Freezetyles Biocube 29. Updates March 16!
 

little history. I started with this tank in march last year as my first saltwater tank, and eventually move up to a 45 gallon cube, which had to go when i moved. I had this tank as the "girlfriends" with all of the little things she liked in it so it has been mainly been a FOWLR tank. When i shut down the other one and sold of the majority of the corals i thought to my self "there is no way im getting rid of everything. This tank is basically the reminats of that tank plus a lot more zoa's.

The first hurdle was a move from Calgary to kelowna which went suprisingly smooth except for me and my brilliant trait of being forgetful. When moving the tank i had disassembled all of the hard ware and place the majority of it in a box and straight into the trunk of my car. The other more important and delicate things i decided to put in another box to load with the tank come moving day.

Moving day comes drained the tank and placed the live rock and live stock into a bucket. placed that in the car followed shortly by the tank. Took the box with all of the "delicate stuff" out and placed it on the lawn while i put everything else in... shut door drive away. mean while the box was left on the lawn. Awesome... i know!

While it wasn't a big loss my tunze 9002 was in their and being a student i cannot afford another one yet. To my surprise everything is growing nicely and water chemistry is staying pretty consistent. i guess that is a benefit of having a somewhen mature tank.

i will keep posting updates in here along with other fun pictures of livestock and changes.

Full tank shot!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0146.jpg

Top shelf of sps
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0149.jpg
Zoas on the sand
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0150.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0151.jpg
Spiderman zoa's from red coral
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0138.jpg
montipora from Fishytime
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0133.jpg
Stag? from lobsterboy (finally growing)
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0125.jpg


More coming soon!

Nice cube man! I used to have one and ended up selling it and I regret it to this day! That sucks about your tunze!

nice pe on the stag

Nice tank Jon!

Hope school goes well for you in Kelowna.. I'll have to look you up next time I come visit my parents.

looks great love the way the rocks are nice color too,.

thanks for the compliments.

I had my doubts at the start about keeping sps. you defiantly need patience, which is one thing i have learned from reef keeping. initially you just try and try to pack as much stuff into yor tank at the begining before everything settles out which causes a lot of problems.

the idea of letting your tank mature before adding certain is becoming more and more prominent in my reef keeping values/ideals.

Since i only have a pair of perc. clownfish and a firefish I've been throwing around the idea of adding some sort of goby. maybe 2-3 clown gobys perhaps a orange spot or something. i was fairly docile fish because eventually i would like to get back into the seahorse game with this tank but am unsure about how the corals would cope with the reduced flow. any opinions?

Josh- anytime your down hit me up. still a little bit of a loner out here. haha

What are the specs on the BC?

for hardware i have a 20" sunpod with a geisemann 14k bulb.
koralia 1 and nano
stock return pump.
in tank media basket running carbon and cemi-pure and filter floss.
tunze osmolator (worth the price!)

water change about 5 gallons every 2-3 weeks
add two part as needed.


debating on whether or not to do the vodka rocks. really want to do zeo but i know i wouldn't keep with the strict dosing procedures.

looks great! im currently doing a bio cube 29 as well. hope mine looks as good as yours. keep us updated.

Tank looks amazing for just being moved....that monti looks better in your tank bud...

i cheated a bit in the move and kept all of the water that was in the tank so that everything would be kind of "at home" so to speak when they were placed back in the tank.

That monti is really taking off now, i can pretty much watch it sprout polyps. although i wish more of the pink/salmon one i got from you a while back made the trip. oh well, it will grow back

so did you completely remove the biocube hood for the sunpod or did you somehow fit it in? i have 2 50/50 bulbs in mine was there a huge difference when you swapped over?

yes i took off the hood and am running it open top with the sun pod. I like the metal halide light because you do get the shimmer effect as well as I am able to keep pretty much what ever i want in the tank compared to the stock pc bulbs.The big differences would have to be the amount of water evaporation due to the increased airflow over the surface water of the tank and the increased heat from the Halide bulb.

I did like the all in one look but i wanted to get into the sps game so the upgraded lighting was necessary. While their are lighting kits out there that let you keep the stock hood, I am not very electrically inclined yet so those weren't really an option for me yet.

over all i am happy with the sunpod. if I were to do it again i might have gone the t5 route to cute down on heat and electricity but a like the "more natural look instead of the sterile look from the pc or t5 bulbs.

cool. yeah i want to keep everything including sps but the compacts just dont pack that kind of punch.
ive thought of doing a retrofit high powered led section in the hood but still have to do some good research before i make a jump.
any suggestions of filtration setup at all?
ive got my first section with heater and skimmer
the seccond section full of live rock then a single layer of bioballs on top
and what i did was i put the black tray on top then i put a piece of egg crate angled overtop of the seccond section.
im finding it working well. if you have any good suggestions with the bc let me know!
ive had mine for about 2 weeks now and its doing great. a big change from my 75 i had 2 weeks ago!

umm. for filtration i really only have the media basket in the back with filter floss, carbon, and chemi-pure. I am going to keep it this way until i can find another tunze skimmer.

i took out all of the bio-balls so i could run the back compartment pretty much full. tried to keep cheato back there once but the lights i got weren't all that great so that idea got scrapped.

i'm keeping it simple now i guess, less can go wrong.

Nothing wrong with that simple setup... I ran Rowaphos, Chemi-pure Elite only on my 30G cube.. it did have a "sump" (10G no baffles).. As long as I kept up with 5G weekly water change, everything grew and looked awesome..

I found an Eshopps psk-75H skimmer for a decent price and caved in. I must say, build quality looks pretty good and bubble formation is top notch for the price. pics to come...

on a side note. the sps market here is little to none. I am thinking it maybe time to set up a frag tank. do a little bit of shopping while im back in Calgary for winter break and help out all of the Kelowna/ Vernon people who want this kind of stuff.

alright so here is the skimmer doing its thing

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0153.jpg

Bubbles
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0154.jpg


Now everyone with an all in one system eventually wants to figure out how to do a sump. there are a few options... one im on the fence about trying but built anyway.

PVC overflow:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0157.jpg

Like i said im really on the fence about this one.

Part of me want to try it. as it has worked in the testing i have done with a bucket. but part of me really doesn't want to flood my place.

"He who dares my son, he who dares" a quote from Human Traffic. might just be my inspiration to follow through

You can drill the backs of biocubes man..... why not punch a couple holes, do an external overflow with a herbie?

Oh ya! Now I got the urge to watch this tonight... good job! :lol: Awesome movie though.

Skimmer looks sweet... I think it will perform better than a Tunze 9002 as well. I tried the Tunze and found it lackluster..

see thats what ive been wanting to do. but no one really had a definate answer on whether or not you could...

Now to find someone in Kelowna who can drill a tank. preferably with the fish still in it!:lol:
I agree on both points, However, i did like the size of the tunze. This skimmer pulls out way more then the tunze ever would in the same amount of time

I was thinking of doing the same thing when I was planning the pony tank....they can be drilled and as far as the drilling goes....its easy enough to do....just get the right sized bit and go slow.......The sump area is completely sealed from the display so all you have to do is shut off the returns...put a heater and a P/H in the display....drain the sump and drill away.....

Big shout out to Fishytime and Carmen for hooking me up with a Vortech MP20 over the weekend. I really enjoyed the last one i had and regretted selling it.

Let the Flow begin!:mrgreen:

In other news, Found some dry rock to place some of my growing Zoa colonies on to allow for some more growth. Not really liking the look of them right now because they are a Bright white color. In time they will be huge colonies so i guess i can't complain too much. Pictures to come tomorrow when the lights are on

hey your welcome man.....it was good to see ya.....
bah!.... pic tease!:razz:

Does anyone have a suggestion for using a biocube as a sump/frag tank. I have been thinking it over and would probably set it up so the two tanks are right beside each other so they could both be displayed. This would solve my problem of not wanting to drill the biocube. the only issue i am seeing with this is that the rear chambers would not really provide a lot of room for excess water if the power did go out. so far i was thinking that the return pump would be in the first or second chamber and the return could flow either directly into the display portion or be attached to the nozzle in the third chamber flowing back into the tank

and some new pics. sorry their foggy i need to clean the glass better

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0190.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0185.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0164.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0165.jpg
ric. yuma
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0167.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0169.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0174.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0179.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0182.jpg

My favorite zoas. that haven't been all been open in over a month. but at least their not melting. not sure the issue
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0181.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0183.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0184.jpg

Looks Great! I love the Bright orange zoa colony on the bottom and the yellows! Nice pics Jon.

You could probably take that Koralia Nano out if you wanted to free up some visual space :razz:... I was running an MP20 100% Reef Crest on my 30G cube and had NO problems with flow....... If you wanted to, haha.

Is it just the clowns in there for fish right now, I can't remember?

Looks awesome.. everything seems happy too!

Thanks Carmen!



I think i will remove that nano. I was more focused today on playing around with the new pump :mrgreen:

I have a purple firefish in there too. but with the increased flow he seems to like hiding in the rock work. I have been itching for a new fish but i can't decide on what to go with. There is also the problem of finding quality livestock at a reasonable price here in kelowna.

If i end up figuring out the issue of using the biocube as a sump I was thinking of a jawfish or two

Sent you 2 PMs

Tank looks great! Love the Zoa's .
Jon have you been to Pet City he is pretty good.

Leah

Thanks Leah

I have been there. He does have some pretty good LPS. I just have terrible timing when i go to that store. the fish i would like to purchase are on hold and all that is left is fish far too big for my little tank

Jon, I will try and keep you in mind next time I plan on coming out to Kelowna. You can always check the stock at RC around that time and I can bring it out with me.. Kevin always brings in great Jawfish, if you can get that sump/frag thing worked out.. :mrgreen:

Hey Jon,

Welcome to the Okanagan. I just saw this thread for the first time and wanted to tell you your tank looks great!

If you do end up starting to do fragging, I know I would be thrilled to have some frags of those corals in my tank.

Could you expand on what you are trying to do with the second tank and maybe we can come up with some suggestions on how to do it.

Mark.

I have been doing some fragging but the pieces still need to encrust a little bit before they are ready to go. With the possible expansion i am planning
I will basically be setting up a tank to try and get some varieties of sps here in the Okanagan as I do travel to calgary about once a month and would be able to pick some frags/colonies from the flourishing trade there.

my main concern for that build is stated in this thread http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=60507
I will sketch out my plan and post it up here later on in the day to help people get an idea of what i am planning to make it easier.


I think i will end up getting the tank either way. If it doesn't work it wouldn't be hard to use a standard sump. I was just trying to use the resources i have already and make the start-up a little easier with the semi-mature tank providing the new tank the benefits of that.

On another note, the MP20 is fantastic. I took Josh's suggestion and have it pretty much maxed out and my sps are loving it. the fish on the other hand are still adjusting a bit to the increased flow. Mainly my firefish who has been a bit of a recluse lately.

Alright so here is the rough sketch of my plans for using this thing as a sump. I am going to go ahead and pick up the tank from a canreefer and hope for the best (it wont be happening until mid feb.) but it gives me plenty of time to work everything out and build the stand. and if it doesn't end up working i can always put a sump in the base of the stand instead of my RO reserve.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0193.jpg

little update.

Wow. Those Vortech pumps are Dope! I had one before but tried to set it on the short pulse mode. That never really did my corals much good. I have this one on reef crest and after a few days of adjustment the corals are loving it. Huge PE and new tips are starting to form. The fish are also adapting to the increased flow. the clowns have figured out that hosting the frag rack is better at night instead of behind on of the old Koralia's and the firefish is out of the rock work more and more everyday. Its weird looking at the tank now without all of the clutter, definitely an improvement

I also have a few new additions to the tank. new set of zoas. and an elegance coral (wish me luck)...

Added a few corals as well as a new fish. getting things ready for my potential new set up... Having a few problems with micro bubbles and keeping the calcium levels up. Been adding 2 part but it hasn't seemed to be raising it a whole bunch, growth is going pretty good though. Also had to move a birds-nest out of the light it was bleached like nobodies business it is now recovering nicely.

and the pics.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0215.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0210.jpg

Sorry about the blurry pic. this sucker is fast and still a bit timid. eating like a pig though.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0209.jpg
new Zoas
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0204.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0203.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0200.jpg
Aussie Elegance
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0199.jpg

and the Full tank shot:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...e/DSCN0206.jpg

wohya that new fish totally just totally makes the colours stand out is it an angel?

^^ Yup.. it's a Bi-Color Angel... and a nice one at that Jon!

Have you figured out your sump/frag setup yet?

Yup shes a Bicolor angel. And out of the three dwarf angels i have had this is the first polyp nipper!:evil: at least i think thats the case. Not getting as good PE since he went in there so i am just assuming. I knew it was going to be a gamble. I just love the colour contrast they have. plus, its the girlfriends favourite fish so i got a hero cookie for that one.

But as soon as i finish the newer set up i think everything will be ok. As for the new set up i have built a sump out of acrylic. and have done a water toest to prove that it does in fact hold water. I am still a little weary on using it at this point. so i think i am still going to use the Biocube as a sump/frag tank. i think i will work out if i keep the water level below the over flow leading into the 2 and third chamber, this should allow for enough room in case of an over flow. I am picking up the new tank from El Guappo this weekend dimensions of that are 22"x20"x14T. top portion is going to be all sps with a t5 fixture above. Then the frag section and zoas are going to be down in the BC. i will probably make something to prevent the Angel from nipping at the frags.

never owned t5's so bulb suggestions for a four bulb fixture are welcome.