Ramos' Reintrodction to the hobby ft. craigslist biocube

[reefaramos]

I've been in the Navy for roughly two years, and found myself stuck in Virginia and not going out to sea for at least a few years. Naturally, being deprived from the hobby for so long, as soon as I solidified a place to live, I bought an aquarium before I bought a bed to sleep in. I was always really into planted freshwater aquariums before I joined, and serviced aquriums out of a shop in Dallas, TX area. I had kept some mediocre reefs and serviced several, and for some reason this time around the bug just bit me. I need some salt in my life.

 

Anyways, enough backstory. I picked up a 29 gallon oceanic biocube, with a stand, for 60 bucks. Dude didnt know what he had, and the lights were gutted from the system (which I would have done anyways). I've been eyeing mods people are doing to this system, Im definitely trying to change out the bioballs in the back for some other type of biological filtration/purigen or something of the like, and potentially add a skimmer if I can find one that fits and is worth what it costs. Balling on a little bit of a budget till I get used to the new expense of the apartment and service time benefits kick in.

 

So far my plan is to pick up a jaebo WP10 and an AI prime with the flex arm mount. Working on taking the rim off the tank as well, cause I cant stand the way the rim looks without the hood. Too many little unnecessary divets and pieces of plastic. Any suggestions on skimmers that dont look to obstructive to the streamlined body of the tank, and do their job, let me know. I saw innovative marine had one that looked likeit might fit the bill.

 

Ultimately, I'm trying to keep some easier SPS (monti caps, birdsnest, chalices), several acans and zoas, and some staples like GSP, xenia, frogspawn/hammers, etc. to add some movement to the tank. Potentially a RBTA or something for some clowns to host in, but I havent had too much luck with them in the past.

 

Anyways, Im ready to get this rolling. Stumbled upon this thread (http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/306012-fastsafe-and-easy-way-to-remove-rim-for-biocubes/) and saw a cople peoples de-rimmed biocubes that inspired me to do it myself. Painstaking process seperating the plastic, I need to hit up the store tomorrow for some razorblades and fishing line to finish the job up, then its on to ordering the light, picking some stuff up, filling her up and let it start cycling.

 

Tank, needs to be cleaned up a bit.

 

The part of the process I forced myself to get done today, and the reason I'm up at 3AM

 

And, the skimmer I'm looking for some input on. Likely wont invest in the skimmer until I have enough bioload to justify it.

[uwharrie]

I have a hydor for my biocube and have had no luck getting it to skim. I have read to stay away from the ghost. There is a whole forum here dedicated to AIO with lots of info on biocubes. Mine came with the hood retrofitted with Steve's LEDs ( I would go with Nanobox if doing it myself) and the Intank Media basket ( highly recommend)

[Sharbuckle]

Welcome to nr. I personally love the prime lights. Used them for over a year now so I think its a good choice. I dont have any experience with the biocube so I cant offer insight into skimmers but im sure somebody can. Looking forward to your build!

[reefaramos]

Everyone is reccomending against a skimmer, which is new to me. A lot has changed in the two years I've been out. I suppose on this small of a syste most skimmers would be so small in capacity it wouldnt be worth it as opposed to keeping up with water changes.

 

Anyways. I picked up a ton of stuff today, heres a few teasers. We'll see how far I get with whats left of the night. Got some pretty killer deals on all this stuff. Ended up spending less than what the radeon I originally wanted with the reeflink would have costed me, for all this stuff. Tonight is cleanup/set up hardware night, tomorrow I'll be playing with hardscape ideas. I have a little more base rock than whats pictured.

 

 

 

And heres where I'm currently at with the tank. Sorry for the quality on these pictures!

[reefaramos]

I have a hydor for my biocube and have had no luck getting it to skim. I have read to stay away from the ghost. There is a whole forum here dedicated to AIO with lots of info on biocubes. Mine came with the hood retrofitted with Steve's LEDs ( I would go with Nanobox if doing it myself) and the Intank Media basket ( highly recommend)

 

What is AIO? And I've seen some people make media baskets with eggcrate, what are your thoughts on that as opposed to dropping the cash for what you mentioned here?

 

I don't know if I said this already; but I'll be replacing the bio-balls with a bunch of live rock rubble, I don't think I should even need the media basket in this case, right?

[Sharbuckle]

AIO = All In One

[reefaramos]

Ahh, yes. I believe that's where I posted this thread.

[uwharrie]

It was not recommend to me to place rubble in the back. After running the tank for a year I can see why. There would be no way to clean the detritus out. I love the intank media basket. No issues with flow. Easy to pull out. Right now I am running a fuge in chamber 2 but plan on replacing it with a Gfo reactor. I had a huge cyano issue a few months back. Now it is hair algae

[reefaramos]

Hmm. I think what I might do then, is leave that part open and just let the chemi-pure run in that compartment. I want to remove all the old/stock media though, theres a carbon pad/filter and a little sponge that look like they're just begging to be replaced/removed. I've been so busy running around and working on this tank today that I havent had time to look into my options here.

 

Also, just a forewarning, this thread is going to be pretty picture intensive, and I'm going to be updating it often in the coming days.

 

The end result of what I've been working on, not the best, but a damn site better than the rim pictured above. Voila. Theres some hard water stains you cant see in this picture that are bothering me a bit, but once theres water in the tank I don't think they should be too visible.

 

[Midwest Reefer]

I just recently caught the salt bug again as well. I started a Biocube 29 about 5 years ago or so. Tank did well but I was new to the hobby and totally crashed the tank after trying to go LED (Bleached about everything). So tank was made into freshwater and hosted a myriad of fish for the kids in their bedroom over the years. So now I'm trying to get back into hobby. Your post caught my eye due to the rimless option. I'm going to be ripping everything out of my bio 29. Including the in tank refuge. drilling 2 holes for an overflow/return and plumbing in a small under the tank refuge.

 

My question is, was it that bad ripping the plastic rim off? I've seen pictures and just really like the sleek look of rimless. I'm just worried about water level and evaporation..i'll be trying to find forums posts about it here in a few mins..lol anyways, good luck with it all...thanks for your post!

[reefaramos]

I just recently caught the salt bug again as well. I started a Biocube 29 about 5 years ago or so. Tank did well but I was new to the hobby and totally crashed the tank after trying to go LED (Bleached about everything). So tank was made into freshwater and hosted a myriad of fish for the kids in their bedroom over the years. So now I'm trying to get back into hobby. Your post caught my eye due to the rimless option. I'm going to be ripping everything out of my bio 29. Including the in tank refuge. drilling 2 holes for an overflow/return and plumbing in a small under the tank refuge.

 

My question is, was it that bad ripping the plastic rim off? I've seen pictures and just really like the sleek look of rimless. I'm just worried about water level and evaporation..i'll be trying to find forums posts about it here in a few mins..lol anyways, good luck with it all...thanks for your post!

 

Truthfully, it wasn't terrible. I used a knife as opposed to a saw because it was available and too late to go out, which took 2-3 hours and a lot of determination for sure. Getting the silicone out, I went through 3 razor blades. Scrubbing with vinegar/water on a soft sponge and then letting sit for 10 minutes, scraping softly and repeat. DId that for roughly an hour and a half.

 

In short, no, it wasn't that hard, but definitely time consuming. Also, glad my post allowed for some inspiration on your part. Hopefully it can continue to give that effect once I set it up.

[reefaramos]

I have everything set up and all my wires cleaned up, (to the best of my ability with what I bought, I'll likely go back and clean this up with some stronger zipties later) if anyone is interested in seeing it. However, I'm having some issues connecting the AI Prime HD. I'm not too worried as I'm not actually going to be using it until I get the tank going, but it is a little unnerving. At first, it just wouldn't connect. I had to "forget" my wifi for it to connect to my wifi from my iphone. Now, it times out when searching for a wireless network, but a step further in the process. If anyone has any suggestions here, they would be greatly appreciated.

 

Edit: I got it working. Kind of annoying, but worth it with the result. Pics tomorrow, hopefully I can get this sucker up and running.

[reefaramos]

Last night/todays efforts, and 3 trips to the pet store for water and stuff I was forgetting later; organizing wires and getting her running.

 

 

 

 

And so the waiting game begins:

 

 

 

The pumps are a little bit louder than I'd like, kind of a constant humming sound. The one that comes stock with the cube is probably pretty old and run down, its doing its job but might could use a replacement with something newer and, hopefully, quieter.

[thedon986]

I run an oversized skimmer on my 22g (Aquamaxx HOB-1 - rated for 50-75g). I wouldn't run without one. I would also second guess someone that advises you against running one. Sure you can do it, if you are willing to double the amount of water changes you would do otherwise, or seriously limit livestock and nutrients introduced, but what's the fun in an aquarium without fish. I ran an AquaticLife 115 on my BioCube 29 when I had it and wish I would have had a better skimmer.

[reefaramos]

I run an oversized skimmer on my 22g (Aquamaxx HOB-1 - rated for 50-75g). I wouldn't run without one. I would also second guess someone that advises you against running one. Sure you can do it, if you are willing to double the amount of water changes you would do otherwise, or seriously limit livestock and nutrients introduced, but what's the fun in an aquarium without fish. I ran an AquaticLife 115 on my BioCube 29 when I had it and wish I would have had a better skimmer.

 

 

I haven't thrown out the idea of a skimmer. It is strange though, nearly everyone has been suggesting to run without one. I'm just not used to that. No doubt skimming would be better than not skimming.

[thedon986]

I would definitely run one. There are so many good options for nano skimmers that weren't around when I had a BioCube. Kind of a no brainer. I had the inTank fuge basket too, but that's one thing I could say you can do without. Use the space for a good skimmer.

[reefaramos]

I would definitely run one. There are so many good options for nano skimmers that weren't around when I had a BioCube. Kind of a no brainer. I had the inTank fuge basket too, but that's one thing I could say you can do without. Use the space for a good skimmer.

 

You seem to be versed to a decent degree in messing with the back compartments. Seeing as this tank was pretty much gutted, and I definitely wasn't gonna use those bio-balls, I removed them, kept the bottom grate, added some medium pieces of live rock/rubble (pieces large enough to support flow in between, so as not to become nitrate traps/factories) and added chemi-pure to the entry grate chamber (the suction side?). The tank is super overfilled right now, almost to the top on every level, so I'm probably not getting much use out of any of it the compartments at the moment. I removed the flimsy little carbon filter between the first and second compartment as well. This thing was really loud though, at the suggested water level.

 

Its getting late and that post was probably kind of incoherent. But, if you could provide any insight, it would be awesome. I want the filtration to be effective, but I don't think I can deal with having niagara falls at my bedside 24/7.

Also, a skimmer is in the future for this tank, Im almost sure of it.

[thedon986]

Seeing first hand the junk can get trapped in the back chambers, I would say any rubble is going to collect it. with no rubble I would recommend monthly cleaning of the chambers. With rubble you might need more often than that. Maybe every three weeks or so. I would avoid the rubble if you have a decent amount of rock in the display. I started with rubble too but removed it and the bottom grate to make room for the inTank basket and fuge which was a huge step in the right direction.

 

If it were me I would go heater in chamber 1, inTank basket with floss and chemipure blue or a carbon/phosguard mix and the Tunze 9001 in chamber 2, ATO in chamber 3. I went almost two years without an ATO but that wasn't smart and it was my first tank so quite the learning curve. Also, the inTank basket dampens the water flow considerably because the water flows into chamber two right on to filter floss. You will also have to keep chamber 2 filled fairly high if you have a skimmer in there that will help with the water noise.

[reefaramos]

Seeing first hand the junk can get trapped in the back chambers, I would say any rubble is going to collect it. with no rubble I would recommend monthly cleaning of the chambers. With rubble you might need more often than that. Maybe every three weeks or so. I would avoid the rubble if you have a decent amount of rock in the display. I started with rubble too but removed it and the bottom grate to make room for the inTank basket and fuge which was a huge step in the right direction.

 

If it were me I would go heater in chamber 1, inTank basket with floss and chemipure blue or a carbon/phosguard mix and the Tunze 9001 in chamber 2, ATO in chamber 3. I went almost two years without an ATO but that wasn't smart and it was my first tank so quite the learning curve. Also, the inTank basket dampens the water flow considerably because the water flows into chamber two right on to filter floss. You will also have to keep chamber 2 filled fairly high if you have a skimmer in there that will help with the water noise.

 

Was considering picking up an ATO today. That tunze was one of the skimmers I was looking at as well. Sweet, I'll start scoping stuff out tomorrow, these purchases might have to wait a bit though. This is very quickly burning a hole in my pocket as I expected it would. Also, that sounds good regarding the filter noise.

 

I'm still reluctant to pick up a media basket though, really hard for me to justify 60 bucks for what I could make with eggcrate.

 

Did you leave any of the original sponges/carbon filters in yours?

[thedon986]

Was considering picking up an ATO today. That tune was one of the skimmers I was looking at as well. Sweet, I'll start scoping stuff out tomorrow, these purchases might have to wait a bit though. This is very quickly burning a hole in my pocket as I expected it would. Also, that sounds good regarding the filter noise.

 

I'm still reluctant to pick up a media basket though, really hard for me to justify 60 bucks for what I could make with eggcrate.

 

Did you leave any of the original sponges/carbon filters in yours?

 

Skimmer can wait till you stock up. Look around for a used basket. They will pop up every now and then. If not, an egg crate version wouldn't be the terrible. I didn't have any of the original filter left behind after about 5 months. It wasn't cutting it.

[reefaramos]

Side note; I'm looking at intank's website right now and want to buy everything

[reefaramos]

My wallet is going to be reminding me that I shouldn't have done this in the coming weeks, but I'm biting the bullet and getting this stuff. I'd rather have it now and avoid potential issues in the future than get everything set up only to come in contact with issues that could have been avoided, especially with what I've already invested into this.

[uwharrie]

InTank's stuff is well built. Mine BioCube came with the media basket and the fuge. I LOVE the media basket. Not had luck getting the fuge to work with water flow. I just have Chaeto loose beside the mediabasket for now. ( chaeto was given to me) Right now I am trying to decide if I want to try a Tunze skimmer ( I could never get the Hydo to skim right but that could be I was not running correct water leve) or a reactor

[reefaramos]

First things first; I'm in love with the AI prime HD. Everything I wanted out of a light, makes the tank and my room look awesome.

 

Besides that, the tank is cleared up and on its way. My stuff from inTank should be coming in on wednesday, at which time I'll be in Texas for a week on leave. Perfect time for me to be away from the tank and not tempted to throw any livestock in here. I might not hook up the skimmer until after I come back; I'm gonna have my roommate top off as needed, but I don't wanna put cleaning a skimmer on somebody who has never seen one before.

 

AS of right now I'll be biding my time waiting for the inTank stuff to come in and considering livestock. Definitely planning on a pair of clowns (cant decide which morph yet, but theres some picassos and platinums at a nearby LFS for 30 bucks), a skunk cleaner shrimp or fire shrimp, and 1-2 other small fish. I've been eyeing canary blennys and other species of fang blenny, like the one in my avatar from my old 40 gal. I always enjoyed its personality and it should stay a good size for this tank.

 

Some pics, cause I'm tired of writing and I'm sure I'm rambling and getting hard to follow at this point.

 

 

[reefaramos]

Should I post this in Tank Journals/Member's Tanks instead of the AIO thread? Seems to get much more action over there.