Okay, Ive got some questions about my 8 gal. nanocube. I got it second hand, and realized that it's 9 inch bulb was somehow 24 watts. I searched the internet for replacement bulbs, but could only find 18 watt ones. the bulb it came with needs to be replaced now, And I hve no alternative to the 18 watt. I want to know if the lower wattage will have any ill effect on the various mushrooms and zoas in the tank, and also if it is still enough wattage for xenia, which I plan to keep. I have also wondered about possibly keeping some basic hard corals, just ecrusting stuff, candy cane, and maybe a hardy brain. I am pretty sure I cant have them, but just want to be sure. Also, If there are any suggestions for something other than mushrooms and zoas that I can keep in the setup, suggestions would be helpful. thanks!
some random questions about my nano
- Thread starter waterguy1
- Start date
the 18 watt is a little low, are you using a stock hood/ballast on there? is the stock configuration of the 8 gal biocube include only the 18watt bulb? cuz if thats the case then your zoas and shrooms will be fine under it. usually tho biocubes come with dual bulb fixtures no?
some other low light corals that you can get away with is blastomussa, acan coral, your xenia, cloves as an encrusting coral, palythoa... i cant think of others right now but there might be.
some other low light corals that you can get away with is blastomussa, acan coral, your xenia, cloves as an encrusting coral, palythoa... i cant think of others right now but there might be.
thanks. oh, yea, and I forgot to ask: In the same tank, I have hair algae that completely takes over unless I rip it out every other day. Is there anythying I can use to get rid of it without harming anything else in the tank? should I just increase water changes? will the lower light help? thanks in advance for the info.
the 18 watt will help decrease its speed of growth. keep ripping it out every few days like you are, also up your water changes and be sure to use RO/DI water.
thats the only way you will avoid harming things in the tank. i mean you can get an emerald crab but that is too risky.
Also what is your tank readings? if everything is 0 (ammo, nitrite, low nitrate) then you should probably run chemi-pure elite and /or purigen in your back chambers. what are you running in your back chambers right now?
also add GSP to that list of corals, that stuff grows in low light as well.
thats the only way you will avoid harming things in the tank. i mean you can get an emerald crab but that is too risky.
Also what is your tank readings? if everything is 0 (ammo, nitrite, low nitrate) then you should probably run chemi-pure elite and /or purigen in your back chambers. what are you running in your back chambers right now?
also add GSP to that list of corals, that stuff grows in low light as well.
those arent really necessary if you have live rock in your system and good flow. the carbon is good though if you replace that every month or so. dont remove those things all at once but a little at a time. first i'd remove a few of the ceramic things then go for the sponges and finally its up to you if you want to keep the bio balls. the major thing here is that unless you clean each of those things back there weekly and thoroughly, nitrates will start to build in the tank as more and more debris gets gunked up and trapped back there among all that clutter. the nirate and w/e else helps feed your hair algae which may be why its prevalent in your tank.
DO NOT take only my word for this, as i have never owned a biocube tank and used bio-balls. I do own a 3 gal pico tank however and have a fuge made out of an aquaclear 70 filter for it. I only use macro algae and chemi-pure elite in that filter and I avoid most of the nirate building issues (cuz the macro algae does take care of any nitrate that does build).
My main point is that you should research these bio-balls and read about other people's biocube setups and see what works for them
that is the best way to learn how to keep your tank to the best of your ability.
also by sponges you mean like filter foam sponges right? not pineapple sponges which are natural inhabitants of that area and should be left untouched.
DO NOT take only my word for this, as i have never owned a biocube tank and used bio-balls. I do own a 3 gal pico tank however and have a fuge made out of an aquaclear 70 filter for it. I only use macro algae and chemi-pure elite in that filter and I avoid most of the nirate building issues (cuz the macro algae does take care of any nitrate that does build).
My main point is that you should research these bio-balls and read about other people's biocube setups and see what works for them
that is the best way to learn how to keep your tank to the best of your ability.also by sponges you mean like filter foam sponges right? not pineapple sponges which are natural inhabitants of that area and should be left untouched.
Last edited:
actally, its not a biocube. Im pretty sure its a jbj, but those supposedly have leds, which I dont think mine does, and im not sure if it is a 6 or a 12, so when I got it, I just figured 8 because it looked in between and I was to lazy to measure it. the people I bought it from are idiots, not hobbyists, and they messed with it alot, so I think I might just buy a biocube 14 and move everything over. Id kinda like to get something with a warranty and instruction booklet anyway. This one is a peice of crud.