for its stand Ive spent:

 

Chiller - $250

Skimmer - $150

Heater - $30

Chaeto - $8

Plumbing supplies - $25

70w MH HQI Retrofit - $200

x2 18w actinic bulbs - $40

Fluval 204 - $90

Mj1200 - $25

x2 additional Fans - $14

Live rock (marshal Island) - $350 ( including shipping )

Ph/Alk Probe - $100

Live Sand (40lbs) - $50

Fuge Light - $30

 

total - $1350 approx.

 

Now i would just about consider my tank Reef ready

[basser1]

Ricoh3t...... I hear ya!! I'm almost right there with you as far as prices. BTW.... over on the "other reef" board someone posted that the much touted Red Sea cube will run about $600.00 to start...OUCH!! They also say the built-skimmer is supposed to be based on their prizsm skimmer.

[FishGuy35]

However, if the Oceanic Cube was intended to be bought with no further equpiment to run a reef tank .... it would be way more than $250 roughly

 

I could not disagree more. You can run a reef in a BioCube with the purchase of a heater. Metal Halides, chillers, skimmers and all the other stuff are nice but not needed in many cases. Just my humble opinnion.

[ENraged]

However, if the Oceanic Cube was intended to be bought with no further equpiment to run a reef tank .... it would be way more than $250 roughly

I could not disagree more. You can run a reef in a BioCube with the purchase of a heater. Metal Halides, chillers, skimmers and all the other stuff are nice but not needed in many cases. Just my humble opinnion.

 

Well of course you can, you can also run a 10k marathon without shoes.

My aquapod is close to stock only swapped the pump and a bit of venting mods and she runs fine but i sure would love to increase the venting and retrofit an in canopy MH system.

[chuckfullservice]

Like I said to all of you about ten post ago ADD MORE WATER ADD MORE WATER ADD MORE WATER ADD MORE WATER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ADD MORE WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This will fix the problem just add slowly wait 2 minutes check window add more wate until you reach min setting .

[Pookies29]

Can I ask if anyone knows how to quiet the loud spill-over from chamber 1 to chamber 2 in the BC29? I removed the bioballs and widened the opening between chambers 1 and 2. Now, I can't figure out how to quiet the splash of the water over the wall seperating these chambers.

 

I know some people have placed a fuge or skimmer in chamber 2 but I didn't want to do that right now. I'm wondering why there even needs to be the wall between 1 and 2. Before I drill holes in the side of this divider in an attempt to shut this thing up (important since spouse says it will not be allowed to remain with the noise), does anyone have thoughts on how to fix this? Note that it is already set up and filled with water, sand and rock.

 

Thanks for your help!

[TEALCOBRA]

I added a piece of sponge right on the 2nd chamber side of the wall between one and two.... that way the water has to go through the sponge, and doesnt "fall" into the second chamber, it drips into it, and you also get extra filtration. Theres pics of it in my "got my BC29 today" thread if you ant to see it.

[akaMonkey]

I want to chime in on this, because I am also unsatisfied with the design of the Biocube.

 

I was originally getting very frustrated with water either trickling over the back wall into chamber 3, or chamber 3 running dry and blowing bubbles. It was a nightmare trying to keep it equalized. So, I removed the stock filter, put Purigen and Chemi-Pure in the first chamber, and put some Poly-Filter over the top of the drip tray. Excellent, now it wasn't nearly so finicky.

 

The problem was that with my new setup, it didn't do a very good job filtering out crud. I was starting to get a lot of detritus floating around the tank. I tried buying some poly batting form Hobby Lobby and putting that over the drip tray instead of the Poly Filter, but once again the water level dropped to much and the damn pump went dry.

 

Yesterday, I decided to try polishing my water a little by replacing the stock filter with another one and removing the other things I'd added. I wake up this morning to find the pump is sucking air and blasting micro bubbles all over the tank! Gah!

 

I've had it. Next weekend, I'm adding a refugium to the back. Then I can cut that damned wall open and I don't care how much water I have in the chambers. It'll increase the total water capacity of the tank, I can add a stronger pump without it running dry, and I can stop worrying about whether I forgot to add water to the tank and the whole thing nuking itself.

 

I'm sorry to say I would not recommend the Biocube to anyone who doesn't want to have to mod their tank. The stock design just requires too much constant attention.

[TEALCOBRA]

You can just add more water now..... Your filters are being plugged up and are then not allowing as much water through them, and then your pump pulls all the water out of the third chamber... You need to find a way to make it so the water doesnt get slowed down and pulled out.... Are you still running the stock pump, how often were you changing out your filter floss or the stock filter.... filter floss should be changed out every few days, its not like you can leave it in there for a few weeks, it clogs easily because it traps such fine pieces of detrius and crud.

[akaMonkey]

I'm running the stock pump. I replaced the filter with a brand new one yesterday, and this morning it was "clogged" enough to let the pump run dry.

[basser1]

akamonkey, I agree with you about the stock filter. I placed a new cartridge in recently, and the next day, it was clogged already. So I measured the opening of chamber 3 and cut bulk floss to size and stacked 2 or 3 layers, with 1 layer of carbon padiing, and another layer of filter floss on top of the carbon. This seems to work good for me.

 

If I maintain the right water level, I don't get the waterfall noise. But if it starts to drop, it does become more noticeable.

 

Hope this helps and BTW........ Merry Chistmas!!!

[TEALCOBRA]

What kind of bioload do you have in your tank ?? I have a pair of clowns, a six line wrasse, a cleaner shrimp, a clam, and a ton of coral, and I usually get a week out of each filter.....

 

I removed the false floo in the first chamber, which allows some of the water to flow around the filter, but the filter still pulls out a TON of crud.... After that I have some filter pad in the second chamber to slow down the "waterfall" noise and also filters out any water that went past the stock filter.... I change that every few days as well..... I bought a huge sheet of it at the LFS for dirt cheap and it works GREAT... my water is spotless and I have no issues with it pulling too much water out of the third chamber.... I am running a rio 6hf in the third chamber too.....

 

How high are you trying to keep your second and third chambers ?? Are you trying to keep them lined up with the "min/max" levels ?? Are you still using the bioballs in the middle chamber ??

[akaMonkey]

What kind of bioload do you have in your tank ?? I have a pair of clowns, a six line wrasse, a cleaner shrimp, a clam, and a ton of coral, and I usually get a week out of each filter.....

 

How high are you trying to keep your second and third chambers ?? Are you trying to keep them lined up with the "min/max" levels ?? Are you still using the bioballs in the middle chamber ??

 

I have a small clean-up crew (4 small hermits, a peppermint shrimp, 3 cerith snails, 3 nassarius snails, two margarita snails, a stomatella, and an emerald crab), and for fish I have a yellow tailed blue damsel, a firefish and a royal gramma. A few zoas and a ricordia (they were hitchhikers). As you can see, now a lot of bioload.

 

I try and keep my second and third chambers somewhere between max and min. Where is dependant on what I'm trying to use for filtration at any given time. I have a lot more leeway if I don't use that cursed factory filter. I'm still using the bioballs, which is why I haven't made the mod to open the passageway between chambers 1 and 2. Of course, I plan to change all that soon when I convert the back to a refugium.

 

The refugium seems extremely popular, and I gather there's a heck of a lot less fiddling around required.

[chantweaver]

I am pleased with the Bio Cube besides the stock pump sucks. I did make 2nd chamber a fuge right away. Only other thing I am running in there for filter is a pura pad filter. The thing can be cleaned for about a month or two before need new one. Of course I can get two filters out of one pad. It sits on the drip tray and totally stop any falling water sound.