14 Gallon BioCube - Nano Reef

[agentfive]

We purchased a 14 gallon Biocube this past Friday. So far we've filled it with water and 10lbs of Live Sand. We used Top Coat to de-chlorinate the water, and the salt mixture is at 1.022 to 1.024. We are going to get some live rock this week and take a sample from our current tank water and tap water to our LFS to sample and let us know what else we might need to condition things.

Can't wait to get the live rock and also to see the tank cycle. This is a project for our family - and my daughter at 4.5 and son at 2 are pretty excited.

Here's a link to my newbie introduction as well where Austin Dad is helping me out.

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I think it looks as good as it can at this stage at the moment.

Can't wait to see it build up.

[agentfive]

Okay - so we just got back from our LFS - and all of our water readings sans ammonia being a bit high as the tank is cycling - are good - except for copper.

Our copper levels from using our tap water are too hight, so we have cuprisorb and The Bag to remove the copper.

Bummer - we were hoping for some live rock, but given they are so high we have to remove them.

I guess I'm confused - can we in the future use our tap water and continue to treat the copper levels - or will we need to use their water or get a reverse/osmosis water filter - etc. I'm really into making the water thing a non-issue by doing whatever is the easiest.

[agentfive]

Also - we added the Bio-Spira today to get things going on the LFS advice.

So far we have Salt Water, Live Sand, two filters, a heater, Top Coat dechlorinator, and the CupriSorb to get rid of copper.

[melosu58]

Originally Posted by agentfive

I guess I'm confused - can we in the future use our tap water and continue to treat the copper levels

No, You will need to use RO/DO water or at least RO from walmart or another grocery store. Most of your clean up crew can not make with copper in the system. Was this a new tank or used?

[agentfive]

This a new tank - so we've only used the tap water with this first fill. After this I will use only RO/DO water.

[agentfive]

And so it's a new tank - will the Cuprisorb and Poly Filter do the trick before we add live rock - etc? They said once the levels are gone - we'll be set to move forward. We want coral - etc. and we know the snails and other creatures won't live with the copper.

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Agent5
just a note about RO/DI water. For a tank that size water changes will only be about a gallon and a half. Buy one of those 5 gal jugs at the LFS with salt water , then when you need more take it to the grocery store and fill it with RO water for $1.75 ( mine had their dispensing machines near the front doors, put in 2 bucks and it fills your bucket). Then go home pour in the salt, plop in an air stone over night and you now have 5 more gallons for less than 3 bucks. I have one grocery store near me with RO/DI and one with just RO. Either way for our size tanks it;s a piece of cake to get water this way. Just don't send your wife for it cause the stuf is HEAVY . I went last Sunday to Publix and for $3.50 walked out with 10 gallons, would have been $15 at LFS


PS; a small gram scale will make adding salt extremely easy. I have learned that 747 grams of instant ocean salt in 5 gals water will yeild 1.023 SG. ( using a cheapie hydrometer, not scientific)

[agentfive]

That's great advice. Thanks for this - I really don't want to get into an entire RO/DI setup.

Yep - once I get the water straight in the tank I have now - then I'll do this after the cycle. The live sand and stuff is cycling now - I didn't believe it - but it is.

[DJLiquid]

I would just dump that water and start over again. That would have been cheaper then all the additives you paid for. Do it right the first time I say. If you weren't sure of your tap you should have tested it first. Get the ready made sea water in a box like joey said.

[agentfive]

Roger that. I'm going to see if this works by WED. And if not - start over. But right now I've already done the cuprisorb and see if that fixes the water.

[agentfive]

Just picked up 2.5 gallons of RO/DI water. I'm going to use this to top off over the next few days as my salt is in the 1.026 range. If things don't work out by Wed - then I'll dump - and buy water and new live sand. This will get rid of having to use any of the stuff.

Thanks - as always being a newbie - I just should have gotten pure water - but was told we could treat it if there was an issue. What I should have done was picked up the tank - gotten it ready to fill and then brought our tap water back to the LFS. Then we would have caught it, and I could have just gotten water.

Oh well - at least I know what to do in the future. I still don't even have anything living in the main tank but I can see this is like learning to snowboard or anything else - baby steps, and then one day you really fly.

[agentfive]

Date: 11/28/08 Temp: 77 pH: 7.8 Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 10 Nitrite: 1 Magnesium: n/t GH: n/t
KH: n/t Salinity: 1.023 Alkalinity: n/t
Calcium: n/t Carbon Dioxide: n/t Copper: n/t
Iodine: n/t Iron: n/t Dissolved Oxygen: n/t
Phosphate: n/t

Looks like my Nitrates have risen but ammonia is now back to 0.

I don't have a copper test - but hopefully it will be lower on Wed. If not - redo.

[agentfive]

Okay - all levels are back to normal - what about the PH being 7.8-8.0? Should this come up a little after we get live rock? Or is that the PH of the water?

Date: 11/30/08 Temp: 77 pH: 8 Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0 Nitrite: 0 Magnesium: n/t GH: n/t
KH: n/t Salinity: 1.024 Alkalinity: n/t
Calcium: n/t Carbon Dioxide: n/t Copper: n/t
Iodine: n/t Iron: n/t Dissolved Oxygen: n/t
Phosphate: n/t

If the copper levels are gone on Wed/Friday - then it's live rock central.

[DJLiquid]

PH at 8.2 is ideal

[agentfive]

Okay - update. We got our live rock today - and already I can see little critters - floral looking things on the rocks - so cool.



We have at least 3-4 good places for coral/other stuff.

Also the readings in our tank have all normalized prior to adding the live rock, and the cuprisorb removed all the copper. My tests and the LFS confirmed that.

WOOT! Very excited!!!

[agentfive]

Update - cuprisorb took out the copper - we've added live rock 4 days ago and could our cycle be over already - the live rock was cured and yesterday we saw the nitrates spike a bit then come down.



We did use an entire thing of Bio-Spira prior to adding live rock.

Not sure what I'm looking for here...