Biocube 14 build thread

[Angelajean]

Hi,
A friend of mine told me what I should do is start a build thread and then all my info and questions are located in one place.

Test results for today are as follows:
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
pH 8.0

We have the stock biocube 14. Do I need to increase water flow to help the pH or not?
18-20 pounds live rock
20 pounds live sand

LED lighting upgrade

Thanks,
Angie

 

[Bifferwine]

If you are using the powerhead that comes with the Biocube, you should be good for flow. Your pH is just fine -- no need to try to adjust it. pH will always be lowest first thing in the morning when you turn the lights on, and highest at night before you turn the lights off. So if you tested at 8.0 in the morning, that's completely normal and fine. :)

 

[Angelajean]

Thanks. Will we need a power jet before we add corals?

I try to look for sales when I purchase so making a list of future needs is what I am doing.

We are going to add our CUC soon.

Thanks,
Angie

 

[Bifferwine]

A powerjet? Like a powerhead? No, the flow that comes with the tank is fine. You shouldn't need to buy much at all with that setup -- it's a nice all-in-one tank. The flow is good, the lights are good.

 

[blando]

Is sometimea go to craigslist for stuff I got aome coral from there good size mad cheap if I got it from LFS I prob pay way more

 

[Angelajean]

Thanks for the info I was reading that some people add power jet for corals to increase water flow.
Thanks

 

[Angelajean]

I have come to a conclusion. While live rock and live sand are a good foundation, there is no substitute for time. When we were at the LFS, they tried to sell us fish. It is very tempting, but I do not want to screw up my tank.

Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates all 0. pH is 8.0

When should I start my protein skimmer is there any reason to run it now in an empty tank?

I ordered a refractor because my salinity is low. It is 1.019. I am using RO/DI water so I am not sure if it is my floating hydrometer or truly 1.019. My son wanted to test the RO/DI water from the LFS for ammonia after he read that someone had a problem with this. Ammonia was.25. My tap water, which I do not plan to use is Ammonia 0.
Thanks,
Angie

 

[blando]

I didnt run mine until i got fish into it. Thought be pointless because no waste and all was in it and just thought i rather have it finish its cycle.

 

[Bifferwine]

When you have a new skimmer, it usually takes a week or two to break in and start working. So I would start running the skimmer at least a week before you plan on buying fish, just so it's up and running well by the time you introduce them into the tank. Your parameters are good. If your tank has cycled, then you can add your first fish (after you've raised the salinity up a bit).

 

[Angelajean]

What type of water do you guys use to make your own saltwater? I've read conflicting information on tap water and distilled water.

What procedure would you recommend for increasing the salinity?

After salinity is right, wouldn't you add CUC before a fish?

I immensely appreciate all the help.

Angie

 

[Angelajean]

The protein skimmer that came with my system (from Craigslist) is a Red Sea Prizm protein skimmer. It is the hanging model and in order to use all the time, after tank is set up I can only hang it on front unless I remove the hood. Removing the hood of course removes the lights so hanging on the front is the only option. Anyone have any suggestions?
BTW, I took it apart and throughly cleaned it and my husband rigged up a bucket to pump saltwater through it to make sure all the vinegar water was cleaned out of it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Ulta]

What type of water do you guys use to make your own saltwater? I've read conflicting information on tap water and distilled water.

Do not use Tap water to make your Saltwater unless your one of the very few who have great water straight out of the tap. Most likely you don't. The rest of us all use RO/DI (reverse osmosis/De-ionized) water these filters typically cost $100+ its an upfront cost but will save you $$ in the long run. You can go buy RO water from the store to mix up your own (especially since you only have a 14g) or buy from your LFS. That will be up to you :)

What procedure would you recommend for increasing the salinity?

You should mix the saltwater to your desired salinity in a bucket (with a powerhead if you can) before it is added to the tank.

If you wanted to increase the salinity after its already in the tank you can just top off your evaporated water with saltwater instead of fresh water like you normally would. This will slowly, and safely, increase your salinity.

After salinity is right, wouldn't you add CUC before a fish?

Yup,
When all your ammonia & nitrite levels are at 0, then your can do a ~30% water change to lower your nitrates then you are ready to add CUC (and possibly 1 small size fish if you wish :))

 

[Angelajean]

All values (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites) are 0. pH 8.0

Went and got more RO/DI water from LFS did 25% water change, a couple of days ago. The last batch I got tested Ammonia at 0.25, but this batch was fine. I tested it before using it.

My son wants a porcelain or an emerald crab, but I don't think so if he wants corals down the line. Maybe corals around his birthday in December.

 

[Ulta]

All values (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites) are 0. pH 8.0

You need to "kick start" your cycle, by adding something to decompose. You can throw in a piece of raw shrimp from the store, some people just put fish food in and let that decompose. The whole process takes about a month to complete.

This is to build healthy bacteria populations. Otherwise when you add fish their poop will decompose and the ammonia/nitrite levels will rise because there is not enough bacteria and that is lethal to the fish.

 

[Ulta]

My son wants a porcelain or an emerald crab, but I don't think so if he wants corals down the line. Maybe corals around his birthday in December.

Those are reef safe crabs :) I always like to have emerald crabs in my tank, great addition to your CUC! :)

 

[Angelajean]

Already added the table shrimp when we set it up almost 2 weeks ago. It is gone.

 

[Bifferwine]

Since you already put in a shrimp, your tank has cycled (as evident by your levels being back at zero) and you are good to add your first animals once you adjust that salinity. As was said, mix up your salt water in a bucket and let it mix for about 24 hours (this ensures that the salt is completely dissolved and mixed uniformly with the water). Since you want to raise your salinity, your new water's salinity should be higher than normal to bring the tank's salinity up when you add it.

That skimmer really isn't very good. I don't think you need it. Your Biocube should come with compartments in the back that you can fill with filtration media. Some people use bioballs, but I wouldn't use those. Instead, I'd just fill the sections with more live rock rubble. That will give bacteria a lot of extra surface area to live.

 

[Angelajean]

So Sarah, I should just use Live Rock rubble where the bioballs would go. I am not using the bioballs anyway. A friend told me to put polyfiberfill in the protein skiimer as another level of filtration. She had a tank a long time ago, but I thought that sounded weird.

Thanks,
Angie:D

 

[Shane1]

I have the 14 gallon Biocube as well. I have 2 clowns and the normal CUC. The mechanical filtration I have is the sponge in the pump chamber, bio balls and I use filter floss on the grate over chamber 2. I dont use the filter cartridge anymore. I also removed some of the plastic that restricts water flow between chamber one and two. I change the fliter floss when ever it gets dirty, about every 3 - 4 days. Its really cheap and works great. I clean the sponge and some of the bio balls about once a month. I do 1/2 gallon water changes once a week. This all works great for my tank. I dont think the skimmer is necessary especially since it takes up space and obstructs the view. I have a 5 gallon bucket with mixed R/O salt water filled and waiting all the time. If I take 1/2 a gallon out I add it right back and make the salt right. This to me is the key to easy weekly water changes. If its allready mixed it makes it a 3 minute process to do a water change. I knew absolutetly zero about this hobby until I got my tank. let the great people of Livingreefs guide you. Your tank will appreciate it and so will your checking account:Cheers:. Here is a link to a biocube resource site. lots of great info on mods and how to's.
The Biocube Resource Guide - Nano-Reef.com Forums

 

[Angelajean]

Okay so today we added a CUC of 4 margarita snail and 4 tiny hermit crabs, plus 1 cerita snail, who buried itself in the sand in less than 40 seconds. We acclimated them using the drip method. Now we will wait and test again.

All tests were good this morning along with salinity. We did add some live rock in the back for extra filtration.

Now we will wait and see.

We would like to get a couple of sexy shrimp. Do I need to test additional things and do they need coral or something to hang out in? I see them pictured a lot with an anemone or something .

Another question is can clown fish live alone? Not looking at adding all this together, but when I go to the LFS I come up with more questions. They had small clown fish and they were feeding them when I was there. They were little eaters.

Thanks again,
Angie