Newb looking for advice on tank setup. Please help :)

[carey]

I'm still looking. The special they had when I got mine has gone up to $279 from the 249. :-(

If theres a cheaper one, I'll find it. LOL

 

[carey]

So far this is the best I can find. They charge $15 shipping though I think. :-(

Oceanic Bio Cube Aquarium Aquarium Kits

 

[jamesd28]

looks like the 29 is out of stock

 

[carey]

Yep, I saw that after I posted. I think Petco or Amazon would be your best bets. Thats if you want to go with the 29g anyways. All up to you.

 

[jamesd28]

yeahh. I would really like to get the 29G. where was the site that you got yours off of. Even though you said it was 279 now, do they still offer the 30 gift card towards fish?

 

[carey]

Nope. they stopped that promotion too or I would have linked it. :-(

I guess I got in while the going was good. Under $300 is a good deal though compared to what the pet stores usually want.

Do you have a petsmart near you? They had them in store for 259 last time i checked but then youd have to pay sales tax.

 

[jamesd28]

yeah I do have a petsmart near me. $259 would be a great deal. You're right. places like petco sell them for roughly $350-400 in store. And I live in Portland, OR...we don't have sales tax The petsmarts here dont carry saltwater fish, but they do have supplies. no biocubes on their website though. I wonder if they still have them in store.

 

[carey]

I think they are phasing them out which is why they were cheap. You could also try in store at petco, mine carries them, can;t remember how much they were though.

 

[jamesd28]

Just called petsmart. They have the BioCube 29 on sale for 249.99. Heading over there right after work to get it!

 

[carey]

woot! go YOU! Thats sweet!

 

[jamesd28]

Wouldn't have known to check without you! And no sales tax! haha. Now I just have to wait for my supplies to arrive in the mail and I can set it up to start cycling! With the 29G how much live sand/live rock would you recommend to give the fish a healthy environment while also giving them enough swimming room. Dont want it to be jam packed with rock to where they cant swim

 

[carey]

I have about 30lbs or so of sand and about 35-45 lbs of LR. I left alot of room around the rock structure so I can clean all the sides, even the back. You might want more rock in yours. It suggested 1.5 to 2.0 lbs of rock per gallon.

And I'm soo glad I could help! makes my day! really.

 

[jamesd28]

ok cool. Could you possibly link me to the sight where you said LR was only $2/lb? also, what is a good heater to put in the back of the BC? when I was planning for the 14BC I read about marineland stealth heaters, but I saw a bunch of postings saying those were recalled due to safety issues. What do you have in your BC? Do you have a an additional pump in there also, or just use the BC stock?

 

[carey]

Base rock is only like $2 a lb. The few lbs of LR you will need to seed the base rock youll have to get locally most likely.

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=15&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

I dont have a heater in my cube, it runs hot at about 80 degrees. i did buy a hydor for it cause they are small, I think you have like 8-9 inches to play with as far as length of the heater. Yeah the marinelands were recalled so thats a no go. Aqueon from petco makes a nice heater, the aqueon pro. Not sure if it will fit though.

I added a powerhead to my cube. I would suggest a koralia 425. The 240 isnt enough and the 750 is too much flow.

 

[jamesd28]

Sorry if this is a stupid Q, but what is the difference between base rock and LR? The guy at the LFS told me that lots of LR would go a long way in keeping my fish healthy

 

[carey]

A good amount of live rock will be the best filter in the world you could hope for. The base, or dead rock will become live over time, over the course of a few weeks and after a few months you won't be able to tell the difference. The live rock you buy locally can "seed' or bring its bacteria to the dead rock and help it get live and also if you want that pink coralline algae it has to be introduced to your tank somehow and live rock from the store should have some purple on it.

 

[jamesd28]

Oh gotcha! Sounds good! so with a 29g FOWLR, would I be able to have a clown and a yellowtail damsel? or is it still to small for them to co-exist? I have been told it'd be ok, and seen videos of it...but you seem like you have a lot of experience too. I read a description about the yellowtail and it said that they are one of the least aggressive damsels and they are good additions to tanks. True/False?

 

[carey]

I have no actual experience with damsels, just know what I heard. At least if it were aggressive the tank is small enough to break down to get it out. LOL

My plan for my cube is, as far as stocking
2 designer clowns
1 citron goby
1 scooter dragonet
1 mandarin dragonet

Thats pushing it a bit too LOL. But I am faithful to the water change lol.

 

[jamesd28]

You know of anywhere to get a cheap pump like the one you described? Or would petsmart still be my best bet? You really dont need a heater? even at night when the temp. tends to drop?

 

[carey]

I live in florida. I havent had the cube through a winter yet but I have a heater in case.

This is the cheapest I have seen

Koralia Evolution Pumps | Power Heads | PetSolutions