BC14 Take 2

liverock27

liverock27

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Thought I would start a thread on my old 14 gallon Biocube that I am setting back up after 2+ years out of the hobby.

I am making some modifications to the BC from that last time I ran it.
I am switching out the 3 PC bulbs for 2 Ecoxotic Panorama LED Modules that will be here on Tuesday(I will post picks of this mod). I am also installing a R2 Moonlight.
I have switched out the live rock rubble that I kept in the 2nd chamber for anhttp://shop.mediabaskets.com/BioCube-14-Media-Basket-BC14MR.htm?categoryId=-1"> InTank Media Basket</a> which I will be running filter floss, purigen, and chemi-pure elite in.
I am keeping the MJ900 for use as the pump and have a Koralia Nano for added movement.

I was lucky enough to pickup some nice sand and live rock from fellow reefers this weekend and as soon as the lights are here on Tuesday I will post pictures of the tank and the mods.

Looking forward to being back in the hobby and back on ARC.

Thanks.
 
awesome..im very interested in your LED mod..i have pretty much the same setup but im using a sunpod 70w right now...whats the par of the LEDs u r gonna use?...im kinda worried about my sunpod producing too much heat when it starts to get warmer..ill def need to get some fans
 
Just got a tracking update that the lights won't get here until Wednesday, not Tuesday like orignally scheduled. Only good thing is now the LEDs and Moonlight are going to be here on the same day, so I don't have to take a part the hood two days in a row.

The Media Basket is suppose to be here on Thursday.

This is the hardest part of the hobby...waiting!!
 
ajcvol2604;606817 wrote: I have one of the Ecoxotic Panorama LED Modules in my 14g BC now and will be adding another soon. Im really enjoying my decision to get the ecoxotic strip and cannot wait to get the actinic module here soon! I'm with you, taking apart that hood is a PAIN!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you like your strip. I ended up buying two of the dual strips, but I thought about buying one of each.
 
The LEDs arrived this afternoon, but I didn't get home until late tonight. I got the acrylic cut and the holes drilled for mounting it to the canopy and mounting the strips to the acrylic, but I am going to leave the rest for tomorrow. Don't want to rush it.

The Media Basket for the 2nd chamber and Fish guard are suppose to be here tomorrow.

I picked up sand, live rock and filled the tank this past Sunday as well.

I will get some pictures of everything tomorrow and post them.
 
I finally got home earlier enough to work on the lights and got everything up and running.

Here is a picture of the LEDs. They are just simply mounted on the acrylic I cut the other evening with stainless steel screws. I ran the wires through the originals holes from the PC lights and then used zip ties to secure the extra wire out of the way.
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This second picture is with the splash guard back in place and my new R2 Moonlights installed on the front.
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I also put my http://shop.mediabaskets.com/BioCube-14-Media-Basket-BC14MR.htm?categoryId=-1">inTank Media Basket</a> in the 2nd chamber(sorry I didn't get a picture before I did). I ran into some trouble with it. At first it was cutting down the flow so much that the 3rd chamber was running dry. I figured out that the Chemi Pure and Purigen bags were stopping up too many of the holes, so I moved them around and everything seems to be working now.

I will get some pictures either tomorrow or Saturday of the tank with the lights on.
 
ajcvol2604;608419 wrote: Looks good. I am planning on having the exact same set up when I get the 2nd strip. Where did you get those moonlights? One of the original moonlines that came with the cube is not as bright as the other and I cannot figure out what is cauising it.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
The new moonlight is a R2 Moonlight - 5 LED kit(not sure if I can post a link to the vendor I bought it from, but just google it).
It comes with two clips and either screws or duble sided tape to attach them to the splash guard. I had two holes already in the splash guard from my last set of moonlights and they were just a little to close together to hold this new light properly. I ended up using a nut and bolt on one side, but because the new hole would have been to close to the existing hole I couldn't drill a new one and had to use the double sided tape that came with the new light

It is super bright and I will get a picture of just the Moonlight up this evening along with some pictures with all the lights running.
 
Took a few pictures of the tank this evening with both of the LEDs on.

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ICEMAN832;608816 wrote: Nice...I just sold my 6g LED nano cube. Great little tanks. Yours looks amazing
Click to expand...

Thanks. I just wish I had a better camera.

My BRS 2 Part Kit, Mg Test kit, and new heater were suppose to get here today, but due to all the bad weather it looks like they won't get here until Monday.

All my tests continue to look good after the second water change. My Calcium level is a little low, but that is what the 2 part is for.
 
bluffmagjeff;608850 wrote: It really looks great. What are you planning for coral/critters?
Click to expand...

Thanks.

For fish I am thinking a pair of clowns and a green or yellow clown goby. Down the line I would like to add a sand sifting goby or something that remains on the bottom of the tank. I have had to explain to my wife over and over that we can't have a Mandarin goby in this small of a tank. She just loves all their colors and the way they swim.
I am planning on keeping a number of different invertebrates. Gold Banded Coral Shrimp, Emerald Crab, etc.
Coral wise I am thinking of a mix reef. I am not sure how well these LEDs are going to do with SPS, so I will give a small(less expensive) piece a try in a few months. I do love Acans and Zoas.
 
Thanks yall.

I ended up going with the dual lights. They look really nice, but I almost wish there was a little more blue. I guess I could take care of that by running the moonlight with them in the evening when I will be viewing the tank during the week.
 
I received my new heater, ATO, and BRS 2 Part kit the other day. I have my Cal, Alk, and MG up to were I want them and now it will just be playing around with the dosing as I add corals. The ATO is also up and running.

All the water tests have been good, but since all of the sand and rock came from an existing setup I didn't expect much of a cycle. I am hoping to get by the lfs this weekend and pickup a few things to add some movement to the tank and I will update with pictures.
 
The diatom outbreak has gone away and I added a small cleanup crew last weekend(2 astraea snails, 4 nassarius snails, and an emerald crab).

I pickedup a blue coral banded shrimp and some really nice nuclear green zoas from Darren yesterday(I will get a picture up this weekend). I am thinking about adding another blue coral banded shrimp since I read in Coral magazine that they should be kept in pairs, but have also read on some sale sites that only one should be kept in a tank. So I am debating if it is a good idea or not.

I did make a few more purchases that should all be here next week. A NanoMag Magnetic Cleaner, Aqua-Mags Rock-Mag Jr, and the big purchase is a Reefkeeper Elite(Net) package from DA.

Really looking forward to getting the RKE in and setting it up. Hopefully it will help me organize all the mess I have in my stand(wires and timers).
 
Picked up a pair of Black Ocellaris this morning and they are swimming all over the tank side by side. They even ate some food this afternoon.

I have a lot of new toys that will be in this week. On top of the RKE and other stuff I listed in the last post I have 2 BRS pumps for dosing 2 part and a Vortech MP10w ES that will be here this week as well. I had to also pickup a 3rd RKM-PC4 because I already have the 1st 2 that came with the RKE filled up before the dosing pumps.

The Wife has the camera, but I am hoping to get a picture of the new fish up tonight.

Thanks.
 
Got my RKE and MP10 in the other day.

It took a while, but I have almost everything hooked up to the RKE and running. The only problem I am running into is with the temp prob and I have not yet hooked up the pH probe.

The MP10 is working, but my clowns hate it! They are huddled in the corner of the tank even when I have it dialed all the way down. I am not 100% sure if the MP10 has everything to do with them being huddled in the corner or if could be because I was working on the tank so much. I have turned it off for now to see if that brings them back out, but I could be putting this thing up for sale and going back to the Koralia Nano soon.

The wife still has the camera, but I promise to get pics up tonight.

Thanks.

Edit: Picture of the stand w/the new equipment
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Clowns and Nuclear Greens I picked up from Darren
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And a FT
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How is the mp10 flow working out for you? Did the clowns get used to it / can they swim easier now?
 
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