My eight gallon saltwater Oceanic Biocube reef aquarium

[maxx56dog]

although i like the tank it looks like it was filmed with a calculator...

[coralscraftslady]

@maxx56dog Thanks, lol! Was filmed with a digital camera, with shaky hands! The best I can do! :)

[coralscraftslady]

Thanks for the comment, but it's not full of rock any more! I have removed most of the rock from the tank now, due to an overheating accident! The fish still stays in the same place! Clowns pick a spot, and usually stay there most of the day! Even in the 75 gallon, he stayed in the same place! They just don't move around much! That is why I picked him! :)

[Libertarianette]

There really is way too much live rock in that tank, that poor fish has nowhere to go. Watch your own video, the poor thing is stuck between the glass and the rock.

[coralscraftslady]

@Libertarianette He isn't stuck, he is hosting on a brown mushroom!

[coralscraftslady]

They are from the same families from what I've learned! It should be ok!

[Gtrplyr1]

i could watch that tank all day...

[coralscraftslady]

@Gtrplyr1 Thank you so much! Unfortunately, for those of you who loved watching this, as much as I love my tank, I had a fan malfunction while at work the other day, and my tank overheated! Combined with it getting hot outside, and our furnace still on, I lost my xenias, and tree corals! I will give the tank time to recover, and will add more corals at a later time! Interestingly, the cloves made it ok! Will update in time! Thanks for watching! At least I can watch this video! ;)

[Gtrplyr1]

@coralscraftslady Sorry to hear mate ;)... I love the way it looks... I just started this hobby literally like 5 days ago, my tank is currently cycling... This is quite inspiring with all the plants.. Man i can't wait till i learn about the coral and plant maintenance, taking baby steps for now... ANyways cheers and good luck on your next saltwater venture..

[coralscraftslady]

@Gtrplyr1 Tank is still recooperating! Cloves seem to be doing better than ever! Some of the leather is growing again! Very small, but recovering! I hope to get a few frags of what I lost, from our local fish store! He has frags from my pieces! I will try again! :)

[Gtrplyr1]

@coralscraftslady im sure you will get things back to normal ;)... I was wondering if you have any experience with condylactis nems and fire shrimp in same tank?(this tank actually) I have a condy and was thinking of adding a fire shrimp into the mix.. Got 4 hermits and 2 narcis snails but the shrimp im iffy about...

[coralscraftslady]

@Gtrplyr1 If you mean the dark red peppermint shrimp, it should be fine! They normally stay away from anemones, and are beneficial to the fish! The fish will actually let the shrimp hold them, to pick off bugs or dead scales, etc! Really cool additions!

[Gtrplyr1]

@coralscraftslady what about the fire shrimp.. Thats the really bright red one... Goes for like 40 dollars give or take... If a peppermint shrimp is ok im assuming the fire shrimp is ok as well? :)

[coralscraftslady]

Live rock is just what it says; it is alive with bacteria that filters the water! As long as the current is strong, and there are big cracks between them, so it can circulate, it is good to have as much as you can in your tank! I know it is high,but the corals are closer to the lights!

[xXPAINTBALLERXx17]

You have wat to much live rock in their

[coralscraftslady]

@xXPAINTBALLERXx17 Live rock filters the water! The more, the better! :)

[coralscraftslady]

Thank you 184445! Everything that was in there, was started from mostly small frags, and grew! Soft coral is a much better option for a nano! It seems to do much better in the lighting!

[184445]

The best 8gal bio cube reef I have ever seen! Wow! Is everything stock in your bio cube?

[coralscraftslady]

Steve, I personally use the stock nozzle, with the end pointed towards the center front of the glass, and up! I have a hydor, but it gets jammed up all of the time, and doesn't seem to make a lot of difference!

[coralscraftslady]

I just sort of place things, where they might be in the ocean. If a coral likes light, it goes high. If it likes it darker, it goes further down, or under a plant! Thanks for the nice comments!

[naturexpert101]

CRAZY GOOD! where did u get the idea to put everything in those places.

[coralscraftslady]

@naturexpert101 I tried to place them, where they would be in nature! If they like more light, at the top. Less, tot he sides, and down the sides! Some like more flow than others. I kind of try to place them where they look nice to myself! :)

[coralscraftslady]

The lighting in the eight gallon, is sufficient for low light corals, like mushrooms, xenia, leathers, and plants! It is worth the work, if you want to try it! You won't need suppliments, if you keep doing water changes religiously! It should supply all the tank needs!

[coralscraftslady]

Start slow! You will need salt mix, and a hydrometer. I recommend the salt be .23 to .24. You will need to do water changes every one to two weeks. If you have a pet shop that sells live rock, and live sand, I recommend putting as much rock in your tank as you can, so long as you are happy with the way it looks. Try to keep it away from the glass so you can clean! Let it sit for a couple of weeks with just the rock! After the rock cures, you can add one or two small fish! Clowns are nice!

[sk81514]

awesome i have a fresh water 8 gallon nano cube and i want to convert it to salt water what do you recommend i do p.s love the tank :)

[4c2p0]

really nice, my buddy is giving me his old 8 gallon biocube. i'm a noob to salt water aquariums, but hes been into it for 10 years now i should be able to learn alot from him. thank you for sharing, its very nice, can't wait to get mine;)

[SROD12321]

At 3:01 it looks like the sun coral is getting choked out by some green hair algae. I love the stuffed look of this tank and tanks like this but the only problem is you can't get to everything so problems tend to go undetected or ignored.

[coralscraftslady]

If you look closely, everything that needs tending, is within reach. The rest is just rock, or plants that need trimmed. If you keep tabs on who lives in your tank, and check every day for deaths, and get them out right away, you don't have many problems. The hair algae is a battle, because we have some phosphates in our water. It is great otherwise! High calcium content, and high PH levels. You get some bad, with the good!

[SROD12321]

What is your water source?

I have a well-stocked 14g BC and I never have to check for deaths (let alone every day).

This hobby would not be much fun for me if I had to check for death every day.

[coralscraftslady]

I'm talking about the two fish! Don't you look to see if they are alive every day? :)

[SROD12321]

No I don't look to see if my fish are alive every day. I assume they are alive since they are swimming around...

[coralscraftslady]

Its only responsible to check every day, so that if they die, you can remove them before they cause a nitrate/nitrite bloom, that can kill off your tank!

[SROD12321]

Again, the day I dont see the clown swimming I will know he's dead immediately. Also, Im not sure about "blooms," but a dying fish would elevate ammonia and nitrite levels. Your nitrates wouldn't be affected until days later. The nitrogen cycle is good like this...it's very predictable.

[coralscraftslady]

You are the kind of person, that no one likes to be around! Nit picking about everything! I'm just sharing my hobby, for those who want to try to have a nano! If you don't like looking at it, stop commenting. I don't believe that God made either of us experts!

[SROD12321]

Im no expert...i just know that in a small tank, die-off equals ammonia, not nitrates/trites. It will take a couple days - maybe a week - for a dead fish in a tiny tank to go through the nitro cycle.

[coralscraftslady]

Yes,maybe a week, but causing bacterial blooms as well! I am just very careful! If I notice anything out of the ordinary, I do a water change! This means the corals not extending as far, or the starfish not coming out, etc! I've been getting a better grip on the hair algae as well. Started using Phosphate pads! Also, a lot of charcoal! Will update soon!

[robnovakloans]

You have the best looking 8 gallon tank I have ever seen! Great job!!!:)

[coralscraftslady]

Thank you very much! I work on it a lot! At least two hours a week.

[Chitlen123]

Awesome Aquarium! Wish I could get mines like that! Good Job!

[coralscraftslady]

Keep working on it. It took me a while! :)

[coralscraftslady]

Thanks! :)

[piranhabath]

nice one

[coralscraftslady]

Thankyou! I have an update! :)

[arringar]

Unquestionably one of the most well established tanks I have ever seen. The diversity is great, the overgrowth onto the glass and the overflow wall is truly amazing. Good job!

[coralscraftslady]

Thank you very much! :)

[Somethinzfishy]

Those little 8 & 14 gallon biocubes when handled and cared for properly are really a little slice of heaven ! You can tell when someone cares to do the right thing but just my 2 cents worth...whats up with the clown? Is it cool to put it in such a small environment as an 8g. ? As far as looks go you got it made...Very cool ! Would love to know what type of stuff your running in the filter in back ?? Chamber 1 / 2 etc if you dont mind me asking ?

[coralscraftslady]

Thanks for the comment! :) The clown seems very happy, because as you know, they don't move much once they host, and he lives in the a green tree coral now! I have added an external filter full of live rock, and also a surface skimmer that I've modified, to be pulled into the canister, and back into the tank! The tank has changed quite a bit. I will have to update. I had a small starfish infestation, and lost some corals! Trying to restock now!

[ryaflo]

how much did this total set up cost?

[coralscraftslady]

The tank was on sale at a pet store, for around 100.00. I already had the rock, and most of the corals, because I tore down a 75 gallon tank!

[ericmoney905]

What corals are in there

[coralscraftslady]

The beautiful one in the center, is a red goniopora. There are also mushrooms, tree coral, zoos, duncans, and fungia! I have since lost a few, due to a starfish problem! I will update when I can get it restocked! :)

[allmc23]

I just got one word Beautiful !!!!!!!!!!

[inachu]

It is very pretty but too much rock for my taste.

I am always paranoid about the bottom breaking and cracking under the weight.

[coralscraftslady]

Thanks! :)

[coralscraftslady]

Thankyou! I really enjoy it! :)

[katzpurr2]

Simply spectacular aquarium buddy! Your hard work shows!

[coralscraftslady]

The clown is hosting on the brown mushrooms! :)

[jimmybling31]

i like it. it has a lot of life to it. i don't know if that clown is too happy in there.