FTS 11/04/09




I started a new tank 09/24/09... woohoo! This one is for my home office

I got a Mr. Aqua Frameless Bow front 3 gallon tank from Marine Depot $24.99. I painted the back black with Krylon Fusion paint.
Using an AquaClear 20 filter for polishing.

Everything else was already had equipment. 18" Nova Extreme 2x18w T5HO for lighting
Live sand
4 pounds cured live rock

I still need to add my k-nano to this tank. And I will need to purchase an ATO for it as well. Last night before bed the salinity was 1.026...this morning it was 1.028. I don't think this will do! So I'll be doing some research for a cheap ATO.

I'm doing a soft cycle..not expecting a big cycle out of this

There will be no fish in this one. This is the sanctuary for my mini anemones. Maybe some of you will remember that my lovely clownfish went after some food that my mini nem was eating...subsequently got stuck in said nem, clownfish died the next day. Don't want a repeat of that...so the mini anemones have their own tank now. I'll be adding blue cloves, zoas, and who knows what else to this one????? One of my live rocks has some bleached out palys on it...looking forward to seeing what those turn into with a little light

I've already put the mini anemones into the tank. Will be monitoring the water quality closely. Here's some photos before the mini anemones were added:

That fixture is huge! Tank looks great, very zen.

very nice, I love the pico thread even though I don't have one........good luck to you.

looks cool, the LR looks a bit unstable/hard to work with though!

Love that tank. That is the tank I am planning on using for my next build.

Thanks everyone! I really luv this little tank!

I got the k-nano in there today...it looks huge Had to move the top rock over a bit...and actually like the way it looks better this way. The rocks may look unstable...but they aren't.

The light is huge...but I had it, and it was just sitting around collecting dust. So, it's now put to use

Here's some new shots:









So far so good. I'm nervous about the temps though...around 84 And it's not the hottest part of the day. This tank sits in our home office which is a finished room (like a guest house). I have a window A/C unit that will be working even harder now.

Anyone have a handy link to a good ATO for this size tank?

You has pm.

BTW, what is that?

I'll see what I can do about that

Thank you.

HAHA el_fab.....you crack me up dude

It's an OCD thing, I can't help it.

if my pico fails im buying a bulk pack of 30 picotope stickers and im slapping em all over it just to torment you

But wait—just think of all the things you could do with 30 Pioctopes.

im just buying the stickers...ill mail you a new one weekly lol

Nooo!!!

this tank is awesome

tank is lookin good! i've always wanted a pico for my office. too bad i don't have an office . maybe some day. but yea, after seeing your beautiful 10 gal, can't wait to see what you do with this one!

Thanks I appreciate it!



thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what this one turns out to be as well!

oh...and...the sticker is now gone, Aaron

This tank is pretty sweet

Thanks

I see the biggest challenge with these little picos is keeping a stable temperature...it isn't easy!!!!! I'm seeing about a 5 degree swing in temps. I have to work out the kinks I guess.

alright I just can't take it anymore...time to get a pico....gena you pushed me over the edge...

go for it!

Hey...I'm a Scion driver too...only it's an XD

Yes, definitely one of the biggest challenges in keeping a pico stable especially during the hot summer months. I even used to put ice cubes in a ziploc bag to keep it running cool but that was before I upgraded to LEDs. A pricey option for most people but well worth the money if you're hardcore like I am.

GOTCHA

Which LED set up did you go with? Was it something you had to retrofit?

Last night before I went to bed the tank was a nice 80.1 degrees. I walk in this morning and it's sitting at 86.5!!!! That's with lights off! The room is 68 degrees. I think it's time for a new heater. I'm also considering, though hate the thought of spending the money, buying a reefkeeper lite for this tank. That way when the temp gets too high, fan can kick in. When it gets too cold, heater on, fan off.
These temp swings are killing me!

I lost a lot of coral in another tank of mine due to a fualty heater so I when I set up my pico, the cost of the reefkeeper was not so much for peace of mind.

Yep...I think I'll end up buying one of those. Maybe this week. I have one on my 10g and LOVE it!

pretty sexy! a blue LED night effect would be cool too.

I got one of the Current Satellite retrofits from evil. Prebuilt of course, god knows I'm helpless with DIY projects.

Sounds like your heater might be off. What heater are you using?

Thanks! I'll look into an LED moonlight. That's on my list too $$$$$$$$...I thought picos were supposed to be cheaper not.



I'll keep his retrofit in mind. I hear you on the DIY projects. Not my forte! At least you did a great job on your ATO. I have assembled all the parts...just need some of them to show up in the mail now! Can't wait to stop manually topping off, constantly!

I have a 25w stealth heater...but it's about 5 years old. I'm gonna get another today.

if you get little LED diodes. it should only be a few bucks. Just rig up some blue ones from home depot or something.

DIY challenged here. I'll check out the LEDs at Home Depot. Didn't know they even sold those.

we learn new things everyday!

Good Luck!

I agree, keeping my pico at a stable temp was a pain at first. Eventually I broke down and got an Iceprobe chiller. Iceprobe + reefkeeper = super stable temps. I only see a 1 degree temperature difference between morning and night.

Looking for a very inexpensive ATO that works?



This is the biggest pet bottle that Petco sells and supplies water for 3-5 days before needing a refill in my 12g tank. You could buy the smallest one and most likely go a week without refilling in a 3 gallon tank. I've been using this ATO for over a year and it has worked flawlessly.

On the first page of my tank thread is a detailed description of how it works and the minor modification required:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=172031

evil hooked up with nanocustoms now and they will be offering the retro fit for the current here soon. i can't wait. temps are a problem with mine too. i link i will pick a thermostat until i can afford a RK. goodluck with the tank!

Great DIY!!!! I already bought my supplies for el fab's ato design....but hopefully this will help out someone else. Thanks for posting that! And, by the way, your tank is beautiful...love it!






Thanks for the heads up! My little fluctuating heat box can use all the help she can get I picked up a new heater today. Gonna see how it goes...if there's still a problem, looks like a RK lite it will be.

I picked up the new heater. And ordered the RKL.

Here's a current FTS. I added in some El Fab blue cloves...can you spot them? Lower front left. Notice the manuf. sticker is gone...it DOES look 10 times better oh yeah...I also have diatoms now.

09/28/09

Definitely better without the sticker.

I can see my grandbabies.

where did ou order your RKL? digital aquatics is running a sale for $99.

I ordered it from Digital Aquatics. I think the RKL is the best piece of equipment I have added to any of my tanks. This is going to help me out tremendously

good. now i just need to get one. then i will be in the club.

Hi, I know you are already in the process of getting your ATO set up, but I used this ATO for my pico.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=2239216
The pump is a bit loud (mine is hagen elite), but it only runs once or twice a day for about 5 to 10 sec, so it isn't too bad. It indeed made my life much easier. I really like your mini nem. I'd love to get one, it is just so hard to find them around though. Good luck with your pico. I really love mine.

That's another great ATO DIY! I know the Hagen elite pump....Good thing it only runs once or twice a day

I'm really looking forward to getting the ATO going. I'm actually currently topping off several times throughout the day. A bit of a pita

Do you have a thread for your tank? I'm gonna go look. Thanks for stopping by!

Hi Gena,
I had a couple of fish jumped away, so I always keep my lid shut which helps reduce evaps significantly. Although when the weather gets too warm, I have to leave it open to cool it down.

I don't have a thread for my tank yet. I've been lurking around here for quite a while, but English is not my first language, so I've been shying away from making my own tank thread. But I love to check other people's tanks. I really like your 10g tank too. I hope your son also enjoys it as well. I also started my tank to make my son happy, but I don't think he is big enough to enjoy it yet.

We have something in common! Trying to instill the love of reefing in our sons He likes it...but so far playing blockland and pivot and xbox 360, wii are more exciting right now. He doesn't give the tank 100% of his attention...but I know he loves having it in his room. Only time will tell if he catches the bug.

Is that your tank in your avatar? It looks beautiful! You should start a thread..your english sounds great to me

This amazingly easy tank has been chugging along beautifully (knock on wood). I added a bunch of coral to it..most what I already had, and some grape monti from purpleup (I think I got that name right) and some chaeto stuffed in the back behind the rocks. The chaeto is getting everywhere, oh well

I got the El Fab ATO up and running...one change, I used the aqualifter pump instead...works great. I also got my RKL in and it's keeping everything very stable. Here's some updated photos:


FTS 10/09/09

Looking great -- Slow and steady is the way to go -- I've been keeping up even though I don't post much --- Love that PicoBow

Charles

tank looks awesome! glad you got your chaeto!