Biocube 29 - Is it any good?

[pilotreefer]

Hi there. I am looking to get back into reef tanks. I used to have a 150 gallons set up. Does anyone have feedback in regards to the biocube product and if it is any good for an actual reef tank, and what else I should expect to need to get as far as equipment to make it work properly.

thanks,

Eyal

[RussM]

I ran a BC29 for about 1.5 years. Overall, I was happy with it. Quality tank, but needs improvements to use as a reef tank, IMO.


Flow is inadequate; replacing the stock circulation pump with a MJ900 or MJ1200 makes a world of difference. Plan to add 1 or 2 small Koralias or similar powerheads as well.
The built-in filtration is a joke - just a filter pad, and the replacements are expensive. On mine, I just used the filer pad frame, and cut sheets of 1/2" blue-bonded polyester filter to fit. Much more effective, and significantly less expensive.
Stock lighting is OK for softies and fish; Nanotuners has several levels of lighting upgrade kits all the way up to 150w HQI.
A Steath heater fits nicely in the right rear corner of the back section if you cut out a 1.5" square from the mid-level plate in the intake area.
Fans are a just bit noisier than I'd like.
The Oceanic skimmer for the BC29 is junk; Few other skimmers will fit without major modifications, and those will not perform very well either. The one company that make a decent custom-fit skimmer for the BC29 went out of business, unfortunately. Of course, a skimmer is not absolutely necessary.
If you can swing a Red Sea MAX system instead of the BC29, it will probably serve you better in the long run.