Advice for a used biocube 29

ReefingMom · Feb 12, 2021

Hey there!

I'm new here, but not new to the hobby. I've had freshwater and saltwater tanks, on and off for about 30 years. My 16-year-old son recently expressed an interest in getting a saltwater tank (we currently have freshwater), so I jumped at the chance to get back in and do this together. I wanted to start relatively small and with a modest investment until we know he really loves it (or I'm willing to keep it going if he loses interest). We just acquired a used 29g biocube and I'm looking for some advice on what to salvage and what to ditch. I have no idea how old the actinic bulbs are, so I'm assuming they should be replaced. We got dry rock and dry sand. Not sure if we should clean and reuse, or get fresh live sand and rock. I'm thinking about using at least some of the dry rock for a base if I should get new live rock. In the filtration chambers, there is a protein skimmer (looks like it has an air stone - should I replace?) and bio balls. I'm pretty sure bio balls are no longer being used very much these days, and I am planning on replacing them with a media basket with filter floss, and two other things that I can't remember right now.

I'm open to any suggestions y'all have. Thanks!

Codeblack88 · Feb 12, 2021

Hey so I have a biocube 32g that is 4 years old. I was very inexperinced when I started my tank and heres what I learned over the last 4 years.
- Take your time planning out the scape. I would suggest live rock and live sand (both can be purchased at your LFS) and take some time figuring out how you want the rock setup to look.
- Don't rush into the stocking the tank with livestock. Let the tank cycle for a few weeks with just the live rock and sand (and any added bacteria your lfs suggests). The more time you weight, the less pain you will have later with your parameters fluctuating. With that being said (as you probably know) you are bound to have algae breakouts and other issues because it is a new tank.
- I would suggest looking into making the second (middle) chamber into a refugium. I have recently learned how to do this with a smaller tank and it is something that I would suggest 100%. The refugium grows macroalgaes that help keep your water parameters in check. It also provides a home to different copepods that will naturally grow and feed your fish.
- I would suggest getting a protein skimmer (Coralife) a few weeks after stocking the tank. A few weeks later so that the tank can get used to the biowaste that will come from the livestock you add.
-Invest in a good cleanup crew. They can make your tank look beautiful and keep your cleanup to a minimum.
- Research every fish you are thinking of adding extensively. The amount of times I have bought a fish to find out that it is going to outgrow my system in a few months is too high and I could of saved myself some money by just googling. Liveaquaria is a good source of information on saltwater fish.
- Get testing kits for nitrate, ammonia, nitrite, phosphates, and pH (Hanna makes good checkers) and test once a week before water changes.

That's pretty much everything on my mind atm, but if you have any questions please lmk!