14g biocube question

[phillybrock]

whats up, need a little advice. have a 14g biocube running for about 3 months. have clown,firetail,pistol shrimp,emrald crab,4 snails, live sand. the store in which i bought it had it up and running with all above except for the fish,shrimp and crab. so as far as the live rock its stocked very heavy. my question. what can not go in a 14 gallon biocube? anem would be great but from what i keep hearing its too small of a tank and the stock lighting is not good enough. any thoughts

 

[dakota9]

Does it have the upgraded stock lights (two bulbs)?

I'm looking for pics of my old bio cube now.

Just stay away from any fish that isn't a "nano" fish

 

[brianjfinn]

14 gallons is probably too small for an anemone. If you only have the compact fluorescent lighting, you ought to stick with things like soft corals, although you could get away with a few LPS corals, and other small livestock. I'm really partial to gobies, which generally do very well in nano tanks.

Also, I think the list of what cannot go in a 14 gallon is longer than what can. Why don't you tell us what you had in mind.

 

[schwimmair]

Hi, my clown hosts in a hairy mushroom. Pretty easy to keep.

Schwimm

 

[dakota9]

I would respectfully disagree and say that a well chosen anemone would do well in a 14g tank, providing of course you have the proper experience to care for it. A bta would do well, but you might limit your choices to that one type, and only after fully learning of it's care.

 

[phillybrock]

Lighting: lunar blue-moon glow led lamps, actinic 03 blue compact fluorescent, and 10k daylight compact fluorescent. Have some shrooms and some other corals. Would like to see more life roaming around so any suggestions?

 

[pufferchris]

diamond goby lots of character and will keep your sand clean

 

[brianjfinn]

I always love pom pom crabs and porcelain anemone crabs (other porcelains stay hidden more than the anemone crab). Like I said, there are a number of different types of gobies that will add life and color. Might even be able to get a shrimp goby to pair with your pistol shrimp.

 

[phillybrock]

I have a watchman goby as well sry left him out. Ya would like something to clean my sand

 

[dakota9]

I would suggest you replace the actinic bulb with a 50/50 bulb, that way you get 33% more usable light from the same amount of watts used. Actinic is really only for our benefit (I think some studies have suggested that it helps some species, but it's usefulness is really limited to our viewing pleasure).

Rules were meant to be broken in this hobby, just know that when you break a rule, quick response with the knowledge to correct the issue is key...

Learn, learn, learn....... and then buy!

 

[phillybrock]

So your saying 50/50 is better but not as viewing pleasure? Is it that big of a difference?

 

[pufferchris]

seeing as you already have a goby i would not add another but these fish have some nice colors,,,,,pearly jawfish or black cap basslet or orange lined cardinal

 

[dakota9]

It still gives you some blue to counteract those god awful yellow coralife 10ks, plus it adds more usable light to your tank.

You might not really notice the change, but your corals will.

My BC14 had 48 watts in the hood, is that the same as yours? Sounds like it.

 

[pufferchris]

+1 on lighting i have a 30 gallon reef and use a 24 gallon aqua pod as the sump and i run a 250 watt 20k ushio mh on it i tyed the 14k but to yellow love the blue

 

[pufferchris]

a friend of mine has a 14g bc he got rid of the top and added a 150w mh clip on

 

[brianjfinn]

PufferChris;499429 wrote: seeing as you already have a goby i would not add another but these fish have some nice colors,,,,,pearly jawfish or black cap basslet or orange lined cardinal

There are plenty of other gobies that would do well in this tank in addition to the livestock he already has. Any shrimp goby, catalina goby, neon blue goby, etc. They tend to be less aggressive than other fish, except for the firefish, which isn't technically a goby.

Although with a clown (which is a type of damsel) and a firefish, I'd be careful adding any livestock to this tank, as they both can be pretty aggressive and territorial.

 

[dwhatley]

A flower anemone will work and may or may not host the clown but won't hurt it. A curly que will also work but I don't know of a clown/curly que hosting where I do know of a flower/clown arrangement. Neither require intense lighting, the curly que produces less waste.

 

[trigger-happy]

Catalina Gobies are subtropical, NOT tropical. Their natural habitat is off the eastern coast of the US, from waters between 60 and 70 degrees. While they CAN survive in the 80-ish degree water of a tropical reef tank, it is not healthy to maintain them there for extended periods of time. Like any environmental stress (poor water quality, for example), it can and probably will make the fish more susceptible to diseases, resulting in a shorter projected lifespan.

 

[trigger-happy]

Sorry, western coast. Got my east and west mixed up for a minute.

 

[kwolf]

I have a 14 Gallon Biocube.

I highly recommend upgrading the lighting to T5HO. I use a daylight and a 50/50. No pure actinics = more par for corals. The PC lighting that came with the biocube I have over the back for a little nutrient export (in the middle chamber) with cheato growing.

For livestock. You said you already have a clown and ...firetail (do you mean firefish) or do you have a FireTail Dottyback? The firefish should be okay, but I wouldn't keep that dottyback in a 14 gallon.

You've a pistol but no pistol fish? I would highly recommend getting a shrimp goby of some kind. I have an orange spotted goby in mine. Great shrimp goby-he's in my avatar. Other options would be a highfin, randalls, ect...

You sound new to the hobby, so I would hold off on the nem. Something to worry about: In a small biocube, if the nem wants to "wonder"...well things get killed/stung along the way. Especially if the lighting isn't high enough to suite its needs.

Maybe one more nano goby after that (but no more): elactinus</em> genus or trimma</em>. Think: Green banded gobies, neon gobies, red head gobies, trimma gobies, tiger gobies ect... Just say no to Catalinas. I don't know why fish stores still carry them. Temperate water systems only. They are from the Pacific. Also stay away from Margaretta snails. Same deal.