CRJ's 29G Radion Biocube

[CRJ]

Time to start a new build!

I am working with a $200 OG Biocube and stand. With a collection of equipment from my previous rimless 60, I will try to re-use what I can, but fully expect to basically start from scratch. Sadly I don't think my Maxspect XF150 will work..

The Plan:
Radion G1 mounted under the hood
250gph return pump with dual output
Dual heaters (or possibly 1x 100 watt non-glass with overheat protection/digital temp sensor)
tunze 9001 skimmer
tunze osmolator nano (need to purchase)
Twin AC Circulation pumps (around 250gph each) for now, hopefully moving to a MP10 later.
APC Battery backup to run return pump and heater in the event of a power failure for about 2 hours (generator for longer periods).

I have already gutted the mess of the hood. At some point someone decided to fix it them selves and wire an extension chord into the power supply, and use drywall screws to hold the cover on..

Next will be cleaning the tank and gathering supplies to cycle. I need new sand and to soak and clean my old rock. I plan to start with dry rock as I have always had some form of pest in previous tanks.

I had a 14G Biocube before, but if anyone has tips or advise, please let me know! Its been a few years since I did this.

To buy:
RODI Unit (I'm thinking BRS 6 Stage Drinking Kit)


Livestock:
2 Perc clowns
1 Coral Beauty Angel (He was a rescue I have had for many years along with the clowns and doesn't pick coral, and does well in smaller tanks)
Diamond Watchman goby (thoughts on this?)
CUC of snails and crabs


Coral:
Mainly LPS, limited coral over-all. Might grab some SPS like Monti caps as I have the lighting to handle them.

I'll grab pictures soon!

 

[CRJ]

Last night I pulled the hood apart to mock up the light. Surprisingly, it fits with plenty of room, more than I expected there to be.

Pics arent working, will try again later.


Just picked up the Tunze Osmolator, switched to reef crystals sand and a bag of Caribsea.

 

[CRJ]

Lets try these pictures again.

Gutted the old light mess and mocked up the Radion.

Quick test before final mount. To mount it, I used 3m double sided tape and cut a hold for the fan in the clear over, and stuck it directly to that.

After a good cleaning. As I expected for a cheap tank, its scuffed up a bit but will work for my use.

And going through my stuff to toss whats expired and see what I need. As I have been out of the hobby for the most part for 2 years, most expired. Heres what's left. Thankfully my Hanna checkers, most test, most solutions and media are all good to go. I am changing this a bit, my battery backup will stay on the bottom, but my ATO tank will go beside it and the shelf is moved up a notch.

I have scrubbed my old live rock that is now dry and it is in a tub with a pump and heater to cycle. As I don't want anything that leeches from the rock in my new tank, I felt this was easiest. I am seeding it with a filter pad from my other tank. More updates will be coming shortly!

 

[CRJ]

First day of tests on live rock.

Feb 1st. 75.1*, 1.020 Sal. 8ppm+ ammonia. 5ppm+ nitrite, 10ppm nitrate. 2.50 phos.

GFO started. Will change the water once i see the ammonia drop and nitrates climb.

I am working with old dry live rock that was removed from the tank and left in a tub for 2 years. It was well water scrubbed and is now in distilled water with salt, heater and gfo.

 

[Ogi]

Seems like its all coming along, just make sure to raise your salinity, that way your other parameters will be closer to where they need to be, and sorry to be a pain but also slightly raise your temp

 

[CRJ]

It's a slower process due to the dead rock, but it will be worth it in the end. I was wondering about if that would be required to cycle the rock, as fish can usually handle 1.020 and 75* water, so I assumed the bacteria can as well. The rock is in a sealed tub without light just to "rot" and cure. Does salinity have any effect on water parameters?

 

[Ogi]

Mixing salt to a specific salinity will directly effect magnesium, calcium, alkalinity and all other major and minor elements. If you read the back of a salt packet it will usually list the parama at certain salinities.

 

[CRJ]

Ah, yea the water is simply to cure rock, so trace elements dont matter at this point. Thanks though!

 

[CRJ]

Converting some notes to digital. Heres what has been happening the last couple weeks.

Jan 29th. Rock scrubbed and washed. Started in tub with pump and heater. 1.021 Sal, 74*

Feb 1. 75.1*, 1.020 Sal, Ammonia 8ppm+, Nitrite 5ppm+, Nitrate 10ppm, Phosphate 2.50, Phosban media started.

Feb 3. 76.1*, 1.020 Sal, Ammonia 10ppm+, Nitrite 5ppm+, Nitrate 50ppm, Phosphate 1.04

Feb 5. 76*, 10.20 Sal, Ammonia 10ppm+, Phosphate 0.99. (At this point I stopped testing Nitrite and Nitrate as for now they aren't relevant)

Feb 10th. 76*, 1.020 Sal, Ammonia 10ppm+, Phosphate 1.10. (At this point I am seeing the Phosphate creep back up signalling the exhaustion of the GFO. I also chose to do a 100% water change of the tub to help speed up the process and remove much of the ammonia)

Feb 10th, 10PM that night, 12hrs after WC. 1.022 Sal, Ammonia 1.5ppm. I expect some of this was from rot, some from ammonia in the wet rocks.

Feb 13th. 1.022 Sal, 76*, Ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite 2.5ppm, Nitrate 5ppm, Phosphate 0.69. Phosphate media changed as new water has 0 phosphate, further confirming GFO exhaustion.

Given the test today, I would expect to be a week or two from the rock being ready, but time will tell. My goal is to maintain the water at 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and >5ppm Nitrate, and to bring the Phosphate down to 0, then remove the GFO and see if it creeps back up. As long as it doesn't creep up, I will start the new tank, if it creeps I will maintain a high level of GFO to strip away any phosphates for another week and try again.

 

[CRJ]

Quick update. All has been going well, but it seems the cycle stalled on me. Ammonia is 0, nitrites are still around 2ppm and have been for about a week. Going to feed it to start another mini cycle and try to kick it into gear.

Otherwise, the new tank is ready for water, which I might grab tonight. Still need to order my BRS RODI.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Looks like a fun build. I picked up a used biocube 29 back in September for a dwarf lion tank. First thing I would suggest is to definitely wait until you get everything up and running before you invest in an mp10 for this tank. The only pump I have in mine is the return pump with one output and I get enough movement to keep the tank clean. I had plans of adding more flow, but it just wasn’t needed.

Did you gut the back? I have mine set up with a skimmer and heater in chamber 1 which overflows into a media rack into a bag of carbon in chamber 2. Also a small biopellet reactor in the second chamber. Only the return pump in the third chamber. The media each with the carbon bag went a long way to silencing the water flow if you come across that.

As far as the diamond goby, let me say I love this fish. I used to have one in my 60 gallon reef. Fun to watch and always active. They will make sand storms constantly though. They will bury corals you have on the sand and move small drags that aren’t secured. They will love snails and hermits to where they want them. Move small rocks. Make a nest where the have a magpie like tendency to take their favorite things from your tank and also make a trash pile of stuff they don’t like. Mine was full grown so he could move a lot more that you would think. If you go with one I would go with a small one. Even though minimum tank size is 30 gallons for them, I think they need more sand the larger they get and could starve themselves out In a tank this size. All this being said if I didn’t have a yellow watchmen goby in my 90, I would get another diamond in an instant.

 

[CRJ]

So a quick note, my rock cycle dropped its nitrites a couple days ago, so I now have the salt mixing in the tank and and getting it ready for adding the rock in the next day or two. After that I will feed the tank and let it do any cycle it may need to before I add 1 fish and let it run for about a week to see how things go.

My Phos still isnt where I would like it, so I will need to continue to run GFO for a bit with a TLF reactor.

Looks like a fun build. I picked up a used biocube 29 back in September for a dwarf lion tank. First thing I would suggest is to definitely wait until you get everything up and running before you invest in an mp10 for this tank. The only pump I have in mine is the return pump with one output and I get enough movement to keep the tank clean. I had plans of adding more flow, but it just wasn’t needed.

Did you gut the back? I have mine set up with a skimmer and heater in chamber 1 which overflows into a media rack into a bag of carbon in chamber 2. Also a small biopellet reactor in the second chamber. Only the return pump in the third chamber. The media each with the carbon bag went a long way to silencing the water flow if you come across that.

As far as the diamond goby, let me say I love this fish. I used to have one in my 60 gallon reef. Fun to watch and always active. They will make sand storms constantly though. They will bury corals you have on the sand and move small drags that aren’t secured. They will love snails and hermits to where they want them. Move small rocks. Make a nest where the have a magpie like tendency to take their favorite things from your tank and also make a trash pile of stuff they don’t like. Mine was full grown so he could move a lot more that you would think. If you go with one I would go with a small one. Even though minimum tank size is 30 gallons for them, I think they need more sand the larger they get and could starve themselves out In a tank this size. All this being said if I didn’t have a yellow watchmen goby in my 90, I would get another diamond in an instant.

I am actually running a Maxspect Gyre on low wave mode along with my return and twin output, its great flow! It may not stay, but for now its awesome as I have a bunch of gear from previous tanks. I have twin heaters in C1 (one at temp, one a few degrees below as backup), Tunze skimmer in C2, return in C3. I haven't decided really the layout I want for each, I will likely have some rock in C2 under the skimmer and just have to worry about the water sound. My Tunze doesnt fit in C1, so I am limited on filter baskets. I was checking out skimmer compatible baskets, but I am not about to pay $150 for some acrylic I can make myself!

Should hopefully have a fish in the tank next week!

 

[CRJ]

I need to start talking aquascape. Having setup a few tanks now, i have tried a few setups with success and some failure. For this tank I have a things I am looking for.

Minimalistic but with good hiding spots. I dont like the look of a full of rock tank.
No rock within 2.5" of any wall or glass for easy maintenance and zero dead spots.
Lots of open white sand.

I have never really attempted something like this, and was thinking the acrylic rods would be the best way to hold things steady. Thoughts? I havent had great luck with aquascape epoxy and it isnt cheap stuff either!

Thinking along this line but with a bit more rock.