El Fab's Pico Reef: 2007–2010

[el fabuloso]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, guys! Last night I gave the RSM a good scrubbing and a water change. Surprisingly there wasn't that much nuisance algae (other than the giant ball of chaeto) and was mostly just coralline growing on the glass. The bad part is that I had to scrub it down by hand with a razor blade.

 

Dibs on the orange fungia-plate........

 

orange plates do not exist in central Oklahoma, only purple Petco ones that are 6 inches across.

I don't know if I'll ever part ways with my orange plate! I love the guy too much and I don't have the heart to break him. But we'll see.

 

edit: be careful cleaning all that salt creep, your ATO will lose its grip. lol

 

Finally something to look at!!!!

Hi Kim!

 

Watch WL to see how that goes.

Awesome, I'll be on the look out. Thanks for all the great tips, as always.

 

damn this is really nice. I love several things about this tank:

-who gets sixty pages per tank thread, jeeze man nice job retaining the masses

-the first pic is my favorite, I love the packed look and it absolutely shows where an aged pico goes in time with great care

-all of it is compiled in a single thread so you don't have to go skipping around to find the entire aging process, +10 to that

-most, if not 100% all of the original corals are shown at the endpoint, a real test for the system to see how you'd balance them in this amount of time. The tank does not look neglected it looks like one of a kind

really nice bro

B

Thanks brandon! That means a lot coming from you, I'm a huge fan of your pico vases.

 

I still can't believe this tank has made it this far which in itself is enough of a motivation for me to keep it going. I do like the fact that I still have 95% of the original corals I started with which kinda makes it hard for me to decide on where I should go from here. I do need to take a lot of stuff out and regroup as far as what my intentions are with this tank from here on. But at the same time I don't want to take out too much that I lose most of what's made this tank prolific.

 

Just put a large bag around all of the frag bags and close it well, then newspaper on top of that, heat pack on top of that.

Problem solved.

That's what I do. I think D is secretly trying to sabotage my operation.

[Deleted User 6]

That's what I do. I think D is secretly trying to sabotage my operation.

 

 

i try to help and i just get kicked around.

[Weetabix7]

 

i try to help and i just get kicked around.

 

Whiny Hobbits are so annoying.

[el fabuloso]

inorite?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deleted User 6]

[Jeremiahmeister]

Just a side note, the Coralife light runs kinda hot and the bulbs for it aren't the best around, but Evilc66 has a thread on this site with info on how to convert it to use cooler running and higher quality Current USA "Japanese-style" square pin bulbs.

 

The mounting legs are not very user-friendly either.

 

Hows that monti doin El Fab? If you keep me in mind if you ever frag (or accidentally frag) it, I would not be mad.

Thanks, I find the thread, Do You know If The Current bulbs are still avalible?.

 

Thanks! As for the sexy shrimps, I think I may be down to just one now. And now that I'm down to one, she doesn't come out much and I see very little of her. Maybe there is some truth to the idea of them living in groups after all.

 

 

Saludos! Le he entendido bien.

 

Es una tragedia que el Current Dual Satellite ha sido descontinuado y no sé cuáles son sus opciones en su país. Sin embargo estoy bastante seguro de que puede comprar de marinedepot.com de México. Si me comprase una luz de PC para un "pico" de hoy, yo lo más probable es comprar el Coralife Aqualight. El PAR38 por Evilc66 también es una opción decente pero tendrá que encontrar una manera de montarlo. Ojalá que esto ayude.

 

 

You have no idea. I'm afraid to take pictures of it right now.

Thank you very kindly

[gregzbobo]

Thanks, I find the thread, Do You know If The Current bulbs are still avalible?.

 

Yep, $11.19 a piece here.

[octoman]

MY GOSH! make some frags already! Looks great fabber.

[BLoCkCliMbeR]

MY GOSH! make some frags already! Looks great fabber.

quit stalling, i wanna see whats hiding in there!

 

bust out the wire cutters already

[DBTReefer]

Looks great! maybe I should neglect my tank more often...

[AkOndray]

Wow, that tank is a rock pile! I personally don't like that look and prefer tanks that are clean and simple. How are you going to fix all the dead spots in a tank that crowded?

 

 

Haha sorry but I couldn't resist quoting this. I was bored so I decided to start at page one of your thread and see how far I could get before falling asleep. It's funny how times, and opinions , change

Edited January 17, 2010 by AkOndray

[c_k_kuehne]

I think you could carefully cut through the bottom silicone and remove the walls and back from the bottom plate with all the corals intact. It would take some work and you would have to constantly squirt the corals w/ SW while doing it but I think it would be doable.

 

Then you could pickup the bottom plate, corals and all and put that in the RSM and then just neglect it some more. Soon you would have a RSM overflowing. It would be an interesting experiment to see how all that grew out given more space.

 

Of course you ruin the PicoTope tank buy hey you can always buy another and start over.

[redkneecoral]

wow, El Fab, it's hard for me to keep on on your thread since I'm not always able to get online.

 

Anyways, Dude, I'd thought Adam had a jam packed tank, you take the whole cake bro. All and all, sure does look awesome and amazing. I love showing off your tank to who ever is in the room with me.

[mmelnick]

WOW! Awesome tank man!!!

 

I've read through every few pages of your thread and it's amazing to see how far this tank has come.

 

I'm setting up my pics and was wondering what lighting you are using on that. I saw taht you started with a compact florescent, but I'm sure you've upgraded since then. Your thread is jsut too long to read in it's entirety so i thought I'd ask.

 

Also I saw that you ave a sump, what size of overflow hole did you go with and what returm pump are you using?

 

 

Thank.

[el fabuloso]

MY GOSH! make some frags already! Looks great fabber.

quit stalling, i wanna see whats hiding in there!

 

bust out the wire cutters already

I myself am curious as well. Scroll down if you can't wait.

 

Looks great! maybe I should neglect my tank more often...

I think all tanks should be neglected once in a while. It builds character IMO.

 

Haha sorry but I couldn't resist quoting this. I was bored so I decided to start at page one of your thread and see how far I could get before falling asleep. It's funny how times, and opinions , change

I was also hesitant about doing any upgrades. It's funny how much my taste and opinion have changed throughout the years.

 

I think you could carefully cut through the bottom silicone and remove the walls and back from the bottom plate with all the corals intact. It would take some work and you would have to constantly squirt the corals w/ SW while doing it but I think it would be doable.

 

Then you could pickup the bottom plate, corals and all and put that in the RSM and then just neglect it some more. Soon you would have a RSM overflowing. It would be an interesting experiment to see how all that grew out given more space.

Believe it or not, I've thought about doing that. But I decided to do it the old fashioned way. Scroll down.

 

wow, El Fab, it's hard for me to keep on on your thread since I'm not always able to get online.

 

Anyways, Dude, I'd thought Adam had a jam packed tank, you take the whole cake bro. All and all, sure does look awesome and amazing. I love showing off your tank to who ever is in the room with me.

Thanks!

 

WOW! Awesome tank man!!!

 

I've read through every few pages of your thread and it's amazing to see how far this tank has come.

 

I'm setting up my pics and was wondering what lighting you are using on that. I saw taht you started with a compact florescent, but I'm sure you've upgraded since then. Your thread is jsut too long to read in it's entirety so i thought I'd ask.

Thank you! I started with PC but ended up with a LED retrofit made by evilc66 who know makes 'em for nanocustoms.com. Definitely an awesome fixture and for people out there who don't think LED can sustain SPS corals, the proof is in my tank.

 

 

 

The Next Evolution

 

After much deliberation, I finally figured out what direction to go with my pico. I upgraded my lighting to LED with the intention of incorporating some SPS into my system which turned out to be a lot more successful than I expected. Ultimately the mixed reef system that I had—as beautiful and prolific as it has been—was nothing more than a long transition towards keeping a full SPS pico. It sounds crazy but considering how well my SPS have done in this tank it may not be too crazy of an idea.

 

The first step was replacing some parts of the AC70. Years of continuous operation has bogged down the system to near inefficiency. The flow isn't the same as it used to be and sometimes the motor doesn't even turn back on if it gets unplugged. Instead of getting a whole new system to mod, I went and got some replacement parts instead.

 

 

Brand new motor, impeller and intake tube to get the filter back up to speed. I also got a new powerhead (a Rio90 this time) for even more flow which should be great for an all-SPS tank.

 

Here are some of the loose frags that I moved over to the MAX:

 

 

My green favia which has been completely hidden in the back burner of my pico:

 

 

My plan was to move the monti colony to the MAX and keep the millepora in the pico. Much to my surprise, the two have completely fused together:

 

 

 

I guess I could've broken them apart but I thought it looked kinda neat to have them together especially because they don't get along.

 

So how did they do in the new tank? It's too early to tell but they're all acclimating better than I hoped:

 

 

Blastomussa colony:

 

 

Green favia:

 

 

Hollywood stunner chalice:

 

 

My maze brain coral (or what's left of it):

 

 

Montipora cap and sunset millepora:

 

 

MAX FTS:

 

 

I've scraped off most of the coralline that was covering the front and the sides of the glass and have still to finish scraping off the rest towards the bottom. So far so good! I'm keeping a good eye on them and hope that they make it.

 

So other than the damsel, some SPS frags, my plate coral and some softies that are attached to the live rock, my pico is now on its way to becoming softy and LPS free in order to make room for some sweet SPS frags.

 

P.S. Now I really need to make a tank thread for the MAX.

[nanoty]

Good job Fab. Can't wait to see what's next.

[Lalani]

[nanoty]

P.S. Now I really need to make a tank thread for the MAX.

Do it! But make sure in that thread the pics are fixed so I dont have to scroll over to read your whole post

[AdriftQuasar]

That monti/milli thing is pretty sweet. Reminds me of some other frakencorals I have seen recently.

[Sword]

I think all tanks should be neglected once in a while. It builds character IMO.

That's where I'm at with my pico. I neglected it for ~3 months and it's never looked better. Now to get all of that obnoxious thick green algae scrapped off of the glass

 

I can't believe how far this tank has come. Truly an inspiration. Can't wait to see its next incarnation.

[gena]

The RSM looks like your pico...only bigger and not as filled in yet

You definitely need to get a thread going for the MAX. Have you got any of your famous blue cloves in there yet????

[opy01]

Been silently keeping up with your pico. Now I get to follow along with this one . It looks great and I'm sure this tank will be just as beautiful as your last. I keep looking at my monti cap wondering when it will look like yours. I guess in about another year and a half it may lol.

[Deleted User 6]

[travisurfer]

[el fabuloso]

Do it! But make sure in that thread the pics are fixed so I dont have to scroll over to read your whole post

You got it.

 

That monti/milli thing is pretty sweet. Reminds me of some other frakencorals I have seen recently.

It really makes me curious now to see what else I can get to fuse together.

 

I can't believe how far this tank has come. Truly an inspiration. Can't wait to see its next incarnation.

Thanks!

 

Have you got any of your famous blue cloves in there yet????

Yes! And now they have even more room to spread out.

 

Been silently keeping up with your pico. Now I get to follow along with this one . It looks great and I'm sure this tank will be just as beautiful as your last. I keep looking at my monti cap wondering when it will look like yours. I guess in about another year and a half it may lol.

Thank you! And yes, give your monti some time and it should get pretty big before you know it.