help on aquarium setup???

They may have changed it since then, but mine, purchased within the last week, is absolutely glass, and Oceanic says it's glass on their website.

 

crazy, when i hit it with my finger it feels like acrylic. i just went and got the box and it totally says its glass, and the manual says it has a warranty on the craftsman ship of the 6mm glass. nuts. i had no idea. go oceanic for using glass, i like them even more now.

 

14BC that I own is absolutely glass.
Yes, the rounded corners do present a challenge to clean. But even with a small magfloat and some crafty hand strokes it comes out spotless!


I also agree that it is much more rewarding to build your own and you can learn a lot more about how the individual components work together.

But again, just as long as you have fun and enjoy the tank that's all that matters!!!

 

Alright I am going to differ with a lot of people who have already responded. If you do not have much experience with salt water tanks then I would definately go with the Biocube 29 HQI. It already comes with a refuge built into the tank, has a Metal Halide light which will allow you to grow a lot of corals (not all) and is all inclusive and can be expanded eventually to hold a sump if you choose (you do not need). There are lots of mods you can do on these tanks. Out of the box you would need minimal investment (heater, refractometer, salt, live rock, sand if you choose). Stick to the formula 1.5 lbs of LR per gallon. Do some research on the refuge that comes with this tank (reefcleaners.org is an amazing vendor to purchase from). Go slow and buy a good book that will give you some insight into the hobby. These are great forums but there are a ton of differing opinions on what someone new to the hobby should start with.

Please do not make the same mistake I did, pay the extra $100.00 and get the HQI version of the Biocube. When you consider the cost of tanks $459.00 with a stand is hard to beat with a Metal Halide light built into the case.

Oceanic 29 Gallon BioCube HQI Aquarium


Good luck!

 

Yep, my first two Biocubes that were sent to me both cracked in shipping, they are definately glass

 

Sorry, again I disagree with this. I have a 29 Biocube and an 8 Biocube. Both are glass. I use metal scrappers on both (tons of coralline algae growth) and I do not have any scratches. The rounded corners are not that bad if you use a scrapper. I have a 15 gallon and a 20 long that are about the same difficulty level as the Biocubes for cleaning.

 

well put. i forgot they had the HQI models now

 

Well after running around and looking at different setups. I decided on a Biocube 29 to get my feet wet. In the future I will go custom and big. Thanks for the help. Now, I want to keep this simple with a few fish, cleaners and live rocks. I have nothing but the tank coming so suggestions on what to buy is desparately needed....thanks again!

 

Hopefully you went HQI . All you should need beyond what you listed is a heater, I really like the fluval heaters with digital temp read out and alarm, refractometer (I would not skimp on this), basic test kit (you will want advanced after you start adding), with refuge HQI model you can put some chaeto (might want to wait until after cycle -> Read up on cycling tank!). I would add a Koralia Nano power head to circulate water (you can go larger). You can get a protein skimmer but if your refuge is doing well you may not need (I always recommend but depends largely on bio-load). When you can afford I would get a RO/DI unit, this will cut down on algae and unwanted nutrients in your tank (I cannot tell you how much of a difference this makes).

Good luck!

 

So I need all that for some live rock and a few fish? I don't plan on going with coral for a while.