IS IT BACK? Bonsai's JBJ Picotope [3g] Journal

[fiction101]

i change my water once a month, i know kill me now, but all of my corals are happy so i dunno. sad to see your's go.

 

I knew it!

[Zombo]

FWIW, I was a strict once-per-week water changing fiend. I haven't done a water change in two weeks now, and you can ask Bonsai, my palys are looking OUTRAGEOUS.

[jewbilee]

Bonsai, I might be interested in picking up your full pico setup... get in touch with me and well hammer out some details

[fiction101]

FWIW, I was a strict once-per-week water changing fiend. I haven't done a water change in two weeks now, and you can ask Bonsai, my palys are looking OUTRAGEOUS.

 

I know some people say softies like nutrient rich water so that could be the case for why our zoa's have never lasted? I do believe most of us with picotopes go a little overboard when it comes to water changes, I mean I was doing at least 1g a week if not more.

[cuboy]

I have read some threads when people do WC twice a week!

 

Thanks for the heads up, I wont be doing weekly WC, Maybe week and half or bi weekly.

[Bonsai]

NOW HEAR THIS. NOW HEAR THIS.

 

For those of you who followed the progress of this tank, and it's ultimate demise ... here is a quick updated. As it turns out, the MARINELAND Aquarium Timer that was controlling my 36W lighting was wired backward. So, instead of being in the "TIMER" setting ... it wason the "BYPASS" setting ... apparently corals do NOT like 24hrs of lighting for several months straight.

 

So - I may actually set this tank up again, now that I know what killed it ... someday

[evilc66]

Wow. All that pain and headaches from a timer. Sorry to hear that.

 

So, are we to expect a new tank next week?

[Bonsai]

Wow. All that pain and headaches from a timer. Sorry to hear that.

 

So, are we to expect a new tank next week?

 

Maybe if you send me one of those LED Retro Kits?

 

Ha!

[evilc66]

$$$

[pismo_reefer]

i think you should do it! set it back up!

[SmittyCoco]

I told you Bonsai. When you mentioned that you were using the same timer for your Bc8 as your pico I knew it. When you walked into your office and caught your bc8 in the act it was only obvious. Good luck ! Come back to the pico club with us ! You know you want 2. Come on do it.

[TheUnfocusedOne]

Despite the demise of your tank

you have completely convinced me to really try to start up my picotope again

and to get a clown goby too

 

thank you sir

you da man

[hcsceo]

Dude that sucks. I feel your pain. Get marineland to send you money for all the crap you lost. You like that BC8? I'm thinking about upgrading to

 

Steve

[Bonsai]

Dude that sucks. I feel your pain. Get marineland to send you money for all the crap you lost. You like that BC8? I'm thinking about upgrading to

 

Steve

 

BC8 is *awesome* ... however, I was using the same timer, so some of that coral is kind of bleached, but it is starting to recover

 

Marineland offered to "send me some free fish food" for my troubles. Blah.

[hcsceo]

Marineland offered to "send me some free fish food" for my troubles. Blah.

 

RU kidding me. Now they want to kill your fish with food? LOL, well my picotope is doing fine but I'd really like some more room. I might have to ask santa for a BC8.

 

Steve

[Bonsai]

Wasn't she beautiful?

 

 

I tore down the Picotope and cleaned it out about 6 months ago. It has been sitting in it's original box in my basement since then. But lately, I've been thinking about what a great little tank it was. Had I not left my 36W light on 24/7 mistakenly, it probably would have thrived.

 

For the fun of it, I posted on my local reef board asking about used 12" Lights and AC70s - just to see if I could find a cheap way to re-invent this pico. My LFS saw the post and told me they could get ahold of a brand new 12" Current USA 18W Satellite for $30.

 

Today, I bought the light. I couldn't pass it up!

 

What does this mean? Is the Picotope coming back? I miss my sexy shrimp!

 

If I'm going to do this again, I'm going to do it right. Here are some things that this Picotope absolutely must have.

 

• ATO System (probably DIY)
  
• A Lid. I could have one of my, now famous, glass picotope lids made ... but I would love to invent an acrylic lid that has a feeding door on the front. I remember having to remove the lid completely (and the light) if I wanted to feed the tank.
  
• Fuge (leaning back toward the AC70, as StevieT might make Media Baskets for it)
  
• Some sort of flood overflow protection, as it will live in my office (maybe the tank will sit inside a shallow acrylic box?)
  
• Surface skimmer (this is the difficult part, I don't think I can have this and the AC70)
  
• A Timer that doesn't keep my lights on 24/7
  

 

I'd love for people to chime in with some ideas. An overflow on the tank would be awesome for surface skimming, is there a Power Filter other than the AC70 that would work with something like that?

 

Oh god. Here I go again.

[fiction101]

Glad to see that you're also giving it another try.

 

I redid my picotope about two months ago, and everything seems to be happy. I've done a few things differently this time though, I've added more flow, switched to a new salt, I'm using filter floss under my cheato and I'm doing less water changes. Also I'm trying to avoid buying zoa's, my plan is to let my tank mature for a couple more months before I add anymore. My friend gave my a tiny frag of green zoa's to test out and so far so good.

[d'Espresso]

glad to see that you are coming back. Welcome back bonsai!

[PSYS]

*yay!*

[Sword]

I'd love for people to chime in with some ideas. An overflow on the tank would be awesome for surface skimming, is there a Power Filter other than the AC70 that would work with something like that?

 

Oh god. Here I go again.

 

Well, there are two filters that I can think of that have surface skimmers built in.

 

Bio System Power Filter and Surface Skimmer

 

and

 

Skilter Filters

 

 

I don't have experience with either of these filter, however.

[Bonsai]

Well, there are two filters that I can think of that have surface skimmers built in.

 

Bio System Power Filter and Surface Skimmer

 

and

 

Skilter Filters

 

 

I don't have experience with either of these filter, however.

 

Good research!

[Gerber77]

Im excited to see this tank back up, good luck Bonsai

[Bonsai]

Im excited to see this tank back up, good luck Bonsai

 

Thanks! I see success in the future, having learned the pros and cons of the Picotope during the first round.

 

The Drs Foster & Smith "Bio System Power Filter & Oxy Surface Skimmer" looks very interesting. A surface skimmer would be AWESOME.

[bluefrog]

you could use the AC70 and hook it up to a fluval surface skimmer, just an idea.

[inikole]

If you want some surface skimming.

 

I set-up a tank identical to your pico, but it's a 5 gallon cad without all the crap inside, just the tank put the same light and HOB filter as yours, but for surface skimming, I bought a thin plastic tub like a pvc pipe but small in diameter and thinner. I wanted it to fit just right around the filters tube. I cut slits in the pvc to to let water-flow into if from the surface *duh* and so that it slid up around the top of the filter making a snug fit. TaDa instant surface skimming.

 

 

My surface skimming tube goes form bottom of the tank to the top and sits around the original bottom skimming tube so it just sucks from the top now. I put a cap on the bottom of the pvc tube, because I didn't want to epoxy anything to the tank or the filter. It all just kinda sits in there.