Biocube Setup

[BFVJ3]

I'm not new to the hobby but have been out of it for 10 yrs. My only experience was a 180 reef and 240 marine. I started a cube up and have questions. Chamber 1 has my heater. I'm running the intank media with filter floss, purigen and matrix in it as well as a refugium in chamber 2. Chamber 3 is just the return pump I am thinking about changing out to a mighty jet. Stock lights and have a grow light on my refugium. I'm looking to find a good light cycle for the main lights. I have found the small tank is less forgiving than a larger tank. I'm currently running

L1 1230-1630
L2 1030-1830
L3 0600-2030

I have 2 clowns, 2 peppermint shrimp, snails, 3 hammers, 3 zoa colonies and a frogspawn. The coral frags are on a rack on the front glass right now. I just can't seem to find the sweet spot for them to be happy. Any advice ?

 

[Ron Reefman]

It might help if you told us what you think are the issues you are having. What's happening that make you think you haven't found the 'sweet spot'?

I have a 40 cube aio. It's mostly lps and sps with some CUC, but NO FISH. The only filtration I run is a sock and a layer of filter media. No refugium, no skimmer, no carbon, no GFO, no chemicals. But with no fish, cleaning the water is pretty simple.

My Reefbreeder Photon runs 12 hours a day, 3 hour ramp up, 6 hours full daylight (150 PAR at the sand) and 3 hours of ramp down. Most corals (actually the zooxanhellae) can only do 6 to 8 hours of photosynthesis.

My corals are only a year old, but they are all doing well and I've had no issues. BTW, I started this tank a year ago after I shut down a 180g tank and sold all the livestock. I intended to get out of the hobby after 20+ years... but I couldn't do it!

 

[BFVJ3]

I did water samples after original post.
Ph 7.8
Ammonia looks 0
Nitrite looks 0
Nitrate looks 0
KH 17 drops ?
CAL 32 drops
Phos 0
Salinity - 1.023

I am not a fan of API testers never was but I'm waiting on my hanna testers to come in.

I use reef fusion every other day.
Coral vite 1 a week
Phyto and zoo plankton every 3 days.
I use small frozen cubes about a 1/4 of the size of the normal cube you buy. 1 cube at night. To prevent overfeeding.

My corals were doing great last week and now they have receded. Have tried moving them around to find right flow and lighting.

Concerns are the corals receding.

 

[Katrina71]

I think 0 nitrates might be an issue. I personally only use chemipure blue.

 

[jda]

Is the tank fairly new? If so, then all of that media and chemicals could be keeping some biological processes to create a more stable ecosystem. If you are using the media for an acute purpose and an ecosystem is already established, then that is different.

Salinity to 1.026 is easy and always smart, IMO. I don't know how to recommend anything else without knowing more about the tank.

 

[BFVJ3]

I retested.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

API will often show zero nitrate, need a more accurate test kit.

Pics will really help....... Need more info on your lighting too, what kind of "stock lights", what system is it? Do you know the par levels?

How old is the tank? Need pics please....

 

[ihatetomatoclowns]

API will often show zero nitrate, need a more accurate test kit.

Pics will really help....... Need more info on your lighting too, what kind of "stock lights", what system is it? Do you know the par levels?

How old is the tank? Need pics please....

I think he means the stock biocube 16 gallon lights