BioCube failure, new start with 45 gallon rectangular tank?

[fladiver]

As the title indicates, I woke up last Friday to a water sensor alarm indicating that my 32 BioCube was leaking. While I was fortunate to find out after the first few gallons had started leaking, it was a complete loss of the tank as I had to break it down. Perhaps another story, but thus far Coralife appears unwilling to do anything even though the tank is only 3 years old since I got it from a friend and the warranty is non-transferable. Still holding out for a change in heart though.

Assuming Coralife refuses to help, I'm considering moving away from them and getting a 45 gallon rectangular Marineland tank and stand. Obviously the benefit of a BioCube was the self-contained aspect, so with a different tank I'm just wondering how realistic and easy it is for a relative novice to get established. This tank would be a FOWLR tank.

By my count/calculation, in terms of equipment I'll need:

- Some kind of filtration - probably a hang on back filter?
- Some kind of water flow - I will probably use the Jebao one I added to my Biocube and perhaps add one more of the same so I have one on each side
- Lighting - there is apparently integrated LED lighting in the glass canopy but I'm guessing/assuming I'll need to upgrade that for saltwater?
- a UV sterilizer - I'll probably start with the 9W mean green one I had for my BioCube.
- A skimmer? I have not tried one of these before.

Is there anything else essential that I'm missing? I do like the concept of a rectangular tank since there will be more surface area and room for the fish to swim. It also seems like the equipment should be fairly easy (and relatively cost efficient) to procure.

Would welcome any thoughts/recommendations/concerns. Thank you!

 

[purpfish]

Look at drop in aio from Fiji cube

 

[JTP424]

A drop in as suggested above would make your 45 basically back into a "Biocube" of sorts.
Otherwise!
- A HOB would absolutely work.
- Flow for the fish would be nice, if the HOB doesn't provide enough aeration or tank movement.
- Regarding light, if you're not growing coral you don't need a saltwater/coral specific light!
- UV light you don't really need (IMO) to start off. Not a necessity, won't HURT thought.
- Skimmer, as long as you have a good HOB, good biological filtration, you don't NEED this.


These are my thoughts, I'm sure others will have varying opinions

 

[fladiver]

Thanks for quick responses. I had no idea about the AIO kit, just looked now and that looks fantastic.

Related question (probably not last...). I had about 20-30 pounds of live rock in the biocube that I'd like to use here. It had a good amount of algae/growth built up on it; what would be the proper way to prepare it for use in the new tank? Should I soak in some water and then scrub off growth/algae?

 

[JTP424]

How has it been stored? if it's still "live" with proper storage i.e. heat water flow etc, you can just scrub it off and dump it in. If it's been dried, I'd bleach it and reset it.

 

[fladiver]

How has it been stored? if it's still "live" with proper storage i.e. heat water flow etc, you can just scrub it off and dump it in. If it's been dried, I'd bleach it and reset it.

Unfortunately I didn't have another tank to put in the water/rocks/flow, so they're in a bucket now drying.

What are best recommendations for bleaching/resetting in terms of mixing (parts per for bleach and water) as well as time?

 

[viceversabrd]

Unfortunately I didn't have another tank to put in the water/rocks/flow, so they're in a bucket now drying.

What are best recommendations for bleaching/resetting in terms of mixing (parts per for bleach and water) as well as time?

Just did this, 10 to 1 water to bleach. So for 20 - 30 lb you probably need 10 - 15 gallons of Ro Di water and 1 - 1.5 gallons of bleach. I’m letting mine sit for 24 hours in the bleach/water mix. Then remove and let dry or let soak in just plain Ro Di water till chlorine from bleach is gone (smell test) can add dechlorinator to water to “absorb” the chlorine from the bleach. May have to rinse a few times til bleach is gone. BRS has some YouTube videos on it. If you search there for bleaching live rock. You can probably skip the muriatic acid step since the rock is not super mature per se.

 

[fladiver]

Just did this, 10 to 1 water to bleach. So for 20 - 30 lb you probably need 10 - 15 gallons of Ro Di water and 1 - 1.5 gallons of bleach. I’m letting mine sit for 24 hours in the bleach/water mix. Then remove and let dry or let soak in just plain Ro Di water till chlorine from bleach is gone (smell test) can add dechlorinator to water to “absorb” the chlorine from the bleach. May have to rinse a few times til bleach is gone. BRS has some YouTube videos on it. If you search there for bleaching live rock. You can probably skip the muriatic acid step since the rock is not super mature per se.

Thanks for quick response. Rock was in tank at least a year, so not sure if that changes your last statement. I'd also prefer not to go have to source (and deal with) muriatic acid, so if just bleach/water will do the trick that sounds good to me.

 

[fladiver]

Question on AIO kits.

The tank I am looking at is 36.25 L x 12.8 W x 24.8 H.

The 40 gallon AIO kit is 16.2 L x 4.76 W x 15.5" H. So, that theoretically would only fit along the back of the tank which I'm not too keen on doing; for aesthetic purposes I was hoping to have the AIO kit on the side. Or should I reconsider?

It looks like the 29G AIO kit would fit along the side, as it is 10.8 L x 4.76 W x 17.65" H. Would that be possible? If the naming (29 G) is only for the dimensions, would I still be able to put a strong enough pump in there to handle a 45 G?

 

[viceversabrd]

Thanks for quick response. Rock was in tank at least a year, so not sure if that changes your last statement. I'd also prefer not to go have to source (and deal with) muriatic acid, so if just bleach/water will do the trick that sounds good to me.

Yeah just bleach water should be good super mature is like rock that’s been in a tank for 7-10+ years and all the pores are clogged with dead coraline.

 

[fladiver]

Yeah just bleach water should be good super mature is like rock that’s been in a tank for 7-10+ years and all the pores are clogged with dead coraline.

Thanks. Yea it is definitely not that mature.

For water - do I need to use distilled? Or can I use filtered tap?

 

[JTP424]

For cleaning out the bleach you can use tap. But I'd recommend a final soak/rinse with rodi.

 

[Oldsman]

I'm actually setting up a similar tank after stepping away from the hobby. I'm using a 40 g breeder for our aquarium. I chose a tidal 55 hob for filtration, and looking at an aqua maxx 1.5 hob skimmer. Rocks and sand will be sourced from TBS. Looking forward to your build!

 

[viceversabrd]

Thanks. Yea it is definitely not that mature.

For water - do I need to use distilled? Or can I use filtered tap?

BRS recommends Ro DI for the bleach soak and rinsing not sure why though

 

[fladiver]

I'm actually setting up a similar tank after stepping away from the hobby. I'm using a 40 g breeder for our aquarium. I chose a tidal 55 hob for filtration, and looking at an aqua maxx 1.5 hob skimmer. Rocks and sand will be sourced from TBS. Looking forward to your build!

Awesome! Welcome back. I'll be sure to watch your build too.

Did you consider an AIO drop-in kit in your decision on filtration? I'm still a little torn between doing an HOB and an AIO...will check out the Tidal 55 and skimmer you mentioned.

 

[Oldsman]

I did consider the drop in AIO insert, but felt like I wanted the space after coming from a biocube, which always felt cramped in back.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've always gone for rectangle tanks, I've never likes AIO tanks or cube tanks that provide less swimming space. Most of my tanks have been with hob equipment. You basically need a pair of powerheads, and hob filter is great for things like activated carbon or gfo, etc... and weekly water changes. This works for a small bioload, if you want more bioload then just add more filtration. IMO

 

[fladiver]

I've always gone for rectangle tanks, I've never likes AIO tanks or cube tanks that provide less swimming space. Most of my tanks have been with hob equipment. You basically need a pair of powerheads, and hob filter is great for things like activated carbon or gfo, etc... and weekly water changes. This works for a small bioload, if you want more bioload then just add more filtration. IMO

I went down the rabbit hole looking into HOBs and it does seem to check a lot of boxes. I did like the concept of an AIO drop in but I agree with the issue of losing space, and the ones I’ve seen also won’t fit perfectly into my tank (36L x 24H x 12D).

Any thoughts on the Tidal 75 vs the Aquaclear 70/110? Both seem to be pretty well regarded. I’ve also seen some discussion of a Fluval 307 canister, but wondering if I need the added complexity (and cost) especially since I will only be keeping fish/inverts?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I just bought a tidal 75 after my 15 year old aquaclear failed. They are both reliable and quiet IMO.

I ran a canister many years ago and hated it, it was too much trouble to clean out every week. Maybe they are easier to clean these days IDK. hob filter takes me less than 5 minutes to clean.

If you want more filtration, IMO a hob skimmer will improve the filtration more than a canister. IMO a hob filter and a skimmer combo is perfectly good filtration.

 

[fladiver]

I just bought a tidal 75 after my 15 year old aquaclear failed. They are both reliable and quiet IMO.

I ran a canister many years ago and hated it, it was too much trouble to clean out every week. Maybe they are easier to clean these days IDK. hob filter takes me less than 5 minutes to clean.

If you want more filtration, IMO a hob skimmer will improve the filtration more than a canister. IMO a hob filter and a skimmer combo is perfectly good filtration.

That is all music to my ears.

For filtration/flow in a 45 gallon rectangular tank, I'm thinking (i) a Tidal 75, (ii) a HOB skimmer (like aqua maxx), (iii) two Jebao SOW-4 wavemakers, (iv) live rock, and (v) live sand. Am I missing anything?

For lighting, since I'm not planning to do any corals, any recommendations on a relatively inexpensive light that can be put on a schedule and perhaps controlled remotely? The tank is 36" long.