Krzydmnd Biocube 32 Build
 

Hi folks!

I'm new to the forum and salt tanks. I did a ton of research (but still never enough) on the hobby and went w/ the Biocube as a base-build because its the right size for my apartment and I like the aesthetics of the tank. Ultimately I'm going to get into corals as my tank conditions and my skills improve. The system is actually pretty decent for a 'starter' although I've already spent more on upgrades than I did on the tank, but I knew that going in...

I've learned so much from this forum and I'm excited to get in to this amazing animal culture!

Here are my starting upgrades so far...

-InTank media basket w/ Purigen bag, ceramic disks and poly filter in compartment 2.
-Heater in compartment one although I haven't used it yet. My H2O temps are right around 80.
- Nano 425 Power Head (one so far but looks like I need one more)
- 34 lbs of live rock, 3" live sand
- Steve's LED kit is on the way and should be here this week!
- I bought a WC-1 Aquamaxx Skimmer because I swear I read that it would fit w/ the INTank media basket. I didn't have much luck, but my tank was already full so I don't have the luxury of really getting in there to see if I can make it work.
- I bought the stand that goes with the tank, and it looks nice, but it's not sturdy (goes together like Ikea furniture) so I reinforced it with some brackets.

My first livestock:
-pair of DaVinci Clowns
-pair of Cleaner Shrimp
-5 Turbo Snails
-Conch snail
-Green Pipe Organ Coral
-got a few brittle stars, Asterina Star (got rid of him already) and at least one Collonista snail as Hitch hikers!

I have a 10g QT tank setup as well.

I'll try to update here as my build continues, the good and the unexpected!

Some Pics

Here is a pic w/ Steve's LED's up and running in daylight mode (lines in the pic are just an effect of the phone camera). what a difference from stock lighting! The Bluefish controller is awesome, too.

some changes and additions today. I replaced three large pieces of live rock I bought from a crappy store with some gorgeous coralline covered smaller pieces and stacked them for display and some hiding places...

I added two Purple Firefish and three colors of Rhodactis mushrooms. They're on the sand bed for now to acclimate, and allow me to figure my final rock placement before I find a nice low shelf for them.

The female DaVinci clown (Gilly, i know, i know... My daughter named her) has been getting pretty bold when I get in the tank lately. Hasn't bitten me yet, but she's getting territorial! What a personality they have! I love it.

Doing some research on my last fish that I hope to add in the next few weeks, then it's let things ride for a few months before I start going coral-crazy!

and I believe they are Ricordea, not Rhodactis. too much Latin in my life since I started this project, lol!

Nice start. I had and still have a Biocube 32. I use it as my QT tank now. I really liked the tank after a few mods, but I just was never happy with any skimmer I tried. I don't think there are any nano skimmers out there that truly work as well as they should or at least any that fit in the Biocube 32. I wish they would have given us more clearance in the back above the rear sump which may give us a few more options. I also wished they would have kept the hatch above the rear sump like the previous version. Was always a pain to have to open the whole lid and having the condensate drip down the back of the tank.

I also upraded the return pump to a quieter more powerful one.

You planning on a ATO? I had one, but a 2 gallon ATO tank would last for over two weeks. Not a lot of evap with these tanks.

SD

I don't get too much evaporate yet but it's been a humid summer for me here. I will look in to ATO for winter for sure. What pump did you get?

I have the Autoaqua Smart ATO micro. It's awesome.

Second for the smart ato micro. It's perfect for this size.


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Is there any reason not to keep the third chamber on the biocube pretty full? The 32g version now only has a minimum level marker so i just keep it the secret level as 2nd chamber and only have to add a cup of water every few days.

Secret Level?
 

OK, I'll bite - what, and how do I establish, the secret level in my Biocube 32?

I have mine about 1.5 inches below the top of the side window. I use a dry erase marker to mark the water line. Basically I try to keep everything covered with water but the floss filter on top. I use the floss filter with carbon on the top, and then have live rock filling up the bottom of the center section. I removed all of the sponge filters I was trying at first. I was struggling with high nitrates, so I am trying to use as much natural filtration as possible. My biggest issue now is low pH.