New pico build: Marineland Contour 5

[kmrotterdam]

Not many people have posted about the Marineland Contour 5, so I wanted to show my new build. I had a Petco 3.7 pico, and basically transferred everything over, even using the same water. I'm posting a few photos and will add more details. Any responses would be appreciated.

I replaced the weak stock lightjng with a Wave-Point LED, 8 watts (6 x one watt 450nm super blues, and 2 x10K whites). I also replaced the pump with a National Geographic 108 gph pump

[kmrotterdam]

My tank inhabitants

-- No fish

-- Tridacna Derasa clam (2 inches)

-- Red foot sand anemone

-- Duncan whisker coral

-- 1 Astrea snail

-- 5 Cerith nails

-- 2 Nassarius snails

-- Hawaiian feather duster worm

-- Purple mushrooms (actinodiscus coerulea)

-- Flowerpot coral

-- Frogspawn

-- Hammer coral

-- Brown/green button polyps

[waldoz]

My petco has one on close out for $56 or something is the tank any good?

[kmrotterdam]

Like many of these smaller AIOs, the lighting and pumps are on the weak side for a Reef tank, but that is relatively easy to correct. I really like the sleek design of this tank. It's tall for 5 gallons - I've found that reduces evaporation.

 

My petco has one on close out for $56 or something is the tank any good?

[kmrotterdam]

A couple photos of my inhabitants.

[yoshii]

What a cute clam!

And that rock is perfect for the tank! Is it one rock or did you glue smaller rocks together?

[kmrotterdam]

Thanks, Yoshii. It's two rocks: one really tall one with another smaller one glued at the base. I'll affix more of the corals to the rock "tower", and simplify the sand bed, giving it a cleaner, zen-like feel.

[NinjaReefer]

very nice. I like the rock tower.

[kmrotterdam]

Yesterday afternoon, I could not resist -- I bought the Petco Arc 6.25 tank. I'll wait several months before moving everything over to it. Because of its dimensions, it looks soooo much bigger than my Marineland Contour 5. I like long, shallow tanks; they create the illusion of a "slice" of a Reef.

Here is the Petco Arc 6.25

[chemikalzsky]

I have been toying with the idea of getting a clam for my 10g, but I need to do more research first. How hard is it to take care of? What do you feed it?

[HarryPotter]

I have been toying with the idea of getting a clam for my 10g, but I need to do more research first. How hard is it to take care of? What do you feed it?

Just need very good lighting, controlled parameters (Especially to deal with the increased Ca and Alk usage), and a stable tank overall.

 

They're photosynthetic but also filter feed, so if the tank is too "clean" you can use phytoplankton or other small particles foods in a broadcast feeding

[chemikalzsky]

Thanks Harry!I might wait then. I'm still kinda new to the saltwater hobby and I'm not sure I'm keeping my tank as pristine as I should be.

[kmrotterdam]

My derasa clam is small and young. From research, young clams depend more on filter feeding than photosynthesis. I have a mix that I made of zooplankton, phytoplankton, and Kent's microvert that I feed the clam and my other filter feeders. They are known to grow quickly, and when the time comes, I'll have to get a larger tank or trade it so that it'll have an appropriately sized home.

[kmrotterdam]

I've decided to keep this tank and will be taking the Petco Arc 6.25 back to the store (it's still in the box). I'll have to be creative with my Marineland Contour 5 -- I really like it. It's so stylish and fits the space that I have available for an aquarium. Maybe I'll try to put a shelf near the top of the tank and place some corals on it, or I might try affixing corals to the back overflow wall and getting them to grow on there??

[kmrotterdam]

Update: bought new lights: Evo 18 watt LEDs, 6 x 3watt bulbs (4 white & 2 actinic blue). I traded my clam for hammer corals, star polyp and feather duster.

[yoshii]

Nice lighting upgrade!
That toadstool looks really happy too

[kmrotterdam]

I did some aquascaping: moved the rock tower to the left and glued a rock on top to make it "reach" to the right. I fragged the frogspawn (it's growing so fast!). Some corals are still closed, because of all the re-arrangement going on today.

One more pic.

[Tygibson]

Hello I'm new to the salt water hobby and since there aren't very many pictures of the marineland contour 5 I figured I'd post mine. 

[Lula_Mae]

to Nano-Reef!  What all do you have in there?  What sort of equipment are you running, all stock?  I always thought a tank this tall and narrow might be hard to scape, did you find it to be so?

[OldManSea]

Welcome to another Marineland pico reefer!  Mine has been going nearly 5 months now.

[Tygibson]

Right now I have one black and white clown fish, two small bubble tip anemones, a couple heads of hammer corals, a small Kenya tree, two mushroom corals and three hermit crabs and a bunch of starfish that showed up on the rock I put in the tank. I bought the tank from the fish store when they already had it cycled. Everything is stock except for the lighting and the heater. I swapped the lighting for a fluval sea full spectrum nano LED. Ill post a picture of what it looked like when I first got it. And yes I do find that it is hard to scape, it is hard to get my hand in the tank with the rocks in some places. But I really like the tall narrow look of it

[Tygibson]