Mr. Microscope's JBJ Picotope

[.Newman.]

Good tank btw, Bobba

[Mr. Microscope]

Neat little hermit crab!

I like him a lot, he looks like a good cleanee.

Yeah, I swear he's picking up each individual piece of sand and cleaning them one by one. The little guy moves really fast! I expect a shimmering sand bed by tomorrow morning.

 

good cleanee for sure but maybe too good lol. looks like something I'd find if I went to a local shore mudflat. I like his name

His legs really come out far when he walks around. I realized today that he really does look like Invader Zim when he skuttles around with his backpack legs. Today he was really checking out the old shell of my scarlet. I wonder if he'll be in there tomorrow.

[Mr. Microscope]

Mr. Microscope,

I have been following your progress as inspiration for my own Picotope. I just upgraded to a Par30 (3B/2W) and I real like the overall color and shimmer. Just curious about applying tape over one of the white LED's. They seem awfully hot and was wondering if it would melt the tape. Your experience?

Thanks

Bobba

Hi Bobba!

 

Thanks for checking out my tank thread. I'm glad you were inspired. Your tank looks great! I really like the lamp you have above your tank. It looks like it's a good height above your tank. I made the mistake of putting mine too low to begin with and bleached a bunch of stuff.

 

As for the tape, I started using electrical tape. Yes, it is melting a little in the middle. I think heat tape would be much better. I'm going to try to find some and see how it works.

 

Welcome to nano-reef and the pico community. Did you start a tank thread yet?

[JBM]

3 years eh?

[Mr. Microscope]

3 years eh?

Well, I started it Oct. 2009, so it's a little more than a year old, but it has spanned into 2011.

[JBM]

i think you should get a tang

[Mr. Microscope]

i think you should get a tang

LOL! ..or 5.

[Bobba]

Thanks for the nice comments! I am just getting back into it after giving up on a 90 gal. algae filled money pit about 5 yrs ago. I am already thinking about a 12gal. Long Mr. Aqua or Green Leaf but would keep it simple like the Picotope. The light did come out nicer than I thought it would and consists of a few pieces of conduit and an old Tupperware container. It's adjustable from 6 to 30 inches and can swivel out of the way if needed. Total cost- $20.00. I am starting out slowly but a tank thread might be a great way to get some good advice.

Thanks

Bobba

[Mr. Microscope]

Thanks for the nice comments! I am just getting back into it after giving up on a 90 gal. algae filled money pit about 5 yrs ago. I am already thinking about a 12gal. Long Mr. Aqua or Green Leaf but would keep it simple like the Picotope. The light did come out nicer than I thought it would and consists of a few pieces of conduit and an old Tupperware container. It's adjustable from 6 to 30 inches and can swivel out of the way if needed. Total cost- $20.00. I am starting out slowly but a tank thread might be a great way to get some good advice.

Thanks

Bobba

I was considering the 12 long too, but I think my upgrade will be the 18 inch cube.

 

Seriously?!!!? You made that lamp?! Wow. Looks awesome! Yes, you definitely need to share your skills with the community. Tank thread! Tank thread!

[jgpico]

Hey microscope i just picked up one of the pico evo pumps tonight after you said you liked yours. i was thinking about possibly putting it on a timer, have you messed with a timer at all with your pump yet? I also think i am going to steal your idea of using the stock pico filter for the chemi pure....genius! Thanks for poppin in to my thread every now and then and giving me your expert advice btw lol i appreciate it.

[Mr. Microscope]

Hey microscope i just picked up one of the pico evo pumps tonight after you said you liked yours. i was thinking about possibly putting it on a timer, have you messed with a timer at all with your pump yet?

Cool. You'll have to tell me what you think about the pump. I ordered mine from bigalsonline. Got it for $16+shipping. So, I paid about $25 in total.

 

I also think i am going to steal your idea of using the stock pico filter for the chemi pure....genius! Thanks for poppin in to my thread every now and then and giving me your expert advice btw lol i appreciate it.

Please feel free to take any of my ideas and run with them. Just let me know if you run into any problems or find another way to tweak it. I love this reefing community. This hobby works well in a collaborative environment.

[Mr. Microscope]

Today's post to the Water Chemistry Forum:

 

Amino acids + low nutrient systems

 

No responds, reposted to the General Discussion Forum:

 

Amino acids + low nutrient systems

[Mr. Microscope]

Another post today to the General Discussion Forum:

 

Electric Eel Powered Christmas Tree!

 

This is some craziness!

[Mr. Microscope]

I just installed the rotation device on the Pico Evo. It takes up a lot of space, bit I figured out a way to save some. The corals are looking much better. Not at full recovery yet, but getting there.

[straydog]

I just installed the rotation device on the Pico Evo. It takes up a lot of space, bit I figured out a way to save some. The corals are looking much better. Not at full recovery yet, but getting there.

You have a pic I would like to see . What is the dimensions of the rotating part?

[jgpico]

I have been messing with my new pump since last night. How do you like it with the rotation device on it? I havent even tried it just becuase it looks like it would take up so much room. I actually was messing with it and figured out how to attach a piece of bi-directional loc line to it so i have flow going in 2 directions i kinda like it but depending on how the rotator works for you ill give it a try.

[Mr. Microscope]

I'll let you know how I like it in a few weeks. It seems to add some nice random flows and nothing is getting absolutely blasted like it was before. Here's a crappy FTS from today. You can see the corals making a comeback and I'm working on getting this thing into display mode. I'll take a better image with my better camera once everything has opened back up.

In the back on the right is the pump. With the attachment, you can see how large it is. To save space, I turned the jet at a 90 degree angle. That takes off a good inch and seems to add to its stability. I added a rubberband to secure it to the holder. That seemed to cut down on noise and vibration quite a bit.

[straydog]

Nice I can see some nice diy potential with the new pump.

[Mr. Microscope]

Nice I can see some nice diy potential with the new pump.

Defintely! There are some great possibilities here. I just wish it did the same job at half the size.

[straydog]

They are a little large for a pico, maybe if the pumps return had a 90 degree turn it would keep it closer to the glass?

[jdl]

looking like she's gonna come back and blow up! i really like that new pump. i just got a porcelain crab and was wondering if you had any tips on their care?

 

oh yeah im gonna totally steal your chemi-pure jbj pump idea i love it!

[Mr. Microscope]

They are a little large for a pico, maybe if the pumps return had a 90 degree turn it would keep it closer to the glass?

The intake is right below the output which is adjustable. The whole unit can be rotated on an X axis. That's how I have it here. The pump is mounted to the back wall and the jet is turned 90 degrees pointing to the left (from viewing standpoint). If I mounted it on the right wall and pointed it straight left, I'd be hitting the rocks and the weight of the head would make the unit point downward a bit.

[Mr. Microscope]

looking like she's gonna come back and blow up! i really like that new pump. i just got a porcelain crab and was wondering if you had any tips on their care?

I think the most important thing to remember is to be extra careful when it comes to molting time. There will likely come a period when your crab disappears for a while. Then you'll find what looks like a dead crab (likely upside-down). Don't panic. This is likely just the shell. It's a really stressful time for any crab and you probably won't see it for another few days after you find the exoskeleton. During this time the crab is most venerable as it's healing and allowing it's fresh skeleton the harden. Just make sure to keep your Calcium levels good during this time. If you're not monitoring Ca, just make sure you're doing enough water changes to maintain levels. About water changes, be extra careful about temperature. The porcelain crab is a filter feeder, but if you don't have any fish or corals to feed, make sure to grind up a little something into the water once in a while for it.

 

oh yeah im gonna totally steal your chemi-pure jbj pump idea i love it!

:) Rock and roll!

[Mr. Microscope]

Zim molted already! I gave him a couple pieces of cyclope-eze today and he went nuts for it.

 

The Colinista population is increasing well.

 

Also, I removed a colony of about 50 colonial hydroids that I had been letting grow on a rock. They hadn't been bothering anything, but it was satisfying to pluck them off one by one with my little tweezers.

[.Newman.]

hydroid killer