BioCube Filtration Question

[jamesd28]

I have a 14G BioCube FOWLR tank. Been up for about 2 months and currently has a clown fish, 2 hermits, 2 snails and a cleaner shrimp. All equipment is currently stock.

Per some advice I received on here, I ordered a media basket setup that includes filter floss, purigen and chemi-pure elite that would go in the 2nd chamber and replace the bio balls.

However, over the weekend I had an ammonia spike which also led to nitrites and higher nitrates. I was able to get it under control and get the ammonia and nitrites back down to 0 while also lowering the nitrates back down to between 5-10. My clown is also acting normal again now too, so everything appears to be ok.

My question is, will removing the bio balls and setting up the media basket in chamber 2 have any negative effects given what happened over the weekend, or does it not matter since I got the problem under control?

Appreciate any advice! Thanks!!

[carey]

Do you have any idea why you had that spike? Is wnaything dead or decaying in your tank? Its kinda odd to just have a spike out of nowhere.

I would put in the media basket and keep half the bioballs for a start. Whatever beneficial bacteria is on them you dont wanna lose. Between that and your live rock you should be ok.

Glad you were on your water testing you averted a possible disaster.

[jamesd28]

Friday night I noticed that a couple pieces of live rock that I had pieced together had fallen, and in my attempt to set them up the way they had been, I actually knocked over some other pieces and created quite a stir up in the tank. This caused my clown fish to get pretty stressed out too. The next morning I tested the water and noticed the spike.

Is there room in the 2nd chamber to keep 1/2 of the bio balls as well as the 3 level media basket? I believe it is the same media basket that you have, carey.

[carey]

I have the fuge also in my middle compartment so since you dont have that you can use that part for the bioballs.

[jamesd28]

sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am not exactly familiar with what the fuge is

[carey]

I keep cheato and you can keep live rock in it too. Its like a mini refugium. As long as you add a light into that section the macro algae will grow and help with nitrtaes and building a pod population.

[jamesd28]

gotcha. so is this area underneath your media basket in the 2nd chamber, or is it to the side of it?

[carey]

It's to the side

Here's a quick photo. The fuge is about the same size length wise as the media basket.

[jamesd28]

Oh gotcha. so I would just have some of the bio balls on the side. Will there be any negative effects of having to handle the bioballs to get them on the side? I've always heard that you should never handle them

[jamesd28]

Hey, I was just looking on the website for the media basket and I dont think that the BioCube 14 has the ability to do what you did with your 29g, carey.

[jamesd28]

so assuming that the above picture is an accurate representation of the BC14, would removing my bio balls and inserting a media basket with the exact setup as seen in the photo cause a spike in ammonia/nitrites/nitrates? My tank has been up and running for roughly 5-8 weeks

[carey]

Ahh i see the issue now, your center compartment is only big enough for the basket.

if it were me, I would take out the bioballs and put in the basket. You have the live rock and sand with bacteria so in my opinion you should be ok. You also havent had the bioballs in that that long so the amount of bacteria is probably negligible.

if anyone else has done this mod please chime in!

[jamesd28]

That was my thinking as well, carey. While my LR does take up a good amount of space, most if it is not very dense, so the total weight is only about 9lbs. I do have approx. 20lbs of live sand though, and just added a sand-like substance to my sand bed which is supposed to convert nitrates into a gas quicker. Do you think my current rock&sand setup is sufficient to fight off any ammonia/nitrites?

Does the media basket system help fight off ammonia/nitrites as well, or will that only help with nitrates?

thanks for all your help, carey!

[carey]

The media basket will perform like any other filter, beneficial bacteria will build up in there as well. The chemipure and purigen can remove impurities out of your water like carbon does. If you go the chemipure elite it also will help with phosphates which in turn will help with algae.

The majority of the bacteria you have is in and on the surface of your live rock and sand. I would do the swap and then monitor it for a bit and if a water change is in order then thats an easy fix. i didn't notice any ammonia spike or trites at all when I did mine.

I feel the media basket just makes life alot easier and is better than bioballs as far as nitrate retention. It also lets you run what you want in each section. If you want to clairfy your water you can add carbon, you can add GFO for any phosphate issues you may run into and it can hold filter pad/poly fill for the particulate matter that floats around the tank. I'm very very glad I got the setup.

[jamesd28]

alright sounds good. hopefully everything will be alright then. the media basket and all bio media should be here tomorrow. I might wait until the weekend to make the switch just so that I can monitor it more closely and not be away at work for the majority of the day.

On another note, what method do you use for spot feeding frozen food?

[carey]

To feed my scooter and mandarin I use a turkey baster and squirt the food to them.

[jamesd28]

Right. Thats what I was thinking too. Do you let the frozen food thaw in water completely and then just suck it into the baster and shoot it to the desired fish?

[carey]

Yep, i put it in a little paper cup and let it defrost with some tank water. Then I suck up a bit for the fish. Any leftover I leave in the fridge til their evening feeding.

If you want to avoid anything from the frozen water getting into your tank you can defrost it, strain it then add tank water and squirt. I do this on occassion but I havent had a phosphate issue so I don't do it all the time.

[jamesd28]

alright cool. thanks! do you think that the media rack setup will do a better job of keeping my water clear than the stock BC setup? my water isn't murky or anything like that, it just seems like there are always particles that are floating around, even after water changes

[carey]

The filter pad/floss will take care of that. Or it did in my tank. I hate the "floaties" you sometimes can get. lol

I did some reading up on the purigen and chemi pure since you were asking, and yes, they do say they can help with ammonia and nitrite.

Purigen | Aquarium Supplies | PetSolutions