Jmcdaniel's New Coralife Biocube 14 Build

[Jmcdaniel0]

Hey All,

This is my first ever Nano! I am super excited to start this process. I have put together the stand and I hope to get started on modding the tank a bit. Pics Coming soon!

I am going to change a few things around for sure.

Upgrades:
InTank media Basket replacing the bioballs
Neotherm Heater
Coralife Biocube Skimmer
Trulemen LED Strip upgrades: 1-12 inch strip- Actinic Pacific Blue. 1- 12 inch Combo 12k cool white and actinic blue combo
replacing stock pump with MJ900


What do you all think? Critiques wanted and welcome!

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Here's the stand and an unboxed biocube.

 

[RMS18]

Did you buy the truelumen leds yet?? I have 2 12" actintic blue, with 3 way splitter and ac power adapter... PM me if interested

 

[Ahruk]

Very exciting. Great tank. I love my 14 gallon tank. I personally think it's the perfect size. Makes water changes very manageable. What are your stocking plans? Bc if you're not planning to stock a lot of fish or do acros I don't think you need the skimmer. I personally don't run one and look at it as one more piece of equipment that could malfunction. Also are you doing open top?

 

[steventaylor702]

I have a couple of suggestions.
1. I would go with the ghost skimmer or any other skimmer besides the coralife skimmer it doesn't work very well and is expensive in the long run
2. I would just but the blue led accessory kits they are bright and work well with the compact fluorescent that's already in the tank

 

[RMS18]

I have a couple of suggestions.
1. I would go with the ghost skimmer or any other skimmer besides the coralife skimmer it doesn't work very well and is expensive in the long run
2. I would just but the blue led accessory kits they are bright and work well with the compact fluorescent that's already in the tank

+1 on the skimmer... I have the coralife running like a champ now, but I upgraded the air pump, air valve and had to make adjustments to the suction cups so it sits at a particular level in the water to prevent low skim mate. Still much cheaper but I would have went with the ghost or tunze nano if I could do it over again. But that's what Xmas is for.. need to drop hints to the gf.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

So far it's going very well. The tank is done cycling and I am going to get the first fish in here shortly I only plan on having 1 or maybe two small fish. I want to mainly stock the tank with awesome acans and high end zoas

 

[Ahruk]

My zoas seem to do great without skimmer (acans as well) I personally think they like the extra nutrient load but I could be wrong haven't been in this hobby that long but they definitely seem to grow faster and be overall happier in my tank then in my boyfriends 40 breeder with skimmer and low bioload.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Quick up date added a nice purple frog spawn and a baby rbta.

 

[czdiver]

I have the same bio-cube. I took it down and sold everything in it when I moved to another state. I'm thinking about either setting it back up or getting a larger tank. I'd like to be able to house more fish. I only kept a small yellow clown goby, a firefish, and a clown fish in it.

I took out the bio-balls and put in a 3 stage media tower in their place but I ended up putting a different kind of bio-balls in the bottom of the tower. They're called Marine Pure bio-filter media. They are very porous but don't trap detritus like the other balls do. I put filter floss in the top of the tower, which I replaced each week, and put a bag of chemi-pure elite in the 2nd shelf . I upgraded the pump, as you did, and I also cut the plastic with a razorblade to make the tab opening between the 1st chamber and the 2nd (where the media tower is) to increase the flow over the tower. I did use a skimmer. I think it was the coral life but I would probably get a better one. I also put in a small power head for more flow in the tank.

If I do set up my old tank, I am going to remove the top and put an Aqua Illumination Hydra Prime LED light on it. One of the issues I had with the tank was that it tended to get too warm because of the hot lights and being all enclosed. I could get a small chiller but I'd rather spend my money on better lighting because I do like lot of corals. I added a litter fresh RO water every single day to compensate for evaporation and did a 20% water change once a week, after blasting off the live rock to remove any detritus.

 

[Mkus]

The trulumen are great I have them in my tank they are on sale at Dr Fosters now.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

I am Still using the standard hood lighting. However I am about to take the hood off and out on a Kessel 3rd we tuna blue.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

It is actually not bad lighting but I want to keep a rose bubble tip

 

[Mkus]

I am Still using the standard hood lighting. However I am about to take the hood off and out on a Kessel 3rd we tuna blue.

My friend had a kessel did not like it at all to blue

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

I have it on my frag tank right now. I like it. I'll get the spectral controller for it later

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Here is an updated pic.

 

[kimba]

Looks great.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

The pictures are terrible lol

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Been a few Days with the Kessil a360we on there. I love it. Temps have stabilized corals are all happy. No complaints here.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Well thought it was time to do an updated.

My kessil 360we's power block fried. So I'm back to using the stock hood lighting, minus the fact that I have two blue led strips installed.

I decided to go all zoas in this tank. A friend of mine has my frag tank once I get it back ill be removing the random assortment of other corals.

My stock list thus far is

2 ocellaris clown
Yellow watchmen govt
Randall pistol shrimp
Royal gramma
Six line Wrasse.

Some of those are moving on to a new home. I just wound up fish sitting.

My corals are:
Red people eaters
Radioactive Dragon eyes
Yellow jackets
Watermelons
nutter butters
tad poles
fairy godmothers
purple body no names
hot pinky pinks
fire tongas
blow pops
JF fairy tails
AOG's
Super Saiyans
WoW's
CB God Of War's
And about 12 no name morphs from aqua sd

Current FTS