What Do You Think Of The Oceanic Bio-cube 29 Gallon Setup?

[kj23502]

Here's a site that gives a tidbit about it.

And another

My basic goal is to have a couple clowns and a mandarin goby.

What do you all think about their generic setup for a beginner?

I can also buy R/O premixed saltwater at my LFS for $1 gallon. I did a currency coversion and they say it's about .632 euros. Is that a good price for premixed water?

I know mandarins eat copeopods(*sp) and need a very well estabished tank. I'm also looking into buying copeopods if my tank can't maintain enough.(I haven't looked as of yet.) I've read it's a good idea to create a lil rock pile in the corner of the tank and arrange it so it's inaccessible to fish and put tiny tidbits of food back there for the pods to eat and repoduce safely.

--edit
not a beginner 2 fish, just saltwater!

 

[SkiFletch]

Oceanic makes a good tank. My only qualms with them are that the pump is a little undersized if you intend to keep corals. Investing in something like a koralia nano will really help if you do decide to keep corals

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yep doesnt look too bad. You will probably end up ripping all the built in filters out but you are likely to do this with any "all in one" system. The wet/dry style filter is probably better for a marine then a "Bio-Balls" type one.

The lighting looks ok but not for most hard corals (I have been keeping a hammer coral under similar lighting though and it is doing really well, same for a plate coral and goni).

If you really want a mandarian you will need to wait till the tank is really well established. I dont think a 29G will be able to support it food wise in the long term (based on information I have read though and not first hand experience). Adding a sump or 'fuge though with just LR and or macro algae should do the trick though. The fuge on my nano is only about 10g but if covered in pods while my display tank is pretty much empty of them (I have a greedy clown fish ). A cryptic fuge (IE canister filter with media removed and filled with LR) could help as well.

Something else I have read for keeping mandarians is to feed them baby brine shrimp and/or gut packed adult brine shrimp (adult bring shrimp in general have little nutritional value but if you feed them up first they are a good supliment).

 

[nanoreef11]

I love my 14 gallon biocube but if I was to start over I would go with the 29 gallon. The only reason I didn't go with the 29 is because my fish tank was going to be put on my dresser and the 29 wouldn't fit so I had to settle for the 14 but it is still an awesome tank. You won't be dissapointed with the 29 gallon just throw a hydor koralia in there and you can keep most corals. Lighting limits you from putting in hard corals.