Is it possible to have a reef tank look like this? What do I need?

meglovin

meglovin

New Member
I acquired a 29 gallon BioCube and will be setting it up Monday; it will be my first experience with saltwater.
The tank comes with one 36 watt 10,000K bulb and a 36 watt actinic bulb, as well as the three LED moonlights. I'm curious as to whether or not these could sustain the type of coral I want, although my guess would be no. I talked to a gentleman at a LFS and he said it may be able to support soft corals but no hard corals.
First question: I found two images of my "dream" setup, but I'm wondering if they are doable or if they just make a pretty picture.


Second, if the above tanks are possible in my BioCube, what kind of lighting would be best for the given species? Since I'm not sure what coral species are pictured, I can't adequately put any research into their care. I also like the more "blueish" tint in the picture, and am really not a fan of the "white" lighting I often see in SW tanks.
Thank you so much for your expertise, SWF members!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meglovin http:///t/393662/is-it-possible-to-have-a-reef-tank-look-like-this-what-do-i-need#post_3502759
I acquired a 29 gallon BioCube and will be setting it up Monday; it will be my first experience with saltwater.
The tank comes with one 36 watt 10,000K bulb and a 36 watt actinic bulb, as well as the three LED moonlights. I'm curious as to whether or not these could sustain the type of coral I want, although my guess would be no. I talked to a gentleman at a LFS and he said it may be able to support soft corals but no hard corals.
First question: I found two images of my "dream" setup, but I'm wondering if they are doable or if they just make a pretty picture.


Second, if the above tanks are possible in my BioCube, what kind of lighting would be best for the given species? Since I'm not sure what coral species are pictured, I can't adequately put any research into their care. I also like the more "blueish" tint in the picture, and am really not a fan of the "white" lighting I often see in SW tanks.
Thank you so much for your expertise, SWF members!
Hi,
Since those are pictures of real tanks...the answer to your question is a big yes you can do it,
The reason you see the lights more blue in some tanks are Metal Halids with a 20k bulb or actinic lighting or LEDs
Lighting is the most expensive thing to purchase when keeping corals.
So to get what you want, it's time to begin getting together equipment. (in bold)
It all depends on the coral you want, to find out if the lights you have ar strong enough. To keep corals such as you see in pic #1...those look like leathers, soft corals and muschrooms. The bottom of the tank has non-photosynthetic corals (needs low to no light) You do have enouth lighting for a tank containing the corals in pic #1
Pic #2 contains SPS corals which require the strongest lights, you don't have lights for a tank with that type of coral in it.
There is so much more than just lighting, you need reef test kits (lab type not strips) power heads to create the wave. A proper filter system and CUC(clean up crew) of snails, serpent stars and such to keep things clean. You will also need salt mix and an RO (reverse osmoses) unit. A refractometer or hydrometer. A skimmer, live rock and sand. A thermometer to know how warm the temps are and a heater. A mag float to clean the glass...and a background to make it all look awesome.
 
meglovin

meglovin

New Member
Thank you for taking the time to answer!
Given the fact that my BioCube currently has the capacity for 2 "bulbs", could I ever achieve the more blueish look, or would I have to redo my lighting to achieve this? Is it possible to mix some of the corals I see in pic #1 with some of the corals in pic #2 since the corals in pic #2 need stronger light? Will the stronger lights therefore negatively impact corals in pic #1?
I purchased my initial liquid saltwater test kit and will be purchasing the reef kit next weekend. (They are API brands, which I've heard a few complaints about, but I found them on sale and couldn't resist.)
My BioCube comes equipped with one powerhead in the right corner; will this be sufficient? I'm planning on purchasing saltwater since I do not have an RO/DI system nor am I comfortable enough to make my own just yet. Different places I've contacted use different salt mixes; is one superior to the other for a reef tank? Is the refractometer/hydrometer necessary if I'm not mixing my own water? I have about 20 pounds of "dead" live rock and will be seeding the tank on Monday with a few pieces of live rock; the same I was thinking of using aragonite sand and will try to 'seed" that with some sand from my LFS (if they give me any.) Have a heater that came with the tank I inherited, and have a thermometer I used for an old freshwater set-up... so hopefully the heater is still working fine. :)
Since there are three types of lights equipped in the tank, when do I keep them on/off? Do the actinic and the 10000K light stay on together, then the moonlights at night?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
What you are looking at is thousands of dollars and years of experience. Is it possible? Absolutely! In a Biocube... it's possible, but it will take a while to research and get all the expensive equipment to maintain it properly.
Start with an extremely low bioload. A pair of very small clownfish is pretty much the only thing you would want to have - so that water quality is now fowled quickly. Feed quality foods, like rotifeast and very small amounts. Use a high quality salt mix with additional calcium and alkalinity and a stable amount of magnesium - Instant Ocean Reef Crystals will usually do the trick in a small tank. I like regular Instant Ocean and add calcium, alkalinity and magnesium seperately.
You will want to buy different test kits. API brand are notorious for giving false results. Salifert or Seachem are good brands that give solid numbers consistently. Very reliable. With a tank like that, you will want to have more than one powerhead/return in your biocube for water flow. An MP10 is usually what serious aquarists use for water flow in these kinds of tanks. I would try to purchase one of these. If you are going to try to do this kind of tank, you need to be a serious aquarist.
If your corals are using more Ca and Alk between water changes than what water changes can keep up with, you may have to install a controller with a double doser - so that your calcium and alkalinity can stay stable between water changes. That's good enough for a small tank. I wouldn't want to have a small SPS dominated tank without one, if I were to do a small tank again.
Basic equipment...
Reef Crystals salt mix
RO/DI Unit with TDS meter
Fish Net
mixing bucket
Vortech MP10 - or go cheap with a maxijet and an oscillator (but you will want the better MP10 later on.)
Maxijet 1200 powerhead for mixing salt.
live rock
digital temperature thermometer
possibly a controller with a pH probe and temp monitor... if you want to invest that kind of money - or if your corals demand it.
You will need a better lighting system - which I have seen some people do a DIY LED lighting system in some Biocubes - which will really increase your ability to keep the corals pictured above.
Keep in mind that a tank like that also takes about six to eight months to mature and then about two years to really start to get things to grow well.
I wish you the best of luck.
 
fishhead80

fishhead80

New Member
Definitely achievable in a 29g bio cube, but the margin for error will be much less compared to a large reef tank. So take ur time and research. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Especially In a nano tank. With the research and development in this hobby growing so fast. They are making it easier and easier to achieve a "Dream Tank". There are a lot of ppl on here customizing bio cudes to better suit a reef tank. Keep researching and when in doubt, ask.
 
fishhead80

fishhead80

New Member
To answer ur question on salt. I like to use Oceanic Salt. It's high in calcium so I never needed to dose my reef tank. About the lights. U have Daylight. Actinic and moonlights(LED). Moons lights- I keep on 24/7. Day lights- I keep on 7 hrs. Actinics- I keep n 9 hrs. Daylight and actinics are on at the same time. I turn on actinics an hour before and after daylights come on and off to mimic sunrise and sunset.
 
meglovin

meglovin

New Member
Awesome, I didn't know that. Thank you both very much.
Will an Aqueon Circulation Aquarium pump work (500 or 700 gph)? I get a great discount on Aqueon products.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meglovin http:///t/393662/is-it-possible-to-have-a-reef-tank-look-like-this-what-do-i-need#post_3502906
Awesome, I didn't know that. Thank you both very much.
Will an Aqueon Circulation Aquarium pump work (500 or 700 gph)? I get a great discount on Aqueon products.
Hi,
I'm not familiar with that type of pump, but it sounds like it is the same as a maxi jet. They deliver a steady stream of water and are great for running skimmers, pumping water from a sump or water changing/top off tub...if you can put a diffuser on it to make the stream wider would be better. You want a wave, not a jet stream. Although back in the day jet stream was the best we had. The new ones that spread the water flow out like a fan with magnets to hold them in place is worth it's weight in gold. The wave is the life of the ocean, and your saltwater tank....for the goal of a tank that you have, the best you can get is the way to go.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Flower, ... She's talking about these...

Which is a knock off brand of Koralias. I would say it's perfectly fine.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
LOL...Like I said, I wasn't familiar with the brand. Yep I agree it's exactly what OP needs.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
beware that these kinds of powerheads do not have a magnetic backing, they have a "super silicone seal"... which basically means squat. The seal will eventually break and the powerhead will blow your sand around.
It is always, always, always better to invest in quality products the first time around - rather than purchasing cheap products first and then end up figuring out that you need the better stuff later. It will always save you money in this hobby.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/393662/is-it-possible-to-have-a-reef-tank-look-like-this-what-do-i-need#post_3502955
beware that these kinds of powerheads do not have a magnetic backing, they have a "super silicone seal"... which basically means squat. The seal will eventually break and the powerhead will blow your sand around.
It is always, always, always better to invest in quality products the first time around - rather than purchasing cheap products first and then end up figuring out that you need the better stuff later. It will always save you money in this hobby.
I didn't know the "brand name" however I have used those suction cup with a clasp to attach it kind...I LOVED it. My big 90g is against the wall with some space for equipment, but I have to admit trying to get a power head attached to the back was near impossible. I would try and get it as far as I could and then drag (hoping that the magnet held) across the back to where I wanted it...then, if/when the magnet would detach and fall back there, I had to get a reacher to retrieve it. The suction cup (clasp, not the three useless sticky type) held great, and I could put it easily wherever I wanted and didn't have to worry about the magnet back falling behind the tank where it shouldn't. I used mine for the last two years and it's still holding strong.
It is indeed smart to always get the best, but sometimes the best does not always mean expensive. It's all a matter of what works for you....If I want a PH to replace the failed one in the back, I would again seek out the suction cup with a clasp one.
I also want to add some insight to the technology involved in those suction types I'm talking about, people use them to climb on the sides of buildings...skyscrapers. LOL...they better hold. The plain suction cups, even the ones with a little "tab" to pull so it releases is NOT the kind I'm talking about.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
You can do it. Here is my 29 gallon biocube. I have ditched the stock hood and used LED lighting.
Some pictures here from back in March the latest I have posted.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/332430/spankos-bio-cube-what-in-posidens-name-is-he-up-to-now/1000
Guess I should get some new ones up.....................oh bother..........
 
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