bio cubes
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59982
Printed Date: July 01 2026 at 8:34pm
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Topic: bio cubes
Posted By: TropicalWelle
Subject: bio cubes
Date Posted: October 30 2012 at 9:55pm
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I was just wondering what the best brand of 29 gallon bio cube was? I have just started to look at them and found several brands and comments. Thought I would ask this group.
------------- Jene |
Replies:
Posted By: Dionysus
Date Posted: October 30 2012 at 11:19pm
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I like the hqi biocubes you can grow just about anything. ------------- AquaMedic 250 Watt XM 20k 2 420s Vhos 29 DT SPS Dominant 20 G Long Frag http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56607&title=dionysus-tank-build" rel="nofollow - My Tank Progress =) |
Posted By: Molli
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 8:51am
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TropicalWelle wrote:Posted By: backwards32
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 9:53am
| If you want a self contained cube I would go with the red sea max. They have all the things that Molli just stated. It has a skimmer and everything all built in. I am actually getting ready to sell mine if you are interested. |
Posted By: jdskidawg
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 10:24am
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Another helpful hint for a small aquarium is an ATO (Auto Top Off) Sure you can manually top off every day or once a week depending, but it’s easyt to forget and if you want to go anywhere for a lengthy period of time you want to have something in place to take care of it for you Just something to think about ------------- 150 in the works 8g Biocube,minijet 606,par38 led and Intank media tower,koralia nano |
Posted By: TropicalWelle
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 8:28pm
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Yes I would be new to reefing, having said that, I have had fresh water for several years. I appreciate the comments so far and match what I have been reading on the marine fish store sites. I guess I was confused why the manufactures didn't address skimmers, quieter better fans, more circulation pumps and the lighting issues. What I was seeing were kits around $200-$400 range with the Red Sea Max around $900.00 addressing those issues. So I see that I would get what I payed for. Thanks so much for your comments. ------------- Jene |
Posted By: backwards32
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 8:32pm
| Ya. I really enjoy my red sea max. I am selling mine for $600 and it has LED lights |
Posted By: pgravis
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 11:00pm
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Not to damper anyone's sells (sorry backwards32!) but I agree with molli. Skip the all-in-ones. I downgraded from a 65g with a sump to the Red Sea max 34 and I hated it. The skimmer was worthless, the return pumps were weak and the lighting was extremely limited. I know you can upgrade skimmers, pumps and lights but at that point you might as well buy a different system. And once you have a tank, you will want to upgrade anyhow. Just my opinions (and I seem to be in the minority in regards to Red Sea products). Welcome to a great hobby ------------- See my house: www.eclecticvictorian.com |
Posted By: bur01014
Date Posted: October 31 2012 at 11:31pm
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A 40 gallon breeder with sump would be a great little setup that would serve you well I think. These setups are fairly common as a 40 breeder has enough depth for a great aquascape, without having to deal with gallons and gallons of water. If you're patient enough, you could stay on top of the for sale section and gather quality equipment for a fraction of the cost. As far as all-in-ones, red seas do seem to be the better choice, but I too would agree that you should just stay away from them... |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: November 01 2012 at 3:15am
| My first set up was a 72 bow front . The size gave me plenty of time to react to all the mistakes I made in my chemistry etc. But bows (bow fronts) create some space issues underneath the tank for equipment. I am asked by many looking to get into salt (because I never stop talking about it) what I would recommend . My answer is always go as big or small as you want but but bigger is actually easier unless you go bigger than say around 65 gal. This is just my o2 but there are alot of great deals on 55-65 gal tanks that are ready to run that are not all in 1s for under $900 . My first I pieced together from this forum and had .....72g bow, mag 12 return, SWC 160 skimmer, Nova extreme 4' 6x54w T-5, aqua controller jr with a dc4 and dc8 . all for under $800 . Good luck and keep asking questions , so many opions and advice here . |
Posted By: bmac2
Date Posted: November 01 2012 at 8:28am
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my first tank was my 90 gallon. I have played with a 20 gallon nano tank and it was much tougher than my 90. I really believe it is easier and better for someone to start with a 65 to 90 gallon tank so there is room for error as you learn. I keep hearing people getting small tanks, them being very hard to get stable and quitting. If you know what you are doing, there are some totally awesome small tanks around, and even some locally in this club. But those are usually run by people with more experience.
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Posted By: rize2
Date Posted: November 01 2012 at 8:47am
| I started with a biocube 14, I didn't want to put a ton of money into a tank until I knew what I was doing, had a fair grasp on how everything worked. That said, I quickly learned that 14 was so small that I couldn't do things that I wanted. I've had a few tanks between now and then including a 55 gal. I currently have a RSM 130d and it is by far my favorite tank. I think people make too big a deal of how hard it is to keep a smaller tank. I haven't had any issues with keeping my levels steady. Sure my tank doesn't look like billy's, lairds, Thu's or brads. But I am happy with it and I do get good growth from all my sps, lps and zoas. The two things that make my life easy are my ATO and my skimmer. Definitely get these two things no matter what set up you go with. |
Posted By: Fatman
Date Posted: November 01 2012 at 9:12am
The manufacturer is trying to get the least expensive product to beat the competition. If you see a Red Sea Max for $900 and a brand XXX for $500 that appear to have many of the same features you chose the cheaper unit. Gives you 400 bucks for coral. The experienced eye will see that in the long run the Red Sea is a better buy. Picking up parts and pieces and building your own can be about as cost effective (especially if you use the classified here) and you end up with exactly what you want. For someone new to saltwater I'd recommend a 55 with a 20 + gallon sump. It's a bit harder to mess up the chemistry in a bigger tank. Fat ------------- February 4: Winter Banquet at the Living Planet Aquarium Tickets: http://utahreefs.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=36 |