Oilpatch

Wow, ok I did a little bit of research on countertop ice cube dispensers and the cheapest I could find for one that was 36"x30"x22" goes for about $2000 and it would require some major alterations (ie timer with a quantity limiter of sorts). However, if there is somone out there that is into the refridgeration process, it might be worth your while to consider creating one! I would buy one for sure.

Maybe consider looking at the designs of fridges with ice cube dispensers...maybe there are mini ones out there that could inspire...either way it is probably gonna be a fairly large and noisy setup. Best of luck and be sure to post if you have any ideas as I have wanted one myself.

I have been with a 8 gal biocube for about 6 months with a big chunk of liverock in the middle and a few hermits and snails and it does pretty well but I did make a few changes (there are many many options to do). First I changed the wiring of the fan to turn on with the actinic light as that light will be on longer than the fluorescent (the tank gets really hot from the lights so you may want to consider upgrading the fan as well). I got rid of the carbon/floss filters as they are usless and just use chunks of filter floss that get replaced when required and in the middle chamber under the drip tray I have a bunch of live rock in chunks no bigger than my thumb for surface area. It works pretty well but I would recommend going as big as possible for ease of future alterations. Also an upgrade on the pump should be done as the stock one doesn't give as much flow as you might like. Hope this is helpful. There is a good place to look at different set-ups at nano-reef.com if you want.

It might be an expensive fix but with a dead snail sitting around you might need to change your live rock and/or substrate. As it is a small tank, small problems end up multiplying quick. If you need live rock I have a huge amount sitting dry in my garage (as well as crushed coral) from my old 90 gal that I have had success with for starting tanks with.

Thankyou for the friendly welcome! I look forward to your support as well as hopefully providing some support

Great, cheaper for me! macro...mental note! Thanks

Excellent, thanks for the link, I will be sure to check it out! 2-3 inches is what I thought just wanted some confirmation for the roots.

My 33gal planted us just under way and I was wondering what kind of lighting (fluorescent, actinic etc..) and how much would be required for some common types of plants (swords, hygrophelia etc). I am using my old coralife 36" that has both the fluorescent and actinic but they are quite old and need replacing. Should I use just fluorescent or stick with the origional types? Both are 96W, the fluorescent is 10,000k. I have fluorite for a substrate (how deep is good enough?).

Hello, this is my first forum that I have joined so I am hoping for some excellent feedback! A bit of background... Born and raised in Calgary, living in Edmonton area for work purposes, married with 4 kids and have been an aquarium enthusiast for about 7 yrs now. I have had a 10 gal saltwater set-up (bad decision), 33 gal freshwater (very easy to maintain), 33 gal saltwater set-up (challenging) and a 90 gal saltwater set-up. Currently I have a 8 gal biocube with a few hermit crabs and snails (quite a change from the 90 gal) and a 33 gal freshwater that I am attempting to have a variety of plants growing...this is the first time for this. I have done a fair amount of research for all of my arrangements so I am not a newbie by any means but as you all know, you can never do too much research. I belive in as natural of a setup as possible with lots of research prior to setting up the tank, otherwise it could be a waste of money, aquatic life and most of all time...and of course the only stupid question is the question not asked. I will post pictures of my tanks, past and present once I get them all organized. I am currently looking for some help with deciding which plants are good with each other but more importantly which are bad with eachother.