biUBE marine conversion?

[ctenopoma]

i'm getting a 12 gallon biube next month and hope to convert it to a fowlr aquarium. this will be my first marine aquarium, and I know that it's a really small space for fish so i was thinking of just live rock and a few shrimps/ inverts. I just had a few questions concerning the setup, would crushed coral subtrate be better than live rock? considering the filter is under the gravel. and for the lighting since it's a small acryllic aquarium i'm afraid a strong light could warp the tank, so would a standard flourecent light be strong enough to support algae growth?

i'm reading up as much as i can to make sure i go into this with a good understanding, and i'll post pics to show my hopefully successful attempt.

thanks to anyone that replies

 

[Mazcote Yarquest]

I don't think warping is going to be an issue, I would put as much light on it possible. You're not going to need much.

You will want as much circulation as you can get and in that tank, a stiff breeze will provide it. I think the UG filter will suffice.

I would go with a nice $20 piece of live rock as this is basis for everything marine, you would not regret it. Place this on sand or crushed coral, again, you wont need much.

 

[mr.reef24]

i seen people change them to small jelly aquariums the light is fine for certain fish but corals won't fair well just zoo's

mr.reef24

 

[ctenopoma]

thanks for your replies! I've also read that the filter causes alot of salt creep on the lid and light. I know this happens with all aquariums but would alot of creep cause the gravity of the water to drop quickly? would a 10-15% water change a week help to keep the salinity stable??