# "bio cube" 30 gallon saltwater?



## PEVINE

at the local pet store theres bio cubes. i belive its made for saltwater. is there anything else i need to have to start a salt water tank if i were to get one? thank you for help in advanced, i will google immage and see if i can find pics and infor on what it comes with. . . 


thanks 


- P -


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## Reefneck

Not included in Bio Cubes: PROTEIN SKIMMER!

Look at the Red Sea Max if anything. 34 gallons and loaded with everything. Including a protein skimmer.


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## CollegeReefer

I haven't heard to many good or bad things about the bio cube online. Not sure if this is good or bad. As for reefneck comment, yes there is no protein skimmer, but it isn't exactly needed if you keep up on the water changes. In my aquapod i don't have one and my water is perfect. It has been like that since the tank cycled. But if i had the money and if the system reefneck suggested was out, i might have considered it because of the included protein skimmer. If i could i would put in a protein skimmer on my system now, but there really isn't any effective nano protein skimmer out there yet.


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## PEVINE

tryin to talk my mom into the 34 gallon with protine skimmer for a graduation presnt. hope i works, to cycle sw tanks, use biospria or that just fresh water? what would be the best way to cycle it properly. and also would i be able to get a small amound of coral? how long should i wait b4 getting it. how would i keep it alive, i have been looking for siter what has beginer info on starting a s/w tank like what are some good small fish, kinds of coral live sand. . . .if any one has a good sorce could you please post it. thank you very much! 



- P -


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## Reefneck

PEVINE said:


> tryin to talk my mom into the 34 gallon with protine skimmer for a graduation presnt. hope i works, to cycle sw tanks, use biospria or that just fresh water? what would be the best way to cycle it properly. and also would i be able to get a small amound of coral? how long should i wait b4 getting it. how would i keep it alive, i have been looking for siter what has beginer info on starting a s/w tank like what are some good small fish, kinds of coral live sand. . . .if any one has a good sorce could you please post it. thank you very much! - P -


Great Choice!You can use Bio-Spira. They make a SW version that I have seen mixed results with. Best way to cycle IMO is to use a piece of raw shrimp from the Grocery store. Toss it in, Let it rot and monitor your levels for Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate in that order until the cycle complets.

There are many corals that will do fine in those tanks. Most softies, Leathers, Zoanthids, Mushrooms etc. You want to cycle the tank fully the you can begin to add fish or corals slowly.

Best thig to read is Saltwater Fish for Dummies. I love that book. Great beginner info as well as moderate info.

Lots of small fish available too. Clown gobys, Neon gobies, False Percula Clowns would do well in that tank. A Dwarf Angel like a Flame or Coral beauty. Easy to stock tanks larger than 30 gallons. 

Good Luck!


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## Fishfirst

OR you could buy some liverock for the tank


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## PEVINE

would live rock help it cycle? or are you just saying live rock for looks. . . . also were do i get live sand???


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## k-dawg-

aqua medic just came out with a nano cube, it has a refugium, and a venturi powered protein skimmer, i think the one on the red sea is airstone driven, i saw it at our lfs it was sweet


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## CollegeReefer

If you add live rock that will cycle your tank. First of there is already bacteria on the rock survice. Die off on the rock will start the cycle as well. Live rock is the best filtration money can buy.


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## TheOldSalt

If you can get good, fresh liverock and livesand, then you tank will be cycled pretty much immediately after setup. I've noticed that getting good, fresh rock is pretty hard to do for most folks, though, but if you can you're golden.

The EcoSystem people have been developing an eco-nano for awhile now, that is, an all-in-one acrylic nano with a built-in ecosystem filter on the back. I don't know what taking them so long, but once they have it it should be one of the best units on the market. Until then, the 34 gallon cubes are pretty nice, and they have coral-capable lighting already, so yes, you can make a sturdy minireef with one no problem., especially with the skimmer.

Hmmm... you know, it is kinda strange that people aren't scrambling to develop a practical nano-sized skimmer isn't it?


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## PEVINE

if i got a bio-cube and live sand / rock. . . then eventually got a proten skimmer would it be good? wht does red sea have bio cube doesnt?


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## Reefneck

PEVINE said:


> wht does red sea have bio cube doesnt?


Quality, A Protein Skimmer & Glass Construction!!

The after market skimmers can't skim their way out of a box. The read sea MAX skimmer is fairly decent!


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## k-dawg-

I heard the Tunze nano skimmer worked pretty well and its got really small dimensions. http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_protein_skimmers_tunze_doc_comline_nano_classic.asp?CartId=


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## PEVINE

well i got the bio cube, i am getting live sand. live rock is expsnive, live sand said instant cycleing on the package. would i need live rock also? its like 6.99 a pound . . . . rock is heavy and i dont have that much $ for rock. should i add salt b4 i add the sand or does it not matter. . . . i got reverse osmosis water from the lps. and i would like to find a protine skimmer for a 30 g. tank. any info would help a bunch! ( i also got a 40$ book called marine fishs by: scott w. michael ) has so many mish and all the reqirements, helpful when i choose fish. . . . . . sorry that was random. but any info would be great



thanks 

-P-


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## Reefneck

PEVINE said:


> well i got the bio cube,


:chair:  :shock: :-? :argue: :console:  :roll: :fish:


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## Reefneck

PEVINE said:


> its like 6.99 a pound .



Live rock is not cheap! Nothing in this hobby is and if it is, It's not worth the materials it's made out of! $6.99 a lb is actually a good price for rock at a LFS.

This is an expensive hobby. If you can't afford live rock you are really in for a huge surprise later on. You can not do this hobby on the cheap!

My 120G tank is between a 9 & 10 thousand dollar investment including lighting, Rock, Sand Livestock, filtration and all. And that is only one of my 4 reef tanks!


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## PEVINE

about how many pounds of rock for a 29g. would be ok? and do i add the salt then live rock or live rock then gravel? . . . . . any infomation you can give me would be great! thank you so much


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## TheOldSalt

You have to have the saltwater all fully mixed and aerated and stabilized well before putting anything in it, especially liverock and livesand. It won't stay very lively for long if you don't.

29 gallon tank ~ 30 pounds of rock. 210 bucks. 

Look, you might have just figured out that you've gotten into something very expensive, but I hope you heed what I'm about to say:

*The most surefire way to fail and waste a lot of money in this hobby is to try to save money by doing things on the cheap.*

There is a reason everything costs so bloody much in reefkeeping. You have to have it, and they've got you by the shorthairs. You also get what you pay for, at least, so going with the cheap stuff means getting much poorer quality and utility. In reefkeeping, that translates into miserable failure. Do it right the first time or don't do it at all. 
You've already gone against some very good advice in that you got the very wrong tank. This is an example of what I mean. That blunder is going to cost you much more than the extra little bit the better tank would have cost. Not all is lost however, as you can still pull this off okay IF, and I do mean IF, you from this point on resolve to quit being sloppy for financial reasons. 

Harsh words, I know, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm trying to save you a bundle here in the long run, along with a lot of hassle and heartbreak.

My best advice for you at this point is to simply STOP and save your money for awhile until you have enough to do the job right. If it's not too late to return that tank and get a better one, then so much the better. Those 34 cubes are actually nice units and make a most suitable reeftank for a beginner or a pro, on account of the high quality that went into it's design. Not much else in this size range is worth a darn, really. If you're stuck with it, though, then that's okay. ( what are the specs on the lights in that tank anyway? ) Just save up enough to get your sand and rock, and I mean ALL of your sand and rock at once. You don't want to go adding rock to the tank all the time, as this causes you problems aplenty.
Read your books. Make sure you understand everything. Pay especial attention to the needs of the animals you might like. It is very very easy to walk into a petshop and buy the wrong thing on impulse, so take your fishbook with you and heed what it says. Don't just buy something because it's what's available. Shop around and find the right species for your tank.

Oh, and finally don't forget to QUARANTINE your new fish, and to do it correctly. Yes, things just got even MORE expensive and complicated, LOL. However, if you don't do this thing, then you will have nothing but constant problems and lose fish after fish after fish after fish after fish....
Every saltwater fish in the petshop IS ABSOLUTELY infected/infested with SOMETHING, and usually a few somethings, and this WILL bite you on the butt every time if you ignore it. Luckily, most saltwater fish diseases are very easy to eliminate, even compared to most freshwater ones.

The good news is that while it's a big pain to get started and set up, your reeftank will run a lot smoother more hassle-free than your freshwater tanks. Sounds crazy, but it's true.


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## Osiris

That is relatively few bucks cheaper for LR. 

I may have missed it but why arent you tracking down a local reef club? Can get used equipment, corals and LR for way cheaper then stuff in store if u are short on cash. 

Your fancier LR prolly will have to get in store or online. I have to buy my tonga branch at LFS thats i think 7.99/lb for us here. 

Take a look here see if can find a local club to u:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=80


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## Osiris

Actually this came up as a NH reef club:
http://salthub.com/


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## Reefneck

Thanks TOS!! Took the words right out of my mouth! I wanted to say the exact same things but bit my tounge because all the younger people here get peeved at me when I do speak the truth and want to argue how it can be done on the cheap. So I just give the best advice, then when I get ignore I just don't bother offering any further advice to the person that ignored me.


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## PEVINE

my tank is like directly inbetween 1.024 ppm and 1.025 ppm. is that ok? the temp is at 82. how could i get the temp down a little, shouldnt it be about 78? i got 35 lbs of live sand, and 20 lbs of live rock for now. i am going to pick up more live rock very soon, i was talking to a man over the phone, the owner of a pet store, he said they were getting a shipment of rock and had no room and he would sell $4.99 a pound, he said he had a few bigger pieces and alot of smaller ones. so i am going to get another 20 lbs for my 29 gallon tank. is that ok? 40 lbs in a 29 gallon? is it possible to have to much? or would that be better?


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## Fishboy93

You may want to add a small fan to your tank. I keep mine temp at 80. As long as it is steady it should be fine. As far as live rock. Your the judge. Do you think it would look better? I may add more liverock to my 29. But if i add it up to 40 pounds its going to look very wallish...


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## PEVINE

i got about 35 lbs of live rock, got some today, at 4.99 a pound, mise well. but all in all it adds up to about 35 lbs.


no about coral :lol: 
is inbetween 1.024 and 1.025 ppm ok? i dont kno much about or what kinds i shall get. any help on this topic is great


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## Fishboy93

It can take awhile to cycle. In this time RESEARCH(people cant stress this enough). Some beginner(and relatively cheap) corals: Kenya Tree, Colt Coral, Mushrooms, Some zoanthids/palys, Green Star Polyp, Button Polyps, Xenia. HTH


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## PEVINE

do they have any good books on coral? how much approx would it be for a good on if so? 40$?


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## Fishfirst

your readings on specific gravity is okay... but you can drop the ppm... the measurements are not in ppm.


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## Pac-Man

Save that 40$. You can find tons of info on coral on the net. There are plenty of good sites (I dont know if I can link you on this forum). Just look around.


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## TheOldSalt

Your salt level is just fine, as are your amounts of rock and sand. The temp is a bit high, though, and while still acceptable your critters would appreciate it if you could cool it down a few degrees to 78-79 or so. Reef temps can exceed 90 in nature, but the aquarium is not nature.

"Invertebrates" by Robert Fenner and Anthony Calfo: If you can find this book, grab it! It is one of the best books I've yet seen on the subject of reef tanks and the lifeforms in them.


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## PEVINE

i think its about time to think up a clean up crew for my tank. all my leverls are great, my temp is at 80 now, it could drop a little more i might just get a small fan to blow across the top.

but does any one have any sugestions on a clean up crew for a 30 gallon.
thanks


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## musho3210

if you want a skimmer taht is made for these bio-cubes, check out saphire skimmers, there skimmers are meant to fit perfectly well in the second compartment of the cube. http://wholesale.addictiveaquatics.com/catalog/Sapphire_Skimmers-3-1.html

Sappire recently came out with a recirculating skimmer for the bio-cube 29

Your local reef club is like your savior, you will find the best prices there.


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## PEVINE

what site can i find a local reef club around franklin N.H, i mean this place is like no were, but hey maby theres on in a sourriounding town?


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## musho3210

how far away are you from portland?


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## Guest

Here.

http://fins.actwin.com/dir/clubs.php?c=1&r=40


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## PEVINE

portland. . . . . . . ummmm. . . . . . 


about 2 hrs






and thanks scuba


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