# My 29g bio cube Journey...The Bright Side!!



## mrbob

I turned on my computer Friday and what do I see craigslist pops up and there's a 29g Oceanic Bio Cube for sale for 100.00 all up and running with clown fish, goby, 60lbs of live rock! leather coral!
That did it for me, I contacted them thinking no way this is gone, to good to be true! 
Phone call hour later, went to look and wow! very nice shape no scratches, nice matching stand, skimmer has been added! full jar spectrum pellets! other misc.
took home set back up! no experience at all lol, except what I got told at lfs when I bought the hydrometer! and salt. oh yea and seachem marine buffer he said I need!
added 30% new water mixed salt has stated! the meter said 1.025 my mix was. tank water was 1.016 so I added my water came up to 1.018 kept adding more mixed salt and tank water I have achieved 1.021 guess I have to keep adding more salt to achieve 1.025? Clown seems fine eating today! goby just hides!! leather coral stood back up lol seems fine!! tank seems to be running good skimmer working well with new wood air stone in it!! one blue light went out 1 min after plugging in!! swapped bulbs and nothing so I thought ballast swapped ballast and still nothing?? weird!! Try to find a 16" 4 pin 36 watt bulb to try see if will work!! do I need this bulb working does the coral or fish need it?? also any help or suggestions on what I can add to this tank would be appreciated! hoping to had some more small fish and janitors! and coral and anemone!



Please advise will appreciate any help advise giving!!

The dark side has been a bit stressful at first but really neat! already considering a 90 transformation!!

Bob


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## Durogity

Jumping into the freezing dark abyss not knowing what lies ahead.... I like it


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## scott tang

no you 100% dont need buffers with softies all it does is complicate water changes 

you salt levle should be any where from 1.020 to 1.026 i like to keep mine 1.021 1.022 so that ich doesnt survive and thrive but the corals do well 

leather corals need light for sure most soft corals do so do all lps and sps do as well as anemone's

i have a three bulb pc fixture for a 29 bio cube its a kit you would have to put it together but its your if you want it there you tube vids of how to instal it 
for anemones you need stronger lighting then power compact... metal halide or led t5 ho


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## mrbob

Yes sounds good Thank you have to make arrangements for pick up? guy at local lfs says I can put anemone in there with just the bright light going don't need the actinic that's not working let alone 3 lights!! and said I need buffer cause I'm on well water?? said I cant use to much? sure wish I had time to talk to you and bca members before jumping into this but 100.00 I thought was super deal and I better just jump in!! I can feel the salt water fever (dark side) hitting me already!! want to go all salt lol at 1.022 now!! added more salt tonight!! leather coral seems very happy now and the clown is eating like a pig and goby is peaking out more often!! water temp is 78.5 hope that is ok!! said I would never go dark!! now i'm glad I dove in just worried what I'm going to do next!! what can I put in there for fish and janitors? and how many is enough?? there is about 40-50 lbs rock, some worms I noticed are they bad??


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## scott tang

I'll go pull it out from under the stand and make sure I still have it. 
As for clean up crew I would leave it for now you don't seem to have any algea which is the gaol and you don't wanna starve the snails you could buy a few hermit crabs For left over food 


Post a close up pic of the rock and we can id the worms there problem brisle worms or spagety worms harm less


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## mrbob

Thank you so much Scott I value your opinion!! and appreciate! will post some pics of them tomorrow when I can put lights on!!


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## trout

nice what a score! having also just jumped in to an established SW semi blind it will be interesting to follow your progress as well. I also find myself wanting to switch over my other fresh tanks to salt, been staring at the 75p for the last week contemplating drilling it.....not good

what does you well water come out at?


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## mrbob

Ph 6.4

Nitrate 10

like a bad drug I wannnt more!!! LOL


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## davej

Ph too low
Should be up around 8
Check your alkalinity
Buffers will help this.
Salinity in natural sea water is 1.025, better to stick close to that.


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## The Guy

Nice start for the "bright side" the name was officially changed by Anthony aka Sea_horse fanatic some time back :lol: I keep my salinity in around 1024-25 and run a UV sterilizer to deal with ick and parasites. A lot of people that go into salt find it more interesting, but a lot of folks have both as well though. Good luck


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## JTang

Welcome to the "Bright Side"! Yes, I agree... it is addicting! Lol


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## JTang

I might have missed it but you do have powerhead(s) in there, right? Flow is very important in a SW system.


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## effox

You'll definitely want at least one power head in there. I put two koralia's in my 29g.

BTW, if you have room with the skimmer (maybe you don't) you can actually pull out the slotted tray that is in the back right of the tank (chamber 1), which would allow you to hide the heater in there. If it's a fully submersible one, you could probably stick it right to the bottom even with a skimmer.

Also, if the guy left the bioballs in the 2nd chamber, for whatever reason, definitely remove those, and be prepared the clean the two sponges with tank water as they'll build up nitrates pretty easily as well (bottom left of the 2nd chamber, and bottom right of the 3rd).

Down the line, if you feel like an easy but effective upgrade, you can scrape the black paint off that's at the back of the 2nd chamber (it's actually glass) and you can put some Macro algae in there, with a light shining into it and it grows really well and cleans the water up as well.


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## Durogity

effox said:


> You'll definitely want at least one power head in there. I put two koralia's in my 29g.
> 
> BTW, if you have room with the skimmer (maybe you don't) you can actually pull out the slotted tray that is in the back right of the tank (chamber 1), which would allow you to hide the heater in there. If it's a fully submersible one, you could probably stick it right to the bottom even with a skimmer.
> 
> Also, if the guy left the bioballs in the 2nd chamber, for whatever reason, definitely remove those, and be prepared the clean the two sponges with tank water as they'll build up nitrates pretty easily as well (bottom left of the 2nd chamber, and bottom right of the 3rd).
> 
> Down the line, if you feel like an easy but effective upgrade, you can scrape the black paint off that's at the back of the 2nd chamber (it's actually glass) and you can put some Macro algae in there, with a light shining into it and it grows really well and cleans the water up as well.


I love love love how specific this all is....this place is great


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## mrbob

Oh sorry was stating my tap water readings to trout!! due to being on well water have marine buffer seachem if needed haven't checked my ph yet!! will fresh water ph tester work on salt??



davej said:


> Ph too low
> Should be up around 8
> Check your alkalinity
> Buffers will help this.
> Salinity in natural sea water is 1.025, better to stick close to that.


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## effox

You'll definitely want a drop-based marine "master kit" as it has a more accurate readings (less acidic ph reactant??)

The only thing I can tell you is that I wouldn't have went with a hydrometer. I don't mean to be that guy, but I was informed by many experienced people to upgrade to a refractometer, so I went with that instead right off the bat. I don't have experience with salinity accuracy issues, but I don't believe that was just pure luck.


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## mrbob

Great thank you tang and efox no powerhead!! I went to J&l today and they told me I don't need power head was one of my questions? I looked at biocubes on line and they all had power heads? they also told me I cant put anemone in there or any corals except leather type that don't have color boring!! animal house chilliwack says yes they dont have prob doing with compact lighting? and most corals except soft? so I guess I better get power head tomorrow!! heater in back would be nice will try that!! whoops didn't know or see there's another sponge? saw and cleaned one by pump!! just pulled out all balls no sponge in bottom compartment!! just one by pump!


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## effox

Cool man. I'm not a SW guru, but I'm pretty sure if you figure out the actinic lighting (the "bluer" bulb, not the two 10,000k "whiter" ones), that will allow soft corals to at least do well. I got a frogspawn and hammer head and they did sweet with my OEM lighting for my Oceanic 29g. They can be similar looking in structure with their tentacles, but without a doubt, they have the popping colours you don't believe your AIO tank can handle.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

It's also possible to upgrade eventually to a LED lighting system. Less heat, better light, more variety of clams and corals you can keep alive in there.

And yeah, add an extra powerhead.

Anthony


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## scott tang

under normal pc lighting the blue and white you can keep all softies and most lps with feedings some people can do monti or birds nest


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## mrbob

*update thought my toadstool leather coral died? googled it says from moving stirring stuff the coral gets sediment on top and it go's through a shed process takes a week I read!! happy thought it was goner!! Ordered mini uv and powerhead! and filters for the bio cube! from JL today!! salt is at 1.023 after 10% w/c today!! also replaced the blue light!! works good!!!


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## mrbob

So no anemones? with this pc lighting??


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Nope I wouldn't


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## scott tang

i had a maxi mini in my 29 with pc but i had 3 bulbs at the time and was feeding it ever day was alot of work 

i would upgrade to mh or led


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## dino

most important in salt I think is flow, lighting and water quality


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## JTang

dino said:


> most important in salt I think is flow, lighting and water quality


Might wanna add Stability to the list...

I have had 2 RBTA's in my 46G under PC lighting for over a year. 2x actinic & 2x 10,000k. All 65W. Color doesn't look that nice (too white) but RBTA's are happy with target feeding every other day. One just split 2 weeks ago so now I have 3.


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## mrbob

Ya started that has soon has I brought home water salinity is now 1.025 new coral I picked up at jl Sunday has opened up looking good some kind of leather coral. What are those green stars that all of a sudden appear on tank? Old piece of coral that was in there seems to be coming to life is that possible guy said it was dead?


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## scott tang

Not unless its a plate coral
Pics of the new one ??


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## mrbob

will post some tomorrow! anyone know what those small lime pink stars are on side of glass just showed up and are moving all around?


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## mrbob

Got my order from JL today!! got coralife uv and power head filters can't use filters with skimmer no room for both? cant get skimmer to set right with filter? also my jager heater wont fit in 1st compartment as suggested by other user would be nice? is there a shorter heater that would fit and be powerful enough!


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## crimper

I have seen stealth heaters that are pretty short for their power rating, cant remember the brand.

This salty tanks are addicting eh!


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## crimper

I think it is Tetra, it is only 6.5" and rated 100W. I would use 2 of those... Not sure about the quality though


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## mrbob

Thank you crimper will try that really would be nice to hide that heater? Can't wait for more fish and coral wife wants all the Nemo gang in there but I think they get to big loL have clown!


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## ckmullin

I have a small 6 gal sw edge as well as a 75 gal high tech fully planted fw tank. My main interest is the fw but I wanted to give the sw a try. I'm doing the sw as low tech as possible to see what sort of results can be had.

congrats in trying something new


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## Durogity

mrbob said:


> Thank you cramped will try that really would be nice to hide that heater? Can't wait for more fish and coral wife wants all the memo gang in there but I think they get to big loo have clown!


My wife wants the nemo gang as well, only reason she's being semi tolerant of me being back in the hobby is the chance I'll set up a sw tank filled with Pixar buddies


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## Cichlid433

Bob, you are crazy, like you don't have enough tanks!!! I tried salt & actually didn't end up liking it as much as the fresh water. I love my Cichlids! I'm back to all fresh now. When you start to sell off your Cichlids and replace with salt, let me know first!!!!
-Lisa


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## crimper

Durogity said:


> My wife wants the nemo gang as well, only reason she's being semi tolerant of me being back in the hobby is the chance I'll set up a sw tank filled with Pixar buddies


I think your wife is related to mine, she'll allow me to have multiple Nemo tanks as long as Wall-E clean up the mess after my weekly maintenance lol


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## mrbob

ckmullin said:


> I have a small 6 gal sw edge as well as a 75 gal high tech fully planted fw tank. My main interest is the fw but I wanted to give the sw a try. I'm doing the sw as low tech as possible to see what sort of results can be had.
> 
> congrats in trying something new


Thank you ck ya jumped in but it's been a blast so far a little stressful at first but everyone here has been very help full getting me through!!


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## mrbob

couldnt resist today bought 2 more corals and a cleaning wraspe and a koren angel! starting to look good need more color!


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## dino

I think those angels can get like 15 inches and are not reef safe? am I wrong?


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## mrbob

really shoot darn lfs want to make money!! if he gos at my coral he's gone! when he gets to big Ill sell him or trade or have my 90g converted lol


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## JTang

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Koran Angelfish

Never trust what LFS says. Most of them don't know what they are talking about. I always google before I buy any fish or corals.


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## mrbob

wow min 250 g tank and not reef compatible!! Oh my 7-9" OK no more!! trusting these guys!! lol only prob I live in Agassiz buy from city, then so far away for return?? or to run home and Google LOL must stick with JL they never steered me wrong!! Thanks guys for cluing me in!! anybody want to buy a nice angel?


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## Foxtail

That's why I always have my smartphone... Google is only a click away.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## mrbob

I'm not that tech y I guess LOL


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Or pick up a copy of the Marine Fishes: 500 Essential.... By Scott Michael and a similarly useful coral ID book and bring it with you when you go to LFS.

Anthony


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## scott tang

looks like time for a journal  and yea thats what i use as a reference befor i buy


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## ckmullin

JTang said:


> Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Koran Angelfish
> 
> Never trust what LFS says. Most of them don't know what they are talking about. I always google before I buy any fish or corals.


Agree 100%. That or either the 'free' aquarium seminars @ stores when they ram down your throat that expensive ADA stuff or other similar high end $$ products.


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## mrbob

OK thank you everyone! got carried away at Jl sale today added a custodial package only 13.00 bunch of snails 3 type and two hermit crabs ! got two fire red shrimp small star fish red and a young clown (friend for other clown) and a mandarin goby! A feather duster! and a couple frags from a very nice member I met today! and very smart! thanks for all your help Scott!! your awesome can't wait for someday I'm walking into your fish store!!

Here's some pics hope I'm doing this thing right LOL just put in Iodide? they sold me at JL recommended me using this!!

























































Thank you for any input or suggestions!!
The green poly coral is not out hes not happy I touched him while putting other stuff in LOL


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## scott tang

mandarin goby need heavly established tanks lots of pods ect to survive normly in a 50 gal plus to keep em going 

and 2 fire shrimps in a 29 gal is brave i hope it works for you !!
any way it looks great !the gsp might take a day or two to open fully 

what kind of star i have never had sucsess with starfish


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## mrbob

Darn owner at pauls said it would work darn that google lol here I go again trusting people LOL guess He may not make it I hope he does he went and hid right away lol Star Fish called linckia multi fora got that from receipt? guy at jl said it would stay small they never made mistake yet with me! what about the feather duster? pauls as well? owner even tried to convince me to by anemone said was ok shes been doing it for years with compact bio cube? But I knew better thanks to you guys!! also said hard corals? were OK like really? glad I post this thread and learned somethings LOL JL said 2 shrimp no problem??


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## mrbob

OH GSP is happy opened up Ill post pics!


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## JTang

Unfortunately, Scottie is right. Mandrain Goby is one of the most challenging fish to keep, even for experienced reefers. I'm currently looking for one as well for my 2 yrs old reef. Too bad we are so far away. These guys are really picky eaters (I heard) and most of them only take pods. Hope yours will eat frozen or she will starve to death.

Starfish is another one that I still haven't tried keeping yet since I was told that most don't last in an aquarium.

Fire shrimps can be aggressive towards each other but who knows... yours might be buddies!


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## mrbob

The owner lady at Pauls assured us it was eating blood worms!!will try tomorrow! Thank you guys Thanks again Scott those frags are doing good opened 1hr after hitting my tank!!


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## scott tang

Nice my mom wants one that eats to there one of my favorite fish OK let us know how that star fish does


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## mrbob

Yes you bet!! will keep posting on this bio run!!


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## scott tang

are you going to up grade lighting or ceep it power conpact ?


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## mrbob

Yea PC for now!! wifey doesn't want me to remove it (new toy) LOL


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## mrbob

Starting to see green algae on the glass today! bought the small janitor package at JL might have to get bigger one now that theres algae!! everything seems to be thriving decide to buy and use bottled water for the tank! Due to my nitrate being 40 out of tap today!!
mixed salt in 5 gallon bucket today and will do first w/c tomorrow! I figure 5g a week is about right?? 

Everything thriving today!! mandarin didn't eat the worms yet has promised by LFS? hope so soon!!


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## scott tang

i hate when stores lie to sell 
the 2 red shrimp might be fine as long as there is lots of lr to hide i saw 5 in a 50 gal one time she said she has them for 3 years lol so its iffy 

for your tank i would stay away from nems sps most lps 

the clean up crew wont leave the glass spot less but they should take the majority off depending on the type of algea 

some sw fish dont eat at the store and never will its quite sad i got a lion fish brought him home and wouln't eat 3 weeks later he died after trying every food sold !!!! blood worms vary us types of fish crill silver sides mollys clams and even peppermint shrimp !!!! nothing he died of starvation lesson learned i never buy fish with out the store showing me that they eat first 

for my clean up crew i have 10-30 blue leg crabs (good for almost all algeas on rocks and sand and 3 turbo snails for the glass i had a red shrimp but he died 
the hermits are also good for left over food and cleaning corals to


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## mrbob

you can look at JL site they have package deals on the clean up crew! I got the 20.00 one but guess I should have got the 30g pack for 99.00! hermits are cool! snails cleaning glass like crazy!!


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## scott tang

Do you have an FTS ??


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## mrbob

FTS full tank shot?


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## scott tang

Yep  every thing OK with the tank??


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## mrbob

Yes thriving thank you!!








Lights are out not very good hope flash in not bad on fish?? prob like lighting?? will post some better hd pics tomorrow maybe a vid?
Thanks again for your help!!


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## scott tang

looks great ! wow that clown is so much biger then tho other lol


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## mrbob

Oh my did 10% W/C today and my readings are still very high how to lower phosphates??

ph-8.2
nitrite-0
ammonia-0
nitrate-100
phosphate-3.0 ppm
salinity- 1.025

Looks bad but everything doing excellent!! help?? tested right after w/c maybe to soon?? any suggestions would be appreciated? oh yea USING BOTTLED WATER NOW!!


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## mrbob

woops sorry nitrate tester not right? took sample in and two tests at lfs were both near 0!!

Bought seachems phosgaurd to reduce phosphates wonder why corals and fish doing so good if phosphates are so high? took test in they came up with 2.5ppm phosphate 2 tests different testers!!


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## scott tang

hmm wow lol its off


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## Dietmar

Yes phosphates are high alright. Maybe do a 50% water chg. But it will be a while before phosphates come down. They will leach out of the LR for a while, same as nitrates. But those are 0, so good.
Do you have a sump? Sorry if I missed that.
Feed less, wc more. If you feed frozen, rinse in ro water first. Your softies need light, I wonder what is wrong with your system? Not familiar with a biocube.


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## scott tang

might be theres no blue light ??? theres deteryus ?


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## The Guy

JTang said:


> Unfortunately, Scottie is right. Mandrain Goby is one of the most challenging fish to keep, even for experienced reefers. I'm currently looking for one as well for my 2 yrs old reef. Too bad we are so far away. These guys are really picky eaters (I heard) and most of them only take pods. Hope yours will eat frozen or she will starve to death.
> 
> Starfish is another one that I still haven't tried keeping yet since I was told that most don't last in an aquarium.
> 
> Fire shrimps can be aggressive towards each other but who knows... yours might be buddies!


I agree with John about the Mandarin Goby unless you have a very hi pod population I would not keep it, as it will probably not survive. Also blood worms are one of the worst foods for any salt or fresh water water fish IMO, it's like feeding them donuts and candy and has low nutritional food value. I'm lucky I guess mine eats arctipods by reef nutrition as well as pods. One store you may want to try is Oceanic Corals in Aldergrove both Paul and Albert are very knowledgable and honest guys to deal with. I have never lost a fish that I've purchased from them. Their fish are a little more money but well worth it, as they do not sell their stock until they know there healthy and are eating well. Check them out you won't be sorry.


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## scott tang

I was just down there today cool little store


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## aQ.LED

phosphate usually relate to nitrate, however, if phosphate is a bit high doesn't mean the coral would do poorly. I would say it could well come from the water source. Have you test your water source's phosphate level?


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## mrbob

JL told me only 10% w/c?? no sump wet dry in back skimmer and uv and when I first set up I used my tap water nitrates are 20ppm that's why I was surprised when both tests at lfs with 2 different kits both showed 0 ppm will feed only once per day for now! mandarin is eating blood worms! did w/c using R/O water (bottled) will continue to do so have pouch of phosgaurd in back will remove phosphates I used this product before!!



Dietmar said:


> Yes phosphates are high alright. Maybe do a 50% water chg. But it will be a while before phosphates come down. They will leach out of the LR for a while, same as nitrates. But those are 0, so good.
> Do you have a sump? Sorry if I missed that.
> Feed less, wc more. If you feed frozen, rinse in ro water first. Your softies need light, I wonder what is wrong with your system? Not familiar with a biocube.


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## JTang

Congrat on getting the Mandarin to eat. I got one yesterday as well but haven't trained him to eat frozen yet. He is having a pod buffet in the sump. Lol. I have to keep him down there for now since the 6-line wrasse kept harassing him.
Hmmm... Feeding once a week? Am I reading it right???


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## aQ.LED

I would still test your water source just to be sure. I found killing the source is better than try to take it away after, AKA phosguard.


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## dino

so get this before I got my rodi unit I used ro water from safeway.I tested that water and still got 30tds and 56 out of my tap Its way higher than in the city.I know your on well but if your using that kinda bottled water its still not as good as rodi. since switching I have no algae issues


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## mrbob

Once per day woops! LOL


JTang said:


> Congrat on getting the Mandarin to eat. I got one yesterday as well but haven't trained him to eat frozen yet. He is having a pod buffet in the sump. Lol. I have to keep him down there for now since the 6-line wrasse kept harassing him.
> Hmmm... Feeding once a week? Am I reading it right???


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## mrbob

dino said:


> so get this before I got my rodi unit I used ro water from safeway.I tested that water and still got 30tds and 56 out of my tap Its way higher than in the city.I know your on well but if your using that kinda bottled water its still not as good as rodi. since switching I have no algae issues


Wow interesting?? I thought bottled water would be safe? Ya will order a RO system! anyone know of a ro setup at fair price dont need to big? using bottled chilliwack water? will test it?


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## scott tang

i use water out of the tap never any problems 


im iching for you to upgrade lighting you will be so happy you did    and its under 90 bucks lol


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## mrbob

where did you get light for 29 bio cube thats good enough for all corals and anemone? LOL maybe I will!!


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## scott tang

look at aq led web sight the par ligth bulb section id get a par 38 make sure it says full spec you might need two for sps and nems but 1 will be good for softies and lps


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## mrbob

heres some pics from a few days ago! since putting phosgaurd in things are really going crazy in there!! coral has never been so thick and vibrant, wow day and night!! will post updated pics later and you can see the difference!!


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## scott tang

wow awsome lookin makes me wana dose


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## mrbob

even getting better thanks to everyone that replied and helped me of course!! especially you Scottie!!


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## scott tang

mabie its time for a journal ??


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## mrbob

yes maybe?? LOL have to keep a log for my other 26 tanks to make sure all gets done LOL yes should start something LOL


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## scott tang

26 holy crap !!!!!!! What's in em all??? I had 12 at one time and thought that was alot


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## mrbob

salt water makes 27 tanks LOL tell you some of my larger tanks take to long LOL 

210g has 2 fresh water stingrays rtg certified! ngd 2 geo winemiller! 

180g silver arrow assorted community fish true parrots, blood red parrots, king Kong parrots, ck, bgn, rd, albino oscar juvie, gt, blue tex short bodys, dif geos clown loaches etc.

90 full of africans

90 community angels, geos, dolphins, small flowerhorn, bgk, loaches, rope fish, etc,

2x large flowerhorns

large mono serbaes and Argentina serba bosamia rainbows,

90 g large uarus 

bichers eels, lobsters, crabs, 300 red devil fry at 3/4" lots of severums dif kinds!! 

green spotted puffers, f1 sword tails and fry! guppys, red shrimp! corys all kinds, you name it probably have LOL

hatchet fish, lots of discus 90g planted discus tank! lots of plecos!

can go on and on but have to retire for the night!!

sorry for miss spelling!!


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## crimper

Holly Fish! Now we are talking about addiction :bigsmile:


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## mrbob

might as well be a safe addiction lol don't do anything else bad....LOL I work morning and nights and give up 13 hrs every Sun or Mon for maintenance!! won't last forever I'm sure I will burn out and sell off lots some day? Right now my wife has jumped on the crazy MTS wagon and is now helping and enjoying with me!! she's worst then me! wont let me re home any fish.


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## scott tang

Wow wish I could have that many lol


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## crimper

mrbob said:


> might as well be a safe addiction lol don't do anything else bad....LOL I work morning and nights and give up 13 hrs every Sun or Mon for maintenance!! won't last forever I'm sure I will burn out and sell off lots some day? Right now my wife has jumped on the crazy MTS wagon and is now helping and enjoying with me!! she's worst then me! wont let me re home any fish.


Now Im envy, you got your wife into the hobby too.


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## mrbob

Ya I could open a fish store here or Agassiz Aquariums and charge admission lol!! I do tours for family's thou!! No charge lol!!


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## crimper

Ok we will be going to Cultus Lake this weekend and we might swing by Harrison Hots Springs, I will tell my kids that we will be dropping by at Mr. Bob's Aquarium free of charge with free snacks lol

:lol::lol::lol:


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## mrbob

Ya for sure LOL


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## mrbob

well I'm taken a chance with a rbta! Because I only have stock lighting! 50% tell me it won't work 50% say it will I'm going to find out I guess. I just hope it doesn't die and take my tank with it? any signs I should know to avoid losing my whole tank? any signs it is sick or may die? updated pics inclosed!


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## scott tang

Just if it looks shriveled brown in patches things like that but a word of warning it could take your tank down over night I hope that you find success and I was wrong


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## aQ.LED

mrbob said:


> well I'm taken a chance with a rbta! Because I only have stock lighting! 50% tell me it won't work 50% say it will I'm going to find out I guess. I just hope it doesn't die and take my tank with it? any signs I should know to avoid losing my whole tank? any signs it is sick or may die? updated pics inclosed!
> 
> View attachment 27938


I don't think stock light is good for the anemone, RBTA can take a very long time to die, but once it show sign of dying, it is close to impossible to recover. Most GBTA and RBTA just slowly shrink or bleech out and gone. You tank will have some spike in amonia and nitrate but shouldn't kill it.


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## mrbob

thank you is there a small led I could add to top or side shinning in that would help in the success of this experiment?


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## aQ.LED

Instead of wasting little bit money to hope to make it work. It should be better to just pay a bit more to make sure u are taken care of. Even that might not be enough cuz 29g is really not much space for error


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## scott tang

yes you can get a small led and hop it works but your spending 50 bucks to hope it works 
i think that in the long run it will be beter to upgrade now


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## mrbob

Yup way ahead LOL starting a 60g reef now! what do you suggest
for substrate? I was thinking of getting some of that cycled sand? to kick start things a bit! I have some live rock and dead rock in bucket at home and tank and filter ready to go!! will move rbta once this tank is ready! probably 3-6 months? any advice is welcome!! oh yea need a good used reef light for this project!! 4' 60 gallon!! tank!


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## aQ.LED

it really doesn't matter on the cycled "live" sand or not, I use them and many others don't. I suggest fine sand and DSB(6") as well. I do have a question for you however, 60g 4' tank? That means you either have a really shallow tank or a narrow tank.
If it is Shallow then you are fine, if it is Tall and Narrow then not as good. For those that come by my place and talk to me before, would always hear me suggest tank that has a bit of deapth in it. So when you do your aqua scaping, you won't have the feeling that your rocks are push against the front glass. As for cycling your tank, I would say if you use some live rock from your current 29g, you might just need about 1 to 2 months. But like I said before, hard to say if the RBTA can stay healthy for that long. Good luck with that tho.I love RBTA, but my clown fish doesn't, *sad face*


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## scott tang

id do 2'' of sand max use your rocks and some from some ones sump use old media if you run a filter and use old water it would be like a big water change lol what kind of lighting are you going to use

edit o ya you asked for suggestions on lighting do you have a budget ?


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## mrbob

Was hoping to get a deal on used from the forum really good used? I know i will have to pay$$ 200-500? I'm kinda cheap lol! do want option to put in what ever I want as I go along, and not be told I can't have this I can't have that!! LOL all coral one piece at a time.

has for the tank 60g tall narrow type tank I will post measurements later it's a marine land with nice pine stand and top! was hoping this would work? you dont think this would be any good do to the rock? I could use a 90g but its on ugly metal stand??

do I have to use special sand like the cycled sand or can I use silica? that probably isn't good enough do to the PH levels? I don't have to use crushed coral? it can be sand?

Oh yea Thank you guys so much for your help and for putting up with me LOL


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## JTang

I have Coralife Power Compact (65W x 4) on both my Reef (50/50 + 454 (Royal Blue)) and Predator (actinic + 10,000k). Both RBTA had split recently. Fixture is cheap but cost $100 for bulbs replacement annually. If u have the cash, LED is cheaper in the long run. I suggest using 1"-1.5" sand. Stay away from crushed coral since it traps detritus and will lead to high nitrate level.


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## aQ.LED

mrbob said:


> Was hoping to get a deal on used from the forum really good used? I know i will have to pay$$ 200-500? I'm kinda cheap lol! do want option to put in what ever I want as I go along, and not be told I can't have this I can't have that!! LOL all coral one piece at a time.
> 
> has for the tank 60g tall narrow type tank I will post measurements later it's a marine land with nice pine stand and top! was hoping this would work? you dont think this would be any good do to the rock? I could use a 90g but its on ugly metal stand??
> 
> do I have to use special sand like the cycled sand or can I use silica? that probably isn't good enough do to the PH levels? I don't have to use crushed coral? it can be sand?
> 
> Oh yea Thank you guys so much for your help and for putting up with me LOL


To be honest with you on your selection of the tank, the more narrow and tall the harder to aqua scape. I personally think it is more for FO tank cuz the more swimming room. Most my tank are cube or semi cube which give me a bit better depth. You can easily compare it by comparing ur current 29g biocube to a 33g standard long tank , put some rock in and quickly compare it and you would find out the diff easily. However, that is my personal preference.

As for lights, it you want a light to be able to do "everything" you will at least looking at 300+ if it is 3'+ tank and 150+ if it is a 2' tank or less. If you don't care about cool control and you are fine to do what you doing now with your T5 which is plug them into regular timer. I have couple aQ120 which is only $180 each but only can turn on off by manual switch or external timer, and only can dim by manual dimming knot.

They are full spectrum and should be good for anything and at relatively cheap price. You do need to find a way to hang them however as they only come with hanging kit.


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## scott tang

that if you go with a long or tall your stuck with a rock wall the aq 120 is a great option for lighting

do not go used for led !!!!!!!!! I got a 55 wat fixture off some one on canreef and it burnt out in 2 weeks


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## mrbob

stuck with a rock wall?? cant i build the rocks high? tank is 48x23x12.5


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## mrbob

those leds will do the job of metal halide if so I'm interested and how much for the one to cover 48" tank? 60g?


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## scott tang

yea unless you want your rock toughing the front wal


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## aQ.LED

scott tang said:


> that if you go with a long or tall your stuck with a rock wall the aq 120 is a great option for lighting
> 
> do not go used for led !!!!!!!!! I got a 55 wat fixture off some one on canreef and it burnt out in 2 weeks


Hey!!! those fixtures I old as used are not gonna burnt out like that!! lol
4' tank will need 2 regardless cuz the length. So $360 total + shipping I don't think u wanna drive all the way over to Vancouver to pick them up lol


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## mrbob

so theres no way to make the 60g work and look right? really wanted it to work LOL maybe have to go with the 72 bow front I have? switch tanks?


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## mrbob

so those lights are used? how long will they last? are they ok for 72g bow front?


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## aQ.LED

It is not that it wouldn't work, it just limits your option, you won't be able to run more rocks and you will force to leave lots empty swimming area at top of the tank. I will try to prevent bowfront tank cuz the bow part is hard to cover with lights.

no they are new not used,, I was more talking about the used fixture I sold such as the pharos and the nano touch I sold to scott


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## mrbob

well now I'm confused lol cant use 60 or 72 bow? so out of two 60 is better option? maybe I should just use 90g with crappy stand!


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## scott tang

personally I think the 72 would be way beter for aquascape but I have never tried to light a bowfront only a cube and rectangle 
no the ones frank sells are awesome and have worked great for me ! you can see pics on my reef journal

I got a used diy light off crags list wich broke from some random guy Im saying don't do that lmao


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## mrbob

so for 360.00 I dont need any other lights? I can have any coral salt water creature? lol that has all moon lights day lights etc? that's enough for 90g if I decide to go that route? if so please send me more info


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## aQ.LED

Well as I said the light is an entry level fixture. You need to manually control the 2 channels. Sure u can have moon light , but that means you will need to set it manually urself every night. More advance option would be the Pharos, u can pick up the two used one which over 500. But u can set it and forget it. Both are capable keeping anything.
For Pharos , there are few user got them and I think u can easily find review of them. As for aq120 , u can search taotronic and should find the info and reviews. They are pretty generic.


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## scott tang

any updates ??!? 

you could use one aq.120 and a aq mini set to moon light ? is that right sory if it isnt just an idea


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## mrbob

All is well mandarin is eating almost everything I put in tank now not just blood worms like before! rbta is doing excellent getting bigger! filter crab clinged on to her and wont let go, JL said it was OK and normal!


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## Immus21

Bob I love the way you've jumped into this new section of the hobby and ran with it! You have me thinking (again) about setting up a salty... Have you made a decision about what which tank you're going to upsize to? Maybe you can find a sweet deal on a 60G cube (you seem to have a knack for finding such deals) and increase your tank total to 28!!!


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## mrbob

done that lol Ty! working on 90 salt now!! got the fever lol have to get a hold of frank soon for lights! may buy established 72 salt and swap over to 90! get a jump start love my little salt so fun!! lots of studying thou!


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## scott tang

pic update please !!!!!


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## jhj0112

hey Mr. Bob, any update on your 29g bio cube? I would love to know how it is now.. i've always wanted to jump into SW.......


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## crimper

Yeah Mr. Bob, update please


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