biocube lighting and flow?

[thunderjohnsonx]

Hey I have a 29 gal biocube and am really interested in putting a bubble anemone in it for my clown fish. Also I would really like to buy this soft coral starter pack I say on liveaquaria. It has a starburt polyp, hetero xenia, taro tree coral, and a pineapple coral. My question is, is the stock lighting in the biocube enough to for the anemone and coals? R there any coral in that pack that wouldn't work specifically and maybe I could give a friend? I have seen upgrades for the biocube making it 3 or 4 bulb fixtures. Also is the stock pump enough for these guys, and if not, would an extra 240 gph circ pump be enough extra flow? Any help and multiple opinions would be welcome. Thanks

 

[Dr. Reef]

for softies u mentioned lights would not be that big of issue. so is the flow as well. but if u decide to go with sps or lps u will need lot more flow and lot more light. right now u should be fine.

 

[jimmy_beaner]

I also have the Biocube 29, and started with PC lighting. The PC lighting worked fine for me for brain coral, candy cane coral, blastomussa merletti, zoas and I even had an RBTA under the PC lights for 2 months. I also upgraded the stock pump to the MaxiJet 1200. If you want to keep a BTA, you may wish to bump up the lighting a bit. I "got by it" by feeding it 2-3 times a week, which definitely helped. I switched to LED lighting (DIY project that fits into the stock hood) and the RBTA is much happier now and will allow me to keep any coral I want (at least those that would've been off the list because of light).

If you're interested in going the LED DIY route, I have a thread I posted on this forum that briefly describes what I did. To me, it's very clean and looks stock.

 

[thunderjohnsonx]

Can u give a link to the thread. By "get it by" u mean the bta was fine. Or on the verge of death?

 

[fish77]

The pc lighting on the biocube will be fine for softies. But for lps,sps and anemones you will need to upgrade your lights and flow.
this site has great options for upgrading BC 29 lights.


http://www.nanotuners.com

 

[lordofthereef]

I think it's worth noting that you shouldn't get a BTA as a beginner, nor for a new tank. Get a softie starter pack and see how you do. It sounds like this is your first go at keeping corals. The last thing you want to do is rush into things, get discouraged, and dump the hobby.

I am also personally of the opinion that this size tank is a little small for a BTA, especially considering all of the other things you are planning to keep in there. These guys expand out to the size of a dinner plate or larger.

 

[ozzyvega]

For flow I'd go with upgraded return to a mj1200 then a k nano or equal in the display. I dis this and loved it. Just opinion I wouldn't put a BTA in anything that small like said they get big and kill nearly everything they touch. So it will end up basically a nem only tank.

 

[jimmy_beaner]

Can u give a link to the thread. By "get it by" u mean the bta was fine. Or on the verge of death?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2022342

It was ok... some times it wouldn't be super happy and would roam a little. The stronger lights of the LED should make it a lot happier. It grew under PC lighting.