jcastle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 does anyone care to look over this thread and to see what i've got and let me know if i'm missing anything? i'm pretty sure i'm covered but you guys know a bit more than i do. 3gal picotope good powerhead par38 led bulb ac30 filter ATO RO/DI unit heater Reef Salt API test kit Hydrometer i have a bunch of aquarium stuff in boxes in my closet so i should be good haha but let me know if i'm missing something important or something that will make this PICO adventure less stressful! Link to comment
GioReef Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 a reliable refractometer will be much better than a hydrometer. Also, with the limited water in a pico, testing with a hydrometer will be complicated. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 you are right about that one....well i sell precision measuring tools and two of my suppliers are Atago and Milwaukee so maybe i can get a good refractometer for a discount....i might even have an appropriate one at work. i'll have to look. Link to comment
GioReef Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 good good... have any stocking plans/ideas yet??? Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 my options are limited because it's small but in the past i've been a fan of blue leg hermits, emerald crabs, cerith snails, nasarious snails (idk how to spell it)...i dont much care for turbo or turban snails, bumblebee if i can find them. as far as corals go; i like zoos and mushrooms...LPS corals that are peaceful mostly...i love frogspawn and hammer coral but that just a maybe due to tank size and temperament. and fish...probably a green or yellow clown goby or something similar to that size. i dont want to get carried away with fish...i've done saltwater FISHtanks this is my first time for coral so i'm going to focus more on that. Link to comment
Reef Casa Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 tom aquatics mini canister = worst product I have ever bought for my tank Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 i got it for $10 brand new...so i figured i'd give it a shot...so i started it on a freshwater planted the other day to see how it worked....took forever to prime it and its a little loud...as far as filtration goes idk how it is but i know i'm not using it haha i was going to originally but not anymore. i got the ac30 filter which i know is a good brand and filter. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 oh and BTW @marc3lo19....i just looked at your tank....IMO perfect. lol it's amazing, for me you created the perfect tank Link to comment
Jenna Ann Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'm working on setting up a picotope too. I have one that's a heavily planted freshwater tank and really enjoy these. I'm opting for the AC70 mod. I'm trying to keep as much of the equipment out of the tank as possible. In the event I'm in need of a powerhead, I would DEARLY love to find one that won't take up a huge amount of space in the tank. I'd like it to be hidden too. I just don't want see the equipment. I'll be watching your build and the evolution of your picotope. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 first bump in the road....i got the ATO in today and the mounting that comes with the JBJ ATO is absolutely terrible (when it comes to a pico without a sump) so i'm trying different ways to mount the float switch differently....so far i took a plastic tube and put some holes in it and maybe it'll work if i attach i to some sort of hanger at the right level and it'll work....sorry if that doesn't make any sense in writing.... anyone have any good ideas for DIY float switch mounting in the pico? Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 anyone have any good ideas for DIY float switch mounting in the pico? I'm interested in how you end up doing it. I want to set up an ATO on my Fluval Spec eventually. I'm a little concerned about a float switch sticking and causing mayhem, and I doubt you could easily stuff two float switches into a Spec. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 i'll put up pictures when i figure out what i want to do with it. i have a JBJ ATO. there is a safety switch inside the unit that will shut off the pump in either 3, 5, or 7 minutes. so if the switch sticks you should be fine and the tank shouldn't have the opportunity to overflow Link to comment
PinkDamsel Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Just a suggestion: remove the shade on your light fixture. These PAR bulbs vent heat out the side. Link to comment
GioReef Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Just a suggestion: remove the shade on your light fixture. These PAR bulbs vent heat out the side. ^this. and also, i suggest you make a snail guard for the ato sensor, for obvious reasons ha. you can easily make one with a plastic tube of some sort. i used the aquamend/waterweld container Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Just a suggestion: remove the shade on your light fixture. These PAR bulbs vent heat out the side. ok i'll do that. makes sense. thanks!! ^this.and also, i suggest you make a snail guard for the ato sensor, for obvious reasons ha. you can easily make one with a plastic tube of some sort. i used the aquamend/waterweld container yeah i found a plastic tube that gives the switch almost a quarter of an inch of clearance from the sides of the tube. i think i'll just some zip ties and attach it at the right height to the hook; again, sorry if that doesn't make sense in writing haha i'll put pictures up when i get it done! Link to comment
pj86 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 welcome jcastle to Nano Reef. So far looking good, the equipment you bought is very well thought out and you didn't cheap out on the essentials. I personally would have went for a bigger AC but with the pump in there you will achieve enough flow. Also on the list don't forget super glue gel and aquarium safe putty. Will follow your thread. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Also on the list don't forget super glue gel and aquarium safe putty. Will follow your thread. I'm going to by that from the LFS when it comes time to put in some coral. I'm thinking i might just get some coral from the LFS first before i buy the better stuff online to see if everything is sufficient to support the coral and then i'll go to work! haha Thanks!! I went for the ac30 due to that lack of space behind the tanks...it's on there now and its a perfect fit..about 1/8" away from the wall Link to comment
tylernt Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I'm interested in how you end up doing it. I want to set up an ATO on my Fluval Spec eventually. I'm a little concerned about a float switch sticking and causing mayhem, and I doubt you could easily stuff two float switches into a Spec.I agree -- a single float switch is asking for disaster! The good news is, I bought twin 3/4" float switches. They fit into a 1" x 2" space no sweat. I imagine they would probably fit on a Spec? Check my thread in my sig for details on how I mounted mine in my IQ3 (basically an acrylic version of the Spec). Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 the JBJ ATO will not run longer than 3 5 and 7 minutes and the water pump i have isn't pumping a lot of water so i'm not worried if the switch get stuck Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Regarding the ATO pumps... What are you using? Something like an Aqualifter? I don't really have a point of reference for how much volume these pumps put out. For a 2 gallon tank, it doesn't take much to top it off--or screw up the salinity. If a float, or both float switches stuck on, how much volume would be pumped into the tank before it was shut off if it were set to say, 3 minutes? I'm going on vacation for a week, soon and I just opted to have a friend come over and top up the tank instead of setting up an ATO. I know my tank can go for two days without raising the salinity any measurable amount (thanks to the partial cover on the Spec). I'm assuming that given the popularity of pico reefs, someone will come up with a better solution for an ATO on these tiny tanks. BTW, the folks at the closest saltwater LFS think I have some serious cojones running a pico tank. They really had no idea what was involved in maintaining a pico reef. They were fascinated when I explained what maintenance was involved and what sort of restrictions you have and don't have. One of the LFS's near my work actually has a Spec setup as a saltwater reef... although I think theirs looks like crap aesthetically--I think it's been running for a while. It has red flame scallops in it of all things... I thought those were hard enough to keep alive in a normal tank. Link to comment
tylernt Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 If a float, or both float switches stuck on, I'm assuming that given the popularity of pico reefs, someone will come up with a better solution for an ATO on these tiny tanks The better solution is twin floats with snail protection and periodic testing. Law of probability says two switches are way more than twice as safe as one switch, getting in to "more likely to be struck by lightning" territory. Use three floats if you really want security. Actually, I use twin relays with my twin floats for added insurance, but this is just to soothe my paranoia. Floats got a bad name early in this hobby because people used them to switch 120VAC directly, causing contacts to weld ON with predictable and unfortunate results. No sane person does this any more, twin floats with a low-voltage relay is a well-tested and reliable configuration. Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Regarding the ATO pumps... What are you using? Something like an Aqualifter? I don't really have a point of reference for how much volume these pumps put out. For a 2 gallon tank, it doesn't take much to top it off--or screw up the salinity. If a float, or both float switches stuck on, how much volume would be pumped into the tank before it was shut off if it were set to say, 3 minutes? I'm assuming that given the popularity of pico reefs, someone will come up with a better solution for an ATO on these tiny tanks. yes it's an aqualifter. i measured how much it will put out in 3 min and it was just over a cup of water so i'm not at all worried about it throwing off the salinity or overfilling the tank on to my floor. if the switch sticks it'll light up to warn me. The better solution is twin floats with snail protection and periodic testing. Law of probability says two switches are way more than twice as safe as one switch, getting in to "more likely to be struck by lightning" territory. I'm going to stick with one...if i use the second it would be in the RO reservoir so it doesn't turn on the pump when it's dry....there isn't much room to work with but i'm pretty confident that one switch will work out fine with the pump set to only run for a maximum of 3 minutes. now that i'm thinking about it, if the switch was stuck I imagine it would become unstuck when the water level rose; so i even if it did get stuck i might not even know....idk just a spur of the moment thought, could be wrong... Link to comment
jcastle Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 Delays suck haha got the RO unit in today but the connector that was sent didn't fit on the pipes under my sink so i have to get the right one in....bummer...i was looking forward to getting some water prepared sometime this week...looks like it'll be put off another week Link to comment
GioReef Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 that sucks man... i've always received things that have been broken/defective/incorrect. my luck i guess haha. gives you more time to plan things right Link to comment
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