Oceanic 29 Gallon Tank

[Plasticreefer]

Its a beautiful tank, but, not cheap. it cost around $615 with a stand, hydrometer, heater, net, sand (60 pounds of live sand) and tempurature measurer. not cheap, but after that i had to take it to the next level, i filled the tank and dumped the sand in and it was cloudy as heck, it took a few days for it to settle down. then i went to the store and got some live rock (20.5 pounds) and a mag-float glass cleaner. how much? $170 bucks. yikes! then i had to buy some fish so i got 3 damselfish and 2 shrimp (coral banded and peppermint shrimp) 3 nassarius snails 3 blue legged dwarf hermits and a sally light foot crab. after this i got rid of the damselfish ( the human way, i returned them to the store) and got 4 blue and green chromis and 2 clownfish. Beautiful, after this as of now i just got a new coral! its a great first tank and i hope to get another 20 gal. tank soon that i can plumb up to it! its a lot of work but great fun!

[V]

sweet, im assuming someone asked you to post up what goodies youve horded cause there wasn't a question or statement in that post?

Is it set as a nano, whats your total system volume?
Id say you about maxing the bio on a your size tank without remote add-ons, is that what you meant by starting up another 20?

welcome to TR as well bud

[fat walrus]

Its a beautiful tank, but, not cheap. it cost around $615 with a stand, hydrometer, heater, net, sand (60 pounds of live sand) and tempurature measurer. not cheap, but after that i had to take it to the next level, i filled the tank and dumped the sand in and it was cloudy as heck, it took a few days for it to settle down. then i went to the store and got some live rock (20.5 pounds) and a mag-float glass cleaner. how much? $170 bucks. yikes! then i had to buy some fish so i got 3 damselfish and 2 shrimp (coral banded and peppermint shrimp) 3 nassarius snails 3 blue legged dwarf hermits and a sally light foot crab. after this i got rid of the damselfish ( the human way, i returned them to the store) and got 4 blue and green chromis and 2 clownfish. Beautiful, after this as of now i just got a new coral! its a great first tank and i hope to get another 20 gal. tank soon that i can plumb up to it! its a lot of work but great fun!
I just bought one with a stand also. I paid about $450 at Natural Life in Sunnyvale, I see you live in Redwood City.....where did you buy yours?

[Plasticreefer]

o my god i bought it there to, Natural life, the one next to macy's! thats so kool, u live in sunnyvale? wow!

[Plasticreefer]

oh and for veriann, i am going to try and set up a 20 gallon sump/display/frag tank. if you have any plumbing, fragging, or general setup tips they would be much apprieciated. i plant to hook it up to the 29 g. via a pump and overflow box then split the 20 g. in half using a net or anything u might suggest. one side will be coral fragging and one side will be either snail breeding or just normal display tank.

[cloob]

Are all 3 chambers in the back full of water? I just filled mine last night and I am not sure if the 3rd chamber is supposed to be full of water.

[Plasticreefer]

no dont fill all threee just the first should be full the rest should be medium (between Min. and Max)

P.S. how do you like it?

[cloob]

I love the biocube 29!! Right now I just have 17lbs. of Live sand and I have placed live rock in the 2nd compartment with a few Bio balls. Tonight I'm going to start picking up some Fiji Live Rock from my local pet store. My kids can't wait for the tank to cycle so they can put some fish in it :) I have a Nano skimmer in the
2nd compartment also, it fits perfectly without having to make any mods.

[SomethingFishy]

What is the name of the Shimmer that fits perfectly???? I have a BioCube 29 and am looking for a skimmer too. I heard of Tunze but you need to Dremel it out a bit :roll: I would perfer to keep it clean. Does the skimmer work well??


Thanks for the info

Pete

[Plasticreefer]

Thats great that its working out for you. i dont use a skimmer i am in the process in setting up a sump.

[Plasticreefer]

what kind of fish do you keep in your cube?

[SomethingFishy]

I don't have any fish in my tank yet I only have Invert's, but I was thinking of adding the following shortly

2 True Percula Clown Fish
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pygmy(Churub) Dwarf Angel
1 Catalina Goby
???1 Mandarin Goby ???
???1 Flame Angel ???

What do you have Platicreefer???

Pete

[JustDavidP]

Wow... 7 fish in 29 gallons?

1 Pygmy (Cherub) Dwarf Angel - Minimum tank size 10 gallons
2 True Percula Clown Fish - Minimum tank size 30 gallons
1 Royal Gramma - Minimum tank size 10 gallons
1 Catalina Goby -Minimum tank size 20 gallons *
1 Mandarin Goby (actually a dragonette) - Minimum 20 gallons **
1 Flame Angel - Minimum tank size 20 gallons

All said and done, the minimum tank sizes should be adjusted when you have high fish loads... this is a HIGH fish load for a smallish tank.

* Catalina's DO NOT like reef temperatures like the clowns, gramma etc. They are a "temperate" species and prefer temps no higher than the mid 70's F

** Although MOST retailers will say 20 gallons, that would be for a fish that has been PROVEN to eat prepared foods. Sadly, most dragonettes do NOT eat frozen food (immediately anyways) and therefore need large, well established systems with plenty of live rock (and possibly macro) to house/breed the various planktonic life that will sustain them.

I didn't have that many fish in my 75G ;) I do have 6 in my 26 bowfront, but they are some of the slowest fish in the world (seahorses, in fact, are) and I have the system sumped with a 75 Gallon system (note: sump is disconnected right now due to a project).

Dave

[SomethingFishy]

What brand of nano skimmer do you have in the second chamber??

[Plasticreefer]

I dont have one but im interested as well. i just keep my bio balls in the 2nd chamber.

[CarmieJo]

Hi cloob,

:welcome: to TR.

[Cyclura]

also, im no expert, but isnt it true that coral banded shrimp cannot be put in with any other type of shrimp due to their extremely aggressive nature?

I also have a 29gal biocube and i only plan to have 4 fish MAYBE, and they are all the smallest fish that i could find. No angels (even "dwarfs") only 2 clowns, a royal gramma, and either a neon goby or yellow watchman goby.

[JustDavidP]

also, im no expert, but isnt it true that coral banded shrimp cannot be put in with any other type of shrimp due to their extremely aggressive nature?

Even the "experts" disagree :) Actually, I had a CBS that I bought when it was an inch or so in size and successfully kept it with a pair of peppermint shrimp, a pair of skunk cleaners, and a candy cane pistol shrimp for more than a year. However, after treating for red bugs, and putting all the shrimp back into my system, the CBS (now at 2 inches and then some) beat the tar out of the peppermints. He never got to the skunks, they were fast. Nor did he get to the pistol shrimp, who rarely left his gobid pal's side.

Dave

[Plasticreefer]

My CBS is fine with my pepermint shrimps they just dont interact at all when ever they get close they both just run away i would say that theyre fine together mine is about 1 1/2 inch

[saxman]

i concur with Dave...we have a CBS that we've had collectively for over 5 years. it started out pretty timid, but now at about 4", it's pretty aggressive. i caught it chowing down on one of our peps the other night...had it in one claw and was "smoking" it like a cigar. it also grabs at the fish if they swim too close to its territory.

[Plasticreefer]

thats very interesting like i said ive never run into that issue, was that insident at night?

[itsme8719]

If any of you are still looking for a skimmer check out Sapphire Aquatics (http://www.sapphireaquatics.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4&zenid=3fa08daaae2fb265a0ccb9cfc3a04391). They make a skimmer just for the 29 gallon biocube that fits in the middle chamber without any modifications. I've ordered one and it's on its way!

[SomethingFishy]

Awesome!!!

I did look in to that option and they look very nice. Please let me know how your's works out. I heard something about you have to play with the cup so that its at the perfect water level for it to work right or it creates bubbles or something. Probably better than the Tunze

Do they ship to Canada???

Thanks for the info

[itsme8719]

Yea I'll totally let you know after I get it in and working...hopefully I'll get it in the tank thursday. I've heard from other people that the first few days it will produce a lot of bubbles but it will eventually go away...and most of the people have said that it works great.....so I guess I'll find out. I know they would ship to the UK so I don't see why they wouldn't ship to Canada.

[SomethingFishy]

I went to the site and they are all sold out. :(


I will have to wait and see once some more come in.

What are you going to do with the Bio Balls than??? Are you running a UV system as well or Fuge??

Won't getting rid of the bioballs effect the ecosystem??

That skimmer looks awesome!!! I hope I can get my hands on one:up:

[itsme8719]

I didn't even use the bioballs when i first set up the tank. I put live rock rubble in chamber 1 and 2 and i put a little filter floss in the middle chamber until I could figure out what I was going to do with it. I originally had plans to make the middle chamber into a fuge but I couldn't get the water level high enough(in the middle chamber) and since the tank is in my room I think the light would drive me crazy at night. So I tossed the fuge idea and decided to just go with a skimmer.

If you have bioballs in your tank and want to make room I'd say if you just take a few of them out here and there and leave enought time for your system to adjust then it shouldn't be a big problem. Oh and I don't have a UV system.

When I get the skimmer in (hopefully tomorrow) I'll let you know how it works! :D

[JustDavidP]

I didn't even use the bioballs when i first set up the tank. I put live rock rubble in chamber 1 and 2 and i put a little filter floss in the middle chamber until I could figure out what I was going to do with it.
Good idea...but is the filter floss needed? If not..get rid of it.


If you have bioballs in your tank and want to make room I'd say if you just take a few of them out here and there and leave enought time for your system to adjust then it shouldn't be a big problem.

Excellent advice...remove them slowly, a few at a time and let the rest of the bio-filtration catch up.

D

[itsme8719]

"Good idea...but is the filter floss needed? If not..get rid of it."

I know it's not necessary to have the filter floss.....I basically use it to muffle the sound of the water when it pours over from the 1st chamber to the 2nd. When there is nothing in the chamber it sounds like there is a hugh waterfall in my room. Which as you can imagine could get very annoying after a while....especially when you are trying to sleep ;)

[wwest]

oh come on, i think it relazing to hear all of my pumps humming and the water fall sounds and when it burps or something i think its leaking so i get out of bed,......you know what, it is annoying :) lol

[Seahorsedreams]

thats very interesting like i said ive never run into that issue, was that insident at night?

Nope, it was daily light and unfortunately I was a work and Greg couldn't find the camera.

He also was busted eating one of the Vibex snails.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y248/seahorsedreams/fish/shrimpvibex.jpg

He's always pinching at the fish.

[Plasticreefer]

wow thats a great picture! mine has not really acted up, it somtimes stomps on the coral but not bad (at least thats what i see)

[cloob]

Do you have more than one powerhead in your Bio 29? I started my Bio 29 cycle in November but want to know how other people are setting up their powerheads.

[JustDavidP]

Cloob...welcome to TR!

I can't answer from the "bio cube" user perspective, but I did keep a couple of successful nanos over the years. In both my 20G and my 12G, I used two powerheads to cause a erratic flow pattern.

Depending on the kind of tank you are setting up (softies -vs- stonies -vs- fish only) you could want even more flow...or less.

Dave

[cloob]

It is pretty much a mix of softies-stonies- and fish. It's a biocube 29 gallon. Should I just fix the powerheads so they cross each other midstream?

[JustDavidP]

Yes...exactly... Good job ya fellow New Englandah!!

[duke1231]

cloob what part of Vermont are you from, I am from Monkton.

[cloob]

I live in South Burlington, about 5 minutes from Pet Advantage and 20 minutes from Milton Mini Reef. This week I plan on finishing my tank with the remaining 11lbs. of L/R I need. This past weekend I added another 10lbs of L/S to bring the total to 30lbs. of L/S in my Biocube.

[duke1231]

oh cool I was just at the pet advantage today bought a bunch of dead coral. I have displayed on my journal. I love ThePetAdvantage they are a very smart bunch.

[cloob]

I like both Pet Advatange and Milton Mini Reef. both are full of knowledge. I'll be picking up the remaining 10lbs of Fiji L/R at Pet Advantage tonight after work.

[cloob]

I currently now have 27 lbs L/R in tank, 5lbs L/R in 2nd chamber ,with 30 lbs of L/S in tank also. 1 orange tail Damsel and 2 clownfish. I ordered the BC29 Nano Skimmer this morning from Sapphire Aquatics $105 and it fits into the back chambers without any modifications. It's made specifically for the BC29, has double chambers to keep the bubbles down.

[JustDavidP]

Gotta love bright, enthusiastic, New England Reefers ;)

D

[cloob]

Does anyone use a sweeping powerhead? I was debating on getting one to alter flow around the tank especially behind the L/R.

[JustDavidP]

I've used them... taken them out, cleaned the carbonate crud from them, reinstalled them, taken them back out when they got bound up again..and then drop kicked them into the woods....

Just my experience ;)

In the end, I bought a Red Sea WaveMaster Pro

Dave

[cloob]

Would a wavemaster be too much for a 29 gallon biocube though?

[duke1231]

I was there Monday night as well around 8:00 to about 8:45 with my wife, she started watching their Emerald Crabs grabbing at an anenome that was caught in the power heads and everytime it would come around the emerald would try to crab it. My wife was fascinated by it lol.

[cloob]

Duke,
I was there at PetAdvantage again last night around 5:15 to buy a beautiful green leather coral for my tank. Hopefully the clowns will host it. Today, my Sapphire Aquatics BC29 Nano skimmer is supposed to arrive!!! My Ph was at 7.8 last night so I'm hoping the skimmer will help raise the Ph a little.

[duke1231]

cool, what tank did you get it out of, was it the one against the wall in the back in the middle of them all?

[cloob]

It was the third tank on the left at the beginning of the saltwater fish aisle. The green leather is pretty big I had a $10 credit so it costs me $53. I have the leather placed up front in my tank where it is getting good flow and it seems pretty happy but hasn't fully come out yet. The clownfish haven't paid too much attention to it yet.

[JustDavidP]

Cloob-ster...

The wavemaker is just an alternating current switch. You can connect appropriate powerheads to match your system. I use one in my 29.

Dave

[Shananagans]

Did you pay $615 for the tank and stand, or is there more to it? I just bought the 30gallon oceanic tank, hood and stand for $145. But returned it to get the 29G bio cube and stand for $320

[cloob]

I paid a total of $409.98 for the BC29 with stand.

[Shananagans]

I believe I am going to get mine for $310.00 plus tax. I have become friends with my lfs owner. How much did all your extras run you?