You will have fun with the pico. We have the same tank. It became the fuge in our daughters tank (inside the 20L sump). We have 3 tanks and it became a lil much. We can't wait to see what you do with it. We will be tagging along.

Thanks so much!

Welp, my girlfriend and I got up early this morning to hit the LFS close by. We went to three including PetCo. And none of them... and I do mean none of them... could touch the prices I found online for dry goods. I made a list at work yesterday before I left of things I needed for the tank before I can even think about filling it with water...

Get this: The API Saltwater Master test kit online at Big Al's is $17.99.
My local PetCo. wants $44.99 for it!! Another LFS here in Oshkosh wants $42.99. Insane.

If I bought just that ONE single item online and paid $10 for shipping... I'd STILL come out ahead. It was a toss up between Big Al's and Drs. Foster... online and I decided to go with Big Al's.

So here's what I ordered:

* API Saltwater Master Test Kit * - From what I could see in other discussions on the forum, this seems to be a good middle of the road test kit...


* Hydor Theo 50-watt Heater* - This will eventually go in my AC70 fuge mod but for now, will have to go in the display tank.


* Rio50 powerhead * - Toss up between the the Rio and Maxi-Jet... but for $10. How can you go wrong?


* IC Hydrometer * - From what I could see in other discussions on the forum, if you have to get a hydrometer instead of a refractometer... this seems to be the most "accurate". I found a refractometer on Amazon. com that is backordered I'll be ordering in the next couple of weeks.


* Mag Float small Glass Cleaner*


* Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt * - I ordered the 32-gal. mix will should suffice for a while. I read a lot of good things about the Tropic Marin Pro Reef mix.


My CoraLife digital thermometer will be here today. And aside from that, the only other dry good I want to obtain right away is the CoraLife Digital Power Center. The best price I found online thus far is $22.99 which seems to be decent. I figure, once I upgrade the lighting, I'll have it on hand... and in the meantime, I'll have a good surge protector that I can use for the current components I'll have. So yeah, I'm gonna order this, too.



I also did a test run this morning and filled up the JBJ 3-gal. picotope with water to ensure there were no leaks. Test passed with flying colors. The only gripe I had is JBJ stuck this annoying little "PICOTOPE" sticker in the lower right hand corner on the front of the tank. It was a PITA to get off... I actually had to get out the Goo Gone in order to remove the adhesive. I'm all for product promotion but they could've put it in a less conspicuous spot. Bleh.

I also got a piece of air line tubing from Fleet Farm earlier this morning to help with water changes.

I'm going to be painting the back of the tank this afternoon. I'll post photos once I've got that accomplished. After that, unless I've missed something, I should be ready for live rock and live sand.

Speaking of which... one of the LFS I went to this morning recently in a batch of Bali live rock. It was REALLY cool. Very porous. Lots of cool shapes. Weird crevices. etc, etc. I wish my tank were at the point where I'm ready for rock because I definitely would've gotten a piece or two. Not a whole lot of color to it that I could see but the shapes and crevices and overhangs were enough incentive to make me think about actually getting some. The coralline will grow over time, right?

So next... paint the tank. I'll have my goodies this week. And then after that? Rock, sand and water.

Thanks for tagging along.

As always, comments, remarks and criticism (good or bad) is always welcome and appreciated.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend... and I'm sorry about the lengthy post!

**REVISED **

Added photos of tank with the back painted black. Paint went on nicely and very smooth. Couple of real light coats and it was simple.

See?

good,

I know you're happy and stoked to get your tank started but I'm having the best week ever!

My local reef club had Bob Fenner from Wet Web Media as a guest speaker earlier today and it was definitely fun and inspiring to meet and hear firsthand from an industry expert. He did a presentation on the pros and cons of hitchhikers in the reef tank along with an inside look at the live rock industry. What I found surprising was the amount of die off that takes place during the collection and shipping process, so much so that by the time they end up in our tanks a great majority of life on them is already gone. On that note, go with the live rock you found at your LFS if they seem like just the type you'd want to have in your tank. As for coralline algae you really only need to introduce a small amount to your system and most live rock will have some traces of it even if you don't see anything on them.

The list of equipment you ordered looks good. Make sure to keep an eye on the Digital Power Center; I had one before I ended up with the Dual one and it was sketchy. I was putting in late hours at the office one week and I wasn't able to come home on time to see the tank lit up and all the while I was thinking that everything was fine and dandy. Then one day I finally got home early to find everything dark and realized that the timer had not been working for four days! I found other people who had similar problems with the Digital Power Center so I ended up with the Dual one even though it's analog. Maybe these were isolated incidents but I thought I'd warn you anyway. Also the Digital Power Center doesn't have separate outlets for daylight and actinics so you don't get to have a dawn/dusk period in your tank. This doesn't make a difference to corals at all but it's worth noting if you're looking to having this effect in your tank.

The only thing I would change from your list is the Mag-Float. Actually, no—I change my mind. I WANT you to use the Mag-Float and after you've struggled enough with it I want you to get a Nimble Nano. This will only make you appreciate the Nimble Nano even more.

Everything looks good so far. Great job on spray painting the back.

I went back to PetCo. this morning and ended up getting an AC70. I noticed this yesterday that for PetCo. Pals Members it was $42. Then I found a $5.00 coupon online when you spend $25 or more. So I got it for $37 plus tax. I'll try and started the modification today but I'm definitely going to need to refresh my memory with the how-to guide. I have aquarium sealant on hand, as well.

See?

* I couldn't pass up this deal. It was even cheaper than I could find online. *



* fresh new tube 'o sealant to start my AC70 fuge mod *


I know this wasn't an absolute necessary purchase but now I have it on hand and won't have to mess around with it later on.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

That's nice! I wish I painted mine. Let me know how that salt works for you.

Will do!!

Submitted this link in the General Discussion area and haven't had any bites. Just wondering if any of you veterans out there have any kind of experience with this stuff. Saw at PetCo last weekend. Really sugary fine. Super baby soft. And bright white.

On another note about my tank... I modded my AC70 and ran some water through it. Thanks to el fabuloso for the clarification while modding it. Everything turned out okay and it seems to be working properly.

I'll have my shipment of dry goods tomorrow from Big Al's. I'm so stoked!!

This weekend, I should have water, sand and rock in the tank!!

Fine sand is no good because it traps nitrogen gasses rather than releasing it and moves around to much with high flow, Definetly a big no for picos.

I did some searching via Google on my lunch break at work and found an article mentioning something similar. The sugary stuff is a no go as white as it may be.

Thanks...

NP,

Got all my dry goods today from Big Al's Online. Everything arrived perfectly. I'm planning on mixing the salt on Friday in a 5-gal. bucket with the heater and powerhead going. And on Saturday morning, I'm heading out to the LFS to buy sand and some Bali live rock.

The madness is just moments away.

Stay tuned. Because I'm sure I'll have questions.

Nice can't wait to see it.

I can't wait to see this when it's finished!

Yeah, me too.

Quick questions.

I'm coming home today after work to begin mixing salt. I'll be tossing a powerhead and the heater in a 5-gal. bucket to mix. I'm also going to get sand after work. I'll be picking up the live rock tomorrow morning.

1.) While the tank is cycling, what kind of filter media should I have in the back of my AC70? Anything?

2.) When am I able to add chaeto? And when am I able to add something like Chemi-Pure Elite or at least some form of carbon to keep the water sparkling?

I just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I get this thing full of water tomorrow with sand and rock. I'm most concerned about the AC70 because I wasn't sure what kind of filter media I needed for it.

I'm not sure if this is shared by all reefers but when I had visited my LFS, there were employees and customers there that told me to go ahead and add it all. The reason behind this is that you want your tank to have the proper bacteria build up for the conditions that you want to keep corals and inverts in. Its like having a race car and everything is running perfect but for some reason you decide to change something and then something unexpected happens. That was the analogy I was given and it made sense. I have noticed since I changed my set up I am seeing more life present on my rock and in my tank. I checked my parameters and everything was still good. You might have to change out your mechanical filter since that can get a little dirty after awhile but that might be it. Chemipure elite says on the packaging that under normal use its good to 4-6 months. I hope this helps a little and more people chime in.

I recommend running the filter with only filter floss during the cycle to trap all the debris and mess you're gonna have in your tank. Running a chemical filter at this stage can botch up your cycle as it can mask what's really going on in your water and you end up with inaccurate readings. IMO it's better to let your tank cycle naturally on its own and your tank will be much more stable in the long run.

You can add chaeto and Chemi-Pure Elite after your cycle is done.

OK. So, I went to the LFS after work today and bought a bag of filter floss. I also bought a small media filter bag since they had it in stock... and figured, I'd be prepared when the time comes. I would've bought the Chemi Pure but they were out of it.

Came home and shoved that enormous 7-gal blue water jug in my kitchen sink with the drain plug in. Filled the sink with scalding hot water and let the jug soak in the water. Went out and ran an errand. Came home. Dumped clean RO/DI water in sterilized 5-gal. bucket along with some salt. Tossed in the Hydor-Theo 50W heater and my Rio 50 powerhead along with the sensor to my Coralife digital thermometer and let it do its thing.

I know I read some things here on the forum about extremely noisy Rio 50 powerheads. I dunno about you guys. But mine is in my bucket stirring up my salt mix for me and I can't even hear the thing. And the bucket is right next to me and yes, the powerhead is plugged in and on.

Here is what a small area of my kitchen floor looks like right now.

* Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt. Hydor-Theo 50W heater. Rio 50 powerhead. Coralife digital thermometer. All doing their part.



*Setting the jug of water in the sink filled with scalding hot water helped. This is what the temp is at right now and the heater has only been on for an hour or so set to 79 degrees.



*This is what my set-up looks like right now minus any water, sand or live rock.


You can see the stock light isn't really meant for the AC70 mod. But I got my AC70 modded and it's one less thing I'll need to do later on. Plus, it's a mod I really wanted for the tank. Added water volume + chaeto + a nice way to keep the heater out of the display tank. One less thing to "hide".

I'd like to get my live rock this evening but I think I may just wait and stick with my original plan. Let the salt stir up overnight. Take a salinity reading in the morning. Adjust, if necessary. Then live rock tomorrow morning when the LFS opens.

Thanks for tagging along, everyone!

More updates and pics soon!

Nice to see that everything is coming along very well. Getting the tank filled with water, sand and live rock is the fun part. Then all kinds of things just pop up.

*yay!*

I know... I'm pretty stoked. Temp right now is holding steady at 79.3. Seems like a good temp although perhaps that will probably fluctuate once I get the water in the actual tank itself... running through the AC70, etc, etc. Salinity right now is at 1.023 and I think the salt mix appears to have mixed fairly well. *shrug* I'm going to wait and check it again in the morning just to be sure.

Very exciting can't wait to see it with the LR (I'll be following along )

Thanks! I like your aquascaping in your 5G...

Got back from the LFS... added my sand. Started my aquascaping. And I can't really tell if I like it or not? I think the one rock furthest on the left may be too close to the glass which could prove to be a PITA to keep clean. Not sure. What do you guys/gals think?

My salinity is at 1.023 right now. Temp is at 79.3 right now. Light are off and will remain off during the cycle. Bought the live rock from my local LFS - Aquarium Pets here in Oshkosh. I felt like I got a really good deal. Ended up being 3.8 lbs. of Bali live rock.

I can already tell that when you're working with 3 gallon of water... you really need to be selective about what goes into this little tiny environment. As this rock was sitting on the scale at the store, I was actually contemplating about whether or not I had enough?? Obviously, it was plenty. Purchasing corals should be equally difficult, I would imagine? You can't just toss anything in the tank when you're working with such a small volume of water.

But in the end? ...the results are just so damn cool. I can't wait.

Input? Insults? Questions? Comments? ...all are welcome. But go easy on the insults. haha.

My pico was born on Saturday, Feb. 14th, 2009. YES!

* sand in place. tank is in place on our kitchen counter. *


* sorry this one is a little blurry. I didn't use the flash to try and eliminate the rock looking too washed out. It appears to be in really good shape. smelled fresh and has been in their "curing" tank for close to a month *


* lights on + aquscaped *


* another angle... *


* ...another one *


* top down shot. modded AC70 + Rio 50 powerhead for flow *


* lights off... plus a better shot of the aquascape. *

Looks great man Im sure you are stoked to see it up.

Thanks, man... I appreciate it.

I'm psyched to see this thing finally filled with water.

That looks awesome! Let us know what little critters pop up.

nice, your gonna need some ricordias.

Thanks you guys... I'll let you know if I come across any cool hitch hikers.

And yeah, some nice rics and zoas would be SWEET.

** Been checking out the tank with the lights off. And I've seen a couple of little critters. They almost look like little gnats walking around on the rocks. I can see what look like little antennae. They look like bugs. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I've attempted to photograph them but they're far too small for my camera to pick up. Not sure what they are... but it's nice to see life so soon. Tank has only been aquascaped for a couple of hours.

Sound like copepods! Yay! I like the LR placement... You may want to turn on the lights for the cycle to keep any photosynthetic stuff on your LR alive... and yay for rics! I may be getting some next week!!!

I've been reading so many different online articles... some say to use some lighting... some say don't use any. Some say use the same photo period you would use normally despite the cycle happening. I guess if there is life on the tank, I don't want what little life there is to die. And it sounds like if I have copepods and other miscellaneous critters... I don't want those to die.

But I don't want any serious algae outbreak either right off the bat.

So what's the consensus? Lights on? Lights off?

The Nano-Reef.com article about cycling says: "...So what should you do during the cycle? Keep your lights running on their regular 10-12 hour schedule. Do not cycle your tank with the lights off, unless you want the life on the live rock to die off. Do not perform any partial water changes during the the process, as doing so will stall the cycle from completing. Some people have experimented with doing very small water changes during the cycle to keep the ammonia levels from getting extremely high. The thought behind this method is that it will help preserve the life that came on your live rock. The benefits, if any, are not well known at this time however."

congrats, it looks great
I will be starting mine very soon also

Very nice! I like the rock work and it looks and sounds to me like you've got some good quality rocks. If you're not happy with your 'scape, at least let things settle down before moving things around but personally I really like the way you have it. As for that one rock being so close to the glass you won't have that problem once you get the super slim and super strong Nimble Nano which you're going to get when you're ready to put your Mag-Float away and start playing with some big boy toys.

I personally left my lights on for 10-12 hours a day during my cycle, I had tons of critters I wanted to keep alive though, starfish, bugs, etc. I didn't have a really bad outbreak of algea.. actually, I don't think I had much at all. I'd say go for it. Plus, when you add your CUC, you can just get some awesome algea snarfing snails to clean up the tank

Your thread has inspired me to start a JBJ Picotope (and finally register on here). I'm loving the step-by-step coverage. Looking great so far!

Leave the light on, so you can get the algae growth and diatoms started.

sweet pet rocks.

gonna follow this because i love picos
and the vw avatar is stellar
mk4 jetta owner here

+1

The stock Picotope light isn't intense enough to do any serious damage to your tank as far as algae goes.

Haha. Thanks, man... I've not touched any of the 'scape at all. I'll leave it the way it is. I kinda like how everything looks and it's grown on me. So I shall leave it for now. And no worries - I'll get my super slim Nimble Nano ordered.



Good to know. Starting today, I'll begin leaving the lights on. I don't want anything to die or perish due to me thinking it isn't good to have the lights on and a few random Internet articles I've read. Consensus?? ...lights are staying on a normal light cycle as of today. I really appreciate your input!




That is SO awesome. I really appreciate that. Thanks a lot for tagging along and reading my thread... it's nice to know other people are benefitting in some way? ...glad to see you're tagging along for the ride!



Most definitely.



Thanks a lot for tagging along!! I really appreciate it!!

Yeah, the avatar is sick. I used to have the '03 GTI 20th Anniv. Edition. My girlfriend has an '03 Beetle with the 1.8T engine. I had to sell my 'dub after I got laid off from Northwest Airlines in '05. Bleh. I'm definitely gonna get a VW again. But right now, I'm rockin' a Toyota Yaris 'cuz of the good gas mileage. But I miss my turbo.

Here's a pic of my 20th...



Thanks so much for tagging along!!

nice rims

very nice 20th aniversary gti my buddy has a mk4 gli

Nice! I've never had a VW but I always imagined myself driving one.

Yeah, I really enjoyed my VW. Super sweet car + I put lot'sa toys on it. Everyday was a thoroughly enjoyable driving experience. haha.

OK. Back on topic. Tank looks really good today. Water looks clear... doesn't quite have that "sparkle" but I think I'm bring over-critical right now. I'm sure some carbon would help but I'm not touching anything right now.

How often should I change the filter floss? Wait until after the cycle is finished? Or once a week? Every two weeks? Just wondering.

I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Took these photos just a few moments ago.

Not sure what's on the surface of my tank... super duper teeny tiny micro bubbles? They don't look like actual particles? And nothing is actually floating in the water column. Not sure how or why the AC70 would be generating these bubbles... and I'm not even sure if it matters. They seem to be dissolving immediately and they aren't actually landing on the rock. Like I said, there is nothing floating in the water column of the tank itself.







* FTS. See? The tank itself looks clear.


What do you guys think?

Hmm almost looks like some sort of film on the surface... any way you can increase surface agitation? Or surface skimming?

Looks good anyhow

Those micro bubbles are normal and should go start going away once you break in the AC70. You will need to change out the filter floss frequently at first until it's trapped all the suspended debris in the water. After that you'll be fine changing it out once a week when you do your maintenance. The surface scum is also normal and you can use a plastic spoon to remove it manually. Point the powerhead towards the top so that it breaks the water's surface. This will help with surface agitation and oxygen exchange.

Tank looks great and it's coming along nicely. The label on the powerhead is ugly and glaring though. Make it go away.