New Biocube (Coralife) 32 Questions

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Francine

New Member
First time poster, long time researcher lol
Basically my history with fish keeping is around 30+ years with FW and Brackish Tanks... long story short... I already suffer from MTS and have MANY tanks and MANY varieties of fish and others (3x Axolotls, ACF’s, ACDF’s and pretty much have or have had any FW/Brackish water fish big and small)

However, this is my first full SW tank...
So I got the Coralife Biocube 32....
I am at the point where this week I will be filling and starting my cycle..., the items I am using are the following:

-Caribsea Liferock Shapes (aiming for about 27lbs)

-Caribsea special grade reef sand (aiming for around 1.5” ‘s)

- egg crate (just going to cut small pieces for under the sharper bottom parts of rock

- epoxy** (to hold liferock shapes together and to egg crate pieces) Forget the name but it’s the little balls you melt together

- cobalt neotherm 150w Heater

- 2x cobalt MJ 1200’s (one to use for mixing SW and also blowing detritus out of rock work and one that I am TRYING to replace the stock pump with)

All testing equipment (even for when I have corals - some api some Red Sea some salifert...

InTank media rack (top to bottom will have- InTank filer floss, purigen, chemipure elite, I have also purchased an extra shelf just in case I need to add phosguard (which I have on hand and The bag for it) or something for a temporary spike (was advised not to keep this stuff in all the time... use it to lower phosphates when needed and then remove)

I have several hydrometers, refractometers and the new scionix (?) digital one that I will HIGHLY recommend to anyone who has not seen it yet... it’s very simple to use and calibrate and I’ve been testing it on my brackish tanks and it’s well worth the money for the ease of use... watch some videos!!

InTank Fuge: will have Chaeto and have the jbj nano Fuge magnetic light (planning on seeding with some pods in hopes to have a population grow in there and sustain itself eventually or if the pods don’t work out it will just be Chaeto for nutrient removal) and I will just dose pods as needed into DT

InTank fish saver guard- have heard this product has saved many of fish from small clowns to gobies (both of which I will have)

I got the Coralife skimmer for free so I may try to use it in chamber 1 with the heater also if it will fit... if it doesn’t work (mixed reviews on them) I may just ditch it as I’ve been told I don’t really need a skimmer anyway

No light upgrade yet- if I do it will be Steve’s (but we plan on just keeping softies and maybe some easier LPS closer to the top of rock work for now)

Hydor Aqamai KPS WiFi wave maker (I forget the exact gph but it’s like 350-1050 or about that area) will be placing on the left side close to back by 3rd chamber

Bio spira- to aid cycle using fishless with Dr Tim’s ammonia

I’m probably forgetting stuff but I’m sure someone will mention it and I probably have it lol

Now after all that- My Questions:

1- It seems the MJ1200 is the popular replacement pump... I attempted to install mine tonight how it seems like a tight fit... I used the suction cup part and the end part that protects the impeller.... the hose also seems to be a bit loose- my plan is to either see a picture of how others have it installed because I don’t know how else to do it (and I do better with a picture) and to place zip ties on the stock tubing around the nozzle to keep it from coming off... the suction cup part also doesn’t stick really well but I haven’t played with it much yet- do anyone with a 32g Coralife that has done this if you could please post a picture of what you did and how you placed it... I assumed it would be easy considering the amount of people that have done this

2- I can’t seem to get the fish saver guard on while still using that overflow tray... do I need that tray? And if so how does it fit with the InTank fish saver..... also it gets clipped just to the tank not the InTank stuff as well right? They stay free from it?

3- The lovely sponge between chamber 2 and 3.... remove or keep.... its about 50/50 on what people do... 1- I don’t want my Chaeto getting out and clogging my pump so that’s my consideration on keeping it... if I do keep it I will have 2 sponges... every water change (weekly) I will remove the sponge and put the other one in... the one I took out will be thouroughly rinsed and cleaned using fresh distilled or ro/di water left to dry out and then just keep swapping and replacing them with water changes to keep it from becoming a complete nitrAte factory (this is the advice of Steve from InTank) He says this method will keep it from trapping too many nitrAtes.... or 2- remove it completely and come up with another plan to keep the Chaeto from going into chamber 3 and clogging up my pump and going into the DT itself.... if anyone runs the MJ1200 and the InTank Fuge with Chaeto, I would like to hear your approach

Now I know to only cycle with filter floss and nothing else and then do a large water change before adding cuc and fish... I know once I start adding them to add my stuff to my media rack... but when should I add the Chaeto? Right after cycle is finished to get it growing? So basically same time as the cuc?

4- For the first several months this will be a fish and cuc only tank... as we are going to take it very slowly... for my beginner CUC I will have:
2x Trochus snails
2x Cerith snails
2-3 Dwarf Cerith Snails
2x Nascarius (excuse my spelling lol) snails
2x Tectus snails
2-3 MINI turbo snails- NOT the big ones

Does this sound like too many for a beginner crew... I don’t mine if I lose a couple and will adjust if I have to add more based on needs of tank... I tried to choose a good variety that can all survive on different types of things (some obviously will consume similar items but each will also eat things that others won’t)

Fish:
2x Clownfish
1x ywg and pistol shrimp combo
Those are my certain fish: now advice on some others WITHOUT over stocking- not wanting all of these fish but would like to add 1-2 more..... just not sure what the best options with my “for sure fish” would be....
-1x pink streaked wrasse
-1x some kind of blenny (tail spot maybe?)
-1x royal gramma
I would like a tank where I will actually see my fish... I don’t care too much for the ones that hide all the time... I would like them to be more out in the open... so any other suggestions I am open to... again don’t want to overstock... and will be adding corals after all fish and cuc are added and stable.... and yes I know not to add all the fish at once lol they will be spread out by a minimum of a week apart (probably 2 weeks) but will just be going by joe levels are week by week....
I do plan on adding that cuc all at once though... (after cycle is complete again may adjust numbers depending on how bad it looks when cycle is done)

Is anyone spotting any issues with the fish and cuc? (I don’t want any crabs and would be maybe open to one more smaller shrimp)
Also I’m which order should I add them... some have told me to start with the goby/shrimp combo and work my way up to the more aggressive fish.....and others have told me that shrimp are too sensitive to add to a newly cycled tank....and others have said it doesn’t matter.... so a bit confused

Also how do you guys acclimate your cuc? Your fish? Some say I need to drip acclimate everything and others say the float the bag and just add a bit of tank water every 10-15 minutes for about 30-40 minutes to adjust them to the ph and then let them out....
I should add that all my inverts, snails, fish everything come from my lfs (it’s not a Petco or Walmart) it’s a real fish store lol and when I order my fish or whatever it all comes directly from their suppliers in my own bags (oxygenated) and separate from their ordered fish... and I pick up the order as soon as it’s delivered...

I apologize for the long post but I figured why not get it all out there at once and see what people can answer!
Hoping to get some good answers although I’m well aware there are more ways than 1 to skin a cat so I’m just looking at different sites to see what the most common answers are... and mostly looking for people who have the same biocube and mods so they can tell me what has exactly worked for them long term....
Anything I have over looked or missed please add your comments in.... and I will gladly address if I have just forgot to mention it or if I have questions about it...

Thank you all in advance... and again I apologize for the long post... it will be the only one lol
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
Looks like you have everything fairly well under control. I'm not sure about the intank fuge. I've never tried it, but it would seem to be too small and limited to do much good. Then again, I don't think it would hurt anything.

Cleanup crews are usually fairly tough. I've heard people recommend everything from "just dump them in" to do a real slow, long drip acclimation. I tend to use something about in the middle, usually a fairly fast drip, unless it's something especially delicate or tricky. I like using a drip because it's a much more even process compared to just adding some water.
 
F

Francine

New Member
The InTank fuge’s are actually pretty big for an AIO tank... at least the ones designed for the 32 Coralife are.... I could grown mounts and mounts of Chaeto in it.... it’s its own separate compartment... many many people use them both just for growing macro algae’s and others use them for both growing pods and keeping macro algae.... my concern was not really the quality of it... I’ve seen evidence it works and works well... more of my concern was about if people who grow Chaeto in it... if they remove the sponge and it causes lots of it to escape.... not really interested in how it performs because I know it works.... I just don’t want to be chasing it around the tank.... or have it constantly clogging up around my MJ1200...
But thank you for the response
 
D

Darla

New Member
I just set mine up last night. And have a lot of similar questions only dumbed down lol
I had a sw tank 10 years ago,but have forgotten a lot of what I knew.
I husband bought me the 3w biocube for my birthday, the other day.
Started with live rock and crushed coral.

Was hoping for some help and suggestions but no one seemed to see my post lol

Maybe I should get a book lol

Good luck with yours! Maybe we'll see a picture some time:)
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Francine said:
The lovely sponge between chamber 2 and 3.... remove or keep.... its about 50/50 on what people do... 1- I don’t want my Chaeto getting out and clogging my pump so that’s my consideration on keeping it... if I do keep it I will have 2 sponges... every water change (weekly) I will remove the sponge and put the other one in... the one I took out will be thouroughly rinsed and cleaned using fresh distilled or ro/di water left to dry out and then just keep swapping and replacing them with water changes to keep it from becoming a complete nitrAte factory (this is the advice of Steve from InTank) He says this method will keep it from trapping too many nitrAtes.... or 2- remove it completely and come up with another plan to keep the Chaeto from going into chamber 3 and clogging up my pump and going into the DT itself.... if anyone runs the MJ1200 and the InTank Fuge with Chaeto, I would like to hear your approach
Click to expand...

Seems many use the sponges at first and then after some time tend to stop using them for a variety of reasons (mainly they collect detritus that then breaks down and adds nitrates to the water). As you say, it will help keep the algae in place and if you will be cleaning the sponges on a weekly basis, then you will likely not have the nitrate issues coming from the sponges.

Francine said:
Now I know to only cycle with filter floss and nothing else and then do a large water change before adding cuc and fish... I know once I start adding them to add my stuff to my media rack... but when should I add the Chaeto? Right after cycle is finished to get it growing? So basically same time as the cuc?
Click to expand...

When you cycle a tank, it is true that no living animals should be in the tank. It used to be done with a fish, but it is inhuman to allow an organism to suffer in high ammonia and nitrite levels. But, if you are cycling with rock that isn't live rock (as is nothing is living on it), then you need to kick off the cycle with some sort of ammonia. What do you plan to use?

Francine said:
For the first several months this will be a fish and cuc only tank... as we are going to take it very slowly... for my beginner CUC I will have:
2x Trochus snails
2x Cerith snails
2-3 Dwarf Cerith Snails
2x Nascarius (excuse my spelling lol) snails
2x Tectus snails
2-3 MINI turbo snails- NOT the big ones

Does this sound like too many for a beginner crew... I don’t mine if I lose a couple and will adjust if I have to add more based on needs of tank... I tried to choose a good variety that can all survive on different types of things (some obviously will consume similar items but each will also eat things that others won’t)
Click to expand...

Seems a reasonable amount. Start off with a few b/c you can always add more later if needed.

Francine said:
Fish:
2x Clownfish
1x ywg and pistol shrimp combo
Those are my certain fish: now advice on some others WITHOUT over stocking- not wanting all of these fish but would like to add 1-2 more..... just not sure what the best options with my “for sure fish” would be....
-1x pink streaked wrasse
-1x some kind of blenny (tail spot maybe?)
-1x royal gramma
I would like a tank where I will actually see my fish... I don’t care too much for the ones that hide all the time... I would like them to be more out in the open... so any other suggestions I am open to... again don’t want to overstock... and will be adding corals after all fish and cuc are added and stable.... and yes I know not to add all the fish at once lol they will be spread out by a minimum of a week apart (probably 2 weeks) but will just be going by joe levels are week by week....
I do plan on adding that cuc all at once though... (after cycle is complete again may adjust numbers depending on how bad it looks when cycle is done)

Is anyone spotting any issues with the fish and cuc? (I don’t want any crabs and would be maybe open to one more smaller shrimp)
Also I’m which order should I add them... some have told me to start with the goby/shrimp combo and work my way up to the more aggressive fish.....and others have told me that shrimp are too sensitive to add to a newly cycled tank....and others have said it doesn’t matter.... so a bit confused
Click to expand...

Agree to start with less aggressive fish and add the most aggressive fish last. The clowns and royal gramma will become territorial over time in your tank, add them last.

Adding a blenny with the ywg and pistol shrimp combo may or may not be an issue depending on which blenny you go with. Your tank may not allow enough room for a bottom dwelling blenny with the ywg and pistol shrimp combo. Read up on what type of territory the blenny would be in and avoid if you find that it will be in the same space as the ywg and pistol shrimp combo.

The blenny (depending on they type) and royal gramma may tend to stay hidden as they can be shy. Same for the wrasse at first. But, over time that wrasse will be out in the open more so then any of the fish on your list. It will constantly be swimming in the water column. Followed by the clowns, then likely the gramma.

Don't be surprised if the ywg and pistol shrimp burrow in a location where you can't see them. They don't always choose a location that is great for your viewing. lol

When adding fish to the display tank, I'd recommend adding one a month, while watching your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Allow the tank's biological functioning to catch up with the bioload you are adding to the tank. I'd add the clowns last and both at the same time. I find having one clown a little bigger then the other easier then two clowns the same size. They will bicker and fight until one claims dominance over the other. Having one a little bigger allows that dominance issues to resolve a little easier with less actual harm done to each fish (from nipping, etc.).

Francine said:
Also how do you guys acclimate your cuc? Your fish? Some say I need to drip acclimate everything and others say the float the bag and just add a bit of tank water every 10-15 minutes for about 30-40 minutes to adjust them to the ph and then let them out....
I should add that all my inverts, snails, fish everything come from my lfs (it’s not a Petco or Walmart) it’s a real fish store lol and when I order my fish or whatever it all comes directly from their suppliers in my own bags (oxygenated) and separate from their ordered fish... and I pick up the order as soon as it’s delivered...
Click to expand...

I usually set up a observation tank, so very little goes straight into my display tank w/o observation first. And I have a frag tank for inverts. I recommend this b/c all it takes is one horrible introduction of parasite or disease to wipe out my display tank.

I acclimate all critters. Sometimes I use the drip acclimation and other times I clip the bags to the side of the tank allowing them to float while I add tank water to the bag every 5 mins or so and emptying the bag when it gets too full, so I can keep adding tank water to it. Eventually the bag has more tank water then the water it came with the critter. All bag water is disposed of, none goes into my tank. Critters are either netted or hand held (or using gloves) to transfer from bag to tank.

When introducing new fish to my display tank I use a fish acclimation box. Highly recommend. New fish won't get beat up by current inhabitants. I usually keep the new fish in there from 5-7 days. Make sure it is eating regularly (can be difficult to get fish to eat).
 
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