My first saltwater tank - 14g Biocube journal

cross

Member
HI THERE. I WOULD PUT THE KORAILA IN THE BACK IF YOU CAN AND POINT IT TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE TANK.ROCK LOOKS MUCH BETTER.I LIKE TO MAKE CAVES TO.WE ARE ALL HERE FOR YOU IF YOU NEED US..
 

krak256

Member
thanks for all the comments!
i pushed the rocks down into the sand, but it is not touching the floor. would a yellow clown golby be a problem? i was kind of thinking about getting one.
i will try and get more live rock, but i really havent seen live rock that i like. when i go to pet stores, all their live rock is bland looking. i want to get live rock that has a bit of color to them.
the koraila should be in the back of the tank? i put it towards the front and had it pointed back so there would be some flow going behind my rock scape. is that wrong?
 

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
Doesnt have to be in back but it would be harder to see it in the back. I have mine placed exactly where urs is in my 14 gal see
 

joezimm

Member
Nice tank.
I just wanted to add, since nobody mentioned it, that you do not need to concern yourself with the min/max water gauge on the side of the tank. With the addition of LR Rubble in chamber 2, you can then just add water until all three chambers are basically full.
 

krak256

Member
oh great! thanks for the info joezimm!
just did a 20% water change today.
water parameters are:
PH: 7.8
Alk: high
Ammonia: .25
Nitrate: 50
Nitrite: .2
I'm halfway through my cycle I'm guessing? My PH is a bit low. How should I go about raising it?
I plan to put in a Hydor flo with a Maxi-Jet 900. I hear I need to increase the flow from chamber 1 to chamber 2 to make sure the pump works correctly. How do I go about doing this if the skimmer for the biocube hangs on that same plastic?
Also, my temp is running at 81 degrees. I set my heater to 78, but its still at 81. is the temp high because of the pump? I don't even have the lights on...
 

krazy302

Member
Originally Posted by krak256
http:///forum/post/2681386
oh great! thanks for the info joezimm!
just did a 20% water change today.
water parameters are:
PH: 7.8
Alk: high
Ammonia: .25
Nitrate: 50
Nitrite: .2
I'm halfway through my cycle I'm guessing? My PH is a bit low. How should I go about raising it?
I plan to put in a Hydor flo with a Maxi-Jet 900. I hear I need to increase the flow from chamber 1 to chamber 2 to make sure the pump works correctly. How do I go about doing this if the skimmer for the biocube hangs on that same plastic?
Also, my temp is running at 81 degrees. I set my heater to 78, but its still at 81. is the temp high because of the pump? I don't even have the lights on...

I have a bio-cube 8 and don't have a heater in it and it runs about 80-82. try not plugging in the heater and see what the temp is at. if it goes too low try setting it to 76 the thermostat on the heater could be off..
 

krak256

Member
update:
I was away for a week. My tank had an algae bloom with diatoms and some green algae. I came back and replaced the pump with a Maxi-Jet 900 and the head with a Hydor flo. I also cleaned out the filter and filter floss.
Tank parameters:
PH:8.4
Ammonia: .25
Nitrate: 50
Nitrite: .1
Am I almost done with my cycle? Should I do a partial water change?
Attachment 203928
diatoms
Attachment 203929
I think the Hydor flo is sticking kinda far from the wall. Did I put it on correctly? It is working tho.
Attachment 203930


 

krak256

Member
unplugged the heater. temp is still running at 81 degrees. i noticed that my maxi jet 900 pump makes more noise than the stock pump. does anyone have the same issue?
also, how do you put the pump in? i have it pulling water from the right side and spitting the water upward into the tubing.
 

subielover

Active Member
I have my pump at a 45degree angle. It is kinda wedged in there but has adequate space. I have not really noticed anymore noise than my stock pump, how high do you keep your water level in chamber 3?
 

krak256

Member
thanks for the reply subielover. the water level is a bit above the max water level line. the maxijet 900 pump isnt significantly louder than the stock pump, but it definitely louder. i think it may be vibrating against the wall.
 

allen7_7

Member
Your cycle is not done yet. You can do a water change like flricordia said when your nitrates reach 0. Also is the tank by a window or computer or something that would make it hot? How long do you have your lights on for? Are both your fans working? Is the room temp high that can make your tank warmer too? Just remember that you need to do it right from the start and not to add things to fast I know is hard but few more weeks. Then maybe a cuc could be added. Just keep reading and reading. salinity in my tank is 1.023.
 

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by krak256
http:///forum/post/2694764
unplugged the heater. temp is still running at 81 degrees. i noticed that my maxi jet 900 pump makes more noise than the stock pump. does anyone have the same issue?
also, how do you put the pump in? i have it pulling water from the right side and spitting the water upward into the tubing.
As long as the temp doesn't go any higher it will be OK for most corals. I run mine at about that same temp. Saves on trying to cool it aif it is used to running that high it will adjust to it and do fine. I think it was Bang Guy that suggested keeping the temp at the high end so if something does happen where temp rises it won't be such a shock.
It does all depend on livestock keeping, but most corals and fish will do fine.
With the all-in-one tanks temp is a problem but 81 is not bad as long as it doesn't get much higher for long periods.
Looking good so far.
 

flricordia

Active Member
Originally Posted by krak256
http:///forum/post/2693711
update:
I was away for a week. My tank had an algae bloom with diatoms and some green algae. I came back and replaced the pump with a Maxi-Jet 900 and the head with a Hydor flo. I also cleaned out the filter and filter floss.
Tank parameters:
PH:8.4
Ammonia: .25
Nitrate: 50
Nitrite: .1
Am I almost done with my cycle? Should I do a partial water change?
Attachment 203928
diatoms
Attachment 203929
I think the Hydor flo is sticking kinda far from the wall. Did I put it on correctly? It is working tho.
Attachment 203930
Might take alittle longer on the cycle. Do a 20% water change and leave the lights off now all the time. Need to kill off the green algae before it becomes invasive and gets a good foot hold. Diatoms are part of the cycle. Doing good so far. Let the tank go another 2 weeks.
I know, but in the long run when you are not battling unwanted algae you will be glad you waited it out.
And get a little more LR in there. Need about 50% more than what you have minimum.
 
J

james454

Guest

i placed the orginal pump in the back lower left corner. the outlet flows across the back of the tank. in place of the orginal pump i placed a maxi-jet 900.
i placed the orginal sponge underneth ir for a few reasons. Main was so nothing gets sucked up and has a refuge/breeding place for amphipods and copepods. you cant see in the pic however there are a ton between the glass and sponge if you look lower back suction cup there is a micro star there.

First off please understand this is my first post/pic of my tank. i took the pic with my iphone ( to lazy to get camera ) items in pic not completly open turn on lights real quick for photo.
 

krak256

Member
thanks for the help! i have one issue right now that I need help with. my hydor flo keeps falling off. None of the fittings that it comes with goes in correctly. up top you can see how its fitted into the wall. can someone help? how do you get it to fit snug?
 
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