Getting a 29g Biocube for free!!

HeavyHittah

LivingReefs is like home
So my teacher is wanting to get rid of his biocube. and i told him i can take it off his hands and treat it right you know. and he agreed. but after the deal was made i realized that i spend so much of my time reading up on things for my 75gallon and future 600g build, i dont know a "whole lot" about biocubes. so you guys got any tips or can point me in the right direction?
 
Wow, congrats on the gift. Same rules apply with the 29gal as with the 75gal...only on a smaller scale. Smaller fish and limited amount. It can truly turn out to be a beautiful reef set up because of the compact size. What type of lighting does it have?
 
Speaking from personal experience, as I have been in the process of setting one up for the past six months, there a fantastic self contained system. They require quite a bit of work to set up but once you do there great. Many people have had problems with them in some shape or form mainly with the water levels causing air bubbles with the return pump but once you figure it out its almost worry free. I have also heard of many owners making cuts in the rear dividers to increase the water flow, I have made no such alterations and everything is working great for me. As for inhabitants, I have one clown fish and a variety of zoas, mushrooms, and a red bubble tip anemone. Everything looks great and is doing very well.

The one suggestion that I can make is have two powerheads. I have a Koralia 3 and a 1 running just because although the 3 puts out a lot of flow, with my LR arrangement I always seem to have a dead zone, hence the 1.

Let me know if you want any other info, but trust me you won't be disappointed. And if you are, then you can sell it to me :)
 
smitty im not sure what the lighting is in it currently, but i do know one bulb is out. and he said the one working is "blue". what configs you think i should try bulb wise. im trying to only keep two clowns and corals in it, the just transfer the clowns once i get my 75 going. but we'll see. flow i have no idea but orzeljo gave me some good info to start off with. what size bulbs come in this thing. i believe its oceanic but not sure.
 
I've had a BC29 for over 2 years.

Get rid of bioballs. Put 100 watt heater in chamber 1.

FLOW: Scrape black paint off outside of chamber 2 only using a , fill chamber 2 with cheato and put 2 strong lights on cheato --like 40 watts CP 4000K. Replace stock pump with a Rio 6hf. Get rid of 90 degree elbow in chamber 3 and replace it with curved tube. Put a loc-line on the pump output and split the flow into two spouts. Drill a small hole in one of the loc-line sections to create surface agitation. Cut the little plastic wall wide between chamber 1 and 2. Leave the chamber 2 plastic grate in place to reduce water flow sound. Put a powerhead rated for 10 to 20g in the tank to improve flow. All this will greatly improve flow.

LIGHT: The hood is rather tight and will cause heat problems. You may wish to ditch the hood and get
1) a Sunpod 150 watt
2) Current USA 150W 14000K HQI Pendant w/ Hanging Arm & Electronic Ballast
3) 150 watt VIPER
4) have nanotuners.com mod your existing hood to 150 watt T5s or to MH but this last option is likely to cause heat issues that require an expensive chiller.
 
sen has you covered. I plumbed my old BC to have a HOB overflow and a 10gallon sump so I could run an awesome skimmer, but that's personal preference. I also got rid of the hood and replaced it with a 150 W MH. You can't keep much in terms of corals with the stock PC bulbs. Of course, this is presuming that it's the old style of BC29-- more recent editions have other lighting styles. take a picture and we'll be able to tell you which it is.
 
Im using the intank media rack and refugium rack on mine and am very happy with them. With the media rack I am running purigen, chemi pure elite, and polyfilter floss on top. For the refugium rack I have a huge brick of chaeto (started off tennis ball size a month and half ago) with the intank underwater lights. I just popped off the return nozzle to increase flow and it agitates the surface nicely. Also I switched out the stock return pump with a Maxi-Jet 1200 and added a Koralia Evo on the other side of the tank. Seems like the perfect amount of flow as I have to make sure the Koralia is pointed in just the right spot or else the sand mounds up to one spot or I create a mini whirpool at the surface. Also I cut the tab between chambers 1 and 2 to create more flow and have my skimmer lifted with a zip tie so it can skim properly. Let me know if you have any specific questions as I would love to help. Glad to see another Biocube owner they are a fun system to work with. Also, I just happen to live in Houston as well. :)
 
yea im going to pick it up today since im off. from the way he described it to me it doesnt sound like a 29gall though, maybe a 14? i dont know.
 
Congrats on the gift - but keep in mind that those biocubes can be a lot harder to manage that a larger tank. Get yourself a protein skimmer to further enhances the capabilities of the BioCube by adding the ability to remove dissolved organic waste and to purify the aquarium's water even further. Highly recommended!
 
Back
Top