Biocube 14g Salt Water Tank - PLEASE HELP!

E

excitedforfish

Member
Hi everyone!

So I recently gave in and bought a 14 gallon bio cube that I plan on using as a saltwater tank! I know that it is quite small and definitely not ideal for a beginner, but I am a college student and have been trying to save up forever and between attending college full time, I can't afford much more. So, I bought a basic stock 14 gallon tank and the stand as well. I also plan to buy live sand and live rock as well. Now my question is....... am I crazy for trying to take this venture on? I have a lot of experience with freshwater and tropical fishes before and ALWAYS wanted saltwater. If you guys could help me with my questions that would be awesome. Tips would be great as well.

Here are my questions:

1. How much live sand should I buy for a 14 g tank?
2. How much live rock should I buy for a 14 g tank?
3. Do I need to invest in a protein skimmer?
4. What type of cleaner crew should I add? Cheap stuff is preferable haha.
5. I plan on adding 2 clown fish and a damsel. Will these fish get along? Is there a specific breed of clownfish that stays small?
6. I am buying a marine test kit.....is this a good investment?
7. What happens if my ammonia spikes? I am terrified of that! How do you bring it back down?
8. How are the stock lights in the 14g bio cube? If, in the future, I want some corals....will I be able to add them?
9. I have read online that many people agree on getting rid of the bio balls when I get the biocube aquarium - is this true? It will be mailed to my home soon so I want to prepare for my plan of attack haha. If I toss them, can someone please give me STEP BY STEP directions on what to replace the chambers with? I heard we are supposed to replace it with filter floss. Where do I buy it from? It also sounds so confusing - "place in chamber 1, 2, and dont overflow and block blah blah blah etc.... I guess it would help if I could actually look at what I plan on modifying
10. Finally, when to do water changes and would I need to replace the filter floss EVERY time? That could get pricey. What is a cost effective way for this) maybe rinsing carbon gravel....please help?)


Thank you soo much!
 
courterbobby

courterbobby

Member
excitedforfish said:
Hi everyone!

So I recently gave in and bought a 14 gallon bio cube that I plan on using as a saltwater tank! I know that it is quite small and definitely not ideal for a beginner, but I am a college student and have been trying to save up forever and between attending college full time, I can't afford much more. So, I bought a basic stock 14 gallon tank and the stand as well. I also plan to buy live sand and live rock as well. Now my question is....... am I crazy for trying to take this venture on? I have a lot of experience with freshwater and tropical fishes before and ALWAYS wanted saltwater. If you guys could help me with my questions that would be awesome. Tips would be great as well.

Here are my questions:

1. How much live sand should I buy for a 14 g tank?

I would say enough to gove you about 1 to 2 inches deep... Ohhh maybe one 20lb bag? Idk the deminsions of a stock 14 biocube

2. How much live rock should I buy for a 14 g tank?

Depends on what your plans are. Fish only I would go with maybe go somewhere around 15lbs or enough to give you the aquascaping you want, reef somewhere around 30lbs.

3. Do I need to invest in a protein skimmer?

Yes

4. What type of cleaner crew should I add? Cheap stuff is preferable haha.

Hermits, snails, cleaner shrimp... endless combination of stuff, just don't go too large like a brittle star bc they get pretty big

5. I plan on adding 2 clown fish and a damsel. Will these fish get along? Is there a specific breed of clownfish that stays small?

Umm you will get aggression out of any clownfish you add. They are semi aggressive by nature. idk if I would put a damsel in there with them bc they get aggressive as well.

6. I am buying a marine test kit.....is this a good investment?

Very! You can't always trust the LFS. I know mine use dip sticks to test the water. I am fond of API and scheam test kits.

7. What happens if my ammonia spikes? I am terrified of that! How do you bring it back down?

Water changes. Be sure to cycle the tank good before you add any livestock. Also DO NOT over stock your tank. I think a pair of clowns would be fine in a 14g but 3 fish would be pushing it and could give you a rise in nitrates.

8. How are the stock lights in the 14g bio cube? If, in the future, I want some corals....will I be able to add them?

No idea... never had a bc.

9. I have read online that many people agree on getting rid of the bio balls when I get the biocube aquarium - is this true? It will be mailed to my home soon so I want to prepare for my plan of attack haha. If I toss them, can someone please give me STEP BY STEP directions on what to replace the chambers with? I heard we are supposed to replace it with filter floss. Where do I buy it from? It also sounds so confusing - "place in chamber 1, 2, and dont overflow and block blah blah blah etc.... I guess it would help if I could actually look at what I plan on modifying

You can use live rock rubble in place of bio balls.

10. Finally, when to do water changes and would I need to replace the filter floss EVERY time? That could get pricey. What is a cost effective way for this) maybe rinsing carbon gravel....please help?)

You shuold try to do a water change at least once a week. On a smaller setup like that I would. Ummm I run a filter on my tank just to remove particles from the water and I rinse them off and put them back in. But then again I have not owned a bio cube before so Im sure someone else will chime in with that answer.


Thank you soo much!
Click to expand...

Remember that the saltwater aquarium hobby can get expensive and require a lot of work, but do research everything and you will save a lot of money and time. It is becoming more acceptable to have smaller setups like yours and Im sure a million people have tanks that size or even smaller.
 
bbe22

bbe22

Member
Hi Excited,

I bought a bio-cube about two months ago, I'll share what I found in my experiences. As far as sand, one 20# bag was the perfect amount for my 8 gallon, so you probably need two bags. A rough estimate of how much live rock you want would be in the area of 20 pounds, give or take. Just make sure it all fits in the tank and leaves room for water. It wouldn't hurt to start with a decent size rock and add smaller ones as you see fit. Protein skimmers are always a good idea. Oceanic makes on specifically designed for the bio-cube 14 gallon, it costs $50 at Petco. However, it runs on a wooden air-stone, which will need to be replaced at least once a month to be effective. Also, be sure to empty the waste cup daily or the sludge will end up back in the tank. For cleanup I chose an emerald crab, the females in particular stay small and are very affordable. Snails are a good idea as well, and there are a good variety available for decent prices. Shrimp do a good job, but many fish will attack them. I have two false percula clownfish and one pseudochromis in my tank, and this is really pushing it, I would say that it would be the same thing in the 14. And yes, clowns, believe it or not are pretty aggressive. They even attack my hand when I stick it in there; they are very territorial. You definitely want a marine test kit, and be sure to use it. Monitor your water consistently. Shoot for a ph of 8.2, salinity (you'll need a hydrometer as well) of 1.025. You'll find that the lights on the bio-cube are going to heat the tank, even a little too much. Mine runs about 77 at night and 79 at day. Don't add any fish or other live-stock to your tank until it has had a chance to run it's full cycle. Live rock will help this process. I would advise leaving the bio-balls in the tank during this process. A crab or other small invert can also help your cycling. It can also be done without animals by adding a small amount of raw shrimp and just letting it decompose. This process will take about a month. You will still need to do small water changes during this time. Your ammonia WILL spike, it's going to happen. Then the nitrates will build up to kill the ammonia, the nitrites will build up to kill the nitrates, hence cycle. Once all of these are balanced, it is safe to add fish and other inhabitants, but not all at once, or you will get another ammonia spike, and most likely wipe everything in your tank out. Add living creatures slowly to be safe. The lights in your bio-cube are decent. There are aftermarket upgrade kits available, which if you dig around here on Reef Sanctuary you should be able to find. I know that there is one kit that turns it into a three light system and has upgraded fans. After your tank is established, you might consider doing what I did, which is started taking 2 or 3 balls out of the back everyday. You can recycle filter floss, but I'd rinse it in aquarium water that you don't plan on putting back in the tank (might as well keep the beneficial bacteria, as chlorine/chloramine will kill it). I hope this helps, have fun and enjoy your new bio-cube.
 
W

wyatt183

New Member
NO to the tap water....you really should use RO/DI, and if you don't have your own system, most LFS will gladly sell you some, but I would suggest you get a good test kit and test the water you purchased.
 
Rhodes19

Rhodes19

Active Member
Congrats on your BC 14 and :welcomera RS

excitedforfish said:
Hi everyone!

So I recently gave in and bought a 14 gallon bio cube that I plan on using as a saltwater tank! I know that it is quite small and definitely not ideal for a beginner, but I am a college student and have been trying to save up forever and between attending college full time, I can't afford much more. So, I bought a basic stock 14 gallon tank and the stand as well. I also plan to buy live sand and live rock as well. Now my question is....... am I crazy for trying to take this venture on? I have a lot of experience with freshwater and tropical fishes before and ALWAYS wanted saltwater. If you guys could help me with my questions that would be awesome. Tips would be great as well.

No, your not crazy for trying. I started a 29 g and a BC14 reef 2 years ago and it was a good learning experience without killing too many live stock or waisting money.

Here are my questions:

1. How much live sand should I buy for a 14 g tank?

You can go with 7-14 lbs of sand. Don't waist your money on live sand. Most of it isn't live plus in my experiences will lead to a huge algae bloom. You can even leave it bare bottom if you like the look.

2. How much live rock should I buy for a 14 g tank?

The rule of thumb is 1 - 1 1/2 lbs of live rock per gallon. So about 14-20 lbs would be good.

3. Do I need to invest in a protein skimmer?

A protein skimmer would be nice but is not necessary. If you do partial water changes every week/other week you should be fine. I don't have one on my BC 14.

4. What type of cleaner crew should I add? Cheap stuff is preferable haha.

Get about 5-10 snails (various types) and about 5 hermit crabs to start with.

5. I plan on adding 2 clown fish and a damsel. Will these fish get along? Is there a specific breed of clownfish that stays small?

About 3 small fish is all you really want to put in there. The rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water. After rocks and sand your BC 14 will have about 10 g of water. Most clowns can grow to a couple of inches. I have 2 occellaris and a yellow watchman goby in my tank. Clowns and damsels are in the same family and they might fight in a small tank like the BC 14. Haven't had both in there yet so I can't say for sure.

6. I am buying a marine test kit.....is this a good investment?

YES!! You need to monitor ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, pH, and alkalinity as a minimum.

7. What happens if my ammonia spikes? I am terrified of that! How do you bring it back down?

If your ammonia spikes during cycling, thats good and it will come down during the cycling process. If it spikes after your tank has been established, then something is causing it and you need to figure out what it is (excess food, dead fish etc.). The best and quickest way to lower the ammonia in an established tank is to do big water changes. Still need to figure out why you would be getting spikes.

8. How are the stock lights in the 14g bio cube? If, in the future, I want some corals....will I be able to add them?

The stock lighting is ok. Good for fish only and soft corals. There are some lighting up grades which would make it better for the corals. If you want to get sps then you need to think MH or T5s. For now, the PC lights will be fine. I would consider replacing the stock fans with better fans. The stock fans will get noisy after 6-12 months. :(

9. I have read on line that many people agree on getting rid of the bio balls when I get the biocube aquarium - is this true? It will be mailed to my home soon so I want to prepare for my plan of attack haha. If I toss them, can someone please give me STEP BY STEP directions on what to replace the chambers with? I heard we are supposed to replace it with filter floss. Where do I buy it from? It also sounds so confusing - "place in chamber 1, 2, and don't overflow and block blah blah blah etc.... I guess it would help if I could actually look at what I plan on modifying

There are several mods to BCs. Your BC 14 may be the new one with some of the mods already added. The biggest mods are pulling the stock filter out, knocking out the false floor in chamber 1 (where the filter is), widening the opening between the first and second chamber (may be already done on the newer BCs), removing the bioballs (don't want to use them with reef setup because they collect debris and become nitrate factory), putting in an egg crate shelf on top of chamber 2 to place filter floss on (can get it at lfs or go to wally world and buy pillow stuffing in the craft center for less), and up grading the pump to something that pushes more water. You can also add a media rack to the 2nd chamber for carbon, macro algae...). If you are just doing fish only, then you really don't have to mod anything.

10. Finally, when to do water changes and would I need to replace the filter floss EVERY time? That could get pricey. What is a cost effective way for this) maybe rinsing carbon gravel....please help?)

I do water changes every other week with my BC 14. About 5 gallons. I replace the filter floss every 2-3 days. The cheapest place to buy it is at wally world in the craft center. I actually got mine out of my wife's crafts closet and she hasn't notice. :D. A small bag will last you a long time and its cheaper than buying the stock filter. Plus, you don't have to pull it every few days and wash it like the stock filter. If you want or need to run carbon, place it after the floss, that way it won't catch detritus and become a nitrate factory.

Here are some good links to read. I think you will find them helpful to help start your way into sw and reefing. HTH.

Mything the Point, Part Three: Conclusion - Reefkeeping.com

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...rs/33555-look-frequently-asked-questions.html
Click to expand...
 
E

excitedforfish

Member
How does this setup sound:

What is I place some filter floss on TOP of a few bio balls in their compartment? would this work, or would removing all the bio balls and replacing them with filter floss (in a egg carton?) sound?

BTW, is an egg carton even safe? haha
 
bbe22

bbe22

Member
How do you define egg carton? The styrofoam stuff, no. The paper stuff, definitely not. There's a plastic box-grid, sold for fluorescent light fixtures, that is commonly used in tanks, especially in custom built trickle filters that is 100% safe, but that is called egg crate. If eggs ever touched it, don't use it in other words. Rhodes isn't talking about egg-cartons, he's referring to egg-crate. You can buy it in the lighting section at Lowe's or Home Depot. Like I said before, while this tank is still in the cycling stage I recommend leaving the bio-balls in there until the tank is fully cycled, then slowly removing them and letting the live rock take over the job. The purpose of a bio-ball is to provide a very large surface area in a limited space for beneficial bacteria to grow on which will provide biological filtration, which is enhanced by not being constantly submersed. The porous nature of the live rock will do the same thing, while being submersed fully, the loss of the "dry" part is replaced by the fact that there is so much living "stuff" in it. You can use the extra space to house some really porous rock to add extra biological filtration, or even house your protein skimmer in there. Or, you can take Rhodes advice, he knows what he is talking about. But to answer your question, no, don't put filter floss directly on top of bio-balls. It would make a mess and definitely lead to a nitrate factory as Rhodes suggested. Good luck!
 
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