Bio Cube Owner's Thread

[chrismunn]

thats a huge aiptasia!

[Lyfey]

Chris.. Im thinking about making chamber 2 into a fuge. I have a nice sized ball of chaeto already in my BC in the display area.. I am going to scrape the back..

Do I need to scrape the whole back? or just a spot for the light? I think scraping the whole back will be more beneficial, since I can see into the compartment better...

How did you position the chaeto and live rock? Did you put the false floor back in? Is the rubble suspended or just sitting on the bottom of the chamber? Im interested in how it is set up.. Also I have seen a person that makes home-made dividers for fuges and fish screens and deltec skimmer cups for the BC's.. I dont remember the link though, It all looks like quality acrylic work though. I am probably going to make my fuge this weekend.. What big differences did you notice with the addition of the fuge?

Is it as important on a nano tank as it is on a full sized display?..

[geminianspark]

Okay, my situation is a little different here, but I bought my biocube off craigslist with all the parts thrown inside and had no clue how it all went together.

The other fun part is that I have a 30g rectangular tank that is my display which has an overflow that goes into the biocube.

My biocube has 150w MH with no top on it and I've used a couple pieces of large flat live rock positioned in the back of the tank where i place cheato as a fuge. The front part of the tank is my frag rack.

I NEED to make sure I am getting the best possible filtration out of this biocube, so PLEASE read over this current flow setup and give me ANY suggestions or point out ANYTHING i'm doing wrong!! PLEASE PLEASE!!!

Okay, water comes down the tube from the DT and I have placed an old non functioning hang on back filter which sits in compartment 3. The tube sits in the filter where the normal intake would be and flows over into the filter side with a carbon pouch. This flows into the biocube main tank section, over the top edge of the live rock to provide flow accross my frag rack. There is a power head on its lowest setting which sits behind the live rock so i don't have stagnant water... which flows through/across the cheato to the lower intake on chamber one. In chamber one, I currently have a phosphate sheet right as it flows over into chamber two. Chamber two currently has a chemi pur elite pouch, a carbon pouch and sea chem's de-nitrate in a pouch. They are laying horizontal on top of a couple of small pieces of live rock. This flows into chamber three where i've got a small pond pump that is MORE than adequate to push the water back up to the display tank.

I've read through this thread, but still haven't grasped the complete concept of how the actual flow works in the biocube. After reading through the thread, I'm thinking of putting a carbon pouch between 2 & 3 where you guys said that blue sponge is supposed to go. And based on suggestions up here, I'm thinking of getting that sapphire skimmer to go in chamber 2.

I guess the part that is confusing to me is the intake and chamber 1. The biocube is a 29g so it has those grated intakes... one at the bottom and one at the top. From what i can tell, that plate in the middle of the chamber allows water to flow UP??? from the bottom to fill that chamber and overflow into chamber two. So, in theory, would this be a good place to put a vertical rack of my different filter media? And if not, How can I make sure my filter pouches in chamber two are getting the water to flow through them efficiently?

I can post pics of what i've got later on tonight but both my tanks have MH and are getting adequate light. I KNOW my corals are not getting the color they can achieve and I'm pretty sure its due to my water QUALITY. The way it was set up before, i had absolutely NO points in there where the water flowed directly through the filter pouches. Last night, the described above scenerio was set up with the intention of having water from the DT be filtered through carbon in case any of the corals are leaching toxins so as not to affect my frags since this water is pouring directly down over them. I don't want to put the chemipure here because I THINK it filters nitrates and phospates and that's what the cheato is supposed to do across the back of the live rock. Once the water flows back into the biocube chambers, I want it filtered for any left over nitrate, phosphate, toxins, particulate, etc so i NEED to find a way through those three compartments to have water DIRECTLY flow through my filter pouches.

Everything so far has been a learn as I go with this biocube, so anyone with modification experience or anyone really that has suggestions, PLEASE feel free... thanks in advance
julie

[jwilliams229]

Julie

You're right. Flow goes into Chamber 1 through the top and bottom grated openings. The flow the falls into chamber 2 from the top of chamber 1. Then from the bottom of chamber 2 (below the false floor) into Chamber 3 and then out into the main tank. Yes, put your carbon where the blue sponge goes between 2 and 3.

The flow from 1 to 2 would be the place for the vertical filter rack, but you won't be able to fit that and the sapphire skimmer in #2 at the same time. Plus, in order for the skimmer to work, the water level in 2 would be too high for the filter rack to work properly.

A lot of us rip the false floor out of 2 and put LR and Cheato back there, scrape the paint off the back glass and mount a light. But since your putting cheato in the main tank, just use the sapphire.

Thats the function of a normal BC, I'm not sure how yours will be different because you are actually using it as a sump.

[geminianspark]

Thanks SOOooo much!!!! I really needed the explanation of water flow through the chambers, i guess that would have been the quickest way to ask the question... so thank you for reading all the bs in there and unerstanding what i really needed to know.

SOoo, please confirm my understanding and correct me if i'm wrong here...

A) in theory, if the water is flowing from the cube into chamber one and going up and over into chamber 2, does it make sense to build a rack that fits chamber 1 and has a layer of floss, a layer of phosphate stuff, and a layer of carbon? (this should ensure that all water coming out of the biocube is flowing directly through the media. correct?)

B)Another option would be to catch the water as it trickles over into chamber 2 like the bioball method... except putting the rack there... but for this method to work, doesn't the water level in that chamber need to be a little lower so the water actually "FALLS" into the media... and my issue with this method is that my pump works too fast and my water evaporates too quickly to keep the water low enough that it goes through ALL three layers before mixing with the rest of the water (need fool proof method of making sure all water goes through filter media) It could be remedied once i get my auto top off working correctly though.

C) The false floor in chamber two... is this the really flat black piece or the thicker one with inset? Because my thought here is that i could leave my pouches flat and the water would flows into chamber 2 and down through the media, through the false floor and over then over into chamber 3. RIght?

Thank you again for your help. I'm about 5 months into the hobby and through all the reading have really started to like the idea of a macro tank. Originally, i was considering seahorses for that tank, but after reading up on them, i realized that they need slightly different parameters than a reef... to set for one is to starve the other so i decided against it, but I really liked the look of a seahorse tank I saw where it was filled with many different types of macro algaes so this is the direction i'm heading for the "sump/refugium biocube". The frags are temporary until I figure out where to put them in the main tank. I will not want to hide the prettier macros, but had the cheato in as a cleaning tool. I'm hoping to forego a skimmer altogether eventually... right now using the biocube one and it's pulling some brown tea so not ideal, but working none the less. I was noticing a lot of floating junk in my DT so i started rethinking the water flow and realized that there's nowhere in the setup where water is directly flowing through the media... wouldn't matter what i did to the tank, if it's not filtered properly, gonna spend the rest of my life fighting problems in the tank.

[jwilliams229]

A. The flow does not actually go "up" in 1, it kind of just goes through it. I doubt some type of manufacutred rack would work here (unless someone else can correct me). The only thing that I've seen that works the way you want it is the actual BC filter plate (carbon covered with a thin sheet of floss) that fits in between the grooves right before it enters 2. I don't use mine, it just clogs up - I skim instead.

B. Yes. water level needs to be low enough. either get topoff working right, or use less restrictive 3 layers or take away a layer.

C. The false floor is flat and skinny with holes in it - it is about 2 to 3" above the bottom of the BC. Flat pouches is an option - as long as the flow goes through and not around.

Any more BS? good luck.

[fmstck]

I am new tothe hobby and have a 29 g Biocube that is now 4 months old. What opinion do people have regarding the bioballs?. I have heard both good and bad and was considering taking them out. I have 30 lbs of live rock and a 2 inch sand base.
Thanks\

[hotrod797]

Get rid of the bioballs, they become a nitrate factory if you don't. I speak from experience, I kept mine in place for over a year (I used old tank water to rinse them once a month) then I started having nitrate issues 80+ and searched, finally found that the bioballs were the issue, just make sure when you remove them that you do it slowly, a few every couple days until they are gone, if you take them out too quick you will cause your tank to go into a mini cycle. Thats my experience anyway, I'm sure others have there own opinions!!

[jmadison]

+1 for the SLOW removal of bioballs. I went with the route of LR rubble in the bottom of chamber 2, but many ppl have opinions for/against that aswell

[itsdarrow]

NANO-REEF.COM has a great thread on biocubes. its really the best site out there for nanoers

[sweetrav18]

For those of you that have the Oceanic Biocube. Which of these two skimmers do you like better. In terms of effectiveness, cost, and most importantly silence. I want this tank/skimmer combo to be silent, dont even want to hear it. PLease advise with your experiences either wAY

[jkrentz2515]

Originally posted by sweetrav18
For those of you that have the Oceanic Biocube. Which of these two skimmers do you like better. In terms of effectiveness, cost, and most importantly silence. I want this tank/skimmer combo to be silent, dont even want to hear it. PLease advise with your experiences either wAY

which two skimmers?

[sweetrav18]

between the sr3 and the oceanic skimmer

[jkrentz2515]

SR3 by far. I hear lots of stories about the oceanic being very touchy and the airstone goes out on them quite frequently. I have had my SR3 for 10 months and it works great. The fans in the hood of the biocube are louder than the CPR SR3 skimmer.

[jb61264]

Originally posted by jwilliams229
A. The flow does not actually go "up" in 1, it kind of just goes through it. I doubt some type of manufacutred rack would work here (unless someone else can correct me). The only thing that I've seen that works the way you want it is the actual BC filter plate (carbon covered with a thin sheet of floss) that fits in between the grooves right before it enters 2. I don't use mine, it just clogs up - I skim instead.

I think jw explains it perfectly...there really is no "bottom to top" flow just "into" chamber 1 through the two grates in the back of the tank (top and middle)...there is a product that I have found and tried (although my jury is still out on its effectiveness) called HBH Aqua-Pure Filter Pad..they make versions for phosphate removal, a carbon version, etc...I've been using them for a few weeks and at the very least they are filtering out deitritus when I suspend stuff on the rocks, etc...I tend to only use them for four or five days and them take them out and throw away and then let the take run without for four or five days.

[jb61264]

Originally posted by sweetrav18
between the sr3 and the oceanic skimmer

If you mean the Oceanic skimmer that comes with the BioCube..there really is no comparison between the SR3 and that...comparing the SR3 to the Sapphire Aquatics BC29 might be a little more fair I have the SR3 and am very happy with it but I really can't compare it to the SA BC29 (but have heard good things about that as well)...that being said...either one is MUCH better than the Oceanic skimmer.

On another note...I am looking at modifying the Oceanic skimmer...I've found some rigid tubing that matches the size of the Oceanic skimmer...from the reading I've done on skimming, contact time is a big thing...I'm going to try to increase the length of the Oceanic skimmer, remove the false floor in chamber #1 and then try skimming with it but with a much longer chamber (contact time) to see what (if any) results I get...may need to upgrade the air pump to something stronger (not sure if the stock one will generate enough bubbles for a longer chamber or not)...should be a fun little test though

[jwilliams229]

jb,

Before you buy a bigger air pump for the BC skimmer, read this thread I posted several weeks ago.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1554519

Everyone, Its not perfect but it only costs 3$ - I'm certainly not saying the BC skimmer holds a candle to some of the other more expensive ones, BUT, my water params are great since I made that fix to my BC skimmer. I do want to upgrade to the sapphire one day, but for now its hard to beat $3.

[jb61264]

jw,

thanks for that info, i will definately look into that mod first...are those check valves pretty common items?...where did you find the one you bought?

[jwilliams229]

Got mine at the LFS. I think they should be fairly common, you can probably find something similar at a big chain store (PetsMart, PetCo, etc...) I looked on Fosters for that brand (Lee's), couldn't find it. I think if you find a spring type valve you would be good.

[ariiox]

I want to add a fuge in chamber 2 how slowly should i remove the bioballs?

[ariiox]

I want to add a fuge in chamber 2 how slowly should i remove the bioballs?

[Octoberfest]

you know I read all of the bad reviews on the Oceanic Biocube skimmer and didn't want to get it. I ended up finding a used one online for $25.00 and figured I'd buy it and if it didn't work out I'd dry to mod it somehow.

After setting it up in the stock configuration and letting it run I don't see what the problem is. I'm getting a half cup of skimmate every three days or so, produces tons of foam and haven't replaced my air stone yet going on 2 months.

My nitrates are barely registering at all and I don't see a problem.

[reefloverd1]

I have the biocube8(small i know) and I don't use a skimmer at all. I have had no problems with my nutrients. all are 0 I even kept the bioballs in the second chamber. I had a couple of fish in there for quarantine, but have since moved them to my larger tank. Now I am using it for copepods. Its a great little aquarium.

[chrismunn]

i dont know why people bash the biocube skimmer so much? obviously there are better skimmers out there, but he BC skimmer works just fine. i wouldnt pour back into my tank what it pulls in 2 days!

sorry lyfey, i missed your post.

i only scraped the paint off of chamber number 2, but i scraped all of chamber 2, not just part of it. the reason for scraping all of it is because i like to reposistion my light every once in a while. there was no real science when adding my fuge, i just threw the live rock rubble into the bottom of the fuge, and then put the cheato on top of it. my light literally touches the glass so the light is concentrated only in 1/3 of the fuge at a time. thats why i like to be able to move the light. as the cheato at the bottom of the fuge grows, it grows into the only direction that it can go, which is up. as the top of the cheato grows, i slowly move the light up the back of the refugium with it. eventually over the course of a few months the cheato reaches the top of the fuge and i harvest half of it and move the light back down.

the benefit of a fuge in a nano tank compared to a larger tank is the same in my opinion. most people will tell you that a fuge in a nano is less important because the volume of water in a nano is less and that a water change is easier and goes further in the way of benefit since its a smaller volume of water. personally i think its all relative. a 15% change is a 15% change no matter what the tanks size. the reason I (how do you make the "I" lean as to put emphasis on it?) think the fuge is of the same value in the nano is because ive seen the value of mine in action. when i first set up my tank i didnt have the fuge, and i had quite few patches of nuisance hair algae growing in random parts of the display. nothing helped to relieve the problem untill i added the fuge. literally within days of adding the fuge i watched every patch of hair algae turn white and withered away untill there was none left. and it happend very, very quikly, within the matter of a week or so. then, when i harvest my cheato and reduce the size of the ball by 90% the hair algae comes back briefly untill the cheato gets back into its growth pattern, then the hair algae dissappears again.

so for me, the benefits of a fuge in the nano is a succsess by trial which is where i've developed my opinion for a fuge. for some people the results of success, or lack there of, may vary depending on the technique, type of fuge and bio load that they're dealing with. maybe i just got lucky???

[chrismunn]

oh, forgot to mention...

i only scraped the paint from chamber 2 because i didnt want to deal with having any algae growing in any of the other chambers. i was afraid that light spillage into chamber 1 and 3 might have me scraping algae out of the other two chambers on all to regular of a schedual...

there's nothing that i hate more than sticking my hands into my tank, so anything i can do to reduce the time that my hands are in the water is a must! right now all i have to do is stick a rigid siphon hose into the bottom of chambers 1 and 3 to keep them clean. detritus gets sucked up and i havent been inconvinienced. if algae were to grow in there then i would have to fit my fat hand back there and pull it out. forget about it!