Biocube anyone?

[PolypPocket]

Right now I have a DIY setup that I made from an old 6 gallon freshwater cube, a fluval marine light, HOB filter, separate wavemaker, heater, ATO etc etc etc. It’s working and the tank is nice but…

SO. MANY. CORDS.

Plus it’s very small and of course I want to go bigger lol. I’d so much rather have an all in one where I don’t need to add quite so many separate extras. I realize I would still need to add a heater, not sure about a wavemaker (don’t think so), and not sure about an ATO since it’s sealed.

So I was looking at the biocubes. Anyone have one? What do you think? How is the included light for a reef? Is the tank good quality? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.

 

[RobynR]

Had a 32 Biocube over 20 years ago (until around 2009), I think it was the first edition. It’s obviously changed quite a bit since then, I cannot speak for the current lighting, but back when it came with compact fluorescent we upgraded them to halide, as the stock lighting was only sufficient for softies. I believe we also used our own filter medium and added a powerhead to the display. Great little tank, I have some very good memories of it.

We ended up moving to a large system with sump and sold it. I am currently running a Fluval 13.5 as a coral quarantine, and for a tiny tank, I am also pretty happy with it, light has been upgraded, and I’ve also added a powerhead and upgraded the filter chambers/medium, but depending on size you are looking for, I think the Fluval is a more economical option, it does not eliminate any cords though. The Fluval seems more modular and customizable, but I have not had Biocube experience in many years, maybe they are equally as customizable now.

 

[PolypPocket]

Had a 32 Biocube over 20 years ago (until around 2009), I think it was the first edition. It’s obviously changed quite a bit since then, I cannot speak for the current lighting, but back when it came with compact fluorescent we upgraded them to halide, as the stock lighting was only sufficient for softies. I believe we also used our own filter medium and added a powerhead to the display. Great little tank, I have some very good memories of it.

We ended up moving to a large system with sump and sold it. I am currently running a Fluval 13.5 as a coral quarantine, and for a tiny tank, I am also pretty happy with it, light has been upgraded, and I’ve also added a powerhead and upgraded the filter chambers/medium, but depending on size you are looking for, I think the Fluval is a more economical option, it does not eliminate any cords though. The Fluval seems more modular and customizable, but I have not had Biocube experience in many years, maybe they are equally as customizable now.

Thanks so much for your feedback, I will look into the fluval one as well to compare.

The biocube uses LED’s now, and is adjustable with whites, blues, and something called “color enhancing” so who knows what that is…maybe reds. Actually I think it’s RGB.

There’s a chart that means nothing to me lol, no idea what it’s showing. But also shows the par intensity on the second image and I’m not sure they match up.

 

[overhead]

I have a Biocube, it has been set up since March. The tank has been fine. However, if I was starting over again I would likely go with something like the Innovative Marine 25 Lagoon or another AIO tank that had more width than height. Or, I guess I could have stacked my rocks higher. Issue has been the narrow width sort of forces everything that wants to live near the rocks close together and has created conflict, at least for me (or the fish). It seems others have not had this issue. I did not like the lack of adjustability of the lights and had heat issues with the lid closed. I keep my house fairly warm so that also might not be an issue for you. I have the Biocube still up, also have an IM15 (which is also a cube, meaning it has similar issues to the biocube) and a 40 gallon breeder that I added a Fijicube AIO dyi kit to. If I were starting over, even though it would cost a tad bit more due to the light, I would have started with the 40 gallon breeder and Fijicube DIY AIO, the cost is not that much different.

 

[Servos]

I had the 32g with a metal halide. I liked the appeal of a contained system when I lived in an apartment. Theres enough equipment, such as skimmers, uv sterilizers, filter upgrades, etc available that I didn't feel limited on the setup itself. I eventually gave the setup away when I upgraded to a larger tank. If I were in the market today for a similar sized tank, I'd be inclined to pick up another. However as overhead points out, there are more options available today so it's worth looking around.

As for the light chart - essentially the tank implies it could do a variety of corals, but placement is limited. Hard corals towards the top of the tank, LPS in the middle, soft corals towards the bottom. Not the greatest light, but still capable if you mind stock selection and placement. Retrofits are out there, so it's an option to upgrade later if needed.

 

[Mutti]

I am currently running a Fluval evo 13.5 as my only tank. I love it, but it is very small. I've had it for a year and a half now and its well past time for an upgrade. Here's a photo under mostly white. I didn't like the light for it so I upgraded that, and the hole down in the bottom I have plugged with filter floss. You can get plugs from etsy for the bottom hole, which I should've done a long time ago.

I'm upgrading to a 40g innovative marine AIO this weekend. Build thread (hopefully) coming soon on that. Will be my first build thread.

 

[Kooma]

I ran a biocube for around 10 years, i made it rimless and hung a radion XR15 overhead. Great little tank, just have modest expectations. Small fish, small corals, small everything.

 

[kevgib67]

I had my Biocube running for over 4 years, great tank and grew everything great. Upgraded at the beginning of this year, just ran out of room and was tired of constantly fragging. Here’s a link to my build thread, feel free to contact me with any questions. Best of luck, you’ll love it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/biocube-32g-build.906813/