First Biocube 29

[radian23]

I purchased a used Oceanic Biocube 29 from craigslist for $50. Met the buyer to pick it up and everything appeared to be in OK cosmetic condition. No scratched or cracked glass. Needed a good cleaning. Was told it was in use up to last week. He said the pump was ok but needed to have the cord jiggled every once in a while.



Initial Impressions and Problems:

Got it home and filled it with freshwater. Plug everything up and the pump was loud as could be. It makes a loud low pitched noise that oscillates about every 2 second. Remove the pump and find the that elbow had cracked so the previous owner decided to duck tape the elbow and return pump hose together. I have the pump in a 5 gallon bucket running outside. I'm thinking it might be due to buildup in the pump but if not I plan to replace it with a Rio 6HF. Regarding the broken elbow I will pick up some 1/2 PVC and will connect the pump directly to the wall without the elbow to fix this issue and increase flow.

I also noticed that the hood was remarkably quite. People mention mods about swapping out fans in the hood but I didn't understand why until I found the ultimate mod to make the hood quite. Lets just remove the fans completely and run it that way.



So now I need to add fans to the hood. I was think about picking up some Noctua 60x25mm fans unless something else is recommended. I see the pin connector on the hood is for a 2 pin so I ordered the following fans.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400618743992

I'll remove the 2 pin cord from these and will splice them into the noctua fan. Anything wrong with doing this?

Cleaning:

I picked up some muriatic acid and would like to use it to completely clean the tank and possibly salvage the pump. I have seen people recommend a ratio of 1:10 muriatic acid and water at the same time I've seen 1:100 muriatic acid. What ratio should I use?

I have protective gear pretty well covered. Full body PVC suit , face shield, PVC gloves.

Any other recommend things to check if they are broken?

Planned Upgrades:
Noctua 60x25mm
Rio 6HF
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOC-LINE-3-4-ROBO-ARM-Adjustable-Dual-Return-Nozzle-for-Aquariums-w-Flare-Ends-/281639499662?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item419305b78e

 

[radian23]

Also I meant 1/2 inside diameter vinyl tubing not PVC for the return pump hose.

 

[ReefWreak]

Nice find and price. Not sure about the acid, I've just used 1:1 white vinegar without any problems. Makes it easy.

I purchased standard 25mm thick fans off ebay as well (and fan rheostat/controllers for $3/piece, just in case they need to be dialed down) and I found that the stock BC fans are extra thick, so I need either spacers or new fans to fit mine into the hood. I couldn't take the time to futz with it much since I have all SPS and didn't want to delay the install of the new fans into the hood. I might be able to measure them when I get home, but if you have a caliper or ruler easily accessible, I would definitely make sure to double check the thickness of your fans.

I would also install a maxijet (either 900 or 1200, depending on whether you're going to add a flow mod or not, a 1200 if flow mods) instead of the rio. Maybe their pumps are better these days, but I've always avoided rio products because they used to run very hot and go bad quickly. Maxijets (especially the new cobalt ones) should last forever, and tend to run quietly and cool.

 

[homer1475]

Use vinegar, much cheaper and easier on the skin if it gets on there, and works just as well. Just bought a used hydor pump for my mixing station and it was super encrusted with Coraline(wouldn't even turn the impeller). Bought it anyways and thought "even if it is dead, I'm only out 10$". Tore it apart, put everything in straight vinegar for a couple hours. Scrubbed a wee little bit with a toothbrush and it looks nice and new, and works like its new too.

Most fan mods I have seen use the silen X fans as a replacement. They move the same amount of air, bolt right in, and are super quiet, you just need to mod the 3 pin clip(One isn't used because its not thermometer controlled like a pc), I believe they make a 3 to 2 pin connector if you must. I would just cut the plug off the original fans and wire them into the new fans.

3/4 loc line doesn't fit on the wall nipple, 1/2 works. I did the same thing with a loc line splitter and 2 1/2 fan nozzles. One blows across the top of the water into the center, and the other blows down one side of my rock work to keep my coral happy. Trust me the 3/4 will only dribble out even with the pump upgrade, unless you went with a bigger pump. The 1/2 is plenty.

Might want to pick up a couple new bulbs those ones look fairly used up, or look into any one of the LED retofit kits(depending on what you want to put in there). The stock lights are plenty for most soft and LPS corals, but most of us upgrade the lights for more "pop" to colors and to grow more light demanding corals.

 

[radian23]

Thank you both for the input. I'm going to do a little bit more research on which fan to choose. A 3 to 2 pin connector runs about $5 each and adds an additional failure point. I went with the cheap ebay fans so I could steel their connectors to put on a good ball bearing fan.

Picked up some 1/2 loc line today. Thank you for helping me out with this. Would have been sad to spend $30 on loc line that wouldn't work.

I think I'll probably do an LED retrofit on this lid. Seems like the way to go and in the long run might be cheaper since I don't have to do bulb changes.

Regarding cleaning the muriatic acid is cheaper in the long run and I already have some on hand. I could probably get the equivalent of 20 gallons of vinegar in a quart of muriatic acid. I'll make sure to use a low concentration when I do the cleaning. I'll probably do a 1:50 ratio

Interesting about the pump selection. I read that people were having issues with the 1200 running hot. I wonder if that is the Chinese version of the 1200 causing that.

 

[Webmanny]

I have this same tank and hood and I got the fan below from ebay when I had to replace the very noisy ones they come with.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vantec-SF6025L-Stealth-60x60x25mm-Double-Ball-Bearing-Silent-Case-Fan-/231523016881?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e7d8e0b1

I also changed the light for 100% LEDs and I love it. This is the build thread for what I did with the hood and the light that I used, which you can get from eBay as well.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2463570

 

[12_egg_Omelett]

I would suggest removing the hood and junking it. Seems worthless at this point. You need fans you'll need to replace all those bulbs. Get yourself an AI led/nano box/eco tech. This will also save you from having to worry about heat.

 

[homer1475]

Now that I take a second look, that hood looks like the Oceanic version which only had 1 fan it, and no LED strips. I would junk the hood, or at least everything in it and start fresh with an LED retrofit, and some new fans.

If your looking to go cheaper then all that, the stock hood is only $189 as a replacement. Comes with everything already installed and new t5 bulbs. I believe the coralife version will bolt to the oceanic version. Same size tank, they just did some upgrades to the hood(added a second fan, LED strips, more "fins" to dissipate heat).

 

[radian23]

Sold off my ballasts and moonlight AC Adapter and basically made $20 on this thing. When time allows I'll put in a heatsink, some LEDs and drive them with LDD drivers.

 

[John001]

I gutted the hood and bought it new 1.5 years ago. Went with the Orbits LED 18-24" and it fits perfectly. You can even close the lid with it in place and I run no fans for over a year now.