lubeck
Valuable Member
Santa came and after six years of being off the grid I’m back in the hobby. Can’t wait!
I got a 32 gal Biocube Coralife. good starter tank after being out so long.
I have to research a bit but these are my questions thus far
History
I’ve been in the hobby since the early 90’s. Perhaps like most it started with fresh water tanks with several tanks over the years from stocking mollies to cichlids. I started my journey in saltwater in 2001. My first saltwater tank was a glass 120 gallon tank with a custom 75 gallon sump that was plumbed to the basement. When we moved in 2010 I set up mixed reef 45 gal and then a sps dominate acrylic 112 gal tank (ULNS) with the same diy sump.
Once again we moved and had to break down the tank in 2013. Which leads us to the current tank. After 8 years I was back! In December of 2021 my lovely wife surprised me with a 32 gal Biocube. It wouldn’t have been my first choice (specific to water volume) but I was so excited to get back into the hobby I immediately started planning the build.
Goals
My overall goal for the 32 gallon was to have an SPS dominate reef tank. I wanted it to be as automated as possible. I wanted to use the K.I.S.S. method. It was important that I took my time with this build and thought I was considerate with the live stock selection. More on that later. I knew with wanting a successful sps dominate tank nutrients and biodiversity is critical. In addition to biodiversity, lights and flow are most important and knew the stock biocube equipment would need to be upgraded.
Equipment
It was important to me that whatever equipment I purchased was going to last and could handle the reef as it matured. There was some thought that even some of the equipment could carry over to the next upgrade ( because we all know there is going to be another tank). As mentioned, Great flow and great lighting is critical to a successful SPS tank
Flow
I upgraded the return pump to a IM nano DC pump that runs 520 gallons per hour. I also added two MP10s that I have set at 100% nutrient export during the day and 50% reef crest at night. My overall turnover can go up to 200x at its peak. No issues with flow at this point.
Lighting
I decided on a Radion G5 XR30 blue for the tank. I’m extremely happy I went with the 30 over the 15. I never have to worry about lighting as the corals mature into colonies. I have been using the AB+ setting from the beginning at 100% and 77% intensity.
Control
Remember I wanted to automate as much as possible? Well this is where the Biocube is taken to the next level. I currently run the Neptune APEX Gold with two DOS for dosing kalk, magnesium, alkalinity and calcium. I also run the DDR for dosing as well as the Trident. The trident has come in handy as the tank matures. I’ve had to make several adjustments to accommodate the growth but also the dips we have all faced. I’m currently in one of those slumps now with dosing as I had to remove a large tri-colored digi colony due to monti- eating nudibranchs.
The one piece that is not automated is the weekly water changes. Currently I do that the old fashion way. Maybe some day I will change that.
Filtration
I don’t run a skimmer and depend on water changes, filter floss, live rock, active carbon and my fuge for filtration.
Other random equipment
Water change station
Heater
Fan connected to apex
Fuge lighting
75 RODI unit
Refractometer
Hydrometer
Testing
I use to test nitrates, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium weekly for the first year ( sometimes two times per week) The apex and trident takes care of most of the parameters. I check nitrate and phosphate once a month or so. I am at the point where I look at the tank and see how the corals/ polyps are reacting. If I see something looks off I test.
Live Stock
I went with 35 lbs of live rock from the gulf (and I’m glad I did). The biodiversity that comes on live rock from the ocean is uncompromising and believe it’s the reason my tank has flourished at a young age. I went through the “uglies” but it was swift. I had months long issues with cyno but it never went on the rocks or corals and stayed put on the sand. I’m a firm believer in live rock and will take the risk again when I upgrade. I started with oolite sand which was a mistake with the amount of flow I have and settled on 25lbs of special grade sand.
Inverts
I have a huge clean up crew for a 32 gal tank. They have done an amazing job over the last 20 months. I might have lost a half dozen snails since adding them.
A dozen turbos snails
A dozen cerith snails
A dozen nerite snails
A dozen nassarrius snails
Emerald crab
A dozen blue leg hermits
3 scarlet hermits
1 Mexican turbo snail . I feed “Chet” nori when he comes to the top of the tank
1 peppermint shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
Countless sponges and pods
100’s of bristle worms and brittle stars. I’ve seen them both spawn several times. Freaked me out the first time I thought my tank was going to crash. It didn’t.
Fish
I had some regrets I’m not gonna lie. I love flame angels and of course I got one that nipped at my sps so I had to tear the tank apart to get him out. My only other regret ( more recently ) was my flasher wrasse. I loved “Willy” the wrasse, he had the best personality and was a complete pig when it came to feeding time. Willy loved to swim and the tank is too small for a fish that needs room to flourish I kept him well fed which helped but in the end he went to fish heaven.
I started with eight fish which was a very heavy bioload but they were babies. My current stocking list is two ocellaris storm clowns, one blue clown goby, a mandarin dragonet goby and 1 Banggai cardinal( started with three). The banggai got rid of the weakest link pretty quick and then the matted pair had babies almost every 45 days. In the end the male ended up attacking its mate. I woke up one morning and she was nowhere to be found. I love all my fish they each have their unique personality just like your kids. Speaking of kids my clowns are protecting a fresh clutch of eggs now.
All my fish eat well. I make a homemade fish food with fresh clams, oysters, mussels, cod, shrimp and scallops. I add selcon, fresh garlic and spirulina. I feed 3-5 times per day.
Corals
I’m probably missing a few and I went through my fair share of losses but love how the tank has matured over the last year. I don’t have any particular favorite coral or sps but love intense colors and having a wide pallet of texture and color.
SPS
Green slimmer
TSA Victoria secrets
Jason fix yellow brick road
Jhung pao montipora
Steve Elias blue stag
Purple rain
WWC 500 degrees
Cherry blossom Cyphastrea
A wild colony
Trui colored digi
Beach bum montipora
Orange monti setosa
Oregon tort
Several no names plating and encrusting
Zoa
Blue ball zoa
Daisy duke zoa
Rainbow incinerators
Rasta
LPS
Green torch with blue tips
Golden hammer
Blue blasto
Softie
Jaw breaker
Assorted Ricordia mushrooms
Rose bubble tip anemone. Yes it split 5 times so far.
Water changes
I do them weekly. I’ve never missed a water change and will spend about two hours cleaning and syphoning each week. I remove around 7-9 gallons of water each week which equals 25-30%. I syphon and replace the sand throughout the year to keep it clean. I blow the rocks off about every other day.
Dosing.
I stopped dosing AB+ reef roids about a year ago. Keeping it simple now.
2 part bionic on DOS 20 ml per day
Magnesium on DOS 20 ml per day
Kalk On DOS. I only use kalk for my top off. About 1450 ml per day
Flatworm stop daily 1 ml per day
Live phytoplankton 5 ml every other day.
Seed with pods every 6 weeks
Parameters
Temp 77.4-77.8
Salinity 35.5
Ph 8.3-8.5
Alkalinity 7.5-8.0
Calcium 410-440
Magnesium 1340-1400
Nitrates 12-22
Phosphate .08-.23. I like to be around .12
Growing pains of a young reef
I struggled with cyno for what felt like a lifetime. More like 6-8 months. I kept with my water changes and added more live rock but ultimately I don’t know what made it go away for good. I’m just glad it’s gone.
This hobby is amazing. I think being patient and keeping your hands out of the tank is important. There isn’t one way to have a successful reef but would say that with all the different methods, being consistent is vital. Good, consistent husbandry is key. Don’t chase the numbers!
What’s next
For my Biocube I just get to watch it fill in and mature. There’s nothing I can add at this point as the tank is already packed. I will work on my nutrient export a little but mainly just sit back and stare for hours at all beauty. You can really get lost in all the life that goes on in a mature tank.
The love for the hobby
I love this hobby mainly for the joy it brings to our family. We all live busy lives and to come home and sit and watch the tank as the lights dim is so relaxing and peaceful. Our kids get involved as well and love to help feed all the critters. There is so much to learn in this hobby and so many great people and resources to help you along the way.
6 months
1 year
1.5 years
2 years
I got a 32 gal Biocube Coralife. good starter tank after being out so long.
I have to research a bit but these are my questions thus far
- are there any must have mods for this unit?
- was going to wait on updating the lights for now
- is putting a fuge in the back middle section worth it?
- would a mp10 be enough flow for most sps?
- ato or dosing pump for ato? Not sure what will fit back there yet.
- should I update the return pump? If so what fits?
- will oolite sand be too lite and blow around too much?
History
I’ve been in the hobby since the early 90’s. Perhaps like most it started with fresh water tanks with several tanks over the years from stocking mollies to cichlids. I started my journey in saltwater in 2001. My first saltwater tank was a glass 120 gallon tank with a custom 75 gallon sump that was plumbed to the basement. When we moved in 2010 I set up mixed reef 45 gal and then a sps dominate acrylic 112 gal tank (ULNS) with the same diy sump.
Once again we moved and had to break down the tank in 2013. Which leads us to the current tank. After 8 years I was back! In December of 2021 my lovely wife surprised me with a 32 gal Biocube. It wouldn’t have been my first choice (specific to water volume) but I was so excited to get back into the hobby I immediately started planning the build.
Goals
My overall goal for the 32 gallon was to have an SPS dominate reef tank. I wanted it to be as automated as possible. I wanted to use the K.I.S.S. method. It was important that I took my time with this build and thought I was considerate with the live stock selection. More on that later. I knew with wanting a successful sps dominate tank nutrients and biodiversity is critical. In addition to biodiversity, lights and flow are most important and knew the stock biocube equipment would need to be upgraded.
Equipment
It was important to me that whatever equipment I purchased was going to last and could handle the reef as it matured. There was some thought that even some of the equipment could carry over to the next upgrade ( because we all know there is going to be another tank). As mentioned, Great flow and great lighting is critical to a successful SPS tank
Flow
I upgraded the return pump to a IM nano DC pump that runs 520 gallons per hour. I also added two MP10s that I have set at 100% nutrient export during the day and 50% reef crest at night. My overall turnover can go up to 200x at its peak. No issues with flow at this point.
Lighting
I decided on a Radion G5 XR30 blue for the tank. I’m extremely happy I went with the 30 over the 15. I never have to worry about lighting as the corals mature into colonies. I have been using the AB+ setting from the beginning at 100% and 77% intensity.
Control
Remember I wanted to automate as much as possible? Well this is where the Biocube is taken to the next level. I currently run the Neptune APEX Gold with two DOS for dosing kalk, magnesium, alkalinity and calcium. I also run the DDR for dosing as well as the Trident. The trident has come in handy as the tank matures. I’ve had to make several adjustments to accommodate the growth but also the dips we have all faced. I’m currently in one of those slumps now with dosing as I had to remove a large tri-colored digi colony due to monti- eating nudibranchs.
The one piece that is not automated is the weekly water changes. Currently I do that the old fashion way. Maybe some day I will change that.
Filtration
I don’t run a skimmer and depend on water changes, filter floss, live rock, active carbon and my fuge for filtration.
Other random equipment
Water change station
Heater
Fan connected to apex
Fuge lighting
75 RODI unit
Refractometer
Hydrometer
Testing
I use to test nitrates, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium weekly for the first year ( sometimes two times per week) The apex and trident takes care of most of the parameters. I check nitrate and phosphate once a month or so. I am at the point where I look at the tank and see how the corals/ polyps are reacting. If I see something looks off I test.
Live Stock
I went with 35 lbs of live rock from the gulf (and I’m glad I did). The biodiversity that comes on live rock from the ocean is uncompromising and believe it’s the reason my tank has flourished at a young age. I went through the “uglies” but it was swift. I had months long issues with cyno but it never went on the rocks or corals and stayed put on the sand. I’m a firm believer in live rock and will take the risk again when I upgrade. I started with oolite sand which was a mistake with the amount of flow I have and settled on 25lbs of special grade sand.
Inverts
I have a huge clean up crew for a 32 gal tank. They have done an amazing job over the last 20 months. I might have lost a half dozen snails since adding them.
A dozen turbos snails
A dozen cerith snails
A dozen nerite snails
A dozen nassarrius snails
Emerald crab
A dozen blue leg hermits
3 scarlet hermits
1 Mexican turbo snail . I feed “Chet” nori when he comes to the top of the tank
1 peppermint shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
Countless sponges and pods
100’s of bristle worms and brittle stars. I’ve seen them both spawn several times. Freaked me out the first time I thought my tank was going to crash. It didn’t.
Fish
I had some regrets I’m not gonna lie. I love flame angels and of course I got one that nipped at my sps so I had to tear the tank apart to get him out. My only other regret ( more recently ) was my flasher wrasse. I loved “Willy” the wrasse, he had the best personality and was a complete pig when it came to feeding time. Willy loved to swim and the tank is too small for a fish that needs room to flourish I kept him well fed which helped but in the end he went to fish heaven.
I started with eight fish which was a very heavy bioload but they were babies. My current stocking list is two ocellaris storm clowns, one blue clown goby, a mandarin dragonet goby and 1 Banggai cardinal( started with three). The banggai got rid of the weakest link pretty quick and then the matted pair had babies almost every 45 days. In the end the male ended up attacking its mate. I woke up one morning and she was nowhere to be found. I love all my fish they each have their unique personality just like your kids. Speaking of kids my clowns are protecting a fresh clutch of eggs now.
All my fish eat well. I make a homemade fish food with fresh clams, oysters, mussels, cod, shrimp and scallops. I add selcon, fresh garlic and spirulina. I feed 3-5 times per day.
Corals
I’m probably missing a few and I went through my fair share of losses but love how the tank has matured over the last year. I don’t have any particular favorite coral or sps but love intense colors and having a wide pallet of texture and color.
SPS
Green slimmer
TSA Victoria secrets
Jason fix yellow brick road
Jhung pao montipora
Steve Elias blue stag
Purple rain
WWC 500 degrees
Cherry blossom Cyphastrea
A wild colony
Trui colored digi
Beach bum montipora
Orange monti setosa
Oregon tort
Several no names plating and encrusting
Zoa
Blue ball zoa
Daisy duke zoa
Rainbow incinerators
Rasta
LPS
Green torch with blue tips
Golden hammer
Blue blasto
Softie
Jaw breaker
Assorted Ricordia mushrooms
Rose bubble tip anemone. Yes it split 5 times so far.
Water changes
I do them weekly. I’ve never missed a water change and will spend about two hours cleaning and syphoning each week. I remove around 7-9 gallons of water each week which equals 25-30%. I syphon and replace the sand throughout the year to keep it clean. I blow the rocks off about every other day.
Dosing.
I stopped dosing AB+ reef roids about a year ago. Keeping it simple now.
2 part bionic on DOS 20 ml per day
Magnesium on DOS 20 ml per day
Kalk On DOS. I only use kalk for my top off. About 1450 ml per day
Flatworm stop daily 1 ml per day
Live phytoplankton 5 ml every other day.
Seed with pods every 6 weeks
Parameters
Temp 77.4-77.8
Salinity 35.5
Ph 8.3-8.5
Alkalinity 7.5-8.0
Calcium 410-440
Magnesium 1340-1400
Nitrates 12-22
Phosphate .08-.23. I like to be around .12
Growing pains of a young reef
I struggled with cyno for what felt like a lifetime. More like 6-8 months. I kept with my water changes and added more live rock but ultimately I don’t know what made it go away for good. I’m just glad it’s gone.
This hobby is amazing. I think being patient and keeping your hands out of the tank is important. There isn’t one way to have a successful reef but would say that with all the different methods, being consistent is vital. Good, consistent husbandry is key. Don’t chase the numbers!
What’s next
For my Biocube I just get to watch it fill in and mature. There’s nothing I can add at this point as the tank is already packed. I will work on my nutrient export a little but mainly just sit back and stare for hours at all beauty. You can really get lost in all the life that goes on in a mature tank.
The love for the hobby
I love this hobby mainly for the joy it brings to our family. We all live busy lives and to come home and sit and watch the tank as the lights dim is so relaxing and peaceful. Our kids get involved as well and love to help feed all the critters. There is so much to learn in this hobby and so many great people and resources to help you along the way.
6 months
1 year
1.5 years
2 years
Last edited:
