New to forums and Pico tanks

[Deadeye]

Hello,

My name is Patrick and I'm new to this forum. I used to have a large reef tank years ago. I decided to get back in the game with a picotope. So far I have the tank, heater and thermometer is on the way. I have been combing these forums looking for advice on keeping a pico tank working, everyone told me I was crazy for wanting a small tank. After much research I'm ready and am working on a plan. I will start out with just the filter for a while, but would like to add the AC70 modded refug. It will be in a room that is about 70 degrees in the winter and gets up to 76 in the summer, not sure if I will need a chiller? The nice thing about these forums is I already have good ideas for the flow, refug, chiller, and ATO if needed. It will be in a spot where I have 12" above the tank, due to a cabinet above it and 17" behind the tank.

[seabass]

Hey Patrick! Welcome to N-R.com!

 

Start here: http://www.nano-reef.com/forum/37-pico-reefs/

[Deadeye]

Thanks for showing me that, that was a good read. I am trying to figure out if I should get a powerhead or just do a AC70 fuge. Also do you know where people typically get the LED bulbs and desk lamps?

[HM3105]

Here ya go....

 

http://coralcompulsion.com/led/PAR-BULBS

 

You can use any standard light fixture I believe, also that same site sells gooseneck mounts or you can DIY one.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/335763-par38-hanging/

 

Scroll to post 5.

 

Chiller is probably not needed, I keep my tank around 78-80 all year.

 

So how big is the tank?

[Deadeye]

It is a 3 gallon picotope and thank you for the links. I read that one should put a powerhead in the tank when first starting the tank to reduce algae and also no lights until you add coral, is this pretty much the standard recommendation? I'm wondering if I should go ahead and get saltwater, LR, and sand and start the tank with just the filter it comes with or if I should get more hardware items first. Got to get an API saltwater test kit and refractometer still also. Was hoping to find used, but that may be harder than I thouhht.

[Partially Submerged]

The Picotope is a great little tank. I started out with one about a year ago. I just got a 4g CAD Lights at home and will set up the Picotope at work. I used the stock filter and light for a little while and eventually replaced them with an AC 70 and a Coral Compulsion 14W Vibrance. The stock light isn't bad for softies. Interestingly I had coraline growth like crazy with the stock light and have next to none now. In the new setup, I'll won't use the AC 70, just a small pump. The AC 70 is too bulky in my opinion, and I am pretty good with water changes.

 

I recommend getting the twenty-something dollar refractometer by Ade Advanced Optics on Amazon. It's cheap and accurate. A lot of people use and like it.

 

What are you planning to put in your tank? Any crabs or shrimp?

[Deadeye]

Hello Partially Submerged,

 

Would that light bulb work in a desk lamp like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZKDUVE/ref=psdc_1063292_t2_B00B7PHVS6

Could I do just about any soft coral and LPS with that bulb?

 

Thank you for pointing me to that refractometer, that will save me some money.

 

My plan was zoa's and mushrooms at first. My wife is going to want a fish though, like a clown goby, Is it best to start out with the coral or the fish first?

[reefernanoman]

Welcome to the addiction that deflates your wallet quickly!

[Deadeye]

Hello en28so,

 

I know what you mean. Years ago I had a 24 gallon nano, 75, and 125 gallon reefs with all the equipment, etc. I sold it all, of course at a huge loss when I moved. So, I am hoping to be a little bit better of a shopper this time. I like the challenge of the pico, I always did well with the nano cube, plus I like the cost savings. I know it will add up eventually, but initial cost is still lower than a big tank.

[Partially Submerged]

Hello Partially Submerged,

 

Would that light bulb work in a desk lamp like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZKDUVE/ref=psdc_1063292_t2_B00B7PHVS6

Could I do just about any soft coral and LPS with that bulb?

Yes, pretty much any LPS and softies. I also grow some undemanding SPS with good success.

 

Hard to tell whether the lamp will work. Definitely if you can take the shade off. The Par30 (and even more so the Par38) are pretty wide, so they won't fit into a narrow shade. I got the Tertial floor lamp from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70226005/). I took of the shade and the top half of the pipe (it's two pieces), and now it has the right size, looks great (I think), and the light can be moved over the tank in any any way I want. And I can add a second bulb, which I am about to do.

 

 

My plan was zoa's and mushrooms at first. My wife is going to want a fish though, like a clown goby, Is it best to start out with the coral or the fish first?

I'd do corals first. Fish of any size just have a much higher bio load than corals or other inverts, so they will cause some instability. Better to do that when the tank is already dialed in. A tiny goby is about the only fish you can add in a 3g tank. Maybe you can convince your wife to get one or two porcelain anemone crabs instead? They are extremely fun to watch and seem to satisfy the need for cute things in the tank. At least it does for my wife.

[Deadeye]

Thank you for the info. The plan was to put the picotope in the kitchen on a counter and there is a cabinet above it. So, I have about 12'' from the top of the tank to the cabinet, so I will need to find some sort of desk lamp that isn't very tall. Do you think that the light would be high enough not to bleach any corals? I guess I could place a lamp like that on the floor next to it and angle it towards the tank.

[12_egg_Omelette]

sweet, I'd like one for my office.

[GHill762]

 

being from stl you have an AWESOME selection of local fish stores to choose from! can't wait to see what you do with the tank

[Deadeye]

Hello, the LFS selection is nice around here. I moved from Springfield, MO which did not have much. Where I live now, I am 2 minutes from Gateway Aquatics.

 

I could put a tank in my office, we have a couple people here with betta's, but I like the idea of just taking care of one tank, having it at home for the wife and kid to see, being able to monitor it everyday, top it off 2-3 times a day myself, and check the SG everyday.

 

I keep checking craigslist, nano-reef, and Reef Central for dry goods sales, but haven't found much yet. As much as I want to support the LFS, I did that years ago with a lot of money and I'm going to be more of a bargain shopper this time around.

Here is where we want it: See attached pic.

[GHill762]

Hello, the LFS selection is nice around here. I moved from Springfield, MO which did not have much. Where I live now, I am 2 minutes from Gateway Aquatics.

 

I could put a tank in my office, we have a couple people here with betta's, but I like the idea of just taking care of one tank, having it at home for the wife and kid to see, being able to monitor it everyday, top it off 2-3 times a day myself, and check the SG everyday.

 

I keep checking craigslist, nano-reef, and Reef Central for dry goods sales, but haven't found much yet. As much as I want to support the LFS, I did that years ago with a lot of money and I'm going to be more of a bargain shopper this time around.

gateway is nice, I like the corner reef too. but there's several, last I counted I think there were like 5 or 6 to choose from in the stl area.

 

some of the LFS will also have used equipment too..

[Partially Submerged]

Thank you for the info. The plan was to put the picotope in the kitchen on a counter and there is a cabinet above it. So, I have about 12'' from the top of the tank to the cabinet, so I will need to find some sort of desk lamp that isn't very tall. Do you think that the light would be high enough not to bleach any corals? I guess I could place a lamp like that on the floor next to it and angle it towards the tank.

 

Hello, the LFS selection is nice around here. I moved from Springfield, MO which did not have much. Where I live now, I am 2 minutes from Gateway Aquatics.

 

I could put a tank in my office, we have a couple people here with betta's, but I like the idea of just taking care of one tank, having it at home for the wife and kid to see, being able to monitor it everyday, top it off 2-3 times a day myself, and check the SG everyday.

 

I keep checking craigslist, nano-reef, and Reef Central for dry goods sales, but haven't found much yet. As much as I want to support the LFS, I did that years ago with a lot of money and I'm going to be more of a bargain shopper this time around.

 

Here is where we want it: See attached pic.

 

That looks like plenty of space. If you want to be safe, you can always get the gooseneck fixture that Coral Compulsion sells. I personally find them a bit expensive, but they seem to work well.

 

Oh, one other thing: There is a user here and on other boards, brandon429, who has written a lot about keeping picos healthy in the long term. One of the things he recommends is changing 100% of the water weekly. I've done that (well, I usually change about 80% so as not to freak out my crab too much) since day one, and I have never had any major problems with algae, unstable parameters, etc. The water changes also provide the necessary minerals without extra dosing and allow you to feed fish and inverts without messing up the water. It's not expensive with these tiny tanks, and I highly recommend it.

[Deadeye]

80-to-100% of the water weekly? Wouldn't it have to cycle all over again? Do you dose with bio-spira or the Dr. Fosters/Smith live bacteria?

 

Also, if doing a big water change weekly, can I just use the stock filter and not buy a powerhead?

 

One more question: Should I pull out anything from the stock filter, I don't really want to replace any media on a monthly basis, I thought the LR did all the filtering.

[GHill762]

80-to-100% of the water weekly? Wouldn't it have to cycle all over again? Do you dose with bio-spira or the Dr. Fosters/Smith live bacteria?

 

Also, if doing a big water change weekly, can I just use the stock filter and not buy a powerhead?

 

One more question: Should I pull out anything from the stock filter, I don't really want to replace any media on a monthly basis, I thought the LR did all the filtering.

bacteria is primarily on surfaces (live rock, sand, etc), very little actually resides in the water column.

 

filter vs powerhead depends on how much flow is going through the filter and alutimately what you plan to stock. that may be plenty of flow for some lps or softies, but may be way too low flow for some lps or any sps. if I were doing large weekly water changes I'd do just the opposite and do a powerhead rather than a filter. live rock does most of the filtering anyway, a powered filter really just gets debris out of the water. but in reality, I'd probably just do both a filter and a small low flow powerhead, like a koralia 240.

 

as for filter materials, filter floss works wonders, and most people run a small bag of carbon for water clarity and absorbing pollutants.

[Partially Submerged]

Agreed. Definitely no harm in changing 100% of the water if you use RO water and bring the water up to temperature and salinity. The AC 70s are awesome filters, and I can see why people like to fuge-mod them for picos. But quite honestly they are also ugly as sin and I didn't notice a difference in water quality, algae, etc. with it. You could run the little stock filter and the Koralia 240 GHill recommended. The Tunze mini pump is awesome as well.

[Deadeye]

I was looking at the Hydor 100 since it says you can reduce flow. I was worried the Koralia 240 would be too much power. However, I guess I should ask the obvious questions. Will the Koralia 240 work okay in this little tank if I point it in the right direction? I do plan to have sand in the bottom.

[GHill762]

hydor 100 may be a better option. a 240 on a 3 g may actually be a little overkill.. I've never had a tank this small, you may want to see what other people with 3 or 4 gallon tanks are using for flow..

 

and actually now that I think about it, an AC70 may be plenty of flow for a 3g. if you're set on the AC70, you may hold off on buying a powerhead until you know if you want/need any more flow.

[Deadeye]

I think for the initial setup I will do the filter it comes with, just to cycle it. I was worried that not having a powerhead right away would give me an algae problem right-off-the-bat. I may go with just the powerhead and not do the AC70, since this is in the kitchen I want it to look nice.

[Deadeye]

Got another question. On the Pico tank setup thread it said to rinse your tank out and of course your supposed to rinse the carbon before putting it in the tank. Is it okay to use tap water right from the sink? Even though houses use copper pipes for water and it is not going through an RO device..

 

Same with sand, if not using live sand, rinse the sand with tap water and just place it in the tank or let it dry then place in tank?

[GHill762]

Got another question. On the Pico tank setup thread it said to rinse your tank out and of course your supposed to rinse the carbon before putting it in the tank. Is it okay to use tap water right from the sink? Even though houses use copper pipes for water and it is not going through an RO device..

 

Same with sand, if not using live sand, rinse the sand with tap water and just place it in the tank or let it dry then place in tank?

I've always just used tap for cleaning/rinsing things and I've had no issues. I'm not giong to waste ro for that. I do prefer to use ro for rinsing chemical media like phosguard or carbon, but that's just a preference, I've used tap for that and it doesn't give me any problems.

[jtwisconsin]

and actually now that I think about it, an AC70 may be plenty of flow for a 3g. if you're set on the AC70, you may hold off on buying a powerhead until you know if you want/need any more flow.

 

Sandeep has an AC30 as his only flow on a 5.5g:

 

5.5g Reef Islands