How is the Oceanic Biocube 29G as a starter reef tank?

[crc2k]

Hey Everyone,

I have had fresh water tanks all my life and I decided I want to start a reef tank. I was looking at the Oceanic 29G Biocube kit. Its on sale at Petco for $399 including the stand. Will this be a good starter tank or will it be to small? I like this is just because it comes with almost everything I need to get started. What does everyone think??

Thanks!
Chris

[chrome91]

its a alright start but for beginners i usually recommend getting a 40g breeder or 75g and getting parts yourself rather than a all in one, im not a fan of all in ones

[goldenmacman]

id agree.. although i do have a 29g biocube.. it go with something bigger... youll find that there are alot of restrictions with a tank that size.. i wish i got a bigger one to start with...

[jnohs]

i had a 29 and a 14. they were both cool. but i wish i never got them. everything is prapritaory. meaning it is useless on onother tank. and the lighting is subpar. also the wet dry filter is not really empolyed anymore in reef systems.

If i were you I would get a 36 or 48 inch tank. no mateer howmany gallons. make sure to get one with an overflow built in. probably could find one with a stand for 350. then just use a plain old tank as your sump. get a cheasy seaclone skimmer 110$ i use the small seaclone on my 75gallon tank and it kicks but for me. and now a return pump a rio 2500 0r 3100 is 70 bucks and now a light a hagen t5ho twin bulb fixture is good to start with. and when you want more light you could just add an additional fixture. so it isnt a waist. that is 129 plus 40 for bulbs 170

so grand total is

350 tank-stand
110 skimmer
70 pump
170 lights
-------
700

sounds like a lot but go in small steps get your self the tank and stand thats cheap enough to start with. the after that it is a couple small purchases and whala on your way to begien learning reefing.

that is what i wish i did and probably most people wishes who chose the same path as me and opted for a biocube and not a real tank.


what ever you go with i must highly recomend only getting a tank with built in overflows. no overflows or HOB overflows sucks big time. and your tank and surface clarity and peace of mind will be much better.

[crc2k]

Hey Guys.. thanks for all the info.... My wife ended up getting me the 29g Biocube for my Bday.. So I guess im starting with that :-)

[Nervoustime]

Congrats on your 29 gallon Biocube. You will do fine with your new tank. I started with a 24 gallon Aquapod for my first reef tank. The biggest advice that I could give you is that you should go very slow with adding livestock. Take your time and pick up pieces that really stand out to you. You will be limited in space, so you should choose wisely. Also, it is important to read up on items that you will be purchasing. I learned the hard way on some pieces. You will get a lot of advice from different people, but at the end, you will need to do most of the work yourself. Best of luck and Happy Birthday!!!

[Tru2nr]

the 29 will be nice its alot better then starting out with a 10g like i did where i learned everything via trial and error and what i learned from other people just remember if your not testing for it don't dose it

[jnohs]

yes yes congrats on the bio cube. I am sorry i was bashing it. If any thing this tank will hopefully make begening this hobby easyier. just go SLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


SLOW!!!!
SLOW!!!
that is it all my advice sumed up in one. good luck and any questions will be delightfully anwsered.

[krak256]

for skimmer, dont get the oceanic biocube skimmer. it doesnt do squat. i have it on my 14g biocube. get a tunze 9002 or something similar.

[yungreefer2410]

also take out the bio-balls now. they a a nitrate facotry. do you understand the cycle?

[Sculler]

I love my BC29. I am also new to salt and although I see myself eventually moving up to bigger and "better," I think the BC29 is a great place to learn as long as you don't try to get too advanced. And based on my experience so far, I am in no rush to upgrade.

I am stock on the lights, upgraded the pump to MJ1200, modified the replaceable filter with coarse filter sponge, put a heater in the first chamber, and put a skimmer in the middle chamber (remove the bio-balls). That's it - and it is running great.

If you want a recommendation on the skimmer, I LOVE my skimmer from Sapphire Aquatics. They make a skimmer specifically for the BC29 and it fits without any mods and you can close the back cover. And, their customer service is outstanding!

Good luck with the new tank!

[lcstorc]

What a nice Bday present.
Hubby got me an Aquapod for our anniversary one year. It was a very thoughtful gift.
Go slow and enjoy your reef.

[jeffreyKTM]

the biocube is a decent starting point to grow into a bigger system.....and if you deep six the hobby you aren't out as much $$....I ended up putting the contents of 3 biocubes into one decent sized 94gal and ended up moving to halides for light....this lessened the cost of stocking a new setup....and now my cubes are specimen tanks which they are very good for especially if you want something like a mantis shrimp....

[Basile]

Originally Posted by crc2k

Hey Everyone,

I have had fresh water tanks all my life and I decided I want to start a reef tank. I was looking at the Oceanic 29G Biocube kit. Its on sale at Petco for $399 including the stand. Will this be a good starter tank or will it be to small? I like this is just because it comes with almost everything I need to get started. What does everyone think??

Thanks!
Chris

i had freshwater aquariums before, and started with a biocube 29 G myself. I think its better to start small. Big aquarium costs more to upgrade and can discourage you a long the way. If you can master a small all included system, youl'll be ready for a bigger one and your mistake will cost you less. As an example; your skimmer in the biocube second chamber is $170.00 for an upgrade. If you have a bigger system it can go to $ 300.00 or more. So its better to learn the trade with a small system and when your ready you can upgrade with a certain knowledge of what works and how it works. I just upgraded to a 65 G. The lighting alone cost $ 1 000.00 As a rookee i wouldn't never wanted to pay that much, but now that i know what i'm looking for and what i'll be doing , i bought what is necessary for my needs. Good luck. By the way the biocube 29G is great, but the if i had a second beginning i think i would of gone with the Red Sea Max NEW 130D 34 Gallon Complete Reef .
here's the link Red Sea MAX130D | New from Red Sea its cool and complete.