# Bio-Cube 14



## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Hi all,

I just picked up the BC14 at an amazing price and want to start a saltwater tank. Anyone have a BioCube that has some advice in using this tank would be greatly appreciated. This would be my first SW tank. 

I'm hoping to add water, Aragonite and some LR tonight. Should I be putting in a piece of raw shrimp as well to kick start the cycle? Btw, is there an alternative method? I've read that it can really stink up the room.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

I'm actually planning on going to SeaUmarine tonight to pick up some LR. 

Sorry, I'm still a newbie so can you clarify, if I use cured LR do i still have to put in the raw shrimp?

Also, I'm noticed that some aragonite sand it's says "Live Sand", does it really make a difference if i get the dry or the "live" stuff?

I haven't decided on what to put in the tank yet but most likely two clown fish. I was hoping to put one black and one reg clown but I have read that they may not be compatible although some ppl have been able to house them in a nano tank. As far as coral goes, I still need to read up on that to see what I could put in there.

Another question, should I add a Protein Skimmer or a UV Sterilizer? Guy at BA told me it would probably be better to put in a UV Sterilizer than the Skimmer.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info!!! Now, I won't have to worry about the other half nagging at me about the smell. 

Any ideas about the Protein Skimmer or the UV Sterilizer (see above)?


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Thanks again!! Yeah, the BioCube UV Sterilizer was double the price of the BioCube Skimmer, so no wonder why he suggested that.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

I went to SeaUmarine after work and picked up salt and 7lbs of LR. So currently have the saltwater, the LR and about 10lbs of aragonite in the BC14. I was thinking about using the whole bag of Aragonite(15lb bag) but thought it would be too much.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

There's simply not a good option for skimmer in BC14.

Do not use UV sterlizer, it's typically used to kill paraites when you have problem in your tank, and it kills good stuff too.

I did use live sand myself and didn't have to rinse it (water will get cloudy for a while), just use filter floss for few days (replace it daily).

You already have the rock, if you're bringing in cured LR and you want it to stay cured, bring them in a bucket submerged with the water from LFS if they are willing to do it. Otherwise, it will be necessary to cure it (cycle) again.

Don't add any livestock until water parameters stablizes. Make sure the water circulation is good, built in pump in BC14 won't be sufficient.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

conix67 - is there a way to tell if i need to re-cure it? Ken @ SeaUmarine wrapped the rocks up in wet newspaper w/ about 1/2" of water in the box.

This morning the cloudiness has subsided and now i can see my LR. I have a Koralia nano head which I used to blow off any sand that might have settled on the LR. Measured the S.G again this morning and it's sitting at around 1.023. Will test for the other stuff tonight. Anyone know if I will be able to use some of my API Freshwater Test kit for SW? I know I will need pH test for saltwater but other than that are the others the same?


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Nitrates and Nitrates in the API FW 'master' test kits are the same, but you might want to change the Ammonia test kit (or instead ask very nicely at your local BA's for a spare API test card for salt-water Ammonia - that's what I did!)

API uses the same reagents in the SW and FW ammonia test kits, but the reagents colour-up differently in SW (much 'cloudier') and it's very difficult (read: inaccurate) to test against the FW card.

You may also consider buying a good Calcium test kit too (we use Salifert's kit http://www.salifert.com/).

PS: Get to know the mail-order co's for HW/additives/test-kits/supplies... they'll end up saving you a small fortune!


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Thanks!! I'll see if my local BA is nice enough to give me the test cards. It would be a pain to have to buy a whole new test kit. Are there any mail-order co's that you would recommend? Once in awhile I would drop by MOPS' warehouse in Hamilton and pick-up a few things.

btw.. here's a pic of how my tank looks like right now.. Will probably move the LR around tonight since the water was too cloudy to see anything last night.


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

conix67 said:


> There's simply not a good option for skimmer in BC14.
> 
> Do not use UV sterlizer, it's typically used to kill paraites when you have problem in your tank, and it kills good stuff too.
> 
> ...


i would have to disagree about the uv stereliser though as i have noticed that almost all "tank of the month" tanks on Reef Central have one and its something i plan on in the near future.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

drknight said:


> Are there any mail-order co's that you would recommend? Once in awhile I would drop by MOPS' warehouse in Hamilton and pick-up a few things.


I've ordered from MOPS on several occassions, and have nothing but good things to say about them (and specifically their service) - great guys, very helpful/friendly, pretty competitive (for the mostpart), and their delivery service is excellent:

http://www.mops.ca/

I've also used J&L Aquatics twice over the last couple of weeks - very competitively priced, good range of products, another Canadian firm to support (they're based out of BC), and very helpful too (I had reason to e-mail regarding an order I had literally just placed - I got a phone call from them within 5 mins of submitting my e-mail!):

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/mainpage.php

That's about my lot, but I know that others here have used other mail order firms, and will likely comment on their experiences...

...Oh, and I used BA's online a couple of weeks back... they're the "McDonalds" of the fishkeeping world in my book... they're local, what they sell serves it's purpose, but there are far better places to eat at/from, with a broader menu and just as competitively priced (if not moreso).


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

I'll give J&L a try sometime.

I bought another 2 lbs of LR from some reef aquarium store behind First Markham Place, so I did some re-arrangements tonight and this is how it looks for now.


























I also did some test tonight.

Water temp is a bit high at 28
SG is at 1.0235 but since water temp isn't at 25, i'll leave it for now and test again once water cools down. 
pH is about 8.0
Nitrite is at 0 ppm
Nitrate is at 5.0 ppm (not sure if this is correct, unlike Nitrite colour card, my FW Nitrate card says for freshwater only)

btw.. one of the pieces of LR I picked up tonight had some stuff growing on it, so i was wonder if anyone knows what these are:










hair algae??:

















I also saw a very small snail crawling around, should I leave him in there?


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

cablemike said:


> i would have to disagree about the uv stereliser though as i have noticed that almost all "tank of the month" tanks on Reef Central have one and its something i plan on in the near future.


There's much debate about this, but there's one thing for certain - UV sterilizer is mostly used to combat fish parasites (most common one being marine ich) and provide no benefits to corals.

As a side effect of killing parasites, it also kills many beneficial micro organisms such as planktons, etc. I have not seen a study on its effectiveness or usefulness beyond parasite control.

So, in the end, if you're able to contain the parasite problem, there's absolutely no benefit to having a UV sterilizer.


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

lets not forget that the rid the tank of free floating algae also so your tank will look much better.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

So my tank has been up for almost a week now, what's the best way to see if the cycle has been completed? 

btw.. the snail I saw went into hiding on the rocks i think but I've noticed some copepods crawling around on my tank last night. 

anyone know if it's better to start with corals first or fish first?


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

UV Sterilizers can be useful.

We have used UV on systems for the past 5 yrs with no ill affects, what the sytems would be without them is another question. But why play with something when it has been working....

See here on some myths.....

UV Sterilizers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not a myth, as they do work, but somewhat questionable for use in a home tank, is the UV sterilizer. They do work as advertised and can kill bacteria, algae and protozoa; it is a ciliated protozoan that causes ich......


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

If you are looking for test kits, check out our site. We should have the Phosphate, Chlorine, Iron and Iodine in later today.

In a couple of weeks we will be receiving the shipment of the Nitrate, Nitrite and Bromine testers.

If you have any questions let us know. These are good for FW, SW, Pools and Hot Tubs


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Big Ray said:


> you are safe now for hardy fish, like clowns, or demsels (which you dont wnt lol)
> add corals after adding fish Id say, just to give the tank a bit more work to do.
> 
> to make sure you have cycle ? you can add a shrimp and see the ammonia and nitrate. but that will just increase ure no3 after, so u can skip it. no3 of 5PPM realy isnt much to harm any fish.


Ya!!! maybe i'll stop by SeaUmarine and pick up a couple of clowns.

btw.. does anyone know where I can pick up an emerald crab or a boxer crab?


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Big Al's in Newmarket often has Emerald Crabs for sale - We bought two from there a few weeks back, and they chomped through the hair algae in just a couple of days - they're amazing! IIRC they charge around $16ea for them?

If I can catch one, you'd be welcome to one of mine - they're so efficient that I'm concerned about starving them!


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Windowlicka said:


> Big Al's in Newmarket often has Emerald Crabs for sale - We bought two from there a few weeks back, and they chomped through the hair algae in just a couple of days - they're amazing! IIRC they charge around $16ea for them?
> 
> If I can catch one, you'd be welcome to one of mine - they're so efficient that I'm concerned about starving them!


That would be awesome! Let me know.

Well, SeaUmarine was closed yesterday so I will be picking up the clownfishes tonight!

Tested water again last night

pH is about 8.2- 8.3
Ammonia is 0
Nitrite is 0
Nitrate is 5ppm 
SG 1.0245
Temp 26.2

btw.. what backup power are you guys using for your tanks?


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

I was a P.mall last night so I ended up going to to Lucky's and picked up two small Ocellaris. I totally forgot about the cuc so is it ok to add them in now or should i wait till the end of the week?

Here are some pics:


















I also picked up this little guy. can someone confirm that this is a blue porcelain crab?


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Big Ray said:


> Looks nice, are you sure that crab is reef safe ? I had something like that in my tank and it used to eat my soft corals, needless to say, I gave up trying to catch the guy and just removed all my soft corals lol


hm.. He's a filter feeder so hopefully he is reef safe.. hahaha.. I was watching him use his two "fans" to filter crap out of the water. quite interesting to watch.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

We have 2 porcelain crabs bought from NAFB... one is perfectly cool, and likes to hang-out on the left side of the tank, sifting the water with his 'catcher's mitts' for food - ie: "at this time", perfectly reef-safe. 

The other bugs the heck out of my occelaris 'cos it's chosen to take up residence in a bubble tip anemone on the opposite side of the tank.

I've seen it written on here before - anything with a claw has the propensity to do harm... we've caught the crab that resides in the anemone taking a wander, and then slyly taking a small chunk out of an acan with his claw. Any further evidence of this, then he'll need to start packing his long-stay samsonite...


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Here's a pic of one of my porcelain crabs (the 'rogue' one(!), at home in the RBTA)


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Windowlicka said:


> Here's a pic of one of my porcelain crabs (the 'rogue' one(!), at home in the RBTA)


Nice anemone!! How long have you had that?


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks! About a month now, I guess? Purchased from Ken @ SeaUMarine. 

We were really lucky, or so I understand - the clowns were hosting it within 24 hours (much to our Hammer Coral's relief!)


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Windowlicka said:


> Thanks! About a month now, I guess? Purchased from Ken @ SeaUMarine.
> 
> We were really lucky, or so I understand - the clowns were hosting it within 24 hours (much to our Hammer Coral's relief!)


I would like to getting a bubble tip myself but I don't think the lighting in the bc14 is sufficient.


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

Big Ray said:


> anemones dont really need that much light, I have had many over the past 9 months, lol mostly tend to run away from my T5 lighting !
> 
> also, if the anemone doesnt get enough light, it will just move to a higher place on ure rock work  and if too much light, it will bury itself under like mine does now !


that's interesting to know.. cuz most places say that it would need alot of light and that PC isn't good enough of a light source.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

drknight said:


> that's interesting to know.. cuz most places say that it would need alot of light and that PC isn't good enough of a light source.


If you look at my picture carefully, you'll see that the anemone's mouth/tentacles are coming out from under the rock... apparently they like their foot to be located in a cooler/darker spot with lower flow, but their tentacles to be open to the light and higher flow (I have a Vortech MP10 powerhead located just up and to the left of this shot, and pointed directly 'into' the picture, if you get what I mean?)

When he/she/it was first added to the tank, he/she/it was placed on the top of this rock. immediately it went for a wander, moving to the underside of this rock, where he/she/it has stayed ever since!


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## smilodon (Feb 2, 2009)

I got a BC14 for 6 months, and mod a lots of stuff.

recently FTS


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## drknight (May 25, 2009)

smilodon - nice tank.. what mods did you do? did you mod the existing hood for 3 lights or is that a new hood?

I went to BA's last night to pick up a plastic tong and decided to pick up a piece of LR w/ mushrooms on it. When I got home, I found a hitch-hiker crab, clam/mussel, and about 6 feather dusters.

I currently have the crab in a bucket w/ heater, air tube and of course water since I don't know what species it is.

Here's a pic of the crab.









Don't think the clam/mussel would do harm to corals so I placed it into the tank.


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## smilodon (Feb 2, 2009)

I ordered the 3-lights hood from nanocustomer and media basket in US.

I also mod alot of stuff. I followed the suggestions from nano-reef.com.

there is tons of info about how to mod BC14.


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## smilodon (Feb 2, 2009)

Big Ray said:


> Looks nice, are you sure that crab is reef safe ? I had something like that in my tank and it used to eat my soft corals, needless to say, I gave up trying to catch the guy and just removed all my soft corals lol


they are totally reef safe. and the interesting thing is that they are actually
not crab, they belong to the lobster family.


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