Got my BC29 today......

[Steve0420]

Yea thanks teal I have watched and applied many of your mods with great success. No I just need to work on the return pump the new rio 6 hf blows my sand all into a hill in front of the rock.

[TEALCOBRA]

Thanks for the props guys.... Alot of the stuff was kinda a joint effort with Robster, and some of the stuff was just stare at it and think about how to get it to work better... (im good at that one.. LOL) I dont know what else to really do to this tank, I think im basically done with it. Im still working on the MH hood for it, but works been crazy so I havent had much time. I think with the tax return its time for a non-nano tank.

[spanko]

Teal you did a wonderful job on your tank. I have used a few of the mods you did on mine and they are working great. I have a question about the addition of your livestock though. in looking at the dates on the post if I am reading them correct you did a lot of additions in a short amount of time (2 months?) especially the anemone. This seems to be contrary to all that I have read about letting the tank chill out before going into things again especially the anemone. Your thoughts?

[TEALCOBRA]

I was told the same thing, but was getting him at such a good price I thought Id give him a try. He's still doing okay, although im pretty sure hes not doing as well as he would have been doing in a well established tank. Granted I got some of the rock and substrate from a guy who was closing down his real old tank, so some of it was well established.

[spanko]

Are you still using the Seagel in #1 compartment and the Purigen in #3?

[CTKNY]

How is the new skimmer working? just waitin to hear how yours works out since Ive already talked with kyle about gettin me a fancy skimmer but he siad need to see how yours does first.

[TEALCOBRA]

It works great, but I still get some air bubbles... We are trying to see if its something I use in the tank or something like that at the moment... but of course it is pulling out some nasty skimmate, so im happy.

 

Heres a full tank shot that I just took today... you can see the water has some microbubbles in it... Its not horrible and the skimmer is pulling a bunch of junk out of the water, i just am anal retentive and want no bubbles in the water....

 

[CTKNY]

cool, well il go ask kyle then.. I followed your setup ex for a 70mh so thanks for all the info.

[NCXTERRA]

Hello everyone… I have been a marine hobbyist for more than 15 years… I have raised everything from sharks to octopi. I have had tanks in size from 5 gallons to 200 gallons with simple filtration up to elaborate wet/dry systems. And I used to maintain and service aquariums up to 650 gallons. But for the last year I have made the switch to the all in one aquarium’s. I have been running an Aquapod 12 gallon for the last year and have now moved everything from that aquarium to a Bio Cube 29 without any losses (knock on wood). So far I have had the BC up and running for three months and I just love it!

 

BC inhabitants are as follows:

2 False percula clownfish - Amphiprion ocellaris

2 Purple firefish - Nemateleotris decora

1 Green banded goby - Gobiosoma multifasciatu

1 very small pistol shrimp - ? Blue in color

3 Blue legged hermit crabs - Clibanarius tricolor

3 Burgundy hermit crabs - Clibinarius digueti

3 Red legged hermit crabs - Paguristes cadenati

1 Bumble bee hermit crab – I know there isn’t such a creature, just a small hermit in a bubble bee shell

2 Bumble bee snails - Pusiostoma mendicaria

2 Nerite snails - Nerita spp.

1 Fire shrimp - Lysmata debelius

2 very small crabs - hitch hiker crabs?

2 Bottles of aquapods-live copepods

1 Bottle of reef nutrition-live tiger copepods - Tigriopus californicus

1 Small white feather duster - ?

26 Pounds of live rock – Alor, Fiji premium, Tonga ridge and Melanesia

20 Pounds of bio-active live aragonite reef sand and reef substrate

2 Small pieces of live rock with macro algae

2 Clumps of green curly algae - Chaetomorpha sp.

1 Large clump of long stranded green macro algae - ?

 

After about a month of having the BC set up I started to experience the filter clogging/overflow from the main tank area into chamber three which created major air bubbles in the main tank area. At the time I had no idea what was causing it, I thought it was because I had the aquarium/stand on carpet and it settled and was leaning to one side and to the back. But after using a level I quickly ruled that out! So with some trial and error I finally figured out that it was the stock BC filter cartridge. For the next two months I either kept replacing the cartridge or every couple of days I would take it out and rinse the front floss off enough to allow water to flow through it again. This is what led me to searching for BC information on the web and to the wealth of knowledge on this board.

 

Mods so far have been the BC filter cartridge and the widening of the flow from chamber one to chamber two. This has fixed all the problems I have been experiencing with decreased water flow, water overflowing into chamber three from the main tank area and the air bubbles in the main tank area. For the filter mod I did the same as a lot of you, cut off the floss on the outside (with a razor blade, and then used a Dremel with a sanding disc to get rid of what was left) and removed the carbon/white filter pieces from the four chambers and then cut out the dividers between each chamber (using a Dremel with a cutting wheel and then a sanding disc to smooth everything out). I then used some old Magnum bonded filter sleeves (which I had a lot of from previous aquariums), the blue and white ones for a Magnum 200 and 330 and cut them to fit. I ended getting four filter inserts out of one sleeve. And the depth of the material was perfect, a little thick when you first put them in, but once you wet them they stay put. I also have found that if the water flowing in is not sufficient to hold the filter material in place you can use two rubber bands placed around the whole cartridge… one at the top and one at the bottom. For the widening of chamber one to chamber two, I used a Dremel cutting wheel and then smoothed everything with a sanding disc. I am still using the drip plate and bio-balls in chamber two but took the advice and put the bio-balls in a mesh bag for future rinsing so they do not become Nitrate factory! I cut another piece of the Magnum bonded sleeve and put over the drip plate above the bio-balls in chamber two to quiet the “waterfall” sound and to filter out even more suspended water particles. So far everything has been working great, not too mention saving me a lot of money on the stock filter cartridges!

 

I’m sure I would have figured this out eventually and had all ready considered taking apart the BC filter cartridge and rigging it some how. But your posts and others just speeded that process along. As well as pointing out a host of other fixes and upgrades. So thank you all very much for your hard work and for your posts… keep up the good work! And Oceanic SHOULD be paying all of you for your R & D!!! Hopefully they will pay attention to these posts and work them into the next generation of BC’s!

 

One other thing I would like to share is that recently I had one of my clownfish go MIA; at first I thought it was hiding behind the LR or somewhere else. But after half a day of not seeing it in the tank as I passed by I went looking for it. I got all nervous as we all have had when we don’t see one of our prized fishes swimming out and about. After about five minutes of searching and not finding it I was about to start moving the LR but something had dawned on me… the main area of the tank had air bubbles in it again and the water from the main tank area was once again flowing over the back wall into chamber three (damn stock BC filter). So I opened up the rear hood hatch and low and behold there was the clownfish! All cramped upped in chamber three trying to swim between the pump, the filter pad and the chemi-pure bag. It was not a happy camper… so after some “fishing” I got it out and returned it to the main tank area. At night my clowns like to sleep/rest against the back wall and up at the top of the water level. They got used to doing this when they were in the Aquapod because they were getting harassed at night by a large coral banded shrimp. I guess at some point during the night one of them went over the falls and ended up in chamber three. To put a stop to this happening in the future I made a “baby gate” out of black plastic gutter guard. The stuff you use to keep leaves and debris out of your house gutters but still let’s the water pass through. I used the kind that is really flexible and has an “X” crisscross pattern to it. I made it long enough to go from the glass side of the tank from chamber three back over and all the way across chamber two and end at the wall between chamber one and two. I used one long piece and just cut notches around the pump return elbow in chamber three and another notch for the wall between chamber three and chamber two. This made it more rigid than trying to have two separate pieces, one for chamber two and one for chamber three. To secure it I simply locked one of the “X” crisscrosses under the plastic lip of the aquarium in chamber three, on the far left side and I made sure when I cut out the notch for the pump return elbow in chamber three that I made it snug and of course the notch I made for the wall between chambers two and three was made snug as well and will hold it in place and finally in chamber two I simply tucked it down between the drip plate over the bio-balls and the back wall of the main tank area. Hope that makes since? Anyone know why they made the tank this way? Why didn’t Oceanic just extend the back wall height the same all the way across the tank? Like making it the same height as chamber one?? Maybe I’m missing something in that design layout, or maybe it has something do with back flow/over flow if the current goes out or due to the stock BC filter becoming clogged???

 

And finally, maybe I missed the posts on this but could you please respond and let me know what kind of water additives/filter media everyone is using. For water additives I am currently using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Coat and Seachem Prime for any fresh water that is added and then for vitamins/trace elements I am using Kent Marine Coral-Vite, Kent Marine Concentrated Iodine and Kent Marine Super Chelated Iron with Manganese. I am also using Red Sea Buff to keep up the PH. For filter media I am currently using Dick Boyd’s Chemi-Pure, Seachem SeaGel and Seachem Purigen.

 

Sorry for the extremely long post but I just wanted to share my experience so far with the BC and to thank everyone for sharing their knowledge!

[TEALCOBRA]

Was finally able to make some progress on the hood..... I filled all the old fan slits and the two holes from the stock switch area. I have to still do a light coat over the switch spot for the final coat, and then I'll do some slight touching up, and it should be ready for a coat of paint after that.

 

 

Heres a pic of the "screens" that will fill all three of the holes trying to make it look cleaner after the fans are installed. I have to still do the final sanding of the holes, once thats done, itll be a nice smooth transition from the plastic to the mesh screen.....

 

 

Do you guys think I should grind off the Oceanic part on the front of the hood and just fill that before painting it ?!?!

 

And I found a BUNCH of acrylic laying around at my work, so i think im going to give some acrylic work a try just to see if I can do anything with it. I just ordered a bunch of weldon for it, and will be getting a table saw and router/router table..... Hopefully Ill be able to.

[robertp]

Hell yeah go for the super clean look!

[Mephix]

I'd paint around the label Teal, since to some of us you're the BC29 expert! Your tank looks awesome. Thanks for all the insight and info. Patiently awaiting more tank shots, and the jump into your bigger custom tank thread whenever you decide to make the leap.

[TEALCOBRA]

Should I change up the color, or stick with a flat black..... Hmmm... decisions decisions....

[Mephix]

From the looks of your sig banner, you could always incorporate your other hobby and use it for target practice and leave it up to the pellet. Florescent would be a bit much though.

[TEALCOBRA]

HAHAHA, unfortunately I havent played in over a year... I just bought a house a touch over a year ago and couldnt afford to play anymore.... So I started keeping a fish tank.

 

And we all know where that got me.

[CTKNY]

did u use bondo or epoxy to do your filling? some kind of texture paint would be custom

 

HAHAHA, unfortunately I havent played in over a year... I just bought a house a touch over a year ago and couldnt afford to play anymore.... So I started keeping a fish tank.

 

And we all know where that got me.

 

 

 

HAHA same boat here. played on a team for awhile but as you know is costs some coin..

[TEALCOBRA]

Its a form of bondo for home solutions I got at home depot..... goes on just like bondo.

 

Yeah, I figured I spent about 15,000 on paintball that last year I played including all the practices, gear, and traveling around the united states......

 

That couldve been one hell of a custom tank.

[CTKNY]

you played alot more then me then.. Rocky that you???

[TEALCOBRA]

HAHAHA, I wish. We were just a Division 3 NPPL team, and had to pay our own way to all of the events... gets kinda pricey after awhile.

[newnanofl]

Hello Tealcobra,

 

I just got a BioCube29 a couple of weeks ago. I have found several pieces of info very useful. One question I have is, where did you get your hydroflo?

[TEALCOBRA]

I believe it was at marine depot.

[newnanofl]

Hello All,

 

I am fairly new to this so I have a few questions. Please forgive me if I missed an answer that was previously talked about. This is a long topic.

 

Here is what I have done so far. THe tank has been setup for about 2 weeks. I have removed the false bottom, widened the opening between chamber 1 and 2, made the stock filter modifications (which I made some additional mods, which I will share later), and added the bags of SeaGel and Purigen.

 

I have on order a Saffire skimmer, a hydorflo, and the fittings to make that change.

 

In the tank, I have:

 

2 Blue Cromis

1 Black and White Cardinal

1 Yellow-Spotted Goby (not seen in pictures below)

10 pounds of live rock

20 pounds of dry rock

5 pounds of black and white lava rock (2 rocks)

1. Why switch from the stock return pump to the Rio 6HF pump?
   
2. Do you regenerate the Purigen after it has been used? THe bottle has instructions on the side to do so.
   
3. It seems like most people are doing some sort of lighting upgrade. Why is this being done?
   
4. I have added some pictures of the current setup and would appreciate any advise on changes?
   

 

 

 

I am a little concerned about the brown algae. I do not want it to completely cover the rest of the rocks.

 

 

Thanks in advance,

[TEALCOBRA]

1. Why switch from the stock return pump to the Rio 6HF pump?
   
2. Do you regenerate the Purigen after it has been used? THe bottle has instructions on the side to do so.
   
3. It seems like most people are doing some sort of lighting upgrade. Why is this being done?
   
4. I have added some pictures of the current setup and would appreciate any advise on changes?
   

 

Just for more flow. Alot of corals and just the tank in general seem to do better with more turnover. That way youre filtering more water faster, which should make all inhabitants happy.

 

Nah, I just pitch it and get a new one..... not too keen on the soaking something in bleach and then putting it back into my tank.

 

Alot of the "nicer" corals need more and stronger lighting to survive.... With the Nanotuners 4.36 upgrade you can keep any coral but SPS and some say clams... With their MH lighting, you should be able to keep anything youd like.

[wai]

Just for more flow. Alot of corals and just the tank in general seem to do better with more turnover. That way youre filtering more water faster, which should make all inhabitants happy.

 

Nah, I just pitch it and get a new one..... not too keen on the soaking something in bleach and then putting it back into my tank.

 

Alot of the "nicer" corals need more and stronger lighting to survive.... With the Nanotuners 4.36 upgrade you can keep any coral but SPS and some say clams... With their MH lighting, you should be able to keep anything youd like.

 

 

I am also thinking of the lighting upgrade for my BC29. There are 3 upgrades at nanotuners --3.36, 4.36 and the 1.70 MH upgrade. I am going to get the tank this weekend and want to do the upgrade while the tank cycles. I want to start with softies but would really like to keep clam and anemones in the future, but not sure about SPS...

 

What is the suggestion of which upgrade to go? Is 4.36 sufficient for clam and anemones? If not, is the 1.70 MH enough for them. Just like everyone, price is a consideration but to me HEAT is even more of a factor. If I go with the MH upgrade, what will be a good chiller that can go well with BC 29 (and keep the stock lid) if heat become an issue.

 

Appreciate everyone's feedback.

[TEALCOBRA]

Theres a new thred just started about BC29 lighting.... there should be some good info popping up in there shortly.