Jim's New 29g Biocube HQI

[aveda6]

Hello all,

I've been reading a lot of the forum posts as I'm just getting back into the saltwater world. I used to have a 40 gallon tank that was a bit rough and sloppy looking. I had to get rid of the tank due to a move and personal issues but now i'm getting remarried and getting my fiance into the whole world of SW. We wanted to keep everything small so we opted for a 29 gallon biocube HQI (with the 150watt MH lights). We picked up the LR and sand and have added a raw shrimp to start the cycling. We are a few days in now and the Ammonia is at 0.5ppm so we're just getting there.

We put in about 38 lbs of live rock. We had one more rock (of about 5 pounds) but just couldn't fit it in to the tank. I don't know how people fit 1.75 lbs/gallon. At our weight we are running 1.3lbs/gallon and it's chock full..LOL...There is about one pound of rock in the refugium in back as well.

Anyway, the story has begun and I'm hoping to be able to post a number of photos as the tank progresses. I learned a lot from the errors i made the first time around and I'm hoping to build upon those past lessons. I had the old tank for about 2 years and it was just getting "stable" when I had to stop....I'm grateful for the great advice on here and love looking at all the pics...

jim

 

[BL1]

Welcome to the site Jim. Your rockwork looks great and it sounds like you're off to a good start. If you ever have any questions or need any advice feel free to ask

 

[aveda6]

thank you....i will definitely have a ton of questions as i go along...great to know there are so many knowledgeable people on here...

 

[Bifferwine]

Hello and welcome! Tank is looking great so far. ;)

 

[aveda6]

Thank you biff...

I should mention that my lunar lights are based off a forum idea I read here (I believe). Rather than purchase a set of moon lights I bought a strip of led's from a local car shop and wired them in via an AC/DC converter. The light strip ran $13 and the converter ran $7 so it was relatively inexpensive. I have the strip in a spot in the front of the tank that will get wet so we'll see how it holds up but it's hidden and I wanted to try it as a start...

 

[Smitty]

Looking great thus far. Good job! :)

 

[ggNoRe]

Looking good! Welcome the the Biocube HQI club. I had the same issue with too much rock in mine. Ended up taking a couple rocks out myself. Going on the 4th month with mine and loving every bit of it.

 

[aveda6]

ggNoRe.....your tank is my inspiration...i've been keeping an eye on your tank for a while...Looking great...I'm now in the phase of fighting off "that would look great in my tank"....trying to be patient...

 

[BL1]

We put in about 38 lbs of live rock. We had one more rock (of about 5 pounds) but just couldn't fit it in to the tank. I don't know how people fit 1.75 lbs/gallon. At our weight we are running 1.3lbs/gallon and it's chock full..LOL...There is about one pound of rock in the refugium in back as well.

What i didn't realize is that your total tank volume takes into account the rear filter chambers. I can't remember who but, someone not long ago actually counted how many gallons of water it took too fill the display area of the tank. If I remember correctly, it was only like 20-22 gallons. So really, if you've got 38 lbs in your display then you've got almost 2 lb/g

 

[ggNoRe]

Wow! I really appreciate it! :mrgreen:

 

[cageburn]

sweet new setup!!!! I love the black sand! :)

 

[aveda6]

Brian, That makes a lot of sense. I didn't even think about the back chambers. Taking that into account helps explain why it looks so full. I may end up taking some out over time.

 

[BL1]

Brian, That makes a lot of sense. I didn't even think about the back chambers. Taking that into account helps explain why it looks so full. I may end up taking some out over time.

I did the same thing, I've probably taken out at least 10-20 lbs of time so there's more swimming room for everybody

 

[aveda6]

Hello, It's been a bit since I updated and I have finally have something to post. I have added the first of the living creatures to the tank. There are a pair of clownfish, one BTA and one feather duster. They were not all added at the same time and I know the BTA is pushing my luck but it was on sale for a great price so I took a chance. I did have one rookie mistake. I thought the Koralia Nano pumps were slow enough and covered up enough to protect the BTA, but the morning after purchasing it I found it inside one of the pumps. Fortunately they are very low flow and I removed it, did a 30% water change and crossed my fingers. It has been a couple days now and it seems to be doing well and has found a spot that it likes. The clowns are much happier with having it in the tank and have finally moved away from the one little corner that they are in. I am starting to just see the beginning of algae so I'll be monitoring this over the next few weeks. Hopefully it stays under control. All tests appear normal and NH4 is still 0. We've been battling the heat but so far the tank has been steady under 84 (about 80-82 normally) despite the high 90's outside.

Oh, I forgot to add that I have covered up both pumps with screening to prevent a recurrence of the BTA puree

 

[dcantucson]

Your tank is coming along nicely. Great job so far. Great light idea too.

 

[aveda6]

Thanks to Biff the Chaeto was successfully put into the tank this evening...no other changes as i've just been letting everything settle down and acclimate..to date everything is alive, even the anemone that took a trip into the powerhead....

jim

 

[PRC]

I really like the choice of color on the sand. Nice.

 

[Bifferwine]

Good deal! How about a pic of that wonderful chaeto? :lol:

 

[yote]

Looks great Jim.

 

[aveda6]

Sarah,

I'll get a photo as soon as possible. I was away for the weekend and they shoved the chaeto into my mailbox so i just wanted to get it in to the tank for now. Since the biocube has the chambers and the window in back it's tough to get a photo. I'm going to update the pics soon as I've gotten a few small creatures (bristle starfish and clam).

jim