BioCube 8 issues

[duggy]

We have had our BioCube 8 for around a year. We have added a HydorFlo wave thingy and a better pump. We do weekly bottled water changes of about a gallon, add a little Prime and a little buffer, keep the day lights on for only a few hours a day, but it still looks like this. We are at a point now that we are ready to give it up.

There are 2 clowns, a shrimp goby, an urchin, a hermit crab, and a couple of snails. The stuff living in it are happy and eating well. But we can't add anything to it. We have tried any number of "easy to care for" corals, none of which live. And this brown/red/purple crap is really starting to get us down. It looks fine when the day light is off, but then nothing grows.

Oh ya, we've got a great mushroom disc, too.

What are we doing wrong?

Doug

 

[Sergie]

I know it's a small tank but from the looks of it you don't have enough live rock to help filter your water for the amount of bioload you have in there. It looks like about 2-5 lbs of rock when you should have anywhere between 8-16 if that's an 8g tank. Even with easy to care for corals, with two clowns that poop, an urchin that poops, and snails that poop, there's not enough filtration. Your nitrates will build up really fast in such a small tank an that's why your corals are dying. The fish are more resistant to nitrates but your corals definately are not. IMO, if you added 5-10 more lbs of LR you'd have a healthier tank and that brown will go away. Give that a shot instead of giving up, it'll only cost you another 40 bucks or so.

 

[leftyfish]

What is the bottled water? Is it reverse osmosis water? Do you have a test kit to check the parameters that Sergie mentioned? I don't think you need to give up, you have kept the inhabitants alive for a year, that is great. Now you just need to figure out what is going on with the water and filtration to get rid of the algae in there. I would suggest more live rock too, but don't they have to add it slowly Sergie, so no spike happens?

Also, can you tell us what is in the back compartments? That may help too!

 

[Sergie]

In my 30, 46 and 55 I've been able to add 10 lbs at a time with no I'll effect. As long as the rock is coming from an established tank I can't really see how it could make it spike. It's not adding anymore ammonia, just the helpful bacteria that will help complete the nitrogen cycle. I haven't dealt with a nano reef before but I don't see the harm in adding in 5 lbs at a time. Correct me if I'm wrong.
IMHO, I just think the bioload/rock ratio is way off. 2 clowns would be better off in a 20, 1 in an 8.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

I would stop using bottled water and find somewhere that you can purchase ro/di water. You also shouldn't need to add any prime or buffer at all. How often do you feed? Keeping feedings to every other day should help if you aren't doing so already.

You could try some red slime remover too if you wanted. I am generally against medicating anything but this stuff is amazing. I used chemiclean's red slime remover in my 28 gallon reef when I had a small outbreak and it was great, no inverts or corals were effected.

If you did want to add more rock you could add dry baserock, you will get no spike at all so it might be a little safer. You could also cure liverock in a separate container for a few weeks before adding it to the tank.

 

[Sarcothelia]

^ very much agree. Used it with inverts and corals in the past with no ill effects. Just don't overdose

 

[jasonjs]

In my bio cubes I had the same prob,even using rodi water. I finally eliminated it by removing the floors out of the sump chambers,and put purigen and carbon in socks in the last chamber w pump,second chamber is rock ruble and a cheap led key chain light, and skimmer in first chamber. Make sure your using rodi water. Oh I almost forgot,I only run a 6hr light cycle. Hope it helps!

 

[jasonjs]

iIif you do take floors out,make sure to turn off pumps,they may be difficult to get out,just keep pressure pulling up and they'll come loose. Then siphon out all the gunk and put your rubble in and any small light and you should be gtg!