My First 14G Biocube Tank

M

mjbenzon

New Member
Hi Everyone,

I just bought my first 14G Biocube Tank a couple of days ago and wanted to get inputs from Pros. I had a 10G saltwater tank back at the Philippines but it turned out to be a mess. My fish kept dying and the water keeps getting polluted. I don't want to do the same mistake so advices would be great.

What I have right now:
14G Biocube Tank
Protein Skimmer
50 watts heater
20lbs sand
9 lbs live rocks

The saltwater I used was premixed from tropiquarium in NJ, same place i bought my tank.

And so I plugged everything and kept it running for 2 days now. I turn my lights on and off every 5 hours or so (Not sure if this is the right thing to do). I placed my tank away from direct sunlight in the middle of my living room. I set my heater to 76. From here on I don't know what to do next. So I have a few noob questions regarding what to do next.

1. Is there any other equiptment/kit that I'm missing? chemical testers, water testers etc... If so please suggest something reliable kits that I could use.
2. When should I start putting corals, fish, animones, crabs, snails etc..?Which one should I put first? The employers of tropiquarium said I could start putting fish 2 days or a week after my setup.
3. What temperature should I set the heater at?
4. The biocube came with a filter, should I remove this since I put the protein skimmer in the same spot it was in?
5. Does it matter how many hours I have the lights on?
6. I have my live rocks leaning against the back of the tank. Is this a good setup? Or should I move it around.

This are all I have right now. I'm sure I'll have more questions after ^_^. Hope you guys don't mind.
 
bskinn77

bskinn77

Member
Take out the bio balls in the 2nd chamber I would set heated for 78-82 I would move the rocks off the back wall. Also you should wait about a month to stock it with anything if you are familiar with the cycle process do a search on here you will find some good info
 
SoccerBum474

SoccerBum474

Member
Okay so here's the deal. no fish until after ur tank COMPLETELY cycles which could take up to a month from the time you set it up and add rock, anytime you add more rock its going to trigger a mini cycle. I run my lights from 7am until 9pm. I would say a anything under 12 hours and above 7 hours a day is a idea range. heater should be set at 76-78 and a digital thermometer is going to be needed.

with your tank being only 14 gallons you bio-load needs to be low so maybe 2-3 fish tops (pair of clowns, or a trio of clown gobies, something like that)

Margarita snails are my favorite snail for my nano. but its up to you to choose what ones you prefer, i've tried the bumble bee snails and i liked them a lot but now I'm an unemployed student so they are out of my price range. as far as crabs i would add maybe 2 or 3 dwarf hermits.
anemones are going to be out of range for a tank this small. ive seen three RBTA in 12g tank before but it was done my a lfs with a lot of experience.

As far as you filtering goes i would remove everything out of the back. replace the pump for a nicer one if you plan on keeping SPS corals. for the three chambers i would put a heater with the return pump, live rock rubble in the middle one and the other chamber have filter floss that should be replaced weekly.

Im guessing the lighting is stock 48w of PC. what that you can have softies, zoas, polys and some LPS. if you want SPS or clams your going to have to upgrade to T-5's or MH's.

Aquascaping is a difficult thing to do and your going to change ur rocks probably 100 times before you find a formation you like. I have mine up against the back wall but just make sure there's flow going to the majority of your tank.

anyways thats some advice im sure more with chime in and give some input. Do some research and read up on what others have done to their biocubes.

and the most important thing have fun and don't get frustrated. Right now im battling 3 or 4 types of invasive aglaes I was losing for about two months but i seem to have the upper hand now. tanks are something to enjoy not stress over
 
M

mjbenzon

New Member
bskinn77 said:
Take out the bio balls in the 2nd chamber I would set heated for 78-82 I would move the rocks off the back wall. Also you should wait about a month to stock it with anything if you are familiar with the cycle process do a search on here you will find some good info
Click to expand...

hey, thanks a bunch, thats some cool advice. A month huh? T_T I was so excited too. Coz today is the day that the shop told me i could put fish. I guess they're just trying to increase profit. I'll take a note of your advice and make sure to follow it. Thanks again.
 
M

mjbenzon

New Member
djbacon said:
Welcome aboard -

I'd give this post a thorough read - it has all the info on starting a tank you could ever want.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...something-cycling-breaking-new-reef-tank.html

Id also echo bskinn77s comments, he is right on the money, you want good flow throughout the tank and stacking you rock on the wall with both impede flow and make it tough to lean out back there.

I also have a 14 g tank - you might follow the thread along -

cheers!!
Click to expand...

Hey djbacon, Actually the reason I joined this forum is coz i accidentally found your 14g Biocube thread in the internet and I was so excited to make mine look like yours. Your making me jealous man. Wanna trade tanks? hehe. Thanks for the advice and the links. i'll read through that long link, looks like it has lots of usefull information.
 
M

mjbenzon

New Member
Okay so here's the deal. no fish until after ur tank COMPLETELY cycles which could take up to a month from the time you set it up and add rock, anytime you add more rock its going to trigger a mini cycle. I run my lights from 7am until 9pm. I would say a anything under 12 hours and above 7 hours a day is a idea range. heater should be set at 76-78 and a digital thermometer is going to be needed.
any brand of digital thermometer that you would recommend?

with your tank being only 14 gallons you bio-load needs to be low so maybe 2-3 fish tops (pair of clowns, or a trio of clown gobies, something like that)
ya, that was the plan actually, prolly nemo, his dad and dori lol.

Margarita snails are my favorite snail for my nano. but its up to you to choose what ones you prefer, i've tried the bumble bee snails and i liked them a lot but now I'm an unemployed student so they are out of my price range. as far as crabs i would add maybe 2 or 3 dwarf hermits.
anemones are going to be out of range for a tank this small. ive seen three RBTA in 12g tank before but it was done my a lfs with a lot of experience.
are snails and crabs necessary for tanks? do they help clean it or something like that?

As far as you filtering goes i would remove everything out of the back. replace the pump for a nicer one if you plan on keeping SPS corals. for the three chambers i would put a heater with the return pump, live rock rubble in the middle one and the other chamber have filter floss that should be replaced weekly.
what would I do with the protein skimmer that i just bought? was that not necessary? I have it on the third chamber(right side) atm. also about the heater on the left side? since that area is half empty all the time, would that be a waste if i put it there? am i suppose to put an additional one or just move my current heater there?

Im guessing the lighting is stock 48w of PC. what that you can have softies, zoas, polys and some LPS. if you want SPS or clams your going to have to upgrade to T-5's or MH's.
hehehe i wish i knew what softies, zoas, polies and LPS are. I'm such a newb. And yes lighting is stock

Aquascaping is a difficult thing to do and your going to change ur rocks probably 100 times before you find a formation you like. I have mine up against the back wall but just make sure there's flow going to the majority of your tank.

anyways thats some advice im sure more with chime in and give some input. Do some research and read up on what others have done to their biocubes.

and the most important thing have fun and don't get frustrated. Right now im battling 3 or 4 types of invasive aglaes I was losing for about two months but i seem to have the upper hand now. tanks are something to enjoy not stress over
 
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