My Biocube 14

Hey all, I thought I would give an update
on my biocube I set up. It has been going great and I am really happy with it!
Please excuse the poor pics, I just can’t seem to get good ones, so my phone
works just as well. I have to say the club has been great, I bought my starting
stock from cryptofusion (member) and got the majority of the other coral from
exotic critter corner’s silent auction. Here is a stock list:










From Iowa seascapes: 2 snowflake clowns,
trumpet coral, pavona




Liveaquaria: 2 different ricordea shrooms,
cleanup crew, live rock




Crypto: Red Mushrooms, 2 other types of
mushrooms, hammer coral,


dragon eye zoas, purple zoas, kenya
tree




ECC: 3 chalices, aussie war favite, aussie
dragon favia, Duncan, worm brain, Tropicana acan




I have found it interesting that when I
was researching the biocube many people from other forums said that they only
put out enough light for softies or maybe the toughest LPS… I have found quite
the opposite! I had to move my mushrooms down, even after a few weeks they
remained shriveled up even a few inches up in the direct light. 2 of the
chalices have also had a little bleaching and what really surprised me is the
aussie war favite has bleached on the upper areas facing the light! Parts where
the coral is angled out of the light look great. I reduced the photoperiod to 5
hours and it is getting some color back.




Everything else is doing great. The trumpet
is growing fast and the pavona and acan look really good, plenty of light for
the sps (though it is a low light sps I gather). Everything has great
extensions. I worry about the red worm brain, it is really growing like a weed
and looks cool, but it has long sweepers and it might overgrow the tank,
although that is a long ways away.




I have to say having the mini fuge with
chato seems to be going great. The coralife t5 for the back is junk, I had 3
break in under a week! Dr F&S replaced them, but I eventually had them get
me a maineland LED for the back, and its working great. NO3 has been undectable
since I got it.




So thanks to the club for the
connections!!! My tank wouldn’t be nearly as nice if I hadn’t joined, and I am
very satisfied with it – although I can’t keep peppermint shrimp alive… the
only thing that has died!