Biocube 29 - Can't Decide on Lighting Upgrade

TheReefNerd

New member
Hello Friends !

New to Reef Central (actually had an account here a LONG time ago, but forgot my log-in info).

I first want to give a little background information on myself: I have kept reef tanks in some form or another, throughout my entire life. I have also worked on many other projects, and have setup hundreds of tanks, in total, over the years. I moved to a new house a few years ago, and sadly, my life has been devoid of a tank for the past few years.

About a month ago, I decided that the wait was over, I "fell for" the Biocube 29. (I say "fell for", because I probably would just have started from scratch, if I could do it over, but I fell for the SEEMINGLY attractive features of the Biocube. It's not a bad tank, at all, it's just that it doesn't fit with what I'm trying to accomplish, as is, and I've had to mod the hell out of it. Probably could have started from scratch, and saved a ton of money.

But that's ok, I love cube tanks, and curved glass tanks too, for that matter. I received the tank, and the majority of the rest of my equipment. This Biocube will be running a 10g sump/refugium, and was intended to be a mixed soft reef tank.


Forgive me if my equipment knowledge is a bit lacking. I am a very experienced reefer, but I am absolutely amazed at how things have changed (equipment-wise) over my six-year absence from the hobby. Also, pleasantly surprised to see how much the price has dropped on some pieces of equipment, that used to be considered "luxury items".



So, to the point.. I "fell for" the Biocube.. For some reason, I failed to realize that although the BC came equipped with power compact florescent lighting, the ballasts and bulbs are only 36 watts each (x2), yielding a total of 72 watts. Now, I have seen some truly amazing (to me at least) nano reefs that are using nothing more than the stock 36w 10,000k and 36w Actinic, Biocube PC's.

Sure, this lighting might work for a few of the softies, but my goal is a truly diverse nano reef, and I'm sure that most here will agree, that this stock lighting, is simply "not enough".. "Back in the day" we ran reef tanks under power compact florescent tubes, or metal halides, and I am very familiar with both. I am not so familiar with the T5's, and have NO experience whatsoever with LED's, which seem to be the new, up-&-coming craze.



At the moment, I am stuck between two lighting upgrades, and I just cannot seem to decide. There are also a few other minor issues that I am concerned with, that I'm hoping some of you could help me with, either via experience with the Biocube 29, or similar sized nano tanks.

At present, under the Biocube's stock lighting, I am putting out 72 watts. One 10,000k PC and one full Actinic. The actual main tank area of the Biocube 29 is around 27 gallons, I believe. So, this is roughly 2.66 watts per gallon. Not enough, in my opinion. I do really like the sleek look of the Biocube's stock hood, but I am more than willing to build a replacement hood, if need be.


The first upgrade I was looking at, is a 96w Quad-Bulb Compact Florescent fixture, that I am fairly certain I could fit into the existing Biocube hood. (The stock LED moonlights will have to go, but I don’t care for them, anyway). I would add the 96w CF fixture into the hood with my existing dual bulbs. This would more than double the wattage, putting out 168 watts total, or 6.2 watts per gallon. Much better than the stock lighting, but I'm still undecided. http://www.hellolights.com/1851x96wcf5050quadretrofitkit-squarepin.aspx



The second option that I was considering, I am even more unsure of, and that’s where I need some advice. I was considering adding a 70w metal halide fixture between the two compact florescent bulbs, for added intensity, shimmer, and the other photosynthetic benefits of halides. This combo, would yield a total of 142 watts - 5.25 watts per gallon. ( 2.6w/g PC & 2.5w/g Halide ). (I realize that I will probably have to fabricate a new hood if I go this route, as I highly doubt that the Biocube’s thin plastic hood would tolerate the heat, no matter how large a fan was installed. The fixture I was looking at, is an HQI retrofit, found at: http://www.hellolights.com/70w-retrofitkithqi.aspx

Now this brings me to my questions. I have never built a lighting system quite like this, in such a small tank, let alone a cube tank. My biggest worry is heat. Now, I have heard that in the past few years, the HQI systems are being made to run cooler and cooler, and that’s a big plus for me. The electrical in this small house leaves a lot to be desired, and I’m afraid that running a chiller regularly, is most likely out of the question. The tank will be going up in my bedroom, and I have a very efficient window AC unit, that could easily keep the room as low as 62 degrees in the summer, if I wanted it to.

Now, if I decided to combine the Biocube’s stock CF’s into a custom canopy with a 70w halide, the stock Biocube fans would certainly be tossed; they’re garbage. I would most likely add two 5” independently-powered AC fans (that plug into a standard wall socket) into the canopy - one to bring in fresh air, the other to exhaust. Either that, or the majority of the top of the canopy, would incorporate an extra large, 10 inch, miniature box fan, drawing air in, with exhaust slots cut into the sides of the canopy.

My question(s) are :

1. With an efficient window AC unit, in a small room, and the addition of “overkill” exhaust fans in the lighting canopy, do you guys (and gals) think I could get away without running a chiller on a Biocube 29, with a lighting canopy housing two 36w CF lamps, and a 70w halide fixture..?

2. On a 29 gallon (around 27g actually), 20 inch high tank, is the addition of 70w of halide lighting even worth it, in your opinion..? (Is the benefit to the livestock worth the heat increase / extra power consumption ?).

3. In your experience, on a tank such as this, is the addition of 70 watts halide lighting. better than the addition of 96 watts compact florescent lighting..?

4. Anyone think that it’s possible to even add a 150w HQI fixture, to the existing 72 CF, without the use of a chiller? (Utilizing the room air conditioning, and high-powered fans built into the canopy ? )



Obviously, this is only a nano reef, and my plans for it aren’t huge. I would however, like to not have to worry about placing every coral at the top of the tank; keeping whatever anemones I decide to get happy; have a naturally-layered reef with the “light-lovers” up top, and lower light corals along the sand bed. I would also like to add some LPS and perhaps a photosynthetic clam, over time.

*Note: I know this may spark some debate, but I HAVE successfully kept clams under PC lighting, although this was upwards of 9 watts per gallon, which simply isn’t feasible under most circumstances.


Wow guys, sorry for the long ramble. I hope that I outlined my questions/concerns clearly, and I am more than appreciative for any and all input that anyone would care to provide me.





Thank you so much in advance !
Take Care
 
I would look into led if I were you. Nanotuners has a heat sink thats already drilled and ready for the biocube... Then buy about 20-24 LEDs from rapidled. For around $300 you can have an led lighting setup that's dimable, plenty bright for anything you would want to grow, no need for a chiller, and you get to keep the stock look of the biocube that you seem to like. Plus the LEDs are rated at 100,000 hours if I remember correct, so there is no bulb replacement to worry about!

If you look at our sponsors under rapidled there is a thread regarding led lighting and a biocube 29.

That said, I have ran my biocube for 18 months with stock lighting. I'm switching to led this summer rather than replacing the bulbs again... I wouldn't try to keep a clam with the stock lighting... But I haven't had any problem growing softies... And actually had an acropora that I kept in the top 5" of the tank for a month while I was waiting for my new tank to be ready for it... It didn't lose color and grew a little.
 
Thanks for the input, guys!

I know that LED's will supposedly take care of all my problems, but... Truth is, I don't feel comfortable going LED just yet. I have heard so many mixed opinions, and I'm not quite sure which data I support just yet. I'm very analytical, and scientific-based. I just don't think that there has been enough time to decide for sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% confident that some of the LED fixtures are the appropriate spectrum, and provide enough light for even the most demanding SPS. But, I have also read some horror stories about cheaply made Chinese fixtures, and deterioration of the long-term health of several species.

But, we definitely don't need another LED debate, and I'll be the first to admit, that my knowledge on LED's is very limited. In fact, I think most people's is, simply because every fixture that comes out is changing, and until there is a bit more consistency in the market, I would like to try to avoid LED's. Sure would be nice to have all the light output, nice visual appeal, and zero heat, though.




I am most interested in my questions listed above. Does anyone think it is possible to mount a 70w (or even a 150w) HQI, into a 15" x 20" custom fixture successfully, with extreme exhaust fans, and a super-efficient AC unit, without the use of a chiller, on a 29 gal tank (+ aprox. 8g sump)..?

And, in a tank this size, what’s better - The addition of 96w CF, or the addition of 70w Halide lighting..?



Thanks Again !
 
it's possible as long as the room you are keeping the aquarium in is relatively cool... even with the additional 96w CF you are going to have heat issues... but if the room temperature is cool and you upgrade the airflow, people do run these tanks without a chiller. Oceanic actually makes the biocube 29 with a 150w HQI. Be prepared for high evaporation though... definitely get an ATO system set up.

I understand the concern with LED lighting, especially if you start looking at some of the cheap fixtures... which is why I recommended RapidLED... it's all CREE LED's which are arguably the best on the market. If LED is definitely not an option for you, that's fine... to each his own!... but if you're still on the fence, check out some of the systems on here and other sites which are running LED and have been running LED for a decent amount of time. People are getting great results! You just don't want to go cheap with the LED's and want to make sure you keep the LED's cool so they run optimally and get the life expectancy they are rated at.
 
I would go with a 150w MH either from Nano Tuners or a Coralife Clamp On. I would also be looking into a DIY LED and retro it into the stock hood.
 
I would go with a 150w MH either from Nano Tuners or a Coralife Clamp On. I would also be looking into a DIY LED and retro it into the stock hood.

The Coralife clamp-on is what ships with the new HQI version. We have one and it works very well. I also use 453nm LEDs for night viewing.
 
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