rickybutler's biocube modification thread for beginners!!!

[rickybutler]

Hi guys I've posted on here a couple of times and am new to this saltwater hobby. Never having a fish tank before this year I decided to go with saltwater...and boy did I not know what I was getting into!!! After a month or two of mostly downs I learned the ropes the hard and expensive way. Now finally my tank has been establish for around 2 months with its inhabitants being 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 fire fish, 2 blue legged hermits, a bunch of snails and a Red Bali star fish. I have now about 10 lbs of live rock and 40lbs of sand in my 14g biocube. Fist off any suggestino of additions to my tank (coral, invertebrates, corals, fish) as xmas is coming up and I need to ask for gifts!! Anyways so I have seen a lot of threads on this forum and others about modifying a biocube or other nano to not only make it a better environment for your inhabitants but easier on the wallet (which excited me)!! I use to have a $40 dollar in-tank refuguim with about 2 inchs of live sand, a handful of chaeto, and 2 lbs of live lava rock which I then found out that lava LR contains heavy metals and invertebrates don't do well with it, so i quickly discarded of the lava and bought 3 lbs of base rock from a LFS and chiseled it into rubble. After having my intank setup I found out how I can mod the back of my biocube into a refugium (and also that my nitrates were high which were caused my bioballs and sponge filter having old detritus stuck in them). I also saw that I would be spending 10 dollars on biocube filters every 2 months at the most sometimes even more so thats $120/year on filters. Thats a lot of money so i also found out on these forms about purigen and blue bonded filter pads. Purigen cost $6.99 last for 6 months and through bleaching can be reused and reused over and over. Also blue bonded filter pads can be bough in bulk, for $6.99 at my LFS and last twice as long as the biocube for the same size so on $6.99 purchase will last me up to 2 years. Thats a saving of $226 over the first two years. (thats a couple corals!!!) Here is my thread for all the newbies that think these mods are to confusing, I'll help you through them with step by step and pictures.

 

[rickybutler]

First a list of the supplies a costs I used to complete this whole task.
Blue bonded Filter Pads
$6.99 LFS
<a href="http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/?action=view&current=IMG_2164.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/IMG_2164.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
10 Watt Two light bulbed Submersible Light
(couldn't find anything so ordered it on ----)
$19.50 (including shipping)
<a href="http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/?action=view&current=IMG_2165.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/IMG_2165.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Purigen
(had to use ----)
$11 (including shipping)
<a href="http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/?action=view&current=IMG_2169.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/IMG_2169.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
3lbs of live rock from LFS
$12 (chiseled into rubble to put in first and second chamber)
1 plastic cup (to place chaeto in to stop it from getting sucked into 3rd chamber by pump)
$0
<a href="http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/?action=view&current=IMG_2189.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz201/cjstoker12/IMG_2189.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Overall Cost of Operation
around $50 for 2 probably 3 years worth of supplies

 

[rickybutler]

First a list of the supplies a costs I used to complete this whole task.
Blue bonded Filter Pads
$6.99 LFS
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2164.jpg
10 Watt Two light bulbed Submersible Light
(couldn't find anything so ordered it on ----)
$19.50 (including shipping)
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2168.jpg
Purigen
(had to use ----)
$11 (including shipping)
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2169.jpg
3lbs of live rock from LFS
$12 (chiseled into rubble to put in first and second chamber)
1 plastic cup (to place chaeto in to stop it from getting sucked into 3rd chamber by pump)
$0
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2189.jpg
Overall Cost of Operation
around $50 for 2 probably 3 years worth of supplies
You'll also need a razor blade for cutting!

 

[rickybutler]

1.) Take off the top of the 2nd Chamber
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2170.jpg
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2174.jpg
2) You Should be able to now see the bioballs
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2177.jpg
3) Now remove the bioballs and the after the bioballs are out remove the bottom "trap door" that was holding the bioballs in place.
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2181.jpg
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2183.jpg
4.) Now gather all the materials you need to create your refugium. Since I already had an intank refugium all I needed to do was to cut a plastic cup in half and poke holes in it to hold the chaeto in place and allow a steady water flow over it and so the copepods will be taken into the main part of the tank.
You will need for this process
-live rock rubble
-live sand
-cup
-chaeto
my intank refugium
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2147.jpg
cups cut in half with holes..and my english setter daisy
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2189.jpg
5.) place MOST of the live sand you want in your refugium, not all of it, at the bottom of the 2nd chamber and don't use your bare hands, bristle worms can caused some discomfort if you touch their bristles bare handed. Then on top of that place the live rubble only a couple of lbs if you place too much not enough water will be present around the chaeto and it will die. Then on top of the rock place the plastic cup with holes poked all around and on the bottom. Then place a little of the leftover live sand in the cup and on top of that all of your chaeto. Place it on top of the lie rock so that most if not all is under water and so that a medium to strong flow of water hits the chaeto so the copepods will be brought into the display of the tank.
6.) Finally take the "trap door" from the beginning of the process. Using the razor blade you can cut into the trap door to make a space so the submersible light can be placed through.
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2190.jpg
7.) place the trap door on top were it should fit into place just over the rock and cup with chaeto, slip the submersible through the space you just created and VIOLA you have just set up your refugium!!!

 

[rickybutler]

These are the easy steps. You will need
Blue Bonded Filter Pads
Scissors
Purigen
Tongs (not completely necessary but so your not putting your hand into the tank water)
Live Rock/Live Rubble
If you have enough extra live rock/live rubble these are your steps
1.) Remove the biocube filter cartridge.
2.) Fill the First chamber up the the live rock and rubble from your display tank until it stacks as high as the filter cartridge would have been in the first chamber. This will act as your filter from now on.
3.) Now take measurements of the second chamber were you have the trap door and the refugium under that.
4.) Now take the measurements and cut an equal piece out of the blue bonded filter pads to match the second chamber.
5.) Now take that pad you just cut out and place it on top of the trap door so that the flow from the first chamber reaches the blue bonded pad and it acts as another filtration device. before the water makes it to the refugium.
6.) if there is not enough flow that cut the border between the first and second chamber so there a larger space for the flow to travel. This will increase the flow which is always a good thing.
7.) Now on to the purigen. Go into the third chamber. Using the tongs (or your hands) remove the sponge filter that is right aside the pump. This is the main cause for elevated nitrates in biocubes if they are not cleaned weekly with tank water. I had never cleaned mine and look at all the old detritus in mine WOW!
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2180.jpg
8.) Once you have taken the sponge filter out, take out the Purigen packet out of the box
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2169.jpg
9.) Now place the purigen packet where the sponge filter use to be so the flow of water is flowing through the purigen packet.
You HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MODIFIED YOUR NANO!!!
If you don't have enough live rock/rubble here are your steps.
1.) take out your biocube filter cartridge and measure it.
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2191.jpg
4) then use the measurements and cut out an equal size filter out of the blue bonded filter pads.
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2191.jpg
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2192.jpg
5.) replace the biocube filter with your filter pad.
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2193.jpg
6.) Now on to the purigen. Go into the third chamber. Using the tongs (or your hands) remove the sponge filter that is right aside the pump. This is the main cause for elevated nitrates in biocubes if they are not cleaned weekly with tank water. I had never cleaned mine and look at all the old detritus in mine WOW!
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2180.jpg
7.) Once you have taken the sponge filter out, take out the Purigen packet out of the box
http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=IMG_2169.jpg
8.) Now place the purigen packet where the sponge filter use to be so the flow of water is flowing through the purigen packet.
You HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MODIFIED YOUR NANO!!!