Best light for biocube 29

[DTeeVee]

What are the best corals for a biocube 29 with stock lighting? Could I grow duncan corals, frogspawn or hammer corals? Should I get a light upgrade, if so should I get a a more powerful light in the hood or should I take the hood off and get a better light?

[Soccernut5824]

Kessil 160 with the hood off I think would be good


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[LaOtIn]

What are the best corals for a biocube 29 with stock lighting? Could I grow duncan corals, frogspawn or hammer corals?
yes with stock lighting you can grow all 3 of those


Should I get a light upgrade, if so should I get a a more powerful light in the hood or should I take the hood off and get a better light?

Need to? no. Should you? if you like spending money. Hood off with a "better" light? why? The stock light is great. I never tried SPS with mine, so I don't think I would go that far with it. Mixed soft/LPS tank, for sure the light is plenty.

Thing about these all in one tanks is, the people that make them actually make them the way they are made for a reason. The reason is, they work.

I have personally never understood why go through the trouble of buying an all in one tank, just to take it apart and make it a custom tank. I have owned a biocube 14 for years and years now, it has been up and down and currently I just use it for a Q tank. But for about 2 years when I first got it I filled it with coral and it was great.

in the end its your tank. You can certainly take the top off and spend $300+ on a nice LED light with bracket to hold it and have a $300 more expensive biocube that may or may not be better for your situation, IMO would not be better, but that's a debate/argument issue.

[soulpatch]

The BC lighting is ok for those corals and they will grow fine. Your issues only start to arise if you want to get into some other types like SPS, clams, or even some LPS like acans. Colors will wash quickly in many with the stock power compacts.

Take a look in the nano sub forum and you will find many who have converted to one thing or another.

I, for instance, switched to Rapid LED Aurora puck retro kit which kept the top and look of the AIO. I then took the top off and went with a Kessil A360 (I got the 360 instead of the 160 only since it was eventually moved to my 150).

And to the post above - Yes the design of the tank works but that does not mean it is the best setup or most efficient. The people who make them know that they are easy to sell for decent profits. There is a reason that anything above these bargain bin AIO include either no lights or much higher end lighting...

Buying $300 worth of glass is the least of anyone's worries in this hobby. By that arguement I shouldnt need roughly 2K in lighting above my 150 since the glass was only 800 bucks...


Though with anything the equipment should be selected as to what you intend to keep. If you think you will stretch out of those corals or get into SPS you will need to upgrade though you have a ton of options ranging in a multitude of pricing. You shoudl really check out the nano section of this site though and look into Reefwreak's, Homer's, or even my build threads as we cover a lot from simplistic run biocube (Reefs), to mid range (Homers), to the "I spent way too much on a 29 gallon" thread in mine. Though my equipment mainly made the move to the larger tank so not a loss in my mind.

[cougareyes]

My bc29 with stock lighting, you can do everything short of sps and clams. You could add a blue led strip for some sparkle and color pop. I transplanted all these corals to a 90g years later.

[LaOtIn]

Holy cow! you spent $800 on glass? couldn't you just have used the windows in your car for the tank instead to save some money? or your neighbor's windows on their house?

Yes, I see your point of view though, and the fact is that lighting is the single most expensive and critical component of this hobby. If you could only invest in one expensive toy and a cheap everything else, I would always choose the best lighting.

With that said though, the BC, IMO, is great for soft and LPS coral and wonderful tanks are made and maintained easily with just the stock components.

I do fully agree though that the SPS and clams and such should be avoided in a BC without upgrading the lighting.

But, I yield to "if you have the money to spend" sure, go for it. If I "had the money to spend" my tanks in the past and current tank would be vastly different for sure!

[Idal305]

Love my ati 6x24 on my biocube.

[soulpatch]

My bc29 with stock lighting, you can do everything short of sps and clams. You could add a blue led strip for some sparkle and color pop. I transplanted all these corals to a 90g years later.

the lack of color in those acans shows what I was talking about. Many LPS and sofites work fine under the PC lights but others fade quickly. Acans and open brains are probably the two I noticed this the most with. The stock lights couldnt keep their color and I only got them back somewhat going to better LEDs and even then I got partial colors back. I got everything the second they went under my T5 and LED mix.

[cougareyes]

the lack of color in those acans shows what I was talking about. Many LPS and sofites work fine under the PC lights but others fade quickly. Acans and open brains are probably the two I noticed this the most with. The stock lights couldnt keep their color and I only got them back somewhat going to better LEDs and even then I got partial colors back. I got everything the second they went under my T5 and LED mix.

Just add some blue leds, I had to turn them off for the camera. Those acans tripled in that tank. You do get more color pop with leds, I upgraded both my biocubes, I hated the kessil I put on my 14, it's doing duty on a fowlr. I put the maxpect on my 90 with another one and am going back to T5s with led accents. In hindsight the expense of the upgrade was not worth it to me. Once I put exotica led strip in the bc29 it was excellent.

[soulpatch]

The blue LEDs for the BC do not color up items. They will make what little color is there to pop slightly but the decline of color in the coral overall is still happening. IE You can look through my thread to see the exact same tank with different lighting and how the corals gained color quickly with each iteration.

Though it is what you pay for in a way. IE Going Orbit Marine LED or the Maxspects in most instances are not worth the cost. Others are. One must research the lighting they are looking at and balance that with their livestock needs.

[Jah2707]

I had plenty of issues with heat with the stock hood. I even upgraded fans and then upgraded to leds and no matter what I did it would push 80 all of the time.

[cougareyes]

All the lfs's around here are putting t5s and even halides back on their sps tanks. I speak to reefers in person all the time that are disappointed in the long run with their leds, yeah I'm even talking about radions or the other high priced marketing fads. Leds are just not the best as a primary light source in the long run, for many reasons. I've fragged many pieces out of that tank and years later I run into someone at a store that compliments me on how great that piece is in their tanks. Sorry but you keep the major and minor elements in check and accent your stock bc lighting with leds and you can have a fantastic tank.

[soulpatch]

I agree Cougar as I run both LED and T5 now. Though that said I and MANY others have had a lot more success with LEDs then the underpowered PC lights on the BC. The best would be as one above did an go with a small 6x24 ATI fixture above it but a lot (not all and far from it) LED fixtures are a distinct step up from the PC lights in the BC

[LaOtIn]

If the 29 BC came stock with 4 T5HO's and 2 rows of good LEDs it would be awesome.

I am in the LED/T5HO combo camp

I mean with all the choices BRS had for that 160g mixed reef they put up and did the 52 week videos on what did they go with? T5HO and LEDs.....and they could have put anything over that tank

[Mark426]

Long long time ago with a completely stock 12G Nanocube. Worked just fine.


http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r569/marksturgis/mynano_zps735ogexu.jpg

[ksicard]

Steves LEDs sells pretty good retrofit kits. You could purchase their BC retrofit kit and install the LED's in the hood. It would allow you to keep the hood and grow whatever you would like to.

[soulpatch]

Long long time ago with a completely stock 12G Nanocube. Worked just fine.


http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r569/marksturgis/mynano_zps735ogexu.jpg

they work fine for many as we have all said for simple things like zoas, hammers, palys, softies, ect. But other LPS and especially SPS they cant hold the colors or give enough light.

[jmad147]

Long time lurker, but finally have a lil bio cube going.

I knew I wanted the colors to pop a bit more so I retrofitted my hood with a wifi capable Chinese black box lights I had on hand. Fit was was fine and still use the original switches.



jmad147

[nathan1986]

Long time lurker, but finally have a lil bio cube going.

I knew I wanted the colors to pop a bit more so I retrofitted my hood with a wifi capable Chinese black box lights I had on hand. Fit was was fine and still use the original switches.



jmad147
I'm assuming you took the black box apart and put the guts of the black box into the stock hood correct?

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[Dmize]

I second the Kessil 160.

[joesfiddy]

Ecotech xr 15

[jmad147]

I'm assuming you took the black box apart and put the guts of the black box into the stock hood correct?

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Yep, took the black box apart and made a few minor modifications to hood for the new fans.

Still playing with intensity as the lights sit pretty close to surface.


Jmad147

[fsu]

I know this thread is a little old, but I was wondering on a light for my 29g as well. Anyone have experience or opinions that have dealt with the AI Prime HD? I was recommended this by several people in a couple different LFS.

[rjjr1963]

I know this thread is a little old, but I was wondering on a light for my 29g as well. Anyone have experience or opinions that have dealt with the AI Prime HD? I was recommended this by several people in a couple different LFS.

I had just gotten two AI Primer HD's before my tank crashed so I can't comment on growth. I did like the lights and the application for adjusting them. PC/Android/Apple compatible. The lights are WiFi and can be linked together with a parent-child relationship. Easy to set up and the tank looked great.