First ever saltwater build Biocube 32

[wrz0170]

I had and still have difficulty figuring out how much water I actually have. There's 40lbs of dry rock in my tank. I just guessed that I had 20 gal of water so dosed 80 drops. My ammonia was super high so I did a couple of water changes. I wasn't even keeping track. I just kept on doing water changes until the ammonia dropped to about 2ppm. If you notice in my pic, I have the temp set to 84 degrees. My salinity is also lower than normal. These are a couple of tricks when using Dr Tim's.

Gotcha. I was slightly above 2ppm at 2.4. Yesterday I just hit 2ppm with elevated Nitrites. I will prob hit it with another 2ppm per the instructions tomorrow. Then wait it out for a few days.

Accounting for rocks and substrate, I know I put in approx 25.6 gallons. So dosed 100 drops or 1 teaspoon.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Gotcha. I was slightly above 2ppm at 2.4. Yesterday I just hit 2ppm with elevated Nitrites. I will prob hit it with another 2ppm per the instructions tomorrow. Then wait it out for a few days.

Accounting for rocks and substrate, I know I put in approx 25.6 gallons. So dosed 100 drops or 1 teaspoon.

How much rock do you have?

 

[wrz0170]

How much rock do you have?

Roughly 15-20#. However, I know the water amount because I bought 6, 5 gal boxes of Imagtarium Pacific Water from Petco. I used 5 full boxes and about 1/2 gal from the sixth box to fill the tank. I almost have enough left for a water change. Debating to buy one more box so I can use up what I have for my first WC or just make it. Hate to throw away 4 gal of water.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Roughly 15-20#. However, I know the water amount because I bought 6, 5 gal boxes of Imagtarium Pacific Water from Petco. I used 5 full boxes and about 1/2 gal from the sixth box to fill the tank. I almost have enough left for a water change. Debating to buy one more box so I can use up what I have for my first WC or just make it. Hate to throw away 4 gal of water.

Yeah I wish I had thought about keeping track of how much water I was putting in. At the time, I was just wondering what level to fill the tank to. I didn't know that the back chambers could be at different levels than the tank. lol I'm thinking that once I set up my doser, I might be able to figure out how much water I actually have by how much I have to dose to get to my parameters.

 

[wrz0170]

Yeah I wish I had thought about keeping track of how much water I was putting in. At the time, I was just wondering what level to fill the tank to. I didn't know that the back chambers could be at different levels than the tank. lol I'm thinking that once I set up my doser, I might be able to figure out how much water I actually have by how much I have to dose to get to my parameters.

I went by the Intank video for the media basket. Put the hose hook in chamber 3 and filled it where the water came just to the bottom of where the filter fill would be.

what doser are you getting?

 

[QuinnLee512]

I went by the Intank video for the media basket. Put the hose hook in chamber 3 and filled it where the water came just to the bottom of where the filter fill would be.

what doser are you getting?

I got the Kamoer X1. I also got the Tropic Marin All for Reef. All in one dosing solution.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Got this today. Hopefully the tank cycles better it expires.

 

[cconnolly]

I got the Kamoer X1. I also got the Tropic Marin All for Reef. All in one dosing solution.

Hows the All for Reef working out for you? I've been thinking about starting to dose my BioCube and that one seems like a great option.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Hows the All for Reef working out for you? I've been thinking about starting to dose my BioCube and that one seems like a great option.

Unfortunately I'm on week 3 of cycling my tank. Haven't even gotten to dosing yet. I just bought a bunch of stuff while waiting. This is the doser that I got. Can get more units to expand.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Got this today. One less thing to test manually.

 

[subzero]

I thought I told you not to waste money on the intank media basket

 

[QuinnLee512]

I thought I told you not to waste money on the intank media basket

Read an article on best upgrades for Biocube and pretty much bought it all. So already had it before I even started this thread. Even have the fuge, uv sterilizer, and skimmer. I know a lot of people say those are a waste of money too.

 

[QuinnLee512]

I did a little organizing in the cabinet. Double side taped my 2 KPS power bricks and bodies to the walls. Same for the Milwaukee PH monitor and Tunze ATO. Got a TP Link smart power strip. Makes turning everything off when doing water changes easy. 1 button.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Also picked up an Ender 3 V2 3D printer to print aquarium parts. Looks like I'm getting into 2 hobbies at once. Tried 3D printing a few years ago but gave up on it.

 

[wrz0170]

I thought I told you not to waste money on the intank media basket

I respectfully disagree that the Intank media basket is a waste of money.

Does the stock basket work? I’m sure it works well. Like any purchase, it depends on your needs.

I find the Intank basket very sturdy and like that it has shelves with a slide out enclosure. I carry 4 types of media in chamber 2. I can easily pull the basket for any maintenance. I also like that I don’t have to go fishing for any media at the bottom of the sump.

The above is just my setup. YMMV.

 

[QuinnLee512]

I respectfully disagree that the Intank media basket is a waste of money.

Does the stock basket work? I’m sure it works well. Like any purchase, it depends on your needs.

I find the Intank basket very sturdy and like that it has shelves with a slide out enclosure. I carry 4 types of media in chamber 2. I can easily pull the basket for any maintenance. I also like that I don’t have to go fishing for any media at the bottom of the sump.

The above is just my setup. YMMV.

I also agree that the intank media basket is at the very least more stable and easier to take out. Maybe people just don't like the $62 price tag. My issue with it is that I can't hang the Biocube skimmer because the water director is in the way.

 

[CavalierReef]

Sorry for the typos. I’m typing with a baby in one hand.

we have a Jura coffee maker. I drilled it and attached a bulkhead fitting connected to a 5 gallon ATO behind it. It lasts about a week instead of needing a refil 2x a morning.

That is freaking brilliant!! Your statement about the "baby in your lap" reminded me of an old Roger Miller song. He should have added the line "You can't type a post with a kid in your lap".

 

[CavalierReef]

I respectfully disagree that the Intank media basket is a waste of money.

Does the stock basket work? I’m sure it works well. Like any purchase, it depends on your needs.

I find the Intank basket very sturdy and like that it has shelves with a slide out enclosure. I carry 4 types of media in chamber 2. I can easily pull the basket for any maintenance. I also like that I don’t have to go fishing for any media at the bottom of the sump.

The above is just my setup. YMMV.

I respectfully agree with your respectful disagreement. The inTank basket is one of the best things I bought when I set my 32 up a year and a half ago. Not only does it allow you to neatly stack your media, it also frees up space for other media in chamber #2 to serve as a mini refugium or whatever your heart and imagination desires.