Which biocube 29 upgrades to get?

Heater and circulation pump would be my first suggestions for in tank hardware. Not sure what the stock pump in the BC's are rated probably like 250gph so don't be afraid to go a bit big with something like 750gph. My conventional 29g tank is turning over about 1200gph total. Skimmer would be on my list of things to get but not needed off the bat, DO NOT buy the biocube skimmer its garbage. Tunze 9002 skimmer will fit in the back though you probably need to do some minor mod's tutorials should be on youtube to do the mods. Aquaticlife 115 skimmer use fit in the oceanic ones but not sure if they fit anymore since Coralife took over.

You can DIY an LED upgrade if your handy or some kits exist to retrofit http://www.rapidled.com/biocube-29-dimmable-retrofit-kit-24-led/ http://shop.stevesleds.com/Biocube-29-LED-Light-System-Extreme-SPS-BC29RF.htm

Since you haven't bought it yet have you considered doing a normal 29g tank? I think Petco still has the $1 a gallon sale going on, it would be cheaper then buying a new biocube and mod'ing it.

So definitely the heater and powerhead.

The other immediate items I would get are the testing kit and hydrometer OR refractomer.

As far as lighting, I'm not the best guy to offer advice on this. All I can say is, do your research and if possible, try to see what the light looks like on a tank before you buy. And you aren't limited to LED, even if you want to keep a nem. The other popular types of lighting are t5 and metal halide. They all have pros and cons. You just gotta do research to find out what you like and what works for you.

Also, have you decided on how you're going to do water changes after the tank is cycled? I'm repeating myself from the other thread, but if you don't mind driving back and forth to the fish store to get saltwater and plain RODI water, you're fine. But if you want to make your own, you'll need an RODI system. Personally, in terms of ranking important pieces of "major" equipment, I would put an RODI system right after lights and before the skimmer. I love not having to rely on the LFS for saltwater/fresh RODI water.

On the same note, remember you'll most likely have to top off your tank daily to keep the salinity consistent. You can do this manually for now but down the line you might wanna consider an auto top off system.

ThatNewFishGuy said:

So definitely the heater and powerhead.

The other immediate items I would get are the testing kit and hydrometer OR refractomer.

As far as lighting, I'm not the best guy to offer advice on this. All I can say is, do your research and if possible, try to see what the light looks like on a tank before you buy. And you aren't limited to LED, even if you want to keep a nem. The other popular types of lighting are t5 and metal halide. They all have pros and cons. You just gotta do research to find out what you like and what works for you.

Click to expand...

The BC size actually limits lighting some, T5's would overhang, and for MH may has well just buy the HQI BC model that comes with the halides. The stock PC lighting would be enough for a BTA nem, they aren't really high light but need to give the tank 6+ months to establish before adding.

My suggestion for OP if conventional tank isn't your style. check out innovative marines 30g tank about the same price as a BC($300) you won't have to pay for lighting you're not going to use and get a much nicer constructed all in one tank http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/micro-30-nuvo-aquarium-and-stand-innovative-marine.html

Everything else is spot on though.

^Good call, I forgot about that its a BC

All of the animals you listed are low to moderate light and would do fine under the PC lighting that comes with the Biocube.

The newer Coralife Biocubes have LED bars that you can add additional white or blue LED's if you want (it comes with one blue moonlight bar and you can add 4 more).

A heater is probably going to be necessary (as it would for any tank) and a circulation pump is probably a good idea but I would suggest only about 500 gph at most. The tank has a small footprint so a powerful pump would cause more problems than it would solve.

The protein skimmer probably won't make much of a difference on a tank this small. I would suggest using the Coralife mini aqualight and mount it to the back of the tank to make the center chamber a refugium.

Andy