[Zia]

I got my bio cube a few hourse ago and I am not too happy about it. I was looking at the red sea tanks and I should of waited and gotten one of those.. BUT I guess Im going to have to make due with this one.

Im going to post photos step by step of setting it up but not until the end of the month because I have to wait to get a stand which will support it. I dont want to use the stand that comes standard for the tank. I want it low to the floor or level with my computer desk so I can have it right here beside me while Im in the bedroom and on the computer, plus I want to buy rock and sand at the same time and whatever else I need to do to the tank in the mean time...like modify the whole thing?Haha

The tank doesnt have a serial number on the back of it so I guess its a older model but at least its brand new out of the box.

Im sure glad I learned from you guys I dont need to buy only live sand, that I can just ad a few pounds of live sand with the "dead" sand and get all the sand biologically active with just that. Thanks guys.

I need some advise so please indulge me here. Im studying alot about what I need to do but the standard lighting on this tank has me freakin' so please have mercy on me- Do I have adequate lighting? Id like to at least have enough light to support soft corrals but I dont think I have that.

Heres the lighting I have. 2 compact fluorescent lamps. 1-36 watt 10,000k and 1-36 watt true actinic 03 then I have lunar blue moon glow LED lights.

Ive only been paying attention to wattage on bio cube lights, not the kilowatts so I might have enough kilowatt and am just not aware of it.

I dont see that I have a skimmer at all. This is what else came in the cube-
One dual action filter cartridge- do I even need this?
Integrated wet/dry biological filtration.

No light timer, nothing else.
The guy at the lfs said a refractor to measure salt density was best to use. I was reading that the other thing was better, but I cannot think of the name for it right now.

I mean, I didnt even get any bioballs with this system.Not that I wanted them anyway but I think I shouild of gotten them.

[reefnoob1991]

Lol...bioballs should've came with the system, and kilowatts has nothing to do with wattage, just what intensity wavelength the light is at. The stand it comes with should be low enough, mine is below me when sitting at my desk. The lighting that comes standard is ok to support some soft corals but probably not an anemone. Nanotuners.com has great retrokits to upgrade lighting, I went up to 108 watts from the standard 72. You can keep the filter cartridge but may need to clean it out frequently cause it gets alot of crap in it aka causing the water levels to go down in the pump chamber and blowing out air bubbles into the tank. You can get some other type of filter material and put it where the water flows into the 2nd chamber and it'll be just as fine.

[Zia]

Well thank Gawd!

I am better now.

I got out my parts diagram and read it.

I do have two 50 mm cooling fans. Yippee!

Im a nut I know. If all else fails, look at the diagram! lol.

I must have a anemone so I guess to nanotuners I must go!

I dont have any type of skimmer though and I dont know the first thing about installing one. I just hope I dont have to modify the actual tank to have one.

Reefnoob, can I put rock pieces in where that filter cartridge goes and use those instead?

Also, I have a sponge filter. Do I have to clean that often? Also, if I upgrade me wattage to the same as yours reefnoob, will I need better cooling fans? Arg, arg, arg!

[reefnoob1991]

Sure, and if you have any questions about it just ask...me and krazy k both have one

[Zia]

Thank you soo much reefnoob, and I will.

[reefnoob1991]

No prob, I'm just happy about my jawfish...he's so cool!

[reefnoob1991]

But yeah...my tank has gone through ALOT i mean aLOT of changes. I'll show you,
1st week I had it


Rearrangement with new LR


Switched out my main HUGE 9 pound rock and replaced it with the bottom one you see here

New arrangement


Most recent arrangement


Current rock setup

[Zia]

That is soo pretty reefnoob.

Can I go ahead and set up my tank with the lights that came with the system and let it start cycling and THEN get the lights upgrade while I waiting for it to finish cycling.

How old is your tank now reefnoob? Wheres your jawfish? Pictures please.

Why did you take out the big rock and put in a smaller one? Also, can you mix rocks, like some from fiji mixed from some from the caribbean?

What is that purple stuff on your rocks? Is it algae? I really like that cave on the far right.

[reefnoob1991]

Yeah I mean that's fine (lighting and rock mixing). I took it out because it limited my options as far as space and coral placing. The purple is coralline algae aka the good kind. It serves no other purpose than taking up space and nutrients that other algaes would use/grow on

[reefnoob1991]

Oh and my tank is close to 2 months old...and I can't take a pic of the jawfish cause he's in the burrow. But if you look in the pic and look on the small rock on the sand bed right infront of the big middle one...he's made his burrow there.

[Zia]

Ill google jawfish and have a look.

[reefnoob1991]

its the pearly jawfish

[Zia]

Ahhh, ok, do these guys live out in open water too and burrow just in the sand without any rock around? If so Ive seen them on national genographic.
Heres a description of what they do:
Jawfish typically reside in burrows that they construct in sandy substrate. They will stuff their mouth with sand and spit it out elsewhere, slowly creating a tunnel. Utilizing the protection of these burrows, these fish will hover feeding on plankton or other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger. They are territorial of the area around their burrows.

Jawfish are mouthbrooders meaning that their eggs hatch in their mouths, where the new-born fry are able to be protected from predators

Are you going to get another one? A opposite sex so they can mate?

I was looking at small angel fish at the lfs today. I would like to have one. Do they eat soft coral? I understand there aggressive.

Id like to have just a couple of fish and several gobies, shrimp and such. No hermit crabs if I can get away with it.

I was looking on nanotuners at the different lighting. I cannot make head or tails of it.

[reefnoob1991]

I have no knowledge of angels...but mine is residing under my big piece of LR...i broke off a couple small pieces and now he's building up a front wall

[Zia]

Your tank isnt very old. How long did it take for the water to cycle?

Thats funny, you dont know about angels but you have one....sounds like something Id say. Hahaha

[reefnoob1991]

No I don't, I have 2 clowns and a pearly jawfish. And it took my tank 3 days to cycle because I used biospyra.

[Zia]

Oh, sorrry about that. Talking on the internet is soo impersonal. No jesters can be seen. Didnt mean to sound insulting.

Im looking for a hydrometer. Where is the best place to get one?

[reefnoob1991]

Lfs...11-16$

[Zia]

Your tank cycled in three days????Thats amazing. This gives me hope!

[reefnoob1991]

I used BioSpyra...it's a package full of cycling bacteria

[Zia]

Thanks. That is pretty cheap, I thought they were expensive.

The guy at the lfs, the owner said that a refractometer was better to use but Ive read where a hydrometer is better. You use the hydrometer yes?
Im affraid to look to see if my lights can be put on a timer.

Now I know why people say to be patient. I can be patient but this is rediculous.

Ill be a junior chemist and a electrical wizard by the time I get this thing set up.

[reefnoob1991]

You don't really need timers...Just turn the actinics on when you wake up for like an hour then the regular lights for 10-12 hours then the actinics an hour before you sleep then the moon lights...and refractometers are better supposedly but i haven't had a problem with mine...it's an instant ocean hydrometer...and biospyra is like 25$ so it's not that cheap

[Zia]

Oh, ok well thanks. That means I dont have to have alot of conveniet stuff up front anyways.

What purpose do the moonlights have? I had them on my cyclid tank but it was just for looks?

Do I need to buy a skimmer? Not a protein skimmer but the other kind? The name escapes me at the moment?

[reefnoob1991]

It comes with a surface skimmer (see grates on the overflow)...and moonlight is just for looks and to mimic the moonlight.

[Zia]

You are soo helpful and I appreciate all your help.