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Pod Your Reef

My Ultimate Pico (on a semi budget)


compulou

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Sup all I've finally had a chance to put up some pics of my little pico. The actual design I "borrowed" from Taikimoto (which was to use another 2.5 as a fuge, for a total volume of 5g) the rest I fitted here and there to get this:

 

Equipment:

 

* Display Tank: Custom made 2.5g 12x6x8 acrylic (a copy of the AGA as I used it's top and bottom frames) $30.00

* Fuge: AGA 2.5g Tank w/siliconed in baffels w/bubble traps also used for filter floss holder $10.00

* Coralife 18w Light (Temp as my dad is building me a canopy for my 36w dual ballasts 10,000k & Actinic lighting $80.00

* Stand (made by my dad) $0.00

* ATO: 2 Channel Reefdosing Pump (bought used) $120.00

* Return Pump: Used Nano pump $0.00

* Circulation: An elite powerhead w/sponge removed $6.00

* Cooling: 2 3" Computers fans I wired up to a transformer $0.00

* Heating: Flat non-adjustable 7.5w Hydor Heater $10.00

* Battery Backup: Repaired 600w APC UPS $30.00

 

Livestock:

 

1 Red leg Hermit

3 Tiny Blue leg Hermits

6 Miniscule Turbo's (I mean these things are tiny, bout the size of an eraser head each)

Tons of copepods I've transferred from my 65

Live Rock: From my 10 month old 65g established tank

Water: From my 65g Tank

Fuge Sand/Cheato: From my 65g

Display Sand: From my 65g Tank

 

There's not much in there yet as I plan to get most of the corals for my pico from my 65g as I've fragged my GSP's, Colt Coral and have some real nice zoas also waiting in my 65g to go in here. Sorry for the crappy pics but I'm not a photographer. Anyways here are the pics step by step as I put it together:

 

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Display Tank about to be installed

 

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Saphire Skimmer fits perfectly in fuge!!! Thanks Kyle for an excellent product and service!!!

 

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Here you can see the stand and the fuge right behind it w/some of the plumbing

 

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Now the display is in

 

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All the wiring and reefdoser goes into the top drawer

 

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Everything is going in together nicely

 

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A nice shot of the fuge with skimmer, live rock rubble, return section and cooling fans, the clear tube is the dripping from the ATO/reefdoser

 

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Wiring almost done, and you can see the doser

 

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Lastly a pic of the tank with the temp light on egg crate.

 

Salinity: 1.024

Amm: undectectable

Nitrates : undetectable

Nitrites: undetectable

Temp: 77-78 degrees

 

With both the flat heater and the cooling fans I wired up I've been able to keep the temp rock solid between 77-78 degrees. Funny thing is I swear the temp rises a half degree whenever I'm sitting at my computer desk. Any ways let me know what you all think.

 

Later,

 

Lou

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Looks great.

 

yeah... it really does look cool...

 

It just makes me mad becuase whenever I try to build something (like my 5.5 with an in tank fuge) I have great ideas, take measurements, and try to make evertyhing as perfect as possible, but it never turns out looking nice...

 

oh well... I'll just paint the glass around the fuge... lol...

 

plans for keeping anything in it?

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