drthsideous
New member
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Hi,
So I haven't kept any fish tanks in some years and my girlfriend just got an established biocube from a friend of hers for free. I primarily had done African Cichlids when I did (mbuna and tanganyika), and while I've read a ton in the past about reef tanks, I've never actually kept one. I've been advising her to the best of my knowledge but would like to know what you all think of my plan.
The tank as it sits currently: So it's a coralife biocube 29 with power compacts and LED moonlights. The ballast is bad on the atintic socket (so that bulb does not turn on). I have to assume the bulbs haven't been changed in forever, her friend had it for a while and didn't know what she was doing, her ex left it with her. There is no protein skimmer. As far as I can tell there is nothing in the media chamber (middle chamber) except a tiny foam pad, no bio balls or anything really.
It has a dark coarse sand substrate with some live rock that does not have a ton of growth on it, but a little bit. 2 percula clownfish and 1 BTA (which is closed up more often than I would think), they don't really seem to go in it often. Also the BTA moved today, should I be concerned? 2 yellow tail damsels. 1 melanrus wrasse (I think), 1 scarlet skunk shrimp and a bunch of small hermit crabs (the anemone like to eat them) and small snails. Also there are fireworms. They are currently getting fed once a day using omega 1 small marine pellets.
The salinity is a little lower than I'd like at 30 PPT/1.022 specific gravity. I don't know any other levels of the tank as I've instructed my girlfriend to get a marine test kit. In spite of all this, the tank seems to be dong very well from what I've observed.
What I want to do: (not in this order)
1) Add some kind of filter medium to the middle chamber of the biocube, haven't really thought about what kind.
2) Completely remove the hood and have either an acrylic or glass top cut for it.
3) Add an LED lighting system, was looking at this one "Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED 18"-24" Lighthttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFTK7CQ/ref=twister_B00YTXD58I?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
4) Possibly remove the current coarse sand and add some finer caribsea aragonite, open to color sugestions. Maybe a 2" bed. I'd be more comfortable with the wrasse burrowing in something not as rough.
5) Add some more live rock, maybe 1 nice big focal piece, and a couple smaller rocks.
6) Add some corals (after lighting upgrade) soft corals, mushrooms, polyps, maybe a sea fan and if those do well maybe an LPS near the top.
7) Add some more cool inverts; shrimp, fan worms (feather duster). I'd like to add some slugs, sponges or cucumbers, but don't know enough about them but I think they help with sand aeration?
8) Add a couple of powerheads and a wavetimer to improve flow.
9) Oh and the first thing I'm doing is getting rid of that awful tiki head.
10) Add a protein skimmer? Although it seems to be fine without one.
I think that's it. Sorry for the novel on my first post. Lemme know what you think. Thanks Everybody!
https://ibb.co/eF4aek
https://ibb.co/jMcvek
Hi,
So I haven't kept any fish tanks in some years and my girlfriend just got an established biocube from a friend of hers for free. I primarily had done African Cichlids when I did (mbuna and tanganyika), and while I've read a ton in the past about reef tanks, I've never actually kept one. I've been advising her to the best of my knowledge but would like to know what you all think of my plan.
The tank as it sits currently: So it's a coralife biocube 29 with power compacts and LED moonlights. The ballast is bad on the atintic socket (so that bulb does not turn on). I have to assume the bulbs haven't been changed in forever, her friend had it for a while and didn't know what she was doing, her ex left it with her. There is no protein skimmer. As far as I can tell there is nothing in the media chamber (middle chamber) except a tiny foam pad, no bio balls or anything really.
It has a dark coarse sand substrate with some live rock that does not have a ton of growth on it, but a little bit. 2 percula clownfish and 1 BTA (which is closed up more often than I would think), they don't really seem to go in it often. Also the BTA moved today, should I be concerned? 2 yellow tail damsels. 1 melanrus wrasse (I think), 1 scarlet skunk shrimp and a bunch of small hermit crabs (the anemone like to eat them) and small snails. Also there are fireworms. They are currently getting fed once a day using omega 1 small marine pellets.
The salinity is a little lower than I'd like at 30 PPT/1.022 specific gravity. I don't know any other levels of the tank as I've instructed my girlfriend to get a marine test kit. In spite of all this, the tank seems to be dong very well from what I've observed.
What I want to do: (not in this order)
1) Add some kind of filter medium to the middle chamber of the biocube, haven't really thought about what kind.
2) Completely remove the hood and have either an acrylic or glass top cut for it.
3) Add an LED lighting system, was looking at this one "Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED 18"-24" Lighthttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFTK7CQ/ref=twister_B00YTXD58I?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
4) Possibly remove the current coarse sand and add some finer caribsea aragonite, open to color sugestions. Maybe a 2" bed. I'd be more comfortable with the wrasse burrowing in something not as rough.
5) Add some more live rock, maybe 1 nice big focal piece, and a couple smaller rocks.
6) Add some corals (after lighting upgrade) soft corals, mushrooms, polyps, maybe a sea fan and if those do well maybe an LPS near the top.
7) Add some more cool inverts; shrimp, fan worms (feather duster). I'd like to add some slugs, sponges or cucumbers, but don't know enough about them but I think they help with sand aeration?
8) Add a couple of powerheads and a wavetimer to improve flow.
9) Oh and the first thing I'm doing is getting rid of that awful tiki head.
10) Add a protein skimmer? Although it seems to be fine without one.
I think that's it. Sorry for the novel on my first post. Lemme know what you think. Thanks Everybody!
https://ibb.co/eF4aek
https://ibb.co/jMcvek
