biocube

[herplover22]

hello

i have been thinking of setting up a nano SW tank

it would be fish only, are the biocubes good tanks i have heard of some people using them

i really want to get two ocellaris clown fish(at least one) and idk what else but definatly has to be the clownfish

would the biocube 12 be big enough or will i just have to go with the 29 (or whatever they are lol i think those are the 2 but i dont remember off hand)

if i go with the biocube is there anything i will have to purchase besides what comes with it?

obviously sand and rock but i mean filtration wise

as for live rock it is sooooo expensive lol for some rock with bacteria growing in it lol

would i be able to use mostly dead rock and buy a few pounds of live rock and let it spread to rest of the rock(does that make sense?)
also i have some rock that i picked up from the beach years ago it has been washed very well

would that be ok to add to the tank as the dead rock or what would i use?

thanks

i am new to salt water so try to be patient lol and want to make this as simple as possible

any tips or ideas would be great
make it as idiot proof as possible lol

thanks



oops i forgot

i know there is fish only and fish only with live rock

what is the difference? i would like to go with just fish and not have to worry about live rock but how would i set the tank up and get it cycled using either meathod?


also if i bough live sand(so i dont have to go with live rock) from a local owned petstore(sand comes from an established tank not from a bag) would the tank be automatically cycled?

thanks


ok i am adding more sorry lol

ok now what if i set up the tank as a FO but got a few lbs of live rock(so maybe like 5-10 lbs for the tank instead of 1+ lbs per gallon) would this be ok?


ok adding more
now i remember why i didnt want live rock
i am terrified of getting bristle worms they litterally almost scare me to death lol

would i be able to use the dead rock and then let it colonise with bacteria on its own and then if i every wanted to add corals or something later i would still be able to add them but i wouldnt have to worry about worms?

[Jivenjune]

Wouldn't get a Bicube personally. I would probably go with a Marineland Eclipse kit or something of that sort. The lighting and filtration seems significantly better on the Eclipses.

In addition, I wouldn't get anything less than 10 gallons since most marine fish require significantly higher quantities of water in comparison to freshwater. You'd be extremely limited in what you could care for in anything less than 10. Maybe a clown goby with some live rock or something of that sort, but even that would be 10 gallons minimum by itself.

[LilGreenPuffer]

I know folks who keep small clown pairs and a small tankmate in 10gs and do quite well.

I personally have my sights set on the AquaPod 24, though.

[herplover22]

ok i wont get the biocube lol

i just saw that as one and had heard some people say they liked it

i will look into the other tanks you guys have mentioned as well

i have also heard people say 2 clowns and a small tank mate would do well in a 10g

i might just set up a regular 10g with bare bottom and live rock with 2 power heads

would i need anything else? i have heard you need a protein skimmer for small tanks but i have also heard that with the small tanks you really only need live rock and power heads

that is where it is getting really confusing for me is that people always say different things lol


what about using the rock collected from the ocean years ago and only buying a few pounds of live rock and letting it spread?
would that work?

thanks

[pufferfreak]

Biocubes work fine. It's all preference. Check nano-reef.com for nano information. Marine eclipse kit wont be as good as getting a nano because they dont have everything built in. I personally don't like aquapods.

[Jivenjune]

I'm assuming it's a FOTWL.

If that's the case, that's a pretty easy setup. The amount of light needed in such a setup is sufficient to the extent you're able to see your fish clearly. Aside from that, the lighting is of negligible importance since the overall amount of water will be considerably shallow regardless of what type of 10 gallon setup you choose to get.

There are some nano protein skimmers that would probably work, but with a tank of roughly 10 gallons and live rock, I don't know how important that will be. Your best bet is to get a nano protein skimmer pre-attached to a HOB power filter if you do choose to limit yourself to 10 gallons

The Taam Rio is probably your best bet:

http://www.marinedepot.com/protein_skim ... er-ap.html

The reason why I'm against Biocubes is because the majority of them are designed poorly in regards to their shape. Let's say for example that I purchased a 12 gallon circular Biocube. The footprint for the aquarium itself is extremely limited in relation to a standard 10 gallon aquarium. I would be hard-pressed to find space to add live rock in any functionally decorative form. In addition, I would also find it difficult to add a separate filter or heater without having it look rather clunky. They're also rather expensive since Biocube look more like office aquariums than at home aquariums.

I stand by my opinion when I say that I think it's a poor choice. Here are some images so that you can actually see a few:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=19755

Even with a Marineland Eclipse system, you might still have difficulties adding a HOB skimmer/power filter. Most nano tanks come with filters implemented within their hood systems, so you'd have to find a way to work around that. Eclipses aren't bad for the price, and for a FOWLR, it's probably sufficient.

Fish only tanks aren't overly complicated. I'd recommend purchasing either Bio-Spira or Dr. Tim's to immediately cycle your tank when you decide to begin everything.

[CarmenH]

The pics you showed are BioOrbs, not the Biocubes made by Oceanic. I agree BioOrbs are crappy (one of them nearly set a friends house on fire!) but I've also been looking at Biocubes and they seem pretty good to me!
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products/biocube.php
You can get air driven skimmer made specifically for the tank and everything is enclosed in the back panel...

Carmen

[pufferfreak]

FOWLR, FO, Reef, or Planted? Red sea max is indeed the best and this is why it is also the most expensive.

Check tank brands for yourself http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supp ... 3730/18534

[LilGreenPuffer]

I hear a lot of good about the Red Sea Max, too. (I'm cheap, hence the AquaPod.)

[Jivenjune]

Oh, BioCubes. Haha, completely missed that. Yeah, those look perfectly suitable.

[herplover22]

thanks everyone

i would definatly get only have fowlr

i just dont want to try anything too complicated i cannot keep fresh water plants alive so i doubt i would have any luck with corals etc

i think i might just set up a 10g(since i already have one lying around) and get 2 power heards small amount of sand about 10 lbs of live rock and that should be it right? unless i want to add a small protien skimmer


the only porblem i see with the biocube is the shape it is really awkward since it is a cube and i refuse to spend $200 for the special stand made for the biocube or any aquaium stand for a tank so small

also about the rock i was asking about, if i used the rock i have from the ocean(collected years ago) and used that and then just bought a few lbs of live rock from a local aquarium store it would spread to the rest of the rocks too right?

and then also buy bio spira/ dr. tims

i definatly want at least one clown fish(ocellaris) and i want a cleaner shrimp of some sort to help eat leftover food
what other fish would be suitable to add in there?

is there any care you have to give to the live rock? do i have to feed it?lol


thanks for all the help

[Mek0ng]

Id really go with some decent live rock, that way you know the rock you already have is not leeching anything bad into the water, from pollution to nutrients. That and it would look a lot better. No need for bio sipra or anything like that, the rock will do it all. Just make sure it has gone through a cycle before you add fish or anything else. If you do enough water changes you should be able to get by without a skimmer if you keep just one or two fish and that shrimp. No need to feed the rock or anything. Water changes will also be important to keep the right ph since you probably are not gonna need to dose with kalk or two part.

You should top of with RO/DI on such a small system or set up a drip to keep the SG constant.

[herplover22]

ok thanks i never thought of that
i will just get live rock then(so expensive for rock the one guy near me wants $18 a lb and i havnt called the other lps yet though)

i have a very high ph naturally and with the aragonite sand it should stay pretty high


i will try to find some ro/di water around some where can you buy it from any stores?

[CarmenH]

Holy smokes!!! The going rate around her (Southern Ontario) is $7.99-$10 a pound and it's insane how that adds up! One piece cost $32, I almost had a heart attack...and my hermit crabs think it's delicious :-/

[Pufferpunk]

Try finding a local reef club for LR.