Coralife BioCube 29g Build

True , maybe I'll post up the hood here and can sell it and swap for a stock one. Anyways sorry to throw your thread off op, carry on!
 
True , maybe I'll post up the hood here and can sell it and swap for a stock one. Anyways sorry to throw your thread off op, carry on!

LOL, no worries! It's actually valuable advice from Soulpatch. Now I won't even consider selling my BC29 and either just keep it going elsewhere in the house or keep it as QT.

Also, it looks like the cooling fan I bought for it is no longer functioning. I didn't expect to get much life out of it considering it was like $29, but now I need to come up with something to replace it.

I can't remember if it was Cabo or ReefWreak that had the black egg crate with a couple of fans mounted underneath, but that seemed to create a clean look and I figured I'd eventually look at that if this one ever gave up the ghost. So I need to research that one now. I just worry about the water/salt ruining anything I do to cool the water. If anyone knows what I should use in this regard, I'm all ears and eyes!

Where is the easiest place to order black egg crate online?

Also, I know the Apex controller can provide variable power to things, is this a good use case for fans like this? Would be cool to be able to have the fan speed be dictated by water temp! Even the fans for the lighting, which can be fairly loud. Not crazy loud, but when it turns off at night it is EXTREMELY noticeable. :sad2:
 
Coralife BioCube 29g Build

Quick update: I replaced the cooling fan with the same exact model for now. It was just the easiest thing to do and I could even use the existing power cord run. I have a feeling it will not last long again, so I'll look at something else next time"¦ but it was only like $25 to replace.

I also noticed that my return pump wasn't pushing as much water anymore, and I figured it was because it was clogged with gunk, but I wanted something slightly higher flow and to have a backup "just in case". So I got the Rio 6HF and installed that today. It is definitely more flow, but not too much more than the OEM was when it was clean and new.
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I didn't snap a pic of the OEM pump, but it was VERY dirty. Now it's clean and set aside as a backup if the Rio fails.

The new pump seems to do a MUCH better job of cycling the tank water through and I already am seeing much better surface skimming.

I also finally got around to putting my ATO pump through the cap of my new 5 gallon jugs to replace the flimsy jugs I was using. These are MUCH nicer. Got them from Pet Mountain.
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I also got the Tunze Nano Osmolator ATO for the QT tank, which may just become a small SW tank for the boys and I'll do something else for QT in the future. Anyway, I will mount that ATO pump through the cap of another jug and be able to easily swap out jugs of RODI. Nice and simple and much better than the hack job I did originally. LOL

Finally, I was telling Soulpatch that my skimmer has been super unreliable, so I have been running without it for about a month now.

The tank seems stable without it as I am not adding any new bio-load to the tank, but I'd like to eventually figure something out for a skimmer. I'm just so limited because the wife would never go for a HOB and I have so much stuff in all the other chambers"¦ so chamber 1 is really my only option, but the water level seems to be too high and the skimmer overflows (and I had it as high as I could get it).

One thought I had: I use the InTank Media Basket, and this uses a ramp of sorts that sits on the top of the divider to direct water into the media basket. This raises the divider slightly, as well as the water level of both the tank and chamber 1. I was thinking of cutting the divider lower to lower the water level in the tank and chamber 1. Right now it basically is up to the lip that holds the lid, which is at least a half inch above the bracing (which hides the water level). The water level is also high enough that water spills through the overflow slots in the back wall.

I could probably cut nearly half an inch off the divider to help lower the water level, but I don't know if that would be enough.


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I'm also probably going to grab another RW4 as a backup and so I can pull the one that's been in there and clean it and swap them out like once a month.


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Are you adding any additives that could cause the skimmer to overflow? I'm having a hard time now that I'm adding prodibio. The coralvits "coral vitamins" seem to cause a skimmer explosion, so I haven't had a good cup of skimmate in like 4 days. I just keep having to pull the skimmer up out of it's neck "socket" so that most of the foam falls out the bottom and doesn't fill the cup with clear liquid.

So additives could be messing it up. If not, then not sure. I know it gets frustrating when it overflows, but fortunately it's pretty rare with this skimmer as far as I've seen.
 
Are you adding any additives that could cause the skimmer to overflow? I'm having a hard time now that I'm adding prodibio. The coralvits "coral vitamins" seem to cause a skimmer explosion, so I haven't had a good cup of skimmate in like 4 days. I just keep having to pull the skimmer up out of it's neck "socket" so that most of the foam falls out the bottom and doesn't fill the cup with clear liquid.

So additives could be messing it up. If not, then not sure. I know it gets frustrating when it overflows, but fortunately it's pretty rare with this skimmer as far as I've seen.



No additives. It is sporadic, but seems fine for a few days, but I have it shut off during feedings, and then a few days later it doesn't seem to work right. Really annoying.

Like I said, tank seems fine without it, but I know my nitrates are higher than with and I don't keep up with water changes as much as I should.
 
I have the same problem with the media basket but mine is not quite overflowing through the backup slots yet. The increased flow with the new would cause it though. I have seen a few people make a stand out of eggcrate that the skimmer sits on. May be able to make it high enough then.


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I use he same exact jugs from Pet Mountain as my ATO tank. You will however need to close up that hole of you decide to start dosing kalk. I did some simple black aquarium silicone. When it dries, you can pull it out just like a stopper. I also added a float switch and BOB to my apex to alert me when the jug gets low, as mine is in a closet behind my tank.

FYI, it was me that used egg crate and PC fans to cool the cube. I actually just bought cheapo white egg crate and spray painted it black.

I've seen a few threads now with people switching to the rio pump as a replacement. Not sure why no one would go with the sicce syncra 1.5? Higher GPH and most certainly more reliable and quieter.
 
I use he same exact jugs from Pet Mountain as my ATO tank. You will however need to close up that hole of you decide to start dosing kalk. I did some simple black aquarium silicone. When it dries, you can pull it out just like a stopper. I also added a float switch and BOB to my apex to alert me when the jug gets low, as mine is in a closet behind my tank.

FYI, it was me that used egg crate and PC fans to cool the cube. I actually just bought cheapo white egg crate and spray painted it black.

I've seen a few threads now with people switching to the rio pump as a replacement. Not sure why no one would go with the sicce syncra 1.5? Higher GPH and most certainly more reliable and quieter.



Didn't know about the Sicce pump. Didn't research a terrible amount, but the Rio seems to be working well and not really louder than the stock pump. Will look at the Sicce for the next replacement.

Are you still running the same PC fans? Longevity for the fans I got was pretty poor, and assume this one will be the same.
 
My wife just sent me this link of a MASSIVE bristle worm in some guys tank. Watch the video"¦ insane.

http://rare.us/story/after-two-year...-couldnt-believe-the-monster-he-found-inside/

I will try to upload a video I got of something large in my tank that is worm like, and when my wife sent me a low quality video I thought it was probably a bristle worm, but it doesn't seem to have legs on the sides like a bristle worm.


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Coralife BioCube 29g Build

Okay, here is the video of what I found in my tank. Not crazy big, but we've only seen it in the morning when the tank lights are off.

https://vimeo.com/167674411

I thought it was a bristle worm, but it doesn't seem to have legs all down its sides. I have seen bristle worms in my tank, and this doesn't look like one.

I know the video quality isn't great due to lack of light, but any thoughts from anyone are appreciated.

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Um never saw that. I would post in the reef forum to see what they say whether pest or not

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Dude what the fudge is that?! Gross! It looks like it's swimming. Go post that in the general forum, or inverts forum and see if anyone can identify it. I doubt it's harmful, but creepy looking critter. Looks like some sort of worm.
 
Dude what the fudge is that?! Gross! It looks like it's swimming. Go post that in the general forum, or inverts forum and see if anyone can identify it. I doubt it's harmful, but creepy looking critter. Looks like some sort of worm.


Posted in the ID forum.

Yes, it is totally swimming. It seems to pulse its body to propel itself. It's definitely creepy, but so far nothing bad has been happening in the tank, so I haven't been worried.
 
let us know when someone tells you *** that thing is.


Someone suggested it is a polychaete epitoke, or reproductive organ for a polychaete worm, like a bristle worm. I didn't get to research it too much, but saw a couple videos that were similar.

I know I have a bristle worm about this size, so it seems it is that worm trying to mate.


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so its like a swimming weiner. LOL. Sounds perfect for your tank...

Frag swap in TPP later in June I believe if you wanted to go...
 
so its like a swimming weiner. LOL. Sounds perfect for your tank...

Frag swap in TPP later in June I believe if you wanted to go...



Totally, and yes, perfect for my house (5 kids"¦ very fertile ;-)

I would like to get my AWC system setup before I do anything more in the tank. Schedule is too hectic to keep up with the tank, so need more automation.

And doing the AWC is more about time to implement than anything else. My oldest son's graduation party prep is consuming all of my non-work time until after mid-June unfortunately.

I need to start buying gear for it though. Thinking about using the DOS since I'm all Apex at the moment. Tanks will have to wait until I can clear out the basement, but thinking two 75g tanks should do the trick. Could probably go bigger to service multiple tanks in the future.

If only I could automate changing out the RODI filters. LOL


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