Ted's First Pico

[tedh]

I am starting a new pico tank. I've had many aquariums over the past 30 years, but never anything this small. I have had no aquarium for the past five years. I have wanted one again for quite awhile but was reluctant to make the decision to invest the time and money involved. But, I recently saw a 1.5 gallon tank and was inspired. So, I am starting this pico.

 

I decided I want to keep the budget low (relative term of course as we all know) and keep it as simple as it can be. I found a Deco-3 kit for $40.00. Looked ok to me, so I got it. I know the filtration and lighting are not sufficient to keep many species, but I'm going to figure out what can live in these conditions and go with that. I'll be quite happy with a fish (maybe two), a crab or shrimp and some mushrooms. Who knows where it will go from there. I'd be happy with any suggestions any of you might have. Surely someone has tried a Deco-3 and knows what it can do.

 

I set up the tank and filled it with water three days ago. I added the sand and rock last night. That's it so far. There is no heater. My apartment stays 74 degrees all winter and the water is 77 degrees. I'm keeping a close eye on that and will do something if needed. I'll ditch the carbon filter that came with the tank quite soon. I'm hoping that the sand, rock and 1 gallon water changes every few days will keep things working nicely. After adding rock and sand, the tank probably has two gallons of water left.

 

I plan to go to a frag swap this weekend. I may just look around and wait to buy something later. I know I want to get something in here soon though. Perhaps a Goby of some sort will be first.

 

I've attached two photos taken with my phone. One is with a flash, the other without. I want to use this thread as a way to keep track of what I'm doing.

[.Newman.]

keep this real simple and cheap with some zoas and mushrooms. both can be supported by that light.

what 1.5gal inspired you? I would like to see it

El Fab's 3 gal pico inspired mine haha.

 

Also dont do any fish and especially two if you want to keep this low budget. there are many upgrades that will be in your best interest if you wanted to keep a high bioload in such a tank. For this low cost setup you have now, just get a light CUC and maybe one interesting crab or shrimp.

Sand looks a bit deep, you will want to keep the layer down to under 2"

everything else looks good though.

 

experiment with stuff. macros and mushrooms look good together! maybe some macros and a St. Thomas mushroom - that would give a unique look to your tank.

[tedh]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions - very helpful.

 

The tank that inspired me was actually a 1.5 gallon tank at an automotive place. It was on the customer service counter and I checked it out while waiting for an oil change. That tank had a clown fish and anemone, two pieces of rock and a shrimp. They said that in two years all they had done was add fresh water to top it off. I had just never considered going that small before.

 

Once I do start upgrading a bit, lighting will likely be the first thing I do. I considered trying to find an additional light like the one over it now and just doubling up.

 

The sand bed may look thicker than it really is, but, I'll measure it better and maybe siphon a bit out. Thanks again for the suggestion.

[Zer0]

That tank had a clown fish and anemone, two pieces of rock and a shrimp. They said that in two years all they had done was add fresh water to top it off.

 

[tedh]

what 1.5gal inspired you? I would like to see it

El Fab's 3 gal pico inspired mine haha.

 

Here is the tank that inspired me. As I said earlier, the people who own it say they have done nothing but top off the water for two years.

[MiketheBarb3r]

Nice can't wait to see it, just started in the reefer addiction w an bio8 but I already want to set up another tank maybe on.my counter @ the barber shop I work at lol

[castiel]

That clownfish sure does look big in that little tank! Poor guy.

[Zer0]

That clownfish sure does look big in that little tank! Poor guy.

 

Yeah, and those are Xenia, not anemones. The water quality must be pretty pristine in there if all they've done for 2 years is top-offs....

[MGDMIRAGE]

Yeah you don't really need water changes. The difference is between surviving and thriving though.

 

Nice Deco

[.Newman.]

thats anthelia they have in there and a decent female clown. she looks just like my female clown in my 10 gal.

I see the shrimp in there too, what kind is it?

 

interesting tank as an inspiration, certainly low maintenance. I do not suggest replicating this though lol. the health of everything you house in your pico will be better than the animals in that tank

[tedh]

My first additions today!

 

Some cheato, a mushroom and a kenya tree.

[Squared]

nice little pico. why not get an AC70 for the cheato?

 

kenyas are awsome

[tedh]

interesting tank as an inspiration, certainly low maintenance. I do not suggest replicating this though lol. the health of everything you house in your pico will be better than the animals in that tank

 

I was inspired by the size of the tank - 1.5 gallons. I had been wanting a new tank for a few years but never considered something so small. Seemed to be the perfect way for me to jump back in the water. I do plan to do more maintenance than they have.

 

nice little pico. why not get an AC70 for the cheato?

 

kenyas are awsome

 

As the cheato grows, I plan to trim it and put it into the filter that I have. I'll be getting rid of the carbon filter that came with the tank kit.

[tedh]

An update...

 

A few days after my last post, I went to a frag swap. I got several nice frags - frog spawn, a gorgonian, and two other corals (I've forgotten the names). Everything went into the tank and looked healthy and happy. Then, disaster. I decided to do a one gallon water change.

 

I had several three gallon containers of RO water (it's all I drink too). Somehow they got moved around and I accidentally grabbed the wrong container. I ended up doing a water change with fresh water. I did not realize my mistake until the next morning. So, everything spent about 11 hours at sg 1.014. It was not good. There was clearly already quite a bit of damage done. I did another 1 gallon water change (with salt water this time). The sg was about 1.20. I waited a few hours then did a 1.5 gallon water change. The sg was 1.23. I then did 100% water changes each day for the next three days, siphoning off anything that did not look healthy. I added one cerith, three astrea and three nassarius snails to help clean up the algae bloom that resulted. The tank seemed to stabilize after the third day. I lost a mushroom, a kenya tree, the gorgonian and parts of the corals.

 

I've been doing one gallon per day water changes every day since. The CUC have done their job well and things look much better. I have also added a few items - green star polyps, a few zoas, a new kenya tree and a mushroom - and all seems to be going well.

 

I surely regret such a stupid mistake. But, I really doubt I'll ever do it again. I'm happy, at least, that I did not do it a few months down the road.

 

I've attached a few photos.

[tedh]

Forgot this image - the other coral I got at the frag swap.

[Builder Anthony]

Ya freshwater really messes with mushrooms real quick.I mean like 45 seconds quick.I dip my myshrooms for about 15 seconds and they hate it even in that small amount of time.All i could suggest is maybe adding a sticker to your saltwater conainer so you know which one is which.

[BLoCkCliMbeR]

i had a deco. i like the light, its good for softies.....its sad the tank is kind of cheap. its a nice looking set up when new, but scratches very easy. with some minor mods, you can swap to a 2.5g glass tank if it becomes unsightly. if you can snatch a 3g jbj tank cheap even better.....just measure from the light to the bottom of the tank and use that as a good guesstemiate for choosing a replacement tank.

 

the best part of that set up is the light.

 

as far as your mishap.....i have one word for you SHARPIE

[MGDMIRAGE]

I would stop doing huge water changes each day. You risk too much change too quickly. Sometimes freshly mixed saltwater will contain a bit of ammonia too from the salt mix itself. If you were to do small daily water changes i wouldn't change more than 1/4 gallon a day on that tank. Its best to let the tank water age a bit and gain some bacteria beneficial for the nitrogen cycle. Huge daily water changes you risk variations in temperature, PH and other parameters. You want to strive for stability as much as possible. Change things slowly and in small quantities. Some may disagree but I've tried both methods and I've actually lost way more livestock doing huge all at once water changes vs small partial water changes.

[tedh]

I can certainly see myself finding a nice glass tank. The scratches have already begun.

 

Sharpie - Check! It's well labeled now.

 

 

i had a deco. i like the light, its good for softies.....its sad the tank is kind of cheap. its a nice looking set up when new, but scratches very easy. with some minor mods, you can swap to a 2.5g glass tank if it becomes unsightly. if you can snatch a 3g jbj tank cheap even better.....just measure from the light to the bottom of the tank and use that as a good guesstemiate for choosing a replacement tank.

 

the best part of that set up is the light.

 

as far as your mishap.....i have one word for you SHARPIE

 

 

My plan is to start doing the one gallon change every 2-3 days at this point. This was my plan from the start - until my mishap. I feel it is quite stable now.

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

 

I would stop doing huge water changes each day. You risk too much change too quickly. Sometimes freshly mixed saltwater will contain a bit of ammonia too from the salt mix itself. If you were to do small daily water changes i wouldn't change more than 1/4 gallon a day on that tank. Its best to let the tank water age a bit and gain some bacteria beneficial for the nitrogen cycle. Huge daily water changes you risk variations in temperature, PH and other parameters. You want to strive for stability as much as possible. Change things slowly and in small quantities. Some may disagree but I've tried both methods and I've actually lost way more livestock doing huge all at once water changes vs small partial water changes.

[tedh]

Just adding a new photo with a much better camera.

[tedh]

Over the past five days or so, these tiny "bugs" have appeared. They are multiplying like crazy. They crawl around on the front of the tank and the flow from the filter blows them through the water. The xenia and many of the polyps seem to be catching them. It's like they have a constant flow of live food; the tank is feeding itself.

 

Anyone know what these "bugs" are? Copepods?

[tedh]

Another mystery creature. I noticed the little blue spot in the middle of all the other colors and thought, "Cool, some blue coralline." Then, while looking at photos, I noticed the blue has been moving. It's almost impossible to see it well with the naked eye, but the photo helps."

 

Any idea what this is?

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

You are off to a nice start, I saw this tank at my wholesaler and thought about picking one up... They are very affordable, I will agree with you.... That mystery critter looks like a starfish of some sort, I'm counting several legs...

[GrumpySkunkApe]

Very cool looking little tank. I am doing my first 12 gallon tank and I don't have nearly the amount of beautiful corals yet, but I hope to eventually. This motivates me to make my tank look super cool too, and of course be healthy.

[tedh]

That mystery critter looks like a starfish of some sort, I'm counting several legs...

 

Found it... Asterina star. Seems to be some difference of opinion about whether this is a good thing or not.

 

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinafaqs.htm