yeah i had to replace one of my ballasts for my 8gal biocube after a couple weeks as well. so make sure that if it comes to that, your lfs can order in a new one. one more problem is that condensed water drips out the back... not a huge thing, just an annoyance.
limitations as to what corals you can keep in there depends on the light. to upgrade the lighting is a rather big mod that i wont get in to.
Sarah mentioned the small (and most importantly, cheap) mods that make a large difference in the biocube performance, so to save you some time, here they are:
-first chamber: remove the stock filter pad and chuck it. replace with a bag of carbon. you can also fit a heater in there.
-widen the overflow slot between chambers 1 and 2. widen! do not make it any deeper. wire cutters and pliers are useful here.
-second chamber: remove the bioballs. all of them. under the bioballs, there is a false bottom. remove this as well (a coat hanger with a hooked end works well to get this part out). fill the chamber with LR rubble (about golf ball size). you can also put some filter floss on top of the drip tray if you like.
-third chamber: replace the stock pump with a maxijet. it takes a bit of maneuvering to get it to fit without busting a side of the tank, but trust me it will fit. for the 8gal biocube you would use a MJ 600. for the 14 you would use a 900 i believe. not sure about the 29 gal (Id assume the 1200).
-display: I dont like the single output for water flow so i used locline to split the flow into two. one nozzle pointing at the front glass; the other is equipped with a flared nozzle and is close to and points parallel to the water surface. this agitates the surface and helps break up the surface film that Sarah mentioned.
it looks like a lot of work, but it's really not. you will want to do the first 4 mods before water even goes in the tank. the last mod with the locline is optional.
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