Brandon's BC29 tales of little to some interest

[bwoodward0012]

Brandon's BioCube 29​

This is my current "larger" tank (I also have a 7.5 cube) that is a downgrade from the 40 breeder system i just sold off. It is probably somewhat temporary until i figure out exactly what i want and get a new permanent (at least for a couple of years) 40 to 90 gallon system. I picked this up back in late October (2011) from my brother in law, who had already modified it a little with a Nano Tuners 4x20w t5vho retro + 1 pcr, InTank media basket, aquaticlife skimmer, and gutted back chambers.

Tank: BioCube 29 topless with stand

Lighting: FishNeedIt 150w hqi pendant with a Phoenix 14000K bulb
JBJ 9w power compact 50/50 clamp on over fuge section (from my old picotope)

Filtration: 1st section- Aquaticlife mini 115 skimmer
2nd section- InTank media basket with filter floss, Purigen, and Chemi-pure Elite
InTank fuge basket with chaetomorpha
Display- around 30- 40 lbs of live rock and 30 lbs of livesand (20 lbs caribsea oolite, 10 lbs caribean reef grade)

Flow: Maxi-Jet 1200 return pump
Korralia Nano 260gph
Korralia Nano 425gph

Other Equipment: Tunze Osmolator auto top off pulling from a standard 5.5 gal res.
Via Aqua 200w heater (way overkill but keeps the temp 77-78 at all times of the day/ night)
Reef Keeper Lite basic with temp probe running lights, return pump, and heater.

Plans: Not sure if I will add or upgrade anymore equipment to this as it is sort of temporary, but I may switch the lighting to led's (probably an in hood retro from Rapid led) or add t5ho's to the current fixture for some better color supplementation. I would also like to swap the Korralias for an MP10es, which i could move to what ever I set up next. I have also been playing with the idea of drilling it and adding a small sump/ fuge in the cabinet.

I'll add more pictures and a list of livestock on another post. Thanks for looking.

 

[Dowtish]

Nice Cube! thanks for posting

 

[Aquaph8]

Looking good Brandon

 

[bwoodward0012]

Thanks! Here are some pics as promised, sorry for the quality but all photos are taken with an i phone 4s or a 7mp point and shoot digital camera.

 

[reefsmokinFOOL]

thats a nice little cube.

 

[bwoodward0012]

A lot of the coral is somewhat bleached. It was all under 6x39w t5ho originally. When i transferred everything, it was under what i had bought used and originally thought was a 20" 150w sunpod with a phoenix 14k bulb. I attempted to change the bulb with a new 150w phoenix 14k only to find out that it was a 70w sunpod. So the tank was lit with that for 3 or 4 weeks (grossly underlit) in which time the corals' health declined, until i came across a good deal on a Fishneedit 150w pendant. Hopefully everything eventually makes a full recovery. I already lost la lakers monti and yellow digi, and my red planet and green slimer are still struggling pretty bad. Any tips on nursing them back to health would be appreciated.

 

[boxer]

awesome little reef there brandon!!!!!!!

 

[bwoodward0012]

As for livestock, I have 4 fish: an Oc. Clownfish, bi-color blenny, mandarin dragonette, and blue damsel. It is a mixed reef with mostly sps (various seriatopa, millieapora, tri-color, garf purple bonsaid, ice tortuosa, and various other acropora and montipora), some lps (including blastos, trumpets, pipe organ, several euphylia and pagoda cup), and softies (zoanthids and palythoa like AOG, keds reds, sunny ds, purple deaths, etc.; several kinds of mushrooms and ricordea). There are also a peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald mythrax crabs, a turbo snail, a hawaiian feather duster, various snails and hermits. I plan on removing the damsel, as he is growing quicker than i had hoped, adding a royal gramma, and maybe farther down the road getting another small goby of some sort paired with a pistol shrimp (i used to have a yellow watchman that i got rid of when i was going to originally get out of the hobby.) I am also working on mounting corals to clean up the bottom and remove the frag rack.

 

[bwoodward0012]

Thank you, Boxer.