The not so exciting biocube 29 rescue

Should I add a pincushion urchin

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Maybe So

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .
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bsn_rn_cen

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That looks great! I think I detected excitement...

I will post some pictures tomorrow when the whites are on...that should kill any excitement :/ I was mostly relieved last night to see Walter (my watchman goby. He looks so grumpy and Walter seems like grumpy old man type of name. Sorry if you happen to be a Walter reading this. I am sure you are a lovely person)
 

Katrina71

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I will post some pictures tomorrow when the whites are on...that should kill any excitement :/ I was mostly relieved last night to see Walter (my watchman goby. He looks so grumpy and Walter seems like grumpy old man type of name. Sorry if you happen to be a Walter reading this. I am sure you are a lovely person)
Walter needs a pistol shrimp.
 
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Walter needs a pistol shrimp.

Walter does indeed. I have a mini maxi coming in this week
Lightning_Bolt_Maxi_Mini_Anemone_-_Regular_Price_100_LIVE_SALE_PRICE_60_1296x.jpg

I figured I would let it get established for a bit and order a couple sexy shrimp as well.
 

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Hi new to r2r. I have a 32 biocube and I love it. It was extreme plug and play. Came with the LED lights. I added a protein skimmer and a UV light. if and when I figure out how to put pics on here I will. There are so many up-grades for the 32 and 29 gal tanks. I upgraded from a 28 jbj nano cube {I lost it due to a fire in my condo}. I found this to be the best for the money I wanted to spend and the room I have. I set this one up aroun 4/18. Anyone with advise and or hacks that would be great. Thanks and have a great weekend.

This is awesome and welcome to R2R.

Sorry to read of the fire.

We'd like to see what you're doing with yours for sure but it might get lost in this thread. It would be cool if you did an official introduction thread so everyone could meet and greet you my friend. :) ~cheers~
 
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As promised @Katrina71 I will post a picture with whites on. While attempting to get a picture, my excitement for the day was definitely killed. I set out today with big plans. I have a couple of gallons of fresh water mixed. Next to the bucket sat my trusty side kick "Agent Orange" ready to launch Operation Reef Hand ( <--- bad I know but I have a dry sense of humor and it amused me when I was planning my attack on my algae enemy)
agent orange.jpg
I know that reference will be lost on some and it has side tracked my train of thought. I loved my grandfather. As soon as he was able he joined the Army during the end of WWII. That is enough for admiration in my eyes but it wasn't enough for my grandfather. When conflict began in Korea he once again answered the call.
grandpa.jpg
I asked him when I was young why he never talked about the wars and he told me "I wasn't a war hero." It didn't matter what he said, he was still my hero and I knew as soon as I could join I was going to be a soldier. I didn't need fancy toys growing up. Give me a stick and if I was lucky the cardboard from wrapping paper (The best bazooka I ever owned) and I was in a far off jungle (the corn field behind the house) fighting an epic battle. When I turned 12 I joined Civil Air Patrol and this narrowed my focus. A year later I was 13 and now that I was a teenager I knew everything. I had a neat little plan for my life and in my eyes nothing was going to stop me. I was going to join the Air Force, be a pilot of my favorite plane the KC-135
kc135.jpg
I would retire from the Air Force and then fly commercial airliners long enough to collect a double pension. It was a great plan, unfortunately life usually doesn't stick to the plan of a know it all teenager. The summer before my senior year in high school a group of my friends worked for my father in the fields. One day when we finished working my dad had some work to do in the office so I hitched a ride home with my friends. We jammed out to the Offspring in his Mercury Monarch and when we got to my house he couldn't wait to show me his new toy. He used his last paycheck to buy a paintball gun. In a split second the trajectory of my life came to a screeching halt. He pulled the trigger and that bright orange ball of paint struck me in my right eye. I had a giant flash of bright light and then blackness. While in the emergency room I slowly began to see light and colors. We were sent to a bigger city to see a retinal specialist. He used a laser to tack down a couple of retinal tears and said it would be a waiting game. As my eye healed I began to notice some bizarre distortions in my vision. I would look at a telephone pole and the center of the pole would be gone. Faces would twist and look like a Picasso.
picasso.jpg
We returned to the retinal specialist. He explained that while healing and forming scar tissue the retina became taunt causing a tear in the macular region. The macula provides the fine sharp area in the center of your visual field. This tear was causing my retina to detach which would result in blindness. The doctor wanted to perform retinal vitrectomy, however this wasn't a surgery performed on children at the time so he presented my case to a board of retinal disease specialist and they agreed that it was worth an attempt. The idea behind the surgery was to suck the jelly out of my eye and fill it with a gas bubble that would hold the retina in place allowing it to reattach. Sounds easy enough right. Unfortunately the macula is on the back wall of the eye directly behind your pupil so for this bubble to stay in place I had to remain face down for 6 weeks. I lived in a farm house in the middle of nowhere without air conditioner. I used to joke that I had Amish cable and on a good day could get 3 stations. This was in a day before ipads, cell phones, and laptops so I rigged mirror at the end of my bed and a small makeup mirror of my sisters to flip the picture upright and allow me to see the TV. It was a long six weeks.... When my kids complain they are bored or hot in the summer they get no sympathy. I was so excited on the way back to the doctor 6 weeks later. I couldn't wait for them to tell me I could lift my head. Another jarring sudden stop. While in the office my retina had redetached and I was informed I had to do the whole process over except this time they were going to sew a silicon ring around my sclera to reinforce the area. I had a huge breakdown on a bench outside the hospital. I cried my eyes out and didn't care that I was in public. I sucked it up though and went back inside and started the whole process over. A very long summer....but it was worth it. I currently have 20/40 vision and after a cataract removal a few years ago even had my glasses restriction removed from driving. However retinal detachment disqualified me from military service. I tried for waivers in multiple branches without success. Now that I am a critical care nurse I have a special skill set. Should a major conflict develop for the US I will probably try to catch a waiver again. Since we are way off topic here I might as throw this in as well. Anyone reading this that has served or is serving.. Thank you so very much. Anyone reading that served in Vietnam, Welcome home. My step son Kyle is an infantry man in the Illinois National Guard and I have so much respect and pride for him. Here he is at his graduation from boot camp with his brothers.
kyle.jpg
This is a build thread right? Well lets flip the switch and get this train back on the main track. I had planned today to use Agent Orange to scrub the tank clean of algae and those plans came to the same kind of screeching halt when I saw this............. devil spawn.jpg I scanned the tank and found 2 more of the little devils wedged in the rock work. I have been very blessed with my main tank and have thus far managed to keep aiptasia out of my system. This said I have no experience with this battle. So I am off for now to formulate a new plan of attack. ;Bookworm
 
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As promised @Katrina71 I will post a picture with whites on. While attempting to get a picture, my excitement for the day was definitely killed. I set out today with big plans. I have a couple of gallons of fresh water mixed. Next to the bucket sat my trusty side kick "Agent Orange" ready to launch Operation Reef Hand ( <--- bad I know but I have a dry sense of humor and it amused me when I was planning my attack on my algae enemy)
agent orange.jpg
I know that reference will be lost on some and it has side tracked my train of thought. I loved my grandfather. As soon as he was able he joined the Army during the end of WWII. That is enough for admiration in my eyes but it wasn't enough for my grandfather. When conflict began in Korea he once again answered the call.
grandpa.jpg
I asked him when I was young why he never talked about the wars and he told me "I wasn't a war hero." It didn't matter what he said, he was still my hero and I knew as soon as I could join I was going to be a soldier. I didn't need fancy toys growing up. Give me a stick and if I was lucky the cardboard from wrapping paper (The best bazooka I ever owned) and I was in a far off jungle (the corn field behind the house) fighting an epic battle. When I turned 12 I joined Civil Air Patrol and this narrowed my focus. A year later I was 13 and now that I was a teenager I knew everything. I had a neat little plan for my life and in my eyes nothing was going to stop me. I was going to join the Air Force, be a pilot of my favorite plane the KC-135
kc135.jpg
I would retire from the Air Force and then fly commercial airliners long enough to collect a double pension. It was a great plan, unfortunately life usually doesn't stick to the plan of a know it all teenager. The summer before my senior year in high school a group of my friends worked for my father in the fields. One day when we finished working my dad had some work to do in the office so I hitched a ride home with my friends. We jammed out to the Offspring in his Mercury Monarch and when we got to my house he couldn't wait to show me his new toy. He used his last paycheck to buy a paintball gun. In a split second the trajectory of my life came to a screeching halt. He pulled the trigger and that bright orange ball of pain struck me in my right eye. I had a giant flash of bright light and then blackness. While in the emergency room I slowly began to see light and colors. We were sent to a bigger city to see a retinal specialist. He used a laser to tack down a couple of retinal tears and said it would be a waiting game. As my eye healed I began to notice some bizarre distortions in my vision. I would look at a telephone pole and the center of the pole would be gone. Faces would twist and look like a Picasso.
picasso.jpg
We returned to the retinal specialist. He explained that while healing and forming scar tissue the retina became taunt causing a tear in the macular region. The macula provides the fine sharp area in the center of your visual field. This tear was causing my retina to detach which would result in blindness. The doctor wanted to perform retinal vitrectomy, however this wasn't a surgery performed on children at the time so he presented my case to a board of retinal disease specialist and they agreed that it was worth an attempt. The idea behind the surgery was to suck the jelly out of my eye and fill it with a gas bubble that would hold the retina in place allowing it to reattach. Sounds easy enough right. Unfortunately the macula is on the back wall of the eye directly behind your pupil so for this bubble to stay in place I had to remain face down for 6 weeks. I lived in a farm house in the middle of nowhere without air conditioner. I used to joke that I had Amish cable and on a good day could get 3 stations. This was in a day before ipads, cell phones, and laptops so I rigged mirror at the end of my bed and a small makeup mirror of my sisters to flip the picture upright and allow me to see the TV. It was a long six weeks.... When my kids complain they are bored or hot in the summer they get no sympathy. I was so excited on the way back to the doctor 6 weeks later. I couldn't wait for them to tell me I could lift my head. Another jarring sudden stop. While in the office my retina had redetached and I was informed I had to do the whole process over except this time they were going to sew a silicon ring around my sclera to reinforce the area. I had a huge breakdown on a bench outside the hospital. I cried my eyes out and didn't care that I was in public. I sucked it up though and went back inside and started the whole process over. A very long summer....but it was worth it. I currently have 20/40 vision and after a cataract removal a few years ago even had my glasses restriction removed from driving. However retinal detachment disqualified me from military service. I tried for waivers in multiple branches without success. Now that I am a critical care nurse I have a special skill set. Should a major conflict develop for the US I will probably try to catch a waiver again. Since we are way off topic here I might as throw this in as well. Anyone reading this that has served or is serving.. Thank you so very much. Anyone reading that served in Vietnam, Welcome home. My step son Kyle is an infantry man in the Illinois National Guard and I have so much respect and pride for him. Here he is at his graduation from boot camp with his brothers.
kyle.jpg
This is a build thread right? Well lets flip the switch and get this train back on the main track. I had planned today to use Agent Orange to scrub the tank clean of algae and those plans came to the same kind of screeching halt when I saw this............. devil spawn.jpg I scanned the tank and found 2 more of the little devils wedged in the rock work. I have been very blessed with my main tank and have thus far managed to keep aiptasia out of my system. This said I have no experience with this battle. So I am off for now to formulate a new plan of attack. ;Bookworm

Wow, what a story.

As far as Aiptasia, if you can remove the rocks, hit them with a turkey blaster filled with boiling water. Destroys all tissue and they will not spread. I did this myself in the early days of my tank and it was simple and effective.


 
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Wow, what a story.

As far as Aiptasia, if you can remove the rocks, hit them with a turkey blaster filled with boiling water. Destroys all tissue and they will not spread. I did this myself in the early days of my tank and it was simple and effective.


I think I will give that a try. Should I super glue over the area after I blast it as well? I can also scrub the rock with Agent Orange while it is out.
 

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I think I will give that a try. Should I super glue over the area after I blast it as well? I can also scrub the rock with Agent Orange while it is out.

Boiling water should take care of everything, but an Agent Orange scrub will remove any dead tissue. Just be careful to aim the boiling water away from anything you want to keep alive.


 
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Boiling water should take care of everything, but an Agent Orange scrub will remove any dead tissue. Just be careful to aim the boiling water away from anything you want to keep alive.


That was easier than I thought it would be. Once I had the rock out I couldn't see the aiptasia but I hit all the area close to where they were with the boiling water and scrubbed away. The rock is back in the tank and I haven't seen any signs of them. Fingers crossed that I got them all. Thanks for the tip.
 

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That was easier than I thought it would be. Once I had the rock out I couldn't see the aiptasia but I hit all the area close to where they were with the boiling water and scrubbed away. The rock is back in the tank and I haven't seen any signs of them. Fingers crossed that I got them all. Thanks for the tip.

That is awesome news. It is so easy when the rock is young. .

 
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This tank revitalization is making me feel young again. My first car was a '72 four door Impala. My aunt gave it to me for free to avoid paying someone to take it away for her. My friends teased me about this car (rightfully it was a huge ugly beast) but I loved that car. I would wax the thin almost non-existent in places paint. My brother and I took the bench seat out of the front and put bucket seats in. A friend had some old speakers that he upgraded from and we slapped them in. While they made fun of me they came to love that old car. It was a tank. We could drift off the road and feel the car float across the ditch allowing a shortcut across an empty field. The thing had some power as well. I could peel out longer than my friends new fire bird. Oh the things we do when we are young. What does this have to do with my biocube? Well I mentioned that I received a package early and after installation I was reminded of a teenager spending more on their car upgrades than the car was worth. Like this for example.
jacked.jpg
You know the lift and the tires cost more than the car is worth, but there is something so satisfying about it when it is yours. My wife is not a huge fan of this unexciting biocube because it is at the end of the hall where everyone can see it and as she said "It is so ugly." While cruising the forums when she was at work last week I came across a thread that had a 15% discount code for Doctors Foster and Smith. I know what you are thinking 15% off is no big deal right, well this code worked on everything on the website. It even included items with map pricing that virtually never go onsale. So I start texting the wife, asking how work is (She is a nurse in the same ER. I am actually her boss but as she makes very clear to anyone who listens that it is only at work...) I tell her about this great discount code I came across, and how it would save so much money. I could tell I wasn't getting anywhere so changed tactics. I said, "Wouldn't it be nice to upgrade that ugly hall tank to look more like mine." A little while later I get back "You should just do it." So I hurried up and pressed the final confirmation on my checkout. I would like to throw a shout out to the soon to be late Drs Foster and Smith shipping department for not putting the prices on the shipping invoice. This brought even more excitement when I cracked open the box and didn't have to further justify these :D
filters.jpg
lights.jpg

I love what this light has done on my main tank and hope it equals its performance on this tank. Here is where I struggled though. I didn't know what light settings to go with. I tried searching for light settings on anemone tanks and couldn't find anything to make up my mind. I have had good luck with coral labs programming and decided I would try the lps/soft coral labs preset. I also struggled deciding what intensity to go with and finally chose a 65% max with a 4 week ramp up. I figure it would be easier to ramp up before starting out with to much and having to back it off. Now that I have the programming all set I take the hood off. I break out the coping saw and remove the middle hood attachment brackets to provide a flat surface for the mount. I get everything all set up, wires all reorganized and fire it up. My fish freaked out. I get it, I freaked a little too. With this much brighter light you can see every speck of algae in the tank. I decide I better break out Agent Orange and give the rock a little more touch up.... and then things took a turn for the worse. This is Cheryl my female clown.
cheryl.jpg
Last night she had enough. I am a little embarrassed to admit it but when she bit my finger it was so unexpected that it startled me and I jerked my hand out of the tank splashing water all over the floor. I get it, there have been a lot of changes, but its not like I burnt down her she shed. It all worked out though, I like her mate Joe have just learned to give her a wide berth when she is in a mood.
I suppose it is time for a fts, so here it is. It looks so sterile now but it is a definite improvement.
new light.jpg
Now that the hood is off I am going to have a lot more evaporation to deal with. I should have bought an ato with the light but that project is going to take some more convincing of the wife. My current plan is to place a 20 gallon storage container in her closet behind the tank. I don't know how well that is going to go over, but my RODI unit is in the basement and a large ato reservoir would be great. After all my back is not as young as this build has made my spirit...
 
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