5.5 Gallon Pico by Dooderino

[Dooderino]

I have been plugging away at this hobby for nearly 5 months now. I have a BC29 and it is absolutely thriving. I have a Black Ocellaris that has needed a new home for a while. I know some of you might want to scream that a 5.5 is WAY too small for any clown. Well let me tell you that it is temporary. And the clown in question is still very young. I also need to house some of the rock that some of my corals have come on. Some of the rock has corals still on it and it will be nice to spread out my tank. I'm going to go with a wide variety of corals in the end. Rics and Zoas low, acro and monti high. Because of this build I have moved some small pieces of rubble next to my zoas and palys to naturally seed the rubble into frags and then transfer them to the pico.

 

So here is the progress so far.

 

AGA 5.5g tank, $13

24"x18" .125" Acrylic sheet, $10

Black spray paint, $2

Silicone, $5

AquaClear 20 HOB filter, $0.00 (laying around from my FW days)

AquaClear 10 PH, $0.00 (laying around from my FW days)

25watt heater, $0.00 (laying around from my FW days)

Current Dual Satellite 12", $85

 

$110, cheap enough. I was thinking about going with a lot less light but in the end I decided not to limit myself.

 

I'm going to model the tank after an AIO. But I want a 'fuge. I have had good luck with my macro algae so far and want to use some in the pico. I'm going to add the HOB filter because I want to polish the water and add some Purigen. I'm also considering adding an air stone to the 'fuge. Not just any air stone but a lime wood stone. My Idea was to use the tube that my epoxy stick came in. Glue the tube to one of the corners of the 'fuge. The tube would be open on the bottom and capped on the top. I would open a vent in the side of the tube near the top to allow the water to flow through the tube with the bubbles. The reason I want to cap the top is to try and make the bubbles pop in the tube. The less surface bubbles popping the less salt creep I will have. I will have a small hole in the cap to vent the air. Basically I want to add a bunch of aeration to the tank since I'm going to be running almost completely hooded. On to the build.

 

The first thing I did was cut out the false wall. I used a utility knife and a aluminum strait edge and cut out a square 8"x 9.750". I used a fine tip sharpie to draw the lines. I cut the acrylic on both sides then carefully broke the acrylic. I used my angle grinder to smooth out the rougher edges. I positioned the powerhead where I wanted it by sticking it to the glass then stuck the wall in place and marked the spot. I drilled a .500" hole with a unibit. I drilled with enough speed to cut, but slow enough that the acrylic didn't melt. I used my compass to draw a circle on the cover sheet. I then used an exacto knife to cut the circle. I peeled the sheet away from the acrylic and then painted the sheet. I thought about leaving the entire sump clear but I didn't want to look at the algae that would eventually cover the inside of the wall.

Next I made the sump dividers. I wanted the water level in the 'fuge to stay full. Because of the HOB and the surface skimming I wanted minimal noise to come from the tank. To maintain this level I needed 3 divider plates. Plate one is 2" from the bottom, plate two is .375"(3/8") from the top, and plate three is 2" from the bottom. The last plate will aid in sound deadening. The plates were built as a unit using .250" square acrylic rod and siliconed together.

The false wall is 3" from the back wall. A tight squeeze for the 'fuge but the last chamber is JUST big enough to get the PHead out for maintenance. The 'fuge chamber is big enough that I could probably fit about 4 pounds of rubble. I'm not going to put that much rubble in it of course. I'm going to find a hand full of 2"-2.5" rocks, use sand from my BC29 and some chaeto.

[B_Kurzweil]

L00king good!

[Sandeep]

An interesting variation.

 

Although my design only has surface skimmer slots for the intake, I find it to be pretty much silent, but of course I don't have a hang on filter like your design does.

 

Man that looks like a really tight fit for the powerhead. I left a lot more room in my design which allows for pretty easy maneuvering to wiggle out the maxi-jet from the hole for it's weekly cleanings without putting too much stress in the process on the partition wall and the adhesive holding it to the glass tank. An added bonus is that I am also able to fit my heater into that compartment as well.

[keeperofthereef]

looks nice!! is that electrical tape around the PH return?

[Dooderino]

Thanks for looking!!! I just finished adjusting everything so the system actually "works". I added salt to the water and will be adjusting the heater till tomorrow. Tomorrow I will add the sand, 'fuge sand LS from the 29g, LR from my 29g, some chaeto, and some 6700K lights until my Satellite come in the mail.

 

An interesting variation.

I saw your build after my shopping spree. I must say that your AIO design was pretty cool.

Although my design only has surface skimmer slots for the intake, I find it to be pretty much silent, but of course I don't have a hang on filter like your design does.

I ended up drilling holes for my intake. The holes are near the top. I started small and quickly bored them out until they over lapped. Not exactly what I wanted but it is functional. The surface debris does flow into the 'fuge but from there it just floats. I have no way to filter the surface scum. I think I will end up building a mini over flow box around my HOB filter intake. It will have to be an experiment. I don't know if I will be able to regulate the flow enough to keep the noise down and keep the filter from losing it's prime. That will be a project for another day.

Man that looks like a really tight fit for the powerhead. I left a lot more room in my design which allows for pretty easy maneuvering to wiggle out the maxi-jet from the hole for it's weekly cleanings without putting too much stress in the process on the partition wall and the adhesive holding it to the glass tank. An added bonus is that I am also able to fit my heater into that compartment as well.

The PH I'm using has a "slip fitting", if you will, that stays mounted in the wall. It is a tight fit. All I need to do to wiggle the PH and it slides right off. Then I just lift it out. I thought about buying the tiny heater but ended up just using what I already had.

 

 

 

looks nice!! is that electrical tape around the PH return?

Nope. Just black paint on the inside of the wall.

[BKtomodachi]

Sorry if this is a silly question- so the water just goes back into the sump/fuge area through that large circle? Did you do it that way for any particular reason?

[Dooderino]

Sorry if this is a silly question- so the water just goes back into the sump/fuge area through that large circle? Did you do it that way for any particular reason?

No question is a stupid question. The hole in the wall isn't actually a hole at all. I just didn't paint the acrylic in that circle. I did it to allow light to access the 'fuge. The pictures actually don't show the intake because I had not made it yet. I decided paint the wall because I didn't want to see the 'fuge from the "display" part of the tank.

[BKtomodachi]

Oh wow, that makes SO much more sense!

Thanks.

[Ryan_H]

No question is a stupid question.

 

there are no stupid questions, only inquisitive idiots

 

 

 

(that was not a stupid question bk, btw, just being a smartass )

 

 

tank looks good. i JUST set up a 2.5 gallon on my desk and i'm already thinking about doing a 5.5 DIY AIO lol. (wow that was a lot of acronyms )

[SLOreefer]

nice lookin tank! I set one up and have it running exctly that way....you will want to upgrade the pump however...I currently have a mj600 and am not happy with the flow...ill try and update my thread soon but if you look at it you can see how mine is setup

[Dooderino]

nice lookin tank! I set one up and have it running exctly that way....you will want to upgrade the pump however...I currently have a mj600 and am not happy with the flow...ill try and update my thread soon but if you look at it you can see how mine is setup

I actually didn't want high flow. The pump is rated at 80gph I think. Not a lot but enough to swirl the food around. At least I hope. I built the return chamber around the little AC10 but I can always add another one underneath it if I need to.

[Ryan_H]

I actually didn't want high flow. The pump is rated at 80gph I think. Not a lot but enough to swirl the food around. At least I hope. I built the return chamber around the little AC10 but I can always add another one underneath it if I need to.

 

why would you not want high flow? higher water flow leads to better oxygenation, faster nitrification, less detritus build-up, and more ocean-like conditions. better oxygenation leads to better coral health and growth, and the faster water movement will carry waste away from the coral as well. unless you are just keeping a bunch of ricordea or mushrooms, or seahorses, there is really no great reason to keep your water flow low.

[Dooderino]

why would you not want high flow? higher water flow leads to better oxygenation, faster nitrification, less detritus build-up, and more ocean-like conditions. better oxygenation leads to better coral health and growth, and the faster water movement will carry waste away from the coral as well. unless you are just keeping a bunch of ricordea or mushrooms, or seahorses, there is really no great reason to keep your water flow low.

True, but I reduced the flow in my BC29 from a Rio6HF and a K2, switched out the K2 for the stock pump in chamber 1 and my tank went NUTS. If cyano becomes an issue then I will add flow. Thanks for the advice though. I really do appreciate it.

[Ryan_H]

True, but I reduced the flow in my BC29 from a Rio6HF and a K2, switched out the K2 for the stock pump in chamber 1 and my tank went NUTS. If cyano becomes an issue then I will add flow. Thanks for the advice though. I really do appreciate it.

 

eh, if it works for ya, to each his own there's more than one way to skin a cat!

[jm82792]

So a typical hangover the side power filter like the hagen are okay for a nano reef ?

So an internal sump is basically a home for a large amount of cheaper more packed live rock rubble for biological filtration right ? And can serve as macro algae growing area .

You could add the sump as a false back wall instead right ?

Sorry just thinking about doing something like that and saving money by doing my own internal sump. Seems simple enough

[Dooderino]

So a typical hangover the side power filter like the hagen are okay for a nano reef ?

So an internal sump is basically a home for a large amount of cheaper more packed live rock rubble for biological filtration right ? And can serve as macro algae growing area .

You could add the sump as a false back wall instead right ?

Sorry just thinking about doing something like that and saving money by doing my own internal sump. Seems simple enough

There are a lot of opinions out there. Here is mine, in my BC29 I still have the bioballs in place. Nearly everyone on this site swears they will only do harm. I happen to think that they will work fine. Here's why. I removed about half my bioballs, and I keep the 2nd chamber about 75% full. This allows the balls to float. And float they do. With the water circulating and the balls floating around it makes it difficult for detritus to gather on the balls. I also have a really good mechanical filter that helps keep detritus away from the bioballs. Last month I removed the balls, put them in a bucket and mixed them vigorously. While they were out I also vacuumed the bottom of chamber 1, 2, and 3.

 

Now some people swear by using LR rubble instead. I'm sure it will work fine as long as you take the time to give them a rinse every couple of months. From the research I have done it seems to take a fairly large rock to complete the nitrogen cycle and rubble just won't cut it. Since the rocks in nanos/picos lack this capability people have been using macro algae to help combat the nitrates that build in the water over time. Building and using any type of refugium that houses some sort of CUC will help keep the detritus from collecting as fast.

 

The internal sump idea works very well. And yes it can be cheap if you DIY.

[Rick12341]

I actually didn't want high flow. The pump is rated at 80gph I think. Not a lot but enough to swirl the food around. At least I hope. I built the return chamber around the little AC10 but I can always add another one underneath it if I need to.

 

Yer gonna need more than 80GPH.

[jm82792]

You know what would be excellent for live rock ?

I just thought of it Cinder crushed cinder would be perfect if it was live I mean it floats(untill it gets wet enough) well the heavier stuff doesn't. That stuff would be king but nobody sells live cinder maybe if you introduced some dead stuff(get it from the garden center make sure it is light weight) then wash it then let it get seeded. I have used it for my plants and know if you get the right stuff that is light and airy maybe it would be the best thing.

I forgot to say I heavily doubt that is is reactive I think it is pretty non reactive for ph and so on.

[Dooderino]

Everything has been good for the last couple of days. I picked up some interesting pieces of LR to supplement my 'scape. I'm not totally happy with it yet. I'm not going to get my satellite until Thursday so everything looks yellow with the 6700k's. Any ways, here is a quick picture until I get my final 'scape in place and my new light.

[xxReidxx]

cool scaping that clownfish looks so small

[irishtexan]

Yeah I really like the scaping. The only problem is, is that there isnt much room to place things like SPS close to the light. But otherwise I think its great!

 

When I first saw the pic I didnt know there was any water in it until I saw the GSP and clown. lol

-texx

[Dooderino]

cool scaping that clownfish looks so small

Thanks, I'm not totally satisfied with the 'scape but I will mess with it later.

 

The clown is tiny and to think he has doubled in size. His name is Oreo.

 

Yeah I really like the scaping. The only problem is, is that there isnt much room to place things like SPS close to the light. But otherwise I think its great!

 

When I first saw the pic I didnt know there was any water in it until I saw the GSP and clown. lol

-texx

I'm going to work on the 'scape a little more for that exact purpose. And yea, everything is soo clear right now my girlfriend asked what the hole in the wall was for. LOL.

[Dooderino]

Well I re-'scaped and moved the tank to its final resting place. I might not be able to have SPS that I wanted but this little tank will be perfect for frags off my BC29. I have 5 tiny hermits, 2 blues and a 3 mexican red legged. I have 5 tiny nassarius snails. I added 2 small anemone crabs and a pom pom crab. The new light should be here tomorrow. I also did a 1g WC because I'm a big fan of good water. I tested the params and they were:

Amm-0

trite-0

trate-5

pH-8.3

sg- 1.025

 

After the lights come in and I set up the solar cycle I will transplant some of my frags from the other tank.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Front

Right

Left

Anemone Crab

The other anemone crab

The pom pom crab

[Haeun]

I SEE A CHOCOBO SCAPE.

 

Cute crabs. (:

[Dooderino]

Well I changed the sand to black. I didn't like the white sand I had. I also added a surface skimmer to the intake of my HOB filter. Pretty slick set up. Today I'm going to have a piece of glass cut for the top. I have an acrylic top right now but it sags and touches the water. I also bought some acrylic hinges and some epoxy so I can have a little door to add food and stuff. I also fragged my frogspawn last night. It was almsot the size of a nerf football so it needed a trim. I'm going to attach it to a mag-frag and stick in on the back wall. I also fragged a blue ric and a orange ric. Tonight I might slice a couple of zoas off and add them. On the top of the tonga branch I glue an acro frag that I got for free at my LFS. I will post pictures of the frags in there new home later. For now here is some pictures from last night.