Marineland 27 gallon Cube Lighting

**spidernids** · 07-05-2012, 11:56 PM

I have a Marineland 27 gallon cube, 20"x20"x18". It comes with a ML DoubleBright LED light. I want to establish a non-CO2 tank with no or minimal water changes. I would like to be able to grow low-moderate light plants. Can the non-CO2 method grow moderate light plants successfully? I'm inclined to purchase another light fixture to get better coverage and PAR front to back. I am looking to put a Finnex Ray II DD 18" LED on the front half of the tank and have the ML BrightLight for the back half and Moonlight feature at night. Both fixtures will be mounted on the rims of the tank. The concern I have is whether the Ray II will move the tank into the CO2 required category or produce algea problems. I think it will produce 35-30 PAR at the substrate level directly under the fixture.

Thanks for the help. I'm looking forward to my first planted tank

Frank

**Htomassini** · 07-06-2012, 05:30 AM

The double marineland should epibenthic good for low light plants.. Although your thoughts of no water changes scares me. What type of fish are you planning?

Henry tomassini
www.theplantedaquariumstore.com
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**spidernids** · 07-06-2012, 11:58 AM

I am leaning towards a SE Asia Biotype. 6 Tiger Barbs, 1 Red tail shark, 2 otos.

**Htomassini** · 07-06-2012, 12:18 PM

Well ottos should be kept in a larger number. Also be prepared for up to a 40% mortality rate on ottos.
Sharks will get too big for a 27cube.
Barbs ok. Chain loaches would be good too.

If you want a trouble setup ,make sure you run a canister filter on that. An Eheim 60 or fluval 305-405 or rena fx3

A good substrate will be critical. Either Ada or mr aqua

With the low light they will provide the nutrients for a long time.

I just did a set up for a client on a ml27 cube with a lot of drift wood coming out of the water with java and Xmas moss, anubias, crypts and blyxia. I used two Eheim power LEDs an Eheim g60 and mr aqua soil. He will be doing wc every 14 days after the initial setup. I have the Xmas moss at the water line so it will grow above the water and the java moss below.

Henry tomassini
www.theplantedaquariumstore.com
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**spidernids** · 07-07-2012, 12:44 PM

It's a shame that I can't have the red-tail. I thought 5" mature growth would have been small enough. If I stick to the 1" rule, I can have 6 Tiger Barbs and 6 otos and nothing else. I'm ok with doing water changes, I just wanted to try the low-tech non-CO2 approach of Tom Barre.

For the canister filters, I am having trouble finding one that doesn't have bad reviews. I have Aquaclear and Aquaon HOBs on my 36 gallon tank. I don't like seeing o-ring leaking issues....don't want to come home to find an empty tank. Are there any canister filters which don't have these issues? If the power goes out on a non-self priming, will it still come back by itself? I can understand having to prime if I do a water change, but not if the power goes off...I might not be home at the time.

The planned substrate will be 1/2" Black diamond, then 2" ECO Complete, then 1" Black Onyx sand.

Can you give some insight on the lights I am looking into? RayII plus Doublebright to get moderate light, but stay out of the "CO2 required" range.

**spidernids** · 07-07-2012, 03:33 PM

Did some more research. How about the Penn Plax Cascade 1000. It is rated for 265 GPH, so I will get the 10X flow. It looks to have good reviews as well. Price is good too $100.

**brochiloricaria** · 07-07-2012, 08:13 PM

Hello! First posting here. I work in the aquarium industry and I have quite a bit of experience with all kinds of canister filters. My personal choice would be one of the Eheim Ecco canisters. The 2234 or 2236 should suit your needs very well. I like the Ecco/Classic series much better than the Pro 3/Ultra G series as I have found them to very unreliable. Depending on where you get your Ultra G you could still get one of the earlier production models that had a problem with the plastic material of the head that caused leaking. The Ultra G's also sometimes leak from the cap on the spraybar assembly as this cap has no O-Ring and does not seal very tightly. Another minor problem is that the quick-disconnect "Adapter Valve" is not very robust and without regular lubrication may eventually break.

I hope Eheim doesn't kill me for that.

On the other hand I have never had any problems with the Ecco series, which I think are great for planted tanks as the flow can be restricted with the user adjustable ball valves if you end up blowing your tank around. They also prime very easily and the filter pads are a breeze to access.

**Htomassini** · 07-08-2012, 03:52 AM

Yes the earlier 22X pro/ g series did have that issue, but they are very quiet, do not lose prime in a power outage, and you can adjust flow with a single lever. I set my clients tank at half flow, put a bag of purigen and did not use the spray bar. I positioned both intake and outflow at one corner and pointed the outflow in opposite corner and get great flow.

fluval is also a great filter.

Please throw out the 1" per gallon rule. This tank with a good bio filter and well planted will house a nice community of fish. The only reason I said of the shark is that like a bigger space. You could put 25 2" cardinals plus cories in there, or whole variety of fish. Its more important to have a mix that will work well.

**spidernids** · 11-11-2012, 12:43 PM

I ended up getting a second Marineland DoubleBright for the spread. It is odd, but the new light seems brighter than the one that came with the tank. Both are DoubleBright. The model number on the light is different. I wonder if they increased the power?

Frank