8 gal biocube desk tank!

[30mini]

Well, guess what I was able to set up here at work... an 8 gal biocube :smokin:

The only mods that I have done is to make the second chamber a fuge, rather than a drip tray, and I removed the media tray in the first chamber to allow for more rubble to be place in the bottom along with the heater. Next up is to figure out the ATO situation for the weekends! Here she is, sand is in (not the best sand, but at least it's aragonite) the grain is a little too big for my taste, but it'll work! I also got a rock from my buddy John's fuge and threw it in there... the cycle has started!!!

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/DSCN2203.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/DSCN2204.jpg

[Bmgrocks]

The most important thing in the hobby is not to settle. I would advise removing the crushed coral, and switching to a finer grade sand; (the swap isn't hard to do, and definitely worth the time) not just because its not your first preference, but because chances are your going to want to remove it later down the line.

Crushed coral is notorious for trapping detritus, food and waste particles, and is particularly good at simply holding them there, allowing them to break down, and destroying your water quality.

your off to a great start! I'm sure whatever you decide to do, you'll enjoy your tank

[30mini]

Yes, I already know that about the CC. I was planning on actually crushing it up more myself, and it's really less than 1/4" thick, plus, I'm not really going to have fish in this tank. I know, there will still be waste, but it's small enough that I'll be able to get most everything out.

[AwkwardParrot]

swap the bulbs in the top too, so the fan kicks on with the actinic and not the whites....so you run cooler for longer. :rollface:

[30mini]

Already did that! Thanks AwkwardParrot!

[30mini]

Well, it's slowly clearing up! At least you can see the rock now... and the best part is that I can smell the die off... so the cycle has started!!!

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/DSCN2205.jpg

[tinky]

T ! T $

[AwkwardParrot]

here's mine!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1551195

[30mini]

Very nice AwkwardParrot! Well, the tank has completely cleared up overnight, and still has the smell of death... but I have some new water circulating next to my desk so I'll get a big W/C done today... about a 5 gal one at that!

[AwkwardParrot]

like what i can see of the rock work (?), hows the parameters looking?

[30mini]

No rock as of yet... I'll be getting it from a member in a trade for an AGP graphics card. I'm getting about 15lbs of dry rock... the rock that is in there now will not be there when I get the dry rock. Then, the wait will be for the dry to become live! I'll take pictures when I get the rock in there!

[30mini]

Oh... and I haven't tested the parameters. I won't test them until I get the dry rock in there and the diatoms go away!

[buttons buster]

very good start man

[30mini]

Here's a shot of my desk and where the tank is situated. Fit's perfectly in the corner!
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/IMG_0319-1.jpg

[Flavum]

very nice mang. Thats going to look sharp.

[buttons buster]

what are your stocking plans

[30mini]

Stocking plans are softies... mainly going to be zoas, rics, yumas, and maybe a few LPS like a hammer or a frogspawn. If I get ambitous, I may throw a monti or two in there at the top... but that's too far in the future to tell.

[30mini]

Well, did a waterchange yesterday at lunch, came in this morning and the smell off die off is going away quick! There is almost no smell at all today... so I expect an algea bloom of some sort here in the near future. Hopefully I can get my rock sooner than planned, and this thing can be rockin by february!

[BradsOcean]

man, i wish i had a tank at work! lucky..,.

[Jadams]

I've had 2 tanks in the past 4 years on my desk at work. They are awesome!! But I must admit..I NEVER got anything done work wise...hahahahha :lol:

[30mini]

Yea, it's nice to have it here though... I look over at it about every 20 minutes just b/c... and there's nothing in it right now :lol: So, I can't wait for it to be stocked!

[30mini]

Ammonia is now at .5ppm, trites around 4, and trates are undetected... getting there!

[30mini]

Here's the latest shot of the tank:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/DSCN2228.jpg

You can see, the culerpa is gone... no nutrients, so it just died off....
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g75/CHorwarth/Reef%20Tank%20Pics/DSCN2229.jpg

[Flavum]

why not put 10 lb. of rock in it and be cycled within a couple days?

[30mini]

b/c I don't have 10lbs of rock yet :lol: I'm picking up some dry rock tonight, and it'll be in tomorrow.

[nano man22]

Nice tank, i got a 6 gallon nano but its got 2 zoo's, a gbta, a few poly's, a frag of xenia, a clarkii clown( for the gbta), and a ycg. Good luck with your tank.

[zooty]

Nice!
So tempting to stash one in my office!

[scaz]

I had a 3 gallon in my cube for a while, but it needed alot of water changes I did not feel like working that hard on it. I might set it back up again.

[30mini]

Thanks guys! I just stacked my dryrock in the tank... I have a piece of live rock at a buddy's house that will go into here later, so the stacking that is there is only temporary. I even threw in a free frag of GSP to see how it does. So far so good... a few polyps have opened up. Also packed the middle chamber with dryrock rubble... so there's probably about 10lbs total of rock in the tank, and with the piece of live rock, I'll probably have about 15 total lbs of rock. Pictures will come after the live piece goes in!

[NaturalReef]

sweet tank!