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Special-K
10-22-2007, 05:31 PM
When i talked to the person at my lfs about the 14g biocube, she said that it didnt have a protein skimmer but that it would be okay with a mostly corals tank with 1-2 fish. She said that the organics that would collect without the skimmer would actually be somewhat beneficial to the corals?? is there much truth to this statement?
zackish
10-22-2007, 05:35 PM
No, anything under 20 gallons, even 30, you really don't have to have a skimmer. I don't have one on my 10 gallon nano, I am sure a 14 gallon biocube would be just fine.
coachfraley
10-22-2007, 05:55 PM
I don't know about organic wastes being helpful to corals:confused:, but Zackish is right, if your tank is under 20g, you can get away with not using a skimmer.

Just keep up on water changes!!!

You might also want to add a fuge to the back of your cube. That will really help keep the nitrates down.
Special-K
10-22-2007, 07:56 PM
i think there is a compartment in the back of the biocube that can be used as a refugium... what do i have to do to make it into one?
cocoa_pleco
10-22-2007, 09:43 PM
a refugium usually just needs a powerhead. my 10g nanocube has the filter in the refugium

a protein skimmer is for tanks 25g and up
coachfraley
10-23-2007, 01:15 AM
The big decision in setting up the rear fuge is deciding which type of light to use. I think most people buy one of the galaxy lights:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+8154&pcatid=8154

But you can use just about any compact flor. light as long as it is 6700k. I used an old 10g incandescent hood and put a screw-in compact flor. bulb in it:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/flight.jpg

Creating the fuge is as easy as removing the plastic on the back of the cube. Here is a thread describing the process of removing the rear plastic:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=35&t=70138
cocoa_pleco
10-23-2007, 01:23 AM
this is gonna sound stupid, but CF bulbs can go into regular incandescent fixtures?
coachfraley
10-23-2007, 01:30 AM
they make a "screw-in" cf bulb that is 10 watts:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+9870&pcatid=9870

The colormax version is 6700k, so it is good for a fugelight