New to the hobby, 29 Biocube advice needed

I have had a mandarin in my 28 gallon for 2 years. He was my first fish. I put him in a month after I had the tank. It is doable. He thrives he's fat. I started by added pods monthly from different online sources. After about 6 months it seems I had a good enough population to stop buying them. He does also eat Rods reef blend food. I didn't try and train him to do it either. He just does it lol.

So if you really want to try a dragonet and you are willing to supply him with pods for awhile I say go to it, the green mandarins are beautiful, he reminds me of a little hummingbird hovering around the rocks eating pods all day.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend a dragon eternal in that small of tank. It is doable but gonna cost a lot to keep it fed.
Go with the other fish you are planning and let your system mature. Maybe down the road if you upgrade tank size try one then.

 

upgrade your pump to a maxi jet 1200 and get a bio pellet reactor and a skimmer so the bio film goes to it. and if your relly feel like you want a fuge by a sump or hang on cpr fuge or have bud build you something. when my biocube was up and running i had a innovative marine desk top skimmer a rio 1200 return pump i don't think they make them any more tho but maxi jet 1200 work great i relly recommend getting a bio pellet reactor if you get a skimmer you can just git a two little fishes phosban reactor and get a knitting screen and that will work then get a mj 1200 to power it. i highly recommend you take the hood off and get some sort of led i used a ai nano it worked great and thats what i used and my system ran perfect ill post pic tonight of my old biocube.

--- Auto-Merged, May 13, 2016 ---

oh i forgot one thing i dosed 2 part with 2 brs 1.1 ml a day units

 

Honestly one of the nice small tanks in the area (Waverz) runs an auto water changer, and almost no other filtration. Set it up to change a 1/2 gallon of water every day and dont chase parameters in a system that small.

If you really want a dragonette, you will have to be dedicated and hatch out artemia on a daily basis and drip it in, or add it with a dosing pump. Otherwise it will slowly starve to death.

 

The best tanks are simple ones. The more stuff you add the more maintenance and possible troubles.
I like the auto water changes. Makes life much easier.
I know when I first started I thought I needed all sorts of gadgets and equipment. And now when I setup a tank it's just a light, tank, stand, skimmer refugium, return, powerhead and heater, and regular water changes. I don't even run carbon or go anymore and my parameters are almost to clean.

My advice is keep it simple.

 

ya i agree with @xroads

 

I love my biocube.. Grow all kinds of coral.. But for fish I only have a pair of clowns.. They seem to be pretty territorial in the whole tank.. Filtration is a filter sock and chemipure.. I do a weekly 4 gallon water change

 

Let me know when you are ready for chaeto and we will give you some.

 

Just go with what you have and see how it goes. Regular maintenance and don't over feed. If algae or phosphate problem comes up put some go in a bag in return section.

 

Sorry. GFO. Granular Ferric Oxide. A phosphate media.

 

Might need to remove the suction cups from the skimmer and build a little stand made out of egg crate to get the skimmer to the right height in chamber 1, but it will fit. Here is a good illustration: My biocube diy aquatic life 115 skimmer stand - Do It Yourself