new 30 gallon oceanic cube...

[bradreef]

I picked up an oceanic 30 cube yesterday. I was planning to attempt a reef with it. my first attempt was a 10 gallon tenecor that was just too small to work for a beginner. I figured i would put a bakpak2r or a remora protien skimmer hang on unit. maybe later add a refugium. i would put a decent amount of live rock and keep fish to a minimum. i would only use really easy and hardy livestock to start (in hope to maximize my success). i would keep a bare bottom for easy cleaning. up top i will line it with power compacts...as much as will fit.

question is...any suggestions about my set up? i am hoping to be successful this time around as i am tired of just saltwater fish. i find reefs intriging and love to stare at them for hours...the pet stores are getting sick of me loitering....lol.

It is really a nice tank with some good depth. i like the idea of sumpless as i hate water spills...tank is not drilled.

thanks for any input...

 

[bradreef]

here is the tank in case anyone is interested...

 

[Anonymous]

I love cubed-shaped tanks. Your set-up sounds good. There is a lot of good information on this site, so read as much as you can at each step of your project. and

:welcome:

 

[Ben1]

That is a good size for a first reef tank. You should be able to grow a lot of soft corals with that set up. If you are going BB be sure the detritus doesnt build up on the bottom behind the rocks.

 

[Anonymous]

Cool tank! Good luck and have fun! Be patient and read all you can, and ask lots of q's on the boards here. No q is dumb. There are some awesome people here that will help you anytime.

 

[bradreef]

i was told to do bare bottom to be sure that i am able to get to all the crevaces when cleaning... i was thinking about putting some tonga brach rock on the bottom to vault the whole wall for that reason. If i go with sand...to what depth should it be (shallow or deep). Which setup woudl be ideal?

 

[Ben1]

IMO, BB tanks need to also be very high flow. These things go hand in hand. The idea is not only to have a BB but keep the detritus in suspension. This way it acts as food for the corals and is taken out by nice wet skimming. Sounds nice but it is hard to get that high of a flow when you are trying to do soft corals. So IMO again BB works well for high flow SPS systems while a SSB works well in a softie tank. I like 1-2" of fine grain sand mixed with special seafloor grade. Vacuuming it once every water change in a small spot. Never the whole bed or more the 15% at a time.

Of course awe all know in this hobby there is more then one way to do it right.