Rob's 2.5G Semi-DIY AIO Dorm Pico

[rnewhou]

Hello everyone!

 

I've been a long-time lurker and occasional poster, but Weetabix's generosity inspired me to get off my lazy college @$$ and start a thread for my tank

 

I'm currently a student at Clemson University (Go Tigers!) and wanted a saltwater tank, but I couldn't afford a large or elaborate set up because of living arrangements. A big tank would be too much to move a few times a year, and anything with a sump would be a headache to take with me. Thus the 2.5 gallon "double-wide" dorm pico was born...

 

Equipment:

2.5 Gallon AGA from PetsMart

50w Tetra Heater (preset at 79 F)

Rio 90 Pump (dialed back from 80 gph)

Coralife PC lighting (9w Actinic and 9w 10,000K)

DIY stand, canopy, and in-tank sump

 

Filtration:

My in-tank sump was inspired by a downsized AIO. It only consists of two chambers, but they hold a powerhead, filter pads, carbon, and a heater. Live rock and live sand from established tanks make up bio filtration.

 

FTS:

 

Not the most impressive tank out there, eh? The orange ric is MUCH bigger now, and the mojano anemones are gone. It should look pretty nice once I fill it up tomorrow. Shouldn't take too long with the shipment Weetabix sent out today!

 

I'm heading home this weekend to see family, and I'll pick up my camera while I'm back. It's a point-and-shoot digital so don't expect anything stunning, but something's better than nothing, right?

 

Enjoy, and feel free to leave constructive criticism, comments, and questions!

 

-Robert

[Weetabix7]

MUST

SEE

PICS!!!

(of new stuff, that is! )

[rnewhou]

I must have done something to please the coral gods because this week was a big one for the tank. Everything in Weetabix's shipment arrived alive, and an unexpected paycheck right before I went home meant a shopping trip to the LFS

 

I'll start with the required FTS

 

Here's what came in Weetabix's package:

 

2 Green-Striped Mushrooms and 1 Purple Mushroom

 

Small Zoanthid Frag

 

Small Zoanthid Frag

 

Small Zoanthid Frag

 

I also got some green encrusting goronian and bright orange zoanthids, but my blue leg hermit made them both close up. She also threw in some chaeto, but who wants to see pictures of that?

 

Here is what I picked up with my paycheck spending spree. It was a good-sized paycheck, but it didn't take too long to blow it all

 

Zoanthids

 

Blue Ricordea

 

Candy Cane Heads

 

Zoanthids

 

Green Ricordea

 

Zoanthids

 

Zoanthids

 

And Tiger! (what else would a Clemson student name his false perc )

 

And don't worry about Tiger, he'll get a new home soon. I'm thinking about a 5.5 gallon upgrade over the summer, and I might have convinced my family to go all out on a 75 We'll see how that goes when I tell them how expensive these things are

 

Enjoy, and feel free to leave some comments!

 

Robert

[I Ate A Cake]

Looks great! I was going to say something about Tiger, but you will upgrade.

 

I love the rockwork and corals. Good colors.

 

What lighting are you using?

[rnewhou]

Looks great! I was going to say something about Tiger, but you will upgrade.

 

I love the rockwork and corals. Good colors.

 

What lighting are you using?

 

Thanks! Right now I've got the Coralife PC fixture in my DIY canopy with 9w Actinic and 9w 10,000K. It's nothing special, but it gets the job done for the softies I'm keeping.

 

Robert

[debbeach13]

Sweet little tank. You already pretty much filled it up. It will be stunning when every thing grows in.

Glad to see you have future plans for Tiger. Good luck with school and your tank. Keep us posted.

[Weetabix7]

Now see, I TOLD you that you could fit more in there!!!

[I Ate A Cake]

Oh, any chance for pics on your DIY stand/canopy? I would love to see it.

[Bigbajamas]

Sweet tank! Glad to hear you'll be upgrading for that clown

[rnewhou]

Oh, any chance for pics on your DIY stand/canopy? I would love to see it.

 

Sure! It's not exactly how I wanted it, but for a first time I'm satisfied. Not happy, but satisfied is enough for me at this point.

 

Stand, Tank, and Canopy

 

The stand is nothing more than a plank of pine with molding mitered to fit around the base of the tank to hold it in place. I didn't do anything fancy because I wanted it to be able to sit on top of anything when I move it between home and school.

 

 

When I made the canopy I used too wide of wood for my liking. It's pine and is 8" tall. I could have used 6" perhaps even 4", but I chose to play it safe and have too much than too little. It has an open back to allow the heat from the lights to escape, and so far I haven't had any problems with high temperatures. The lights slide in and out of the back so that I can remove the acrylic shield that covers them when I need to change out the bulbs.

 

 

I painted the entire thing black and used painter's tape to make the orange and purple stripes. I used a spray sealant on the inside of the canopy and Mod Podge for the outside. It's not my proudest piece of woodwork, but it gets the job done

 

Robert

[rnewhou]

Bad news...

 

I looked into my tank this morning and saw what looked like Zoa Pox on one of my small zoanthid frags. I did a freshwater dip and did what I could to isolate them:

 

 

Is my diagnosis of Zoa Pox correct?

 

And things only get worse. As soon as I saw the white spots I ran possible causes through my head, and the first thing I did was check the temperature. Guess what? I've got an 85 F spike I took the canopy off, removed the lid, and pointed a fan at the surface. Looks like I'll be keeping a much closer eye on top off, temperature, etc for the next few days. Stupid Clemson and their ancient dorms with terrible AC!

 

So does anyone have any suggestions? This is really worrying me because I'm scared I could lose everything really fast in such a small tank.

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Robert