Yamato's Pico Build

[Yamato]

I have a BC 8 and one of my regrets was that I never put together a thread for the tank. To see some of the reefer's journey is something I envied.

 

To rectify that, I kicked off the idea for a pico. I have a 3g tank (not sure the make) that was originally purchased to raise Yamato shrimp fry. They require salt water to grow and I was into planted tanks before so...I purchased the tank.

 

I tried to get green water in the 5g for my Yamato fry but was not very successful. Yamato shrimp live in fresh water but the fry is washed out to sea (something like that from what I read) from the mountain rivers. Thus they grow up in marine water.

 

My fry kept dying on me. They would last 10, then 15, then 29 days, but by the end, they would all be dead. The LFS guy told me that perhaps my water quality was poor so I bought one piece of 1.5pound LR and then the ball got rolling...

 

I saw some small hitch hikers, like feather dusters and it got me hooked. I figured, its not so bad to have a few hermit crabs running around and thus, I got 4.

 

Then I got a few polpys and more LR and then I added LS and then I got more lighting, and then I got more coral, then I built a sump and then...and then...and then I am starting this thread about my Pico. This is how I got my toe wet in the Nano Reef Hobby.

 

 

Here is a picture of my 5g tank. At least I think its five gallons. My girlfriend had it planted before and she cracked it once...so its damaged. I am very thifty and I hate throwing stuff out, (also environmental). My thinking is if I throw this out, it just goes into a landfill...thus the wheels started to turn.

 

My idea was to remove the broken piece of glass, file down the edge to make it safer (not safe, but safER) and use the space for wires coming out of my tank for my heater, return pump, and possibly other equipment.

 

Removed the broken glass, and ready to be filed smooth.

 

I had some coral in this tank before, but they were not very happy and didn't grow very well. I hope this time around, with 1 year of experience under my belt, I will do a bit better.

[Yamato]

On the weekend, I got to working on cutting up a Seiko plexiglass display stand. I picked this item up 6 months ago from a store...cost nothing. I don't like to create waste so I had ideas of using it to create walls for in tank sump.

 

My idea for the sump was originally very typical, one overflow/intake/fuge chamber and a return chamber. But as I started to work on it, I had other ideas.

 

I started by cutting the stand into uneven halves.

 

Here is half of the stand used in the corner.

 

This chamber will house the return pump so I cut a hole for water to flow into this chamber.

 

The second half of the Seiko stand. This placement will allow me to create three chambers.

 

The sump is now coming into shape, I cut out some space for the overflow. Chamber one.

 

 

Next I added two panels to the pump chamber (Chamber 3) to create the third wall for chamber one...one of the walls are not included in this pic. Also I made a holder for the whole, it will hold a polyfilter floss.

 

I hope this makes sense, but the next step was the second wall...you can see now a pretty defined first chamber with the overflow. The seiko panel completes the fourth wall of chamber 1 which flows into chamber 2 and passes through into chamber three with the hole for return pump.

 

 

I added a few steps in chamber 1 so that i can use this chamber like a media rack.

[Weetabix7]

This is interesting.

[et_0h]

Way to be resourceful. Looks like it's coming along.

[pismo_reefer]

i thot only i could "macgyver" tanks...weird.

 

 

keep up the good werks...i likes it.

[Yamato]

i thot only i could "macgyver" tanks...weird.

 

 

keep up the good werks...i likes it.

 

Haha...I did macgyver this project.

 

I am very pleased with the design. I water tested it and there was a slight leak but it will not affect the overflow.

 

Cost of tank:

Tank: old (broken) tank

sump: Seiko stand

return pump: stock Biocube pump

silicon: 7.99

 

Total cost $7.99 plus alittle tax

[Yamato]

More pictures to explain the design of the sump.

 

As you can see, this is the overhead view of the sump. Chamber one will be the overflow/media rack. The first rack will hold floss. Underneath that, there is a piece of egg crate, I am hoping to use it for something like purigen.

Water flows from chamber one to two where the macros algae will be housed. I may add a LED light back here to grow the plants...(question: why do ppl put LS in their fuge? Is it better to use large pieces of crushed coral? More room for pods to develope?)

 

Then the water goes from chamber 2 to chamber 3 passing throw the rectanglar hole I cut into the wall. I will be putting a piece of polyfilter (very fancy floss but not floss) on the whole so the flow of water has to pass through.

 

Here is another picture of the manner of how the water will flow.

 

 

another shot of the sump: I cut a plant pot down to size and it fits perfectly into the media rack/overflow. Filter floss will fit perfectly into there and I can lift it out with ease.

 

The other night, I tested the system out. there was a slight leak at the bottom but it does not effect the sump in any significant way.

 

Blam! Its alive...its alive!

 

I wasn't too impressed with the pump which was the stock pump I pulled out of my BC8. Its SUPPOSE to pump 107g/hr but sure doesn't feel like much. I tink I will add the pump I have in this pic...fits perfectly into that gap I have there. Will add another 48g/hr to the tank. The one thing I am worried about is: HEAT.

 

I tried to get a shot of the overflow here. The surface skim is pretty powerful. I will polly not be keeping fish in here, just inverts...I placed a piece of floss in there and it got dirty pretty quick. (water I used in the test was from a water change of my girlfriend's planted tank...thus I didn't waste water to run a test...)

 

Finally, the protein skimmer went in, and looks awesome. fits very very nicely in the return chamber. I am very excited.

 

This is where the tank will rest. I don't ahve a fancy stand for it, although I wish I had one...I will continue to look around for one. the sand is a very very fine grain sand from some beach. Some family friends thought it would be cool to bring us a bag of freakin sand and it stayed in the basement for like 15 years until I dug it out. It works well as a sand bed. I had gas bubbles and all that good stuff happening under there.

 

 

I am mixing water for a water change and then will be placing the old water from my bc 8 into the pico. Its just cycling, so it should be okay to use 'USED' water right?

[pismo_reefer]

*waits in suspense.....

 

 

 

ILOVETHISTANK!

[Yamato]

Cost update

 

I found someone on NR selling two buckpucks and two power supplies (great deal, thanks rvadub).

the pucks are 1000ma and power supply were 24v 4a...something like that. Now I am looking around for a heatsink and shopping for LEDs.

 

Cost of tank:

Tank: old (broken) tank

sump: Seiko stand

return pump: stock Biocube pump

silicon: 7.99

buckpuck and power supply shipped: $30 usd

 

total in canadian something like $41.00 canadian.

[spanko]

Are you going to paint the back so the back chambers are hidden?

Great job so far.

[Yamato]

Are you going to paint the back so the back chambers are hidden?

Great job so far.

thanks spanko

 

Nahh...not painting it. That cost money man! haha

plus, I figure coraline will grow on there to cover it all up. I kinda want to see everything...see what is happenin in the fuge...stuff like that.

 

I will polly be adding water tonite...any opinions on using 'old' water from my biocube 8 water change to help with cycle? I hate wasting...and water is a natural resource.

plus I will be killing two birds with one stone.

[spanko]

You can use the water but it will not preclude the cycling process. Remember the biofiltering bacteria resides on hard surfaces, rock - sand - glass - etc. not in the water column.

[Felix1021]

this is one awesome build.

Nicely done.

I'm tagging a long.

f.

[Yamato]

Spanko

 

Yeah I know the bacteria colony needs to be built up, or grown, but I figure using old water will give the system something to work with right off the bat.

 

follow along and enjoy the ride, as i have done on so many fellow reefer's builds...

[KatsinX]

Am I the only one who can't see any images?

[Yamato]

The pictures are okay...might have a issue with your computer.

 

well, Yesterday I did a water change in my biocube 8 and poured the water into my Pico.

 

 

The LR are not place in any particular order, I just have them in there to cure. I will probably take a piece out, but that will be for aquascaping. In that photo, you can see I place a piece of poly filter (very fancy floss, shouldn't even call it that, but anyway) in chamber two.

 

Everything is working as expected. Flow looks good for now. Will allow to cure for the next few days. I am thinking of cutting an acrylic top for the tank so it doesn't evaporate as much water...or find a piece of glass i can slap on the tank. Maybe from a LFS.

[Yamato]

Okay I did it! I ordered High Power LEDs from ledsupply.

 

Their website is simple and easy to use. Let's see when the LEDs arrive.

My drivers are also coming, with Power supply and I am hoping the wiring will have a dimmer switch on them.

 

I was also able to locate a heat sink that is slightly bigger than 3'x3'. My brother yanked one out of my old Compaq from University...and its perfect size. 4'x5'. And it cost nothing...(except my compaq is minus a heatsink...nobody has touched the thing 6 years.)

 

 

Premium

Silver

Thermal Epoxy $12.99

2 Cree XR-E Q4

Star LED $14.98

3 Cree Royal

Blue XR-E

Star LED $22.47

Subtotal: $50.44

Shipping: $7.50

Tax: $0.00

Total: $57.94

 

 

Cost of tank:

Tank: old (broken) tank

sump: Seiko stand

return pump: stock Biocube pump

silicon: 7.99

buckpuck and power supply shipped: $30 usd

Heatsink: from old Compaq

LEDs and Thermo Expoxy plus shipping: 57.94

 

Total: 99 bucks give or take...

 

Now I am just waiting for everything to arrive so I can put them together. Polly need to buy a cover unless I get lucky and find a glass top somewhere.

 

Oooh, heatsink pic!

[Yamato]

Oooh I am excited...

 

LED supply sent me an email indicating to me they have shipped my order. I made the order on the weekend, they have my order packed and shipped in two days...pretty speedy if you ask me. I expect the package to arrive perhaps by the end of the week.

 

Just waiting for my drivers and Powersupply to come in from a member here...then I will be all set to put the LEDs together.

 

My tank has been running since friday. I did a test for N03 and it was very low...should it be this low this early in the cycle?

 

I grabbed one of my blueleg hermit crabs and dumped him in to get things going, he was doing fine this morning...

[Yamato]

Its been almost a week since I started to cycle my tank. It looked like this two days ago.

 

I have seen pods in there, so it looks like things are going well.

 

A question for you: in Chamber 2, the chamber you see on the right, I have bear in the picture, but should I put some small pieces of crushed coral in there to provide places for pods to breed and shelter? I play on putting some Macro Algae in there later as a fuge when the tank is more ready for that kind of stuff. I will have a higher water level.

 

What do you think I should stock for a CUC. I usually don't have snails cuz they tend to knock things over, I play on getting a couple of scarlet hermits. I doubt that I will have fish in this tank. Just inverts.

 

Still waiting on parts to make my light.

[ryanlogic]

im impressed that despite the crack in the back, you still managed to create something that looks really great. I also really like how you set up your filtration chambers. Im eager to see how it works out in the long run...

 

BTW by ordering a bunch of LEDs and heatsinks and drivers and stuff, you are really not helping my LED obsession issues.

[pismo_reefer]

honestly, you dont need to put anything in chamber 2 for pods....youd be better off puttin a thing of chemipure in there...(pods can hide/ breed under it, too, lol.)

 

jm.o2

[Yamato]

Hmm...I thought of using Purigen, really what is the diff.

 

I have seen ppl here use both. Right now, I have something called Poly Filter and essentially, it suppose to do similar things. Its a polymer that has been made in to something that looks like floss, but its a synthetic that absorbs metals and other contaminates in the water as it filters (its not as simple as floss).

 

I have observed ppl report good water clarity when they use stuff like Purigen and Chemipure...

 

In the 1st chamber, I have a rack for just something like a bag of Purigen/chemipure, thinking of buying one of these for my Pico, since the water volume is so small, want to keep water in there as clean as possible.

[Yamato]

ryanlogic:

 

I will be posting my build so keep following along and I am sure you will be indulging into your LED fantasy in no time!

 

I need help, I have been trying to aquascape the Pico with no luck. I use different rocks, different lay outs...stacking them making caves, making pennisulas...just not happy.

 

So, if I may, I am asking fellow PICO owners to post their Pico tanks in this thread so that I may be inspired!

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=199348

[Yamato]

I am saving up for some purigen, leaning towards purigen over Chemipure. Not sure why, but then chemipure comes with a bag, is it rechargeable? Some ppl even have both but that is really over kill is it not?

 

I posted the stuff at the bottom on the Pico Aquascape thread but I will stick it on my Pico Journal as well:

 

So I finally got a configuration I like from two different angles, so the design is to give a pleasant cave/mountain/overhang front view and a side view of a slow slope incline. Hoping the incline will evenutally be covered wit Zoas to form a nice carpet upwards.

 

Full Tank with display Fuge. I will be sticking an LED light on the side to light the fuge soon.

 

Close up view of the cave overhang...

 

This image was under exposed, but flickr has some real cool tools and I was able to polish this up abit for the post. Side view, you see the foot of the Pennisula (if i can call it that) on the right and the slope upwards to the peak on the left.

 

Still waiting for my LED to make my light

[Yamato]

So my order from LEDsupply finally came! I am happy to report that the order was correct and that the package was shipped well packed and the transaction was very smooth.

 

I am still waiting on the Power supply and Buckpuck drivers (hoping he sent potentiameters...).

 

But since I have to wait, this might be a good thing since I need to configure how to set the LEDs. So I have

2 clear white Q4 Cree XRE LEDs

3 Royal blues

 

I want pretty good coverage since my display tank measure 6"x9"

 

Note: the RB LEDs have a faint blue marker on them.

 

Let's hear what your rational is:

 

Configure A

This is what I originally felt was the best one. The bottom of the configuration would be the front of the tank. The top, with one RB LED would be for the back side of the tank. Thus the two whites would be more or less in the center.

 

Config X

This one has the two whites diagonal on the array, and the RB going across like a slash, I don't like this one.

 

Config Space Invaders

I feel this one would have a good strong mixture of the CW and RB going across, but the light would be focused east west in the tank over the middle...is this too focused? Should it be spread out? The whites all on one side and the RB on the other, is that not a good thing?

 

Config n

This one is a modified Config A with more focus down the middle, less spread...

 

Config v

Modified A, I don't know what to say...I can't decide.

 

It's so important to get it right since I will be epoxying it to the heat sink.

 

I will start a spare thread for this...but will post updates on the project on my journal here.