(Edit) First post: 55 gal to 32 Bio Cube Too drastic?

[Twisk]

So I broke down and packed 20 corals in. My LFS gave me deals I couldn’t pass up. I picked up some really awesome bounce mushrooms another Hammer, zoas and other stuff. These pics taken 6 hours after dips, cleanings and placement.

 

[Twisk]

More. The Kenya tree may need to be recut. its stem was already not slimy to attach to anything. Got it wedged to a rock but it was laying over in the morning. Everyone else was open and in full color late night. Colors are looking good as well (fingers crossed everything stays this way and flourishes.

 

[Twisk]

I need to get some better lenses and remember to shut off the flow for pics. Learning curve, I’ll get better. . Now that everything has opened I can do some re-arranging next weekend. Debating adding a 2nd hygger Wave on the back to counter the one on the side. I’ve been getting algae build up on the left of the tank but turkey baster blasts it clean. So a 2nd wave pump may work so I can alternate the flow

 

[Reefing102]

Looks nice. I use orphek lenses for my tank but pretty much any orange lense will work

 

[Twisk]

Just some updates. Still haven’t set my Apex up yet. I think it’s the “old school in me” being lazy about it.
Everything appears to be going well 7 months in. Serpent star is doing well and hermits and nasarius snails are keeping things relatively clean for most part. Keeping a weekly 5g water change regiment.
Still have just original biocube lights. Adding a strip of LEDUSA blue reef strips eventually. One side of my rock at the top left gets more algae than elsewhere. I have a smaller Hygger wave maker I may add to create a bit more flow. Starting to find places I would like to see the corals grow out. The ones still in my frag rack are starting to fill out a little so should find a home for them. I still have my GSP piece sitting in a mag-acclimation box. Might split it and add it to either side of the back wall bottom.

 

[Twisk]

Few more. Found one Asterina star. I left it for now.

 

[Twisk]

Also got to check the underside of THE KRAKEN! he is looking plump and healthy. This photo appears like it’s huge, but it’s maybe 6” tip to tip

 

[Reefing102]

Everything looks great!

 

[griss]

Awesome, yes, looks great

 

[Dustin07]

your zoas look fantastic.
I almost went to a 32g bio myself not too long ago and I'm sorta kicking myself for not doing so.

 

[Twisk]

your zoas look fantastic.
I almost went to a 32g bio myself not too long ago and I'm sorta kicking myself for not doing so.

Thanks, I’m still playing around with it to find the happy place for stability. I’m through the initial “ugly stages” which really weren’t too bad. Maybe because I waited before I really added anything other than pods and bacteria. I do see a population of pods in the tank. My hermits, nassarius snails and serpent star are keeping the tank clean. Actually impressing me how well they are keeping it and so far no need for a cleaner shrimp.

I don’t have any of the ZOA plugs glued anywhere yet as I decide which area to build the garden. My male clown keeps knocking them off the rocks. I have a decent piece of GSP I’m going to stick at the back wall base and hope I have a nice curtain back there.

I still have all stock lights, but the blue LEDUSA strips will be added soon.

 

[Dustin07]

My hermits, nassarius snails and serpent star are keeping the tank clean. Actually impressing me how well they are keeping it and so far no need for a cleaner shrimp.

ha, I have given up on hermits, they're banned from our tank now but we keep an active jobs posting on linkedin and monster for any turbos and nassarius looking for jobs

I don’t have any of the ZOA plugs glued anywhere yet as I decide which area to build the garden. My male clown keeps knocking them off the rocks. I have a decent piece of GSP I’m going to stick at the back wall base and hope I have a nice curtain back there.

I'm sorta in the same place right now. at first I used to immediately glue new frags in. hermits would remove them anyways. Then as I started having some luck with their growth, I got pickier and less sure about where I wanted them. So I grabbed a magnet frag rack to hold a few zoa frags at a time while they adjust and I decide lol

I still have all stock lights, but the blue LEDUSA strips will be added soon.

ah now you are reminding me why I hadn't gone with the BC... I struggled with lighting on my taller tank a while back and once I had it dialed I wasn't sure if I wanted to finagle a redsea into the biocube.

 

[Twisk]

ah now you are reminding me why I hadn't gone with the BC... I struggled with lighting on my taller tank a while back and once I had it dialed I wasn't sure if I wanted to finagle a redsea into the biocube.

The stock lighting so far has been doing ok. I do find the back 1/2 of the tank is a little dark, but that could be my scape placement. So I want to add a strip in front and back of the stock lighting. I can adjust the intensity of the 21LEDUSA reef bars and with their controller is pretty much plug n play (sunrise/sunset)

 

[Dustin07]

The stock lighting so far has been doing ok. I do find the back 1/2 of the tank is a little dark, but that could be my scape placement. So I want to add a strip in front and back of the stock lighting. I can adjust the intensity of the 21LEDUSA reef bars and with their controller is pretty much plug n play (sunrise/sunset)

admittedly I have never used a par meter, although the LFS down the road (40minutes) will lend it to me for a deposit = to the cost. So while I can't say how much better or worse some of my lights really are... I've just had good experiences and bad that I associated with the lights (right or wrong). There is something about the biocube I just really like though.

 

[Twisk]

Been a while and adding an update. (I should probably edit the thread title now since it pretty much doesn’t apply anymore) lol

The 32g biocube tank is becoming more more stable lately. Things are alive and starting to now notice some growth on my acans, mushrooms & the 24kt bounce mushroom. The zoas one day look great then close up for a few days. Still trying to find a happy place for them.

I went to PHILLY SPLASH last month and picked up two more 2ACANS, 2monties and a Pectinia. The price was too good not to give the Pectinia a try. So far it’s doing quite well. I moved it to the center of the tank and it seems to be doing better there. Orig I think up top was too much. I’m not sure the Monties are doing ok.
——
I must have got an aiptasia at Philly Splash, even though a did through dips. (Didn’t quarantine grr)
Today I have 3 Berghia Nudibranchs arriving and will try them. I have a peppermint shrimp already that isn’t doing crap, so I am going to try and catch it tonight and move to the 12g before it eats my nudis.

Edit added a pic of the 24 bounce and some GSP I added to the back wall.

 

[Twisk]

Ps. My serpent star has not been doing well, it dropped 3 legs. It appears to be eating but I’m always worried it is starving. I haven’t seen any hermits bothering it either. My coral guy said it may have an infection or virus. I was debating moving it to a back chamber to isolate it for a while where some detritus is at. Maybe see if it feeds better there. I have added finely chopped shrimp in a snail shell next to it but doesn’t appear to be interested. It’s very lethargic moving too.

 

[Reefing102]

Looks good. Sorry to hear about the serpent star. In my experience once legs start dropping it doesn’t end well usually

 

[Dustin07]

thats too bad that the shrimp aren't doing the trick. I had some aptaisia a while back and now days with 4 shrimp on staff I haven't seen it in my tank in like.. probably over a year now...

 

[Twisk]

These are tiny tiny babies but then maybe they can hide easier and get big.

 

[griss]

These are tiny tiny babies but then maybe they can hide easier and get big.

Where'd you get them from. It seems, these days, most breeders of Berghia ship them out pretty small.

*puts on old man hat and picks up his cane, back in my day, we got Berghia that were about an inch long.

Now, you kids get off my lawn.