Upgrade

ER95

Just keep swimming
Hey guys,

Any recommendations for an upgrade from a Biocube 14? I want to keep larger fish but not go crazy on price...
 
A lot of it depends on what kind of fish you want to keep. So if you want to keep tangs then your going to want at least a 90-120 gallon...So what kind of fish do you want to keep?
 
The angel requires at least a 70 gallon tank to keep happy and the Tang needs minimum of the 100 gallon. If it is in your budget to set up and maintain a 100 gallon tank then go for it by all means. But you don't want to put fish in a tank to small for them to be happy just because you want to have it. Its important to keep the fish happy to be successful in this hobby.
 
I was thinking along the lines of a 35-50 gallon tank. Somewhat limited to room for the tank as well. I like the 29 gallon biocube due to it being an all in one and ready to go, it's still somewhat small though haha..

What's your thoughts on a canister filter? Or just make a sump out of a 10 gallon tank?
 
I would do the sump....Canister filters can be quite an annoyance to clean so much. I have the Red Sea Max 130D AIO kit. It is a little small for what i really want to do but i can't afford to get a huge tank and maintain it. Its a good size tank and looks awesome in my living room. How much are you trying to spend? Im assuming if your going to a sump your going to do a skimmer and such correct? Is the biocube a 29 gallon plus the size of the filter? My tank is a 34 gallon with 5 gallons of the filter chambers so i have 29 gallons of actual display. HTH


But to answer your question, mostly if not all angel fish need 70+ gallons of room and tangs are mostly 100+ gallons so you might have to change your livestock plans if you want to stay in the 35-50 gallon range
 
I'll be going with the BioCube 29. Hard to beat it... Has filtration and lighting all ready to go, but would like to swap the PC's with a LED kit. I would get a small 2 inch Yellow Tang and raise him till hes too big then trade him at the LFS.

All in all, very pleased with my Biocube 14 and want to have the same quality but just bigger.
 
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If you are going to upgrade to LED I would just start with a different tank, not an AIO. I ended up getting LEDs on my Biocube and it was so cost ineffective.
 
Why don't you get the JBJ LED 28 gallon. Then you can pick out the skimmer if you want. I believe it already comes with everything. My Red Sea max comes with everything but uses T5 PC. So overall I have 4watt/gallon
 
The JBJ 28 LED is 750 bucks...

The Biocube 28 is 290...

Once I built the led's I would still be under 750..
 
The JBJ 28 LED is 750 bucks...

The Biocube 28 is 290...

Once I built the led's I would still be under 750..

The JBJ 28 Intermediate is like 381 or something like that on their website.Its definitely not that much unless its the HQI model or something like that...Its been a while since i have looked on their site.
 
Even a small tang needs room and will most likely get aggressive in a small tank with other fish. just my 2 cents.

+1 they will definitely get aggressive towards any new additions you put in the tank along with the current livestock that's in the tank also. My uncle decided he would try to put a tang in his 60 gallon and soon regretted it.
 
Alright it's 450 on Foster and Smith.

Wonder why it was soo much more on marine depot.

Idk, I get an extra gallon with the Bicube 29 lol.

Even a 2 inch yellow tang will boss my clowns around?
 
The size of the fish isn't the issue it's the amount of swimming room that particular fish needs. It's the same fish from the time it's 1 inch long to a foot long it still needs a minimum of a 100 gallon tank...it's not about how big it is when you get it.
 
The angel requires at least a 70 gallon tank to keep happy and the Tang needs minimum of the 100 gallon. If it is in your budget to set up and maintain a 100 gallon tank then go for it by all means. But you don't want to put fish in a tank to small for them to be happy just because you want to have it. Its important to keep the fish happy to be successful in this hobby.

Wrong! A flame angel is a dwarf not a large angel. They will be fine in 40 gallons. A yellow tang is one of those iffy ones. They say 75 but due to their aggressive nature I would get 150 gallons

I was thinking along the lines of a 35-50 gallon tank. Somewhat limited to room for the tank as well. I like the 29 gallon biocube due to it being an all in one and ready to go, it's still somewhat small though haha..

What's your thoughts on a canister filter? Or just make a sump out of a 10 gallon tank?

Canister filters are fine for fish only but not reefs unless you are going to religiously clean.

Even a 50 gallon doesnt allow for a tang. So if you want a tang, you need 100 gallons of more.

And yes a yellow tang would become very aggressive in a Biocube 29.
 
Foster and smith says a 30 gallon is minimal for a Flame Angel.. Yes it's a dwarf angel.

I want to build a stand for the Biocube 29. Anyone else done it?

My current stand for my 14 is already past it's weight limit, it was a night stand, it's reinforced, don't worry ha.
 
Foster and smith says a 30 gallon is minimal for a Flame Angel.. Yes it's a dwarf angel.

I want to build a stand for the Biocube 29. Anyone else done it?

My current stand for my 14 is already past it's weight limit, it was a night stand, it's reinforced, don't worry ha.

Says minimum 30 gallons for dwarfs. Yes I know. But just in case, I would give them a little more room. Angels can show aggression and may get a taste for corals. Just their nature. Some do. Some don't.

I've made a stand for a 29. I made a pedestol type. So it was high and easy to access and do maintenance on.
 
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