Roxy's 3g Picotope

[DönitzDK]

Nice Clam (: Do you have a FTS with the clam in it? (:

[Gerber77]

Great looking pico

[rockhead01]

Nice Clam (: Do you have a FTS with the clam in it? (:

 

Here is a FTS with clam =)

 

[rockhead01]

Well my microchiller came in today and works awesome. I have to admit it looks a little silly hanging over the side of my picotope, but until I finish putting together the sump it will have to do. Here is a pic of my little box of ridiculousness! =)

 

 

I am in the process of collecting everything I will need to make a small 5.5g sump to go in the cabinet beneath my pico. The 5.5g tank will be split nearly in half. Half will serve as the sump and the other half will be the reservoir for the ATO unit. The sump will have 3 chambers. One chamber will have a phosphate reactor, heater, & chiller. A small chamber will house chaeto and sand and the last chamber will be the return pump. I'll post everything up once I build it.

[Gerber77]

Thats awesome, you have done a really good job with the tank. And that clam is great.

[rockhead01]

Thats awesome, you have done a really good job with the tank. And that clam is great.

 

Thank you. I really appreciate it! The clam was so cute and tiny I could not leave the store without him.

[anjay]

I'm really liking that substrate! What is it called?

[rockhead01]

I'm really liking that substrate! What is it called?

 

It's called Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Substrate. I bought it in black, but it really looks grey.

[DönitzDK]

Very beautiful Pico (: The plate Montipora on the back.. Is it sitting on a rock which is glued to the back? (:

[rockhead01]

Very beautiful Pico (: The plate Montipora on the back.. Is it sitting on a rock which is glued to the back? (:

 

Thank you! The montipora is sitting on a aquarium safe magnetic hose clamp. I recently saw were someone glued a monti cap to a mag-float and attached to back wall. It worked well too.

[DönitzDK]

Okay nice (: I have glued a dead rock to my 5 gal tanks backwall.. I want to have a monti cap there, but i have the outlet from a ACC 70 1 " above the stone, so i think it's too much flow for a monti cap :/ else ill just put som Xenia or GSP on it (:

 

I hope that my tank one day will be as beautiful as yours i:

[JonathanS]

I like that you put alot of effort into your pico. On the otherhand there are still some things that can be improved other than adding a sump. I honestly think you would do better off with a bigger tank for your livestock choice, maybe a 10 gallon or something, there is just not enough free space in the tank for it to develop. It is just my opinion, picos have a choice of livestock and of course it may be limiting but I would stick to certain species over others and you may end up with a more diverse set up rather than hitting up the larger sized corals because while they may fill up empty space in your tank quickly, it will greatly decrease diversity. It also may lead to a crash. I personally would get a larger tank or switch up the livestock.

[anjay]

Do you have any left over substrate you'd be willing to sell? I don't know what I would do with 20 lbs of that stuff...

[rockhead01]

Do you have any left over substrate you'd be willing to sell? I don't know what I would do with 20 lbs of that stuff...

 

 

Anjay - I'm sorry, I don't...just got rid of it about 2 weeks ago.

[rockhead01]

I like that you put alot of effort into your pico. On the otherhand there are still some things that can be improved other than adding a sump. I honestly think you would do better off with a bigger tank for your livestock choice, maybe a 10 gallon or something, there is just not enough free space in the tank for it to develop. It is just my opinion, picos have a choice of livestock and of course it may be limiting but I would stick to certain species over others and you may end up with a more diverse set up rather than hitting up the larger sized corals because while they may fill up empty space in your tank quickly, it will greatly decrease diversity. It also may lead to a crash. I personally would get a larger tank or switch up the livestock.

 

I thank you for your comments. I am thinking of starting a new 7.5g. I would then move a few of the pieces to the new tank.

An approach that I have taken since starting my pico is that just because someone else tells me it can't be done, doesn’t mean it can't be done. If I see something and like it, I try it. I've lost a few pieces because of my willingness to experiment, but my gains have been great. I absolutely love my tank. I love big corals, I love the overgrown look. If things get to crowded I'll start a new tank and move a few things around. The sump/refugium is actually to add water volume but mostly to remove equipment out of the display tank.

[reef keeper]

sweet aquarium

[spanko]

I would feel remiss if I did not point out this thread to you JohnathanS....

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180570

 

You are doing great here rockhead01

[rockhead01]

I would feel remiss if I did not point out this thread to you JohnathanS....

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180570

 

You are doing great here rockhead01

 

Thanks Spanko!

 

My new addition! This my new fiddler crab. He hangs out up here most of the time.

[.Newman.]

and how does he NOT go on the floor now?

[Mr. Microscope]

Cool! Where'd you find that one?

[rockhead01]

and how does he NOT go on the floor now?

 

I figured if I gave him a place to come out and showed him where it was that he would use it. I pulled him out of the tank and put him on the rock to show him his spot. He disappears every so often, but spends most of his time out on his rock. I swear he watches tv!

[rockhead01]

Cool! Where'd you find that one?

 

I found him at That Pet Place. I live near their store and go there faithfully. They have them for sale on their website. They are called red burrowing crabs. I saw them on the website, did some research on the species, and went to the store and bought him and a rock to give him his little spot. It's neat having a little fella hang out above the surface!

[.Newman.]

now hopefully he stays in the tank.

[rockhead01]

now hopefully he stays in the tank.

 

He seems content.

[mrezn8]

I gotta admit, I am jealous of your tank.