Oceanic BioCube? Yes - No?

kemfish

kemfish

Member
My husband recently saw one of these bad boys (a 29 gallon BioCube, which I call a bad boy because of the price tag!) and he is in love. We currently have a 25 gallon and JUST started setting up a regular 29 gallon this week, but after seeing the biocube, he wants one of those instead.
Are they worth the price??
For those of you who have them, what did you replace from the stock supplies, and do you use the BioCube protein skimmer as well?
I am happy he is finally coming around to my love of the saltwater tanks, but considering we only paid $50 for the 29 we have and it came with stand, filter, etc...I am a bit put off by the price tag (about $400 here in Hawaii).
If we wouldn't need to replace things like the filter, lights (this is the big thing, since we would have to buy new lights for our current tank when we are off island in the future and get into coral), etc, it would be worth it, but if we need to replace a bunch of stuff there is no way we can justify trading from a regular 29 to a biocube 29.
TIA
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I really like the BioCubes as far as all in one units. I don't like their skimmer and think its a waste of money. As far as lighting, the 29 comes with two options, one is PC lighting and the other is a Metal halide which is the HQI model. Do you happen to know which model you were looking at? The HQI is a REALLY nice system and well worth $400. For the regular model, they go for around $275 online, so $400 is rather high.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
It was the standard one, but I was JUST coming back to ask if the HQI was worth the extra buck, if we're going big, might as well throw in the extra bit LOL. I don't know anything about lights, so I didn't know which was a better option. I do not know the in store price, the only place we have seen them is *****.

Those are the online prices for each, plus we usually pay for the shipping in Hawaii, even when in store (they are just priced higher, usually the same as ordering online and paying shipping to home).
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
If we can find someplace to ship it on island for cheaper, and we did do this, we'd go for the HQI, just because I don't know anything about lights. Either way it's his dream until taxes come in :)) Just trying to decide if I should continue setting up this 29 gallon if we are going to make the switch in a month to 6 weeks
. Any idea what it would cost to replace lights (if even possible) on the standard cube? I thought someone had one on a buy used site here, but can't find it at the moment.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
29g tank is a 29g tank...one is just fancier than the other. I spent $400.00 on a 90g tank, a stand and a canopy... brand spanking new.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
I agree. I don't mind my 29g rectangle at all, my husband just likes the BioCube and expressed that he would like one...it's the first input he has had on anything really, so I wanted to get some reviews and see what it would REALLY cost (with replacing stock items if needed) to switch so we can decide before dumping more money into the current tank.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/390081/oceanic-biocube-yes-no#post_3452198
I really like the BioCubes as far as all in one units. I don't like their skimmer and think its a waste of money. As far as lighting, the 29 comes with two options, one is PC lighting and the other is a Metal halide which is the HQI model. Do you happen to know which model you were looking at? The HQI is a REALLY nice system and well worth $400. For the regular model, they go for around $275 online, so $400 is rather high.
Are the lights on the HQI adequate for all corals? I really know literally nothing about lights, and haven't looked into coral very much (we won't be going the coral route for about a year or so, after our move back to the mainland)
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/390081/oceanic-biocube-yes-no#post_3452206
29g tank is a 29g tank...one is just fancier than the other. I spent $400.00 on a 90g tank, a stand and a canopy... brand spanking new.
Thats a great price! We don't have room for a bigger tank than the 29 though, and don't really trust the Army to ship anything bigger (we have a freshwater 29 that they have shipped).
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by KemFish http:///t/390081/oceanic-biocube-yes-no#post_3452211
Are the lights on the HQI adequate for all corals? I really know literally nothing about lights, and haven't looked into coral very much (we won't be going the coral route for about a year or so, after our move back to the mainland)
Yes.
The BioCube is nice because it's an all in one and keeps things clean/neat. You don't have to get a tank drilled to have a sump, etc. Personally I prefer to the cube tanks, whether it's the BioCube or the JBJ cubes over a standard nano tank. With nano's, I like the all in one feature and I've had better luck with them as opposed to a regular nano with a hang on the back filter as well.
That being said, you already have a 29G.
If you wanted to save some money, you can always get the regular BioCube model for now and upgrade to the HQI lighting later on. The big difference between the HQI and regular models are a small refugium and upgrading lighting. Personally, I don't think the small refugium makes that much of a difference. The HQI light is about $100-$200 depending on where you order from online. You'd have to remove the stock hood and have an open top if you were to upgrade the basic model. This might be the better route to go for you though since you can't have corals right now. There are quite a few clip on metal halides that will work for a 29G tank, so you could even upgrade the one you own to better lighting once you move without it costing you a fortune. You can also look into a PAR38 LED fixture which won't cost you much to put over a 29G and that will also support any coral you want down the road.
 
y2says

y2says

Member
Here's mine that I just set up about a month ago.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/390019/29g-biocube-reef
First off, get rid of the bioballs if you want a reef. I found my tank/stand on Craigslist for only $100. For the lighting, first you need to figure out what types of corals are you going to keep. I would go with LEDs. Initial cost is more, but the long term savings are substantial. Lower heating bill, no need to replace bulbs and less water evaporating. I'm extremely happy with my setup and looks like more corals do as well.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
You're in Hawaii, right? Aren't a lot of the corals restricted there? I would check the laws and see what corals you can keep. If you can keep the light demanding corals, then go for the upgraded lighting. If not, go with the standard.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Yes, we are in Hawaii...which is why I said we have to upgrade when we move to the mainland :) The LFS here does not carry any coral because of the laws of the state.
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Don't worry about it :) If I hadn't known that already it would have been extremely helpful information, and now someone else in Hawaii will see it in the future and it can help them :)
I didn't know until I asked the LFS why they didn't have any coral and he said coral is illegal to own...at some point last month someone else sent me a link to the actual law, which states what you can and cannot own, but finding someone on Oahu who sells coral at all is impossible so far. I only know of one other LFS that we haven't been to, and they don't have any listed on the website.
I was also told (though I don't see how) that owning ive sand is illegal by the worker at *****, though the website has shipped 30 lbs of it to me at this point, so I don't see why they would ship it if it was illegal...besides the idea that live sand is just sand with bacteria and critters, so doesn't all sand BECOME live sand in a tank?
 
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