Bring the Biocube Back to Life?

[SaltwaterNoob17]

My Biocube 14 has been sitting in a closet for almost a year now, and I'm considering bringing it back to life. The only thing that is really stopping me are the water changes...

I do a 6 gallon WC on my 50 gallon every week, and I don't feel like adding another WC to my chore list. IMO, I think it is best to change 10-15% of the water each week, which means I would probably do a 2 gallon WC on the Biocube every week. And, quite simply, I don't feel like getting out the siphon, bucket, towel, etc. to suck out a measly 2 gallons every week; it seems so tedious. I would like to set-up the Biocube, and only do a WC every 2 weeks (or even once a month), but make it a LARGE WC...

Do you all think I could do a WC on a Biocube 14 only once a month, but make it a LARGE WC (like 40-50%)??
What would you all recommend as the best WC schedule & amount for a Biocube 14? :question:

 

[Hiker4twenty]

I'm sure you can do a monthly water change if you keep your nutrient level low. I used to have a BC14 and did 4g every 2 weeks.

 

[ggNoRe]

+1 Hiker

Shouldn't be a problem at all. It will help to have a smaller bioload and run purigen, activated carbon, filter floss, and chaeto. But even without all this I don't think it would get too bad.

 

[Bifferwine]

Especially if you stick with only one or two small fish, I don't think it'll be a problem.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I think I'm going through with it! :mrgreen: I'm going to place a FosterandSmith order for some chemi-pure elite and purigen (I already have carbon and filter floss on hand, as well as chaeto). I have a 5W submersible light I had bought from InTank to grow chaeto in Chamber 2. It never seemed very effective, though...

What do you recommend for a chaeto light, GG? Or anyone else?

 

[Bifferwine]

For a chaeto light, you can pretty much use anything. If the chamber gets light from your tank, that's fine. Otherwise, you can use a simple 23 watt CFL bulb that you can buy at any store, plugged into a shop light fixture from the hardware store.

 

[sen5241b]

I scraped the paint off the back of chamber 2 of my biocube 29 and have a strong light on the cheato in there.

 

[ggNoRe]

I have the intank submersible lights that has two 10W bulbs. My chaeto has grown from the size of a tennis ball to the size of a brick since I first got it 3 months ago. I like it because it is a very simple and easy solution.. just plug it in and drop it in the water. I dislike the fact that it does add noticable heat to the water (approx. 2 degrees F. in my 29G) and burns the chaeto that it contacts. But if I had to do it again I would get the same thing, I hate DIY projects.