BioCube 29 Gallon Cycling Help/Advice Needed!

Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
Hello,

I have started up my BioCube 29 Gallon Fish/Reef-to-be tank on January 23rd.
The tank has been cycling since that day, with the following in it:

- 40 Pounds Live Bahamas Oolite Sand
- About 25 pounds of Live Rock
- About 18-20 gallons of Live Nutri-Seawater

Lighting has been off since the beginning of the cycle, and protein skimmer has been removed two days ago, because I read there is no reason to have it running yet.

On day one, waters have been tested and all levels read zero.
I am aware that the tank has to go through an ammonia spike, and I know just because I used everything Live in my tank, I should still let it cycle properly, so this is what I am doing.

Water tested on day 11 of the cycle - readings were as follows:

pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 5.0
Nitrate - 10

I would appreciate any tips on what to do next, if anything, or just wait, wait, wait..?

Also, when would be a good time to begin adding a cleaner crew?
(sorry for the bad quality pic, will upload more later!)

tank.png
 
Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
I have no problem doing that, but I am just confused about what I am waiting for. I know its for all the levels to drop to what they should be, but does that happen with just waiting and doing nothing?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
It's still cycling.

How much waterflow do you have in the system?

I would suggest feeding the tank a small amount of food every day or so to keep the bacteria populations thriving. Just a small amount, about what you plan on feeding your first fish.
 
Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
bang guy said:
It's still cycling.

How much waterflow do you have in the system?

I would suggest feeding the tank a small amount of food every day or so to keep the bacteria populations thriving. Just a small amount, about what you plan on feeding your first fish.
Click to expand...
as far as the water flow, i have only the stock return pump in there now. I am going to purchase a Coralife circulation pump this week and add it in there for flow. It has 750 GPH. would you say thats sufficient?
 
Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
bang guy said:
yes, more than plenty. The additional flow will profoundly help the cycling.
Click to expand...
thanks! i was debating if the coralife one is a good product or not.
Also, do you think i should change the return pump to a MaxiJet 1200 or something similar? Or can i leave the stock return pump? I have been reading that many people change the stock pump for more flow, but isnt that what the circulation pump is for?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I'm not endorsing the Coralife product. To be honest, I've not had the best of luck with their product line. I was only commenting on adding additional waterflow.
 
Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
bang guy said:
I'm not endorsing the Coralife product. To be honest, I've not had the best of luck with their product line. I was only commenting on adding additional waterflow.
Click to expand...
What is a good circulation pump? Would you have any recommendations?
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Pisces28 said:
I have no problem doing that, but I am just confused about what I am waiting for. I know its for all the levels to drop to what they should be, but does that happen with just waiting and doing nothing?
Click to expand...
Wait until the nitrite levels fall to zero, then you are good to go. You probably will not have excessively high nitrates, so you won't have to do a water change until the first regular monthly change, when 3-6 gallons would work.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Pisces28 said:
thanks! i was debating if the coralife one is a good product or not.
Also, do you think i should change the return pump to a MaxiJet 1200 or something similar? Or can i leave the stock return pump? I have been reading that many people change the stock pump for more flow, but isnt that what the circulation pump is for?
Click to expand...
Use a return pump that flows the amount of water you want filtered. It's usually 4-6 times the water volume of the tank (depending on who you ask). Circulation pumps move the water inside the tank, which is also added to the return pump rate to give the "total flow" through the tank. You should always choose the return pump first, and then add the powerheads/circulation pump(s) you need to reach your target flow. Adequate flow is vital to a healthy tank, as it keeps detritus stirred up so the skimmer and/or other filtration can remove it from the water. Without adequate flow, detritus builds up in crooks and crannies, and results in excessive nitrate. It's better to have too much flow than not enough.

As far as powerheads go, I own two sets of Jebao's. I bought a pair of RW-8's to use in conjunction with my Twin WP-10's in my 40G, but they're a bit strong, so I have them set on flow rate 2 (they go to 8). I think a pair of RW-4's would be a good fit for your 29G. You can control the flow rate, and it offers several different modes that create different currents. I really like them, and they're not very expensive. Just my 2c...
 
Pisces28

Pisces28

Member
pegasus said:
Use a return pump that flows the amount of water you want filtered. It's usually 4-6 times the water volume of the tank (depending on who you ask). Circulation pumps move the water inside the tank, which is also added to the return pump rate to give the "total flow" through the tank. You should always choose the return pump first, and then add the powerheads/circulation pump(s) you need to reach your target flow. Adequate flow is vital to a healthy tank, as it keeps detritus stirred up so the skimmer and/or other filtration can remove it from the water. Without adequate flow, detritus builds up in crooks and crannies, and results in excessive nitrate. It's better to have too much flow than not enough.

As far as powerheads go, I own two sets of Jebao's. I bought a pair of RW-8's to use in conjunction with my Twin WP-10's in my 40G, but they're a bit strong, so I have them set on flow rate 2 (they go to 8). I think a pair of RW-4's would be a good fit for your 29G. You can control the flow rate, and it offers several different modes that create different currents. I really like them, and they're not very expensive. Just my 2c...
Click to expand...
thanks! will look into it right now and probably order that because ive heard the Coralife products are not the most reliable!
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
You're welcome. I can't recommend Coralife products, as they haven't impressed me in any way. I was looking for a compact powerhead system for my small tank when I ran across these pumps. I read a lot of reviews, and the main complaint was they got dirty quickly, and would stop pumping. The WP series have small openings in the case, and if there's a lot of debris and algae in your tank, they will clog up. I never had one stop pumping in over a year, so I thought I'd try their newer series, the RW. The openings on these pumps are much larger, so clogging should not be an issue. The main reason I chose these pumps is because of the power they deliver at their price point. I have 4 Sicce Voyager 3 powerheads in my 125 gallon tank, and they flow 1200GPH each... supposedly. I paid like $70 each for these, and had to have a separate wavemaker to control them ($75). The two RW-8 pumps come with individual controllers that communicate wirelessly. Set one as master, and as many as 7 more controllers as slave(s), and you control all of them with one controller. The two RW-8's (800-2000GPH each) will move almost as much water as my 4 Sicce pumps (1200GPH each). I think I'm going to downsize to a pair of the RW-4's in my 40G, retire a couple of the Sicce's in my 125G, and use the RW-8's to replace them. The Sebao RW-4 is rated up to 800GPH, and has the same wireless features as it's bigger brother, so a pair of those should be a perfect fit for your 29G. They also use DC current on the pumps, so they have soft startup... in the right direction.

I cannot, and will not, recommend Hydor Koralia pumps for your tank. I had 4 in my big tank, and they were okay... until I hooked them up to a wavemaker. It was horrible. They operate on AC current, so they randomly started in reverse. Hydor came up with the brilliant idea of putting a rubber bumper to catch the blades if they start in reverse, and bounce them back in the right direction. I think they started in reverse every time, because they always made a loud clicking/clacking sound every time they started up (check reviews). On a wavemaker with 4 powerheads, this can be a lot of startups in a short amount of time. My wife MADE me buy new powerheads the day I hooked the Koralias up. I sold them for less than half of my cost. Good riddance. I'll admit... they make great powerheads for mixing saltwater in small containers. If you want a steady flow with no start/stop cycles, they're great.

I only recommended Jebao pumps, but you be the judge. Check reviews, and keep an open mind. There are other great powerheads available, but I haven't found any that have the same features at their price point.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
jay0705 said:
Question. Why do u want a power head to start and stop?
Click to expand...
If you have two or more powerheads starting and stopping at different intervals, it creates random flow. A single powerhead, or even a pair of powerheads, running all the time will create a single type of flow. This allows dead spots to form in the tank, where food and detritus can accumulate. Random flow is 100x better at keeping these "dead zones" from being formed. If you watch shows about reef systems, you'll notice that the current changes directions quite often. This keeps waste suspended and off the sand and corals. Fish seem to enjoy riding the currents, and it keeps them active and healthy. Not only is it healthy for your tank, it looks super cool. Soft corals swaying back and forth is a beautiful sight. Check out this video of my Duncan corals swaying in the alternating current. This is very similar to how they would be moving in the ocean...

 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Welcome. That's an old vid, so I'm currently uploading a new one that shows anthelia and xenia. It's a much better flow demo than the Duncan vid. Will get it posted once it finishes loading...
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
This video may be a better example of random flow. Sorry about the background noise... my wife conveniently makes noise when I'm recording. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was intentional. LOL!

 
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