Easy to get discouraged!
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It was wrong for someone to tell you it is ok to use tap water....... </em>That being said, most people know that I do use tap water in my tank, but I also know whats in</em> my water. My local source typically runs very clean (copper content is key in deciding to use tap water or not). Also, I don't particularly care for sps and "hard to keep" stuff. My point being is that what works for one WILL NOT work for all...... "It's ok to use tap water" is a <u>fair</u> statement, but comes with a list of disclaimers as long as your arm that any advice giver should be willing to discuss when saying it. Understanding cause and effect, good maintanance and husbandry goes along way when you break any of the rules. Even I try to write and say "I use tap water and it works for me", without advocating that others do unless they already are
As far as being discouraged, it's important to remember that we are replicating a natural enviroment, and few things in nature are visiually "perfect". Don't stress over the little things too much, or you'll be burned out when you come home and your house is flooded because your tank cracked, or everything crashes because a heater malfunctioned. I've never had Cyno (had the dreaded Dinophalangites</em> a month ago, but the magnum and a 30% WC took care of it).
I would suggest a skimmer, the proof being that skimmers are one of the inovations in the past 20 years that makes keeping corals possible.
(This isn't a sales pitch, but I'm about to post my Aqua C Remora for sale soon, which in my opinion is about the best HOB skimmer available, but in that small a tank, you could make do with the Red Sea Prizm quite easily and save a few bucks in the process. I've even used the air pump driven Counter Current models very effectively, but they require daily maintanance and are visiually unappealing in a reef tank)
Good luck and Chill-lax, it's a hobby, but treat it like a friend.... Enjoy the beauty in your tank and look past it's flaws.
As far as being discouraged, it's important to remember that we are replicating a natural enviroment, and few things in nature are visiually "perfect". Don't stress over the little things too much, or you'll be burned out when you come home and your house is flooded because your tank cracked, or everything crashes because a heater malfunctioned. I've never had Cyno (had the dreaded Dinophalangites</em> a month ago, but the magnum and a 30% WC took care of it).
I would suggest a skimmer, the proof being that skimmers are one of the inovations in the past 20 years that makes keeping corals possible.
(This isn't a sales pitch, but I'm about to post my Aqua C Remora for sale soon, which in my opinion is about the best HOB skimmer available, but in that small a tank, you could make do with the Red Sea Prizm quite easily and save a few bucks in the process. I've even used the air pump driven Counter Current models very effectively, but they require daily maintanance and are visiually unappealing in a reef tank)
Good luck and Chill-lax, it's a hobby, but treat it like a friend.... Enjoy the beauty in your tank and look past it's flaws.
I've heard good things about the http://proteinskimmer.com/products/Urchin.htm">AquaC Urchin</a> for smaller tanks. Since so much of your support equipment is going to be visible on a small tank, you'll want to keep as low a profile as possible. I find this one to be asthetically pleasing.
:)
[IMG]http://proteinskimmer.com/i/urchinpic.jpg alt="" />
Interesting........
I've thought about selling my remora, and buying an urchin, but then I thought.... Why not just put the remora in the sump rather than hanging it on back, as its basically the same design..... but the built in skimmer seems to do well enough for me, and the extra room and lower water level in my sump would be nice, so thats why I'll be selling it soon
I've thought about selling my remora, and buying an urchin, but then I thought.... Why not just put the remora in the sump rather than hanging it on back, as its basically the same design..... but the built in skimmer seems to do well enough for me, and the extra room and lower water level in my sump would be nice, so thats why I'll be selling it soon
Curator,
I have a BioCube 29, so I understand some of the issues. As you can see, there is a wide variety of opinions about many reefkeeping issues. I'm not saying anyone is wrong or anyone is right. There are so many variables in this hobby that one person's experience may or may not apply to you.
Anyway, I'll tell you what I do with my BioCube, and you can take what you like and forget the rest.
First, as you have discovered, tap-water causes problems. I bought the saltwater for my BioCube for about a year before making my own water. Changing 5 gallons every couple of weeks is managable with bought water in my opinion. Because the BioCube does not have a skimmer, and is a small water volume, regular water changes are very important.
Second, make sure you top off with fresh water (RO/DI filtered water bought from the same place you buy the salt-water would be appropriate). The water level in the 3rd chamber (the one with the pump) is supposed to vary with evaporation, but especially now that the humidity in the air is low you may have to top off every couple of days to keep the water level between the min and max lines.
Third, I recommend you make your own filters. The Oceanic filters are expensive and clog easily, further exacerbating the water level issues in the 3rd chamber. I use some generic filter pad and Purigen (inside a fine mesh bag) to create my own filters. The Purigen is a resin that removes organic waste from the water. I find that it helps keep nitrates under control since we don't have a skimmer on the BioCube.
Finally, I found that additional flow has helped too. I bought a Koralia Nano powerhead a few weeks ago and have really noticed improvement in the tank. They are not expensive and are quite small. Of course there are other small powerheads that would work as well.
My opinion on the bio-balls is that, while not ideal, they are not as bad as some people make them out to be. They do improve oxigination of the water, and they do a great job removing nitrites. They can cause nitrates to rise if you allow them to get dirty. I do two things to prevent this. I always make sure the filter is installed so that the water is mechanically filtered before entering the bioball chamber. Then I clean about a third of the bio-balls every few months. I just put them in some salt water and scrub them a little. Don't clean them all at the same time or you could cause the tank to cycle.
I hope that your experience with reefkeeping improves and becomes less frustrating. I certainly know how you feel, as the BioCube was my first tank as well.
I forgot to mention, but you did add a heater, right? The biocube does not have a built-in heater, and you'll need one this time of year.
Karl
I have a BioCube 29, so I understand some of the issues. As you can see, there is a wide variety of opinions about many reefkeeping issues. I'm not saying anyone is wrong or anyone is right. There are so many variables in this hobby that one person's experience may or may not apply to you.
Anyway, I'll tell you what I do with my BioCube, and you can take what you like and forget the rest.
First, as you have discovered, tap-water causes problems. I bought the saltwater for my BioCube for about a year before making my own water. Changing 5 gallons every couple of weeks is managable with bought water in my opinion. Because the BioCube does not have a skimmer, and is a small water volume, regular water changes are very important.
Second, make sure you top off with fresh water (RO/DI filtered water bought from the same place you buy the salt-water would be appropriate). The water level in the 3rd chamber (the one with the pump) is supposed to vary with evaporation, but especially now that the humidity in the air is low you may have to top off every couple of days to keep the water level between the min and max lines.
Third, I recommend you make your own filters. The Oceanic filters are expensive and clog easily, further exacerbating the water level issues in the 3rd chamber. I use some generic filter pad and Purigen (inside a fine mesh bag) to create my own filters. The Purigen is a resin that removes organic waste from the water. I find that it helps keep nitrates under control since we don't have a skimmer on the BioCube.
Finally, I found that additional flow has helped too. I bought a Koralia Nano powerhead a few weeks ago and have really noticed improvement in the tank. They are not expensive and are quite small. Of course there are other small powerheads that would work as well.
My opinion on the bio-balls is that, while not ideal, they are not as bad as some people make them out to be. They do improve oxigination of the water, and they do a great job removing nitrites. They can cause nitrates to rise if you allow them to get dirty. I do two things to prevent this. I always make sure the filter is installed so that the water is mechanically filtered before entering the bioball chamber. Then I clean about a third of the bio-balls every few months. I just put them in some salt water and scrub them a little. Don't clean them all at the same time or you could cause the tank to cycle.
I hope that your experience with reefkeeping improves and becomes less frustrating. I certainly know how you feel, as the BioCube was my first tank as well.
I forgot to mention, but you did add a heater, right? The biocube does not have a built-in heater, and you'll need one this time of year.
Karl
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