Quick question about 29g biocube

[fstar25]

As if it won't be obvious, but I am new to SW tanks. I have a 29g biocube and have recently made the following mods to the rear chamber.

media basket/fuge setup for 2nd chamber (ordered not yet installed)
MJ1200 to replace stock pump (I know, I should have gotten the 900, leave it alone. lol)

My question is this, the piece of junk blue sponge filter that comes with the biocube for the 3rd chamber to keep thing from getting into your pump...what should I replace it with. The water level is below the recommended maximum line for the 3rd chamber and that sponge/filter float up out of the slot it is designed for. Kind of useless. I don't want to risk chaeto getting from chamber 2 into the pump so I need something there.

Thanks for any advice.

[JeF4y]

Remove the sponge. You don't need it.

There is a grate between the 2 chambers that will stop the big stuff from getting to the pump, and you should be pulling that pump to clean it every month or so anyway.

Don't worry about the recommended water height as that is really applicable to the freshwater application using the bioballs.

Do yourself a HUGE favor though and watch that tank. Mine split in the corner which lead to a 60 hour and few thousand dollar nightmare. And others have had the same experience...

[fstar25]

Thanks for the info, That was my preference to just pull it out.

Is there a consensus as to the cause of it splitting? does it have anything to do with being level (or not so level). Are there any warning signs or does it go from stable to fail while your at work and you come home to find your hard wood floors are toast, your cat drank 5 gallons of salt water and threw up in all the carpeted rooms, and the water hit the wall plug as it spills out and your electrical system is also in ruin? just wondering.

[JeF4y]

Is there a consensus as to the cause of it splitting? does it have anything to do with being level (or not so level). Are there any warning signs or does it go from stable to fail while your at work and you come home to find your hard wood floors are toast, your cat drank 5 gallons of salt water and threw up in all the carpeted rooms, and the water hit the wall plug as it spills out and your electrical system is also in ruin? just wondering.

I don't know... I know that in my case, I believe that my stand contributed to it as there were corner low-points (like 1/16 inch max) which I made up for with pink foam.

(Just my opinion here but...)
I believe that the curved/bent glass has a LOT to do with it. I believe that there were micro-cracks in it to begin with from the bending process. Every biocube that I've seen break (and after mine split, I found a LOT of them with a little bit of searching) all break on the bent corners.

And there was no warning... Just peaceful sleep one second to water p1ssing on the floor the next...

I got away lucky..

Here was my BC29 thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1674149

Here's the story of the split and the 60 I replaced it with:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1707329