BioCube 29g HQI vs ???

[AquaticUniverse]

Hey,

I am interested in getting a Nano Reef Aquarium and need some advice
on the best startup system for me. My dad recommended the BioCube
29g HQI, but I feel like something like this could be a great piece of art for
my new apartment, and this tank is a bit too large for where I would ideally
like to place it.

What tank would you recommend for a smaller 8-16g system with a large
focus on coral growth?

 

[nano427]

how about the finnex 9 gallon or cadlights 12 gallon

 

[MPevine11]

i'd go biocube 29 hqi........


its the largest biocube tank, and if you got the 8 or 14 you'd want to upgrade, plus this already has the lighting you need

 

[BigKev23]

28g Nano Cube LED.... no heat issues... won't have to change light bulbs every year... can keep any coral you want... I think you can get them for about $650 with a stand and free shipping right now.

 

[MPevine11]

biocube hqi doesnt have heat issues.....and if you plan to keep the tank a long time eventually you will need to replace the whole led system in a LED tank. they are nice.

biocube HQI = $499.99
Stand= $115.00
free shipping on most sites
(or order through you local pet store and get free shipping (mine did ne ways)

OR check this out
(still led but a biocube(i preffer biocubes)
http://www.nanocustoms.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=2 (they have PCx3, MH+pc's, LED's)

 

[AquaticUniverse]

HQI lighting vs LED..... I see the tables have turned!

I understand that LED lighting produces less heat, but can LED
produce the same lighting quality that bulb lighting can?

Pros/Cons?

 

[AquaticUniverse]

Also... Ive seen in other posts that its pretty popular to plumb your 29g HQI to another sump/fuge tank.
Is the built in fuge garbage, or could I actually use it?

 

[MPevine11]

Also... Ive seen in other posts that its pretty popular to plumb your 29g HQI to another sump/fuge tank.
Is the built in fuge garbage, or could I actually use it?

i think im the only one whose done that ^^ (with the HQI)

the stock is great. i just wanted a sump/fuge i could see


you could keep the tank stock, and keep up with water changes and it would be amazing. i just like to add stuff on

 

[capy]

Jbj 28 led

 

[AquaticUniverse]

So it seems to be about 50/50.. Half say LED, half say HQI..

Can anyone give me the pros/cons on LED lighting and HQI lighting?

 

[bazineta]

Also... Ive seen in other posts that its pretty popular to plumb your 29g HQI to another sump/fuge tank.
Is the built in fuge garbage, or could I actually use it?

The built-in fuge is really quite nice. However, I found the stock filter, which on the HQI model rests above the fuge, to be pretty poor, as the design causes the filter to float upward if the water level in the fuge is too high. However, since the filter sits on top of the fuge, you can't really judge the level when topping off. This quickly becomes annoying, and it's not as if the stock filter is wonderful to begin with.

There are a number of solutions to this, such as resting bags of chemipure, purigen, etc., on top of the filter. I went with an InTank solution, which is custom-fit to the BC29 fuge, and it's been a huge improvement.

 

[bazineta]

So it seems to be about 50/50.. Half say LED, half say HQI..

Can anyone give me the pros/cons on LED lighting and HQI lighting?

For a given light output level, LED tends to have higher upfront cost than HQI. LED does not consume as much power or produce as much heat, but the payback period for the one-time cost difference is quite long at the moment.

Given that you need many more emitters for a given light output level, you can provide multiple color temperatures easily with LED, whereas a nano tank will use only a single HQI bulb, which will obviously be a single color temperature.

However, when one looks at common household bulbs, it looks as if we'll very soon see LED solutions being cost-competitive to CFLs. When that happens, I think we'll see LEDs as the preferred solution.

 

[fihsboy]

How about someone who has the biocube hqi, and converted it to led? That's where I fall. I like the hqi a lot! Its a GREAT tank! I do enjoy using leds more though. I like the design idea of the hqi biocube, it just looks sweet, and a hanging led fixture makes it even better. Personally I would do the hqi sell the hqi and do like I did with the leds, that way you get the sweet design with minimal energy use

 

[AquaticUniverse]

I've found a few companies that sell LED kits for the HQI.
It sounds like you can actuay tweak the color of the LED, thus
changing the total appearance of your tank..? Sounds amazing.