14g bio cube heat issues

[Crowsmuse]

Hello all,
i have a 14g biocube, and i am BEYOND frustrated with its heat issues.
i love the tank, but i just cant keep the temp down.
its on from 9-6 and when i get home its darn near 85 degrees
the fact i haven't lost my fish kids in there is a miracle.
Current inhabitants include:1-Female german blue ram, 1-Male Golden ram, 1-Dwarf orange colored bristlenose pleco (never seen one this orange)and 2-Amano shrimp.

any advice?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

What is this tank planted with? Those lights look really blue - I suppose you're still using the 50/50 PC actinic bulbs this tank came with? You should change them to 6500K daylight bulbs ASAP.

My 12g Nano Cube is very similar to your tank. Mine ran hot too with the PC lighting and the stock pump (both contributors to heat). My pump didn't have a flow control and the flow was way too strong of a current for my freshwater fish (GBR included). I swapped the stock pump out for a Marineland mini jet 404 and not only did I have the ability to lower the flow (which my fish loved), the tank started to run cooler.

I kept this tank with the PC lighting for another 2 to 3 years. BTW, the PC lighting on these cubes are really intense because it's meant to be a mini reef tank. So once you switch to 6500K, you'll still need to inject CO2 and/or dose Excel with 6 to 7 hours max photoperiod (depending on plant stock) to reduce algae. Anyway, back to my story... About a couple months ago, I retro fitted the hood with LED lighting. Now my cube runs even cooler with no need of the loud cooling fans.

 

[Crowsmuse]

What is this tank planted with?

I have to research this, i bought plants recommended by a friend and aside from the red cabomba and the purple lotus one I'm not sure what the last one is, looks like bacopa pink

******

I suppose you're still using the 50/50 PC actinic bulbs this tank came with? You should change them to 6500K daylight bulbs ASAP.

one 50/50 which i don't think i ever use, and the other is 10,000 k which i know i need to drop to 6500k right away, just don't have $40 yet.

****

I swapped the stock pump out for a Marineland mini jet 404 and not only did I have the ability to lower the flow (which my fish loved), the tank started to run cooler.

I googled that Marineland mini-jet, and it shows discontinued, do you have another recommendation? i know the power flow is crazy, its better with the driftwood i put in, but could use a small downgrade.
Oh, and the back area of this cube is set up oddly, will that fit?

****

once you switch to 6500K, you'll still need to inject CO2 and/or dose Excel with 6 to 7 hours max photoperiod (depending on plant stock) to reduce algae.

lol im still a little bit of a noob with this stuff, but thank you so much!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Just a heads up... the longer you keep that 50/50 actinic bulb in there with that amount of light intensity, you will most likely see algae develop pretty fast. That really blue actinic light spectrum is really only usable by algae...

The pump is discontinued, it was like 3 years ago when I upgraded it to that model. I'm sure you can still find them new on ebay... but if you need a replacement, you'd have to do a little research. I'm pretty sure they're standard, Outlet Size: 1/2" I.D. Vinyl Tubing, and you just need one that fits the tubing that leads down to the stock pump in the back compartment (like a built in sump). Let's see... the 14g BioCube stock pump (just from a quick google, you should double check this) is suppose to have about 137GPH... non-adjustable. My 404 is rated to be adjustable from 18 –108GPH. There's a 606 model that is adjustable from 82 – 153GPH, which should work.
Amazon.com: Marineland Mini-Jet 606 Powerhead BULK VERSION [Misc.]: Pet Supplies

I'm not sure how similar or dis-similar a JBJ Nano Cube 12g is from a BioCube 14g, but when I changed the pump, it made the world of difference with the new pump running cooler, quieter, and having the ability to reduce the flow. My fish, with the stock pump, (I was a newb and I'm embarrassed to say) were constantly fighting a river of a current...LOL

Here's a video I made 3 years ago when I used silk fake plants thinking it was cool. Notice the blue actinic light... well 48 watts of that over a 12g led to a lot of algae scrubbing weekly!
German Blue Rams - Nano Cube 12g Aquarium - YouTube

Check out my transformation journal from when I started the Nano Cube, to when I swapped out the bulbs, pump, and got real plants and DIY co2. Notice in the pics below the fake plants, when I first got into plants, I got low light ones and still had the 50/50 actinic light w/ no co2... I had an algae farm to say the least.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f19/my-12g-nano-cube-fw-its-all-grown-up-now-227698.html

And here's something to consider down the road, if you ever want to switch to LED instead of those PC bulbs and loud fan... check out my retro-fit LED install in my nano cube I just did.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...elumen-pro-leds-retro-fit-upgrade-267216.html

For now... I'd focus on the bulbs and the pump... get more fast growing stem plants (i.e. rotala, ludwigia, etc.). DIY co2 or pressurized. Dose a good liquid fertilizer like Flourish and Excel.