Biocube Advice Please!

elyazzoo

elyazzoo

New Member
Hello everyone,
Well about five months ago I took down my four year old 75 gallon reef tank in order to remodel the room it was in. It was in it's prime about two years ago until I became lazy and let it slip away from me. Two weeks after taking it down I realized how much I missed it, so I decided to get a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube HQI. It has been up and running for 4 months now, and this is what is in it:
*40 lbs of liverock
*About 1 1/2" livesand
*Sand Sifting Starfish
*About 10 hermits
*About 10 snails
*Engineer Goby (Adult)
*Maroon Clown
*Green Clown Goby
*Green Bubble Tip Anemone
*Green Star Polyps
*Tree Coral
*Devil's Hand Leather
*For equipment all I have is the Metal Halide light it came with, the wimpy protein skimmer it came with, and a heater.
I humbly admit that although I have been in this hobby for about four years, I still kinda suck at it. Get ready for my dumb questions.
I feel like the stock biocube filtration system isn't completely adequate when in comes to keeping pristine water conditions. What else can I do to improve the filtration and water quality? I do about a 2-3 gallon waterchange every week. Is there any filter media I can add to the biocube chambers? I feel like the biocube protein skimmer does a mediocre job; are there any other nano skimmers that will fit in my biocube? Are there any sumps that are specifically made for nano cubes that don't require drilling/ a lot of DIY?
Should I have a sump?
Also, I am getting the shit beat out of me in the never ending fight against aiptasia. I've tried peppermint shrimp, but they won't touch the aiptasia. My LFS owner gave me some cucumber lime pickle powder stuff with a syringe and told me it would get rid of them. Besides the fact that this bag of white powder with a syringe in it is creeping me out, it also has had no effect. HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE LITTLE BASTARDS?
Thanks,
elyazzoo
 
nano-newb1983

nano-newb1983

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by elyazzoo http:///forum/thread/386297/biocube-advice-please#post_3392161
Hello everyone,
Well about five months ago I took down my four year old 75 gallon reef tank in order to remodel the room it was in. It was in it's prime about two years ago until I became lazy and let it slip away from me. Two weeks after taking it down I realized how much I missed it, so I decided to get a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube HQI. It has been up and running for 4 months now, and this is what is in it:
*40 lbs of liverock
*About 1 1/2" livesand
*Sand Sifting Starfish
*About 10 hermits
*About 10 snails
*Engineer Goby (Adult)
*Maroon Clown
*Green Clown Goby
*Green Bubble Tip Anemone
*Green Star Polyps
*Tree Coral
*Devil's Hand Leather
*For equipment all I have is the Metal Halide light it came with, the wimpy protein skimmer it came with, and a heater.
I humbly admit that although I have been in this hobby for about four years, I still kinda suck at it. Get ready for my dumb questions.
I feel like the stock biocube filtration system isn't completely adequate when in comes to keeping pristine water conditions. What else can I do to improve the filtration and water quality? I do about a 2-3 gallon waterchange every week. Is there any filter media I can add to the biocube chambers? I feel like the biocube protein skimmer does a mediocre job; are there any other nano skimmers that will fit in my biocube? Are there any sumps that are specifically made for nano cubes that don't require drilling/ a lot of DIY?
Should I have a sump?
Also, I am getting the shit beat out of me in the never ending fight against aiptasia. I've tried peppermint shrimp, but they won't touch the aiptasia. My LFS owner gave me some cucumber lime pickle powder stuff with a syringe and told me it would get rid of them. Besides the fact that this bag of white powder with a syringe in it is creeping me out, it also has had no effect. HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE LITTLE BASTARDS?
Thanks,
elyazzoo
i have a 24g nanocube and in back for filtration all i got is Filter Floss, chemi pure elite and purigen
up and runng for 2 years, also without a skimmer. Keep up on waterchanges and u should be fine
aspista i would get some joes juice. there also nudibranches you get online that eats them
 
gundamseed31

gundamseed31

Member
Hmm... well peppermint shrimp are more like you have to starve them to death till they finally start eating the aiptasia I remember one time i had with one rock that had so many aiptasia i jsut took the rock and boiled in hot water... LOL and had it cycle in a new tank it worked. haha... but seriously I starved my peppermint shrimp and then they got the job done!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by elyazzoo http:///forum/thread/386297/biocube-advice-please#post_3392161
Hello everyone,
Well about five months ago I took down my four year old 75 gallon reef tank in order to remodel the room it was in. It was in it's prime about two years ago until I became lazy and let it slip away from me. Two weeks after taking it down I realized how much I missed it, so I decided to get a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube HQI. It has been up and running for 4 months now, and this is what is in it:
*40 lbs of liverock
*About 1 1/2" livesand
*Sand Sifting Starfish
*About 10 hermits
*About 10 snails
*Engineer Goby (Adult)
*Maroon Clown
*Green Clown Goby
*Green Bubble Tip Anemone
*Green Star Polyps
*Tree Coral
*Devil's Hand Leather
*For equipment all I have is the Metal Halide light it came with, the wimpy protein skimmer it came with, and a heater.
I humbly admit that although I have been in this hobby for about four years, I still kinda suck at it. Get ready for my dumb questions.
I feel like the stock biocube filtration system isn't completely adequate when in comes to keeping pristine water conditions. What else can I do to improve the filtration and water quality? I do about a 2-3 gallon waterchange every week. Is there any filter media I can add to the biocube chambers? I feel like the biocube protein skimmer does a mediocre job; are there any other nano skimmers that will fit in my biocube? Are there any sumps that are specifically made for nano cubes that don't require drilling/ a lot of DIY?
Should I have a sump?
Also, I am getting the shit beat out of me in the never ending fight against aiptasia. I've tried peppermint shrimp, but they won't touch the aiptasia. My LFS owner gave me some cucumber lime pickle powder stuff with a syringe and told me it would get rid of them. Besides the fact that this bag of white powder with a syringe in it is creeping me out, it also has had no effect. HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE LITTLE BASTARDS?
Thanks,
elyazzoo
Hi, Welcome to the site.
I can't help on the bio cube, because I have never had one.
Peppermint shrimp don't eat the big aptasia, they like the young tender ones. So your pickle juice stuff or Joes juice, aptasia X whatever you use...squirt it into the center of the aptasia disc to kill it..it should melt right then and there and be dead.
Get the peppermint shrimp, and they will take care of any new crops of it. You don't have to starve the shrimp. Mine are in my Saehorse tank, and the horses a very messy eaters and mysis shrimp goes all over....so they have plenty to eat. Before I added the peps I had new aptasia sprout everyday...I have not seen even one since adding the shrimp
If you can add macroalgae it might help the water quality of your tank. It works good for my SH tank.
 
tang master

tang master

Member
take the rock out and use a butane torch to burn the little rascals. haha. i used this method on aptasia, and rock anemones. works everytime. u could also try aptasia x made by red sea...it works amazingly well
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by elyazzoo http:///forum/thread/386297/biocube-advice-please#post_3392161
Hello everyone,
Well about five months ago I took down my four year old 75 gallon reef tank in order to remodel the room it was in. It was in it's prime about two years ago until I became lazy and let it slip away from me. Two weeks after taking it down I realized how much I missed it, so I decided to get a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube HQI. It has been up and running for 4 months now, and this is what is in it:
*40 lbs of liverock
*About 1 1/2" livesand
*Sand Sifting Starfish Your tank will not support this creature long term. It will decimate your sand bed of live organisms and eventually die from starvation.
*About 10 hermits
*About 10 snails
*Engineer Goby (Adult) I would question your assumption that what you have is an adult as they can get to 18 inches. Another critter I would remove from your tank.
*Maroon Clown
*Green Clown Goby
*Green Bubble Tip Anemone
*Green Star Polyps
*Tree Coral
*Devil's Hand Leather
*For equipment all I have is the Metal Halide light it came with, the wimpy protein skimmer it came with, and a heater.
I humbly admit that although I have been in this hobby for about four years, I still kinda suck at it. Get ready for my dumb questions.
I feel like the stock biocube filtration system isn't completely adequate when in comes to keeping pristine water conditions. What else can I do to improve the filtration and water quality? I do about a 2-3 gallon waterchange every week. Is there any filter media I can add to the biocube chambers? I feel like the biocube protein skimmer does a mediocre job; are there any other nano skimmers that will fit in my biocube? Are there any sumps that are specifically made for nano cubes that don't require drilling/ a lot of DIY?
Should I have a sump?
Also, I am getting the shit beat out of me in the never ending fight against aiptasia. I've tried peppermint shrimp, but they won't touch the aiptasia. My LFS owner gave me some cucumber lime pickle powder stuff with a syringe and told me it would get rid of them. Besides the fact that this bag of white powder with a syringe in it is creeping me out, it also has had no effect. HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE LITTLE BASTARDS?
Thanks,
elyazzoo
Here is what I did to my biocube in the back chambers.

I use the Aquatic Life Mini Skimmer 115 and it works great.
The back chambers are a sump. Not many people with the biocube do a remote sump but it can be done.
Here is a picture of my tank and a link to my thread.

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/332430/spanko-s-bio-cube-what-in-posiden-s-name-is-he-up-to-now
 
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