Jump to content
Innovative Marine Aquariums

My first pico! Dymax IQ3 now 5 YEARS OLD!


andrewkw

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 714
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Does the overflow actually skim the surface?

 

I'm thinkin of buying one of these my self :)

 

Looks good though

 

 

Yeah why wouldn't it?

Some of the water is shooting back faster now with the pump, but I think it's also drawing in more faster. I have the return pump replaced with a mini jet 404 and the second powerhead is a zoomeds powerhead at 58gph I believe.

 

It's funny when I look at the FTS on my monitor it's bigger then the actual tank :)

Link to comment
Yeah why wouldn't it?

Some of the water is shooting back faster now with the pump, but I think it's also drawing in more faster. I have the return pump replaced with a mini jet 404 and the second powerhead is a zoomeds powerhead at 58gph I believe.

 

It's funny when I look at the FTS on my monitor it's bigger then the actual tank :)

 

Okay, thanks.. I've just seen that type of overflow in other small systems, that dosen't work at all :)

 

I'll better order one right away :D

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Some new FTS again not much has changed but whatever.

 

I'm going to move the red micro because you cannot see it anymore with the xenia growing.

 

IMGP7986.JPG

 

IMGP7985.JPG

Link to comment

A couple of changes. I added a rio mini sun lamp. I know they got poor reviews but I got it on ebay for $8.99. Originally I thought I bought the blue one, but apparently I bought the blue and white one. It adds the tiniest of tiny amount of blue to the tank. There is a very very very slight difference. If this was running at more then a watt or 2 I probably wouldn't use it but since it costs pennies to run I'll keep it. The spread on this thing is terrible, I'd say you need at least 5 or 6 of these to light a dymax iq3.

 

Xenia is growing like crazy, gsp is continuing to spread. My purple mushroom got huge, so huge that it touched the lobo and the lobo one. A problem with picos is no growth space. The mushroom is still alive but not looking great. If it comes back that would be great, if it doesn't I will just add another.

 

I'd like to add a couple more corals but there is very little room. The other problem is even where there is room it's very hard to gently place the corals exactly where I want them without knocking everything else.

 

Finally I added 3 sexy shrimp who have been dancing non stop since I put them in. Actually there were even dancing in the bag on the way home.

 

just the rio on

IMGP8001.JPG

 

IMGP8021.JPG

 

IMGP8023.JPG

 

Finally I picked this guy up too. While he's tiny he won't be going in the pico. I have a 90 gallon for him

 

IMGP8017.JPG

Link to comment

I took some more pics. Now that it's been it place a bit I think the Rio sun does do a bit. Still not as much as I had hoped but there is a visible difference.

 

Top downs

 

IMGP8037.JPG

IMGP8038.JPG

IMGP8039.JPG

IMGP8040.JPG

 

Also I'm going to have to remove the red micro it wasn't super healthy when I put it in, but it's gone downhill probably because its being smothered by the xenia. The bristleworm population is starting to explode and the older ones are getting big. I counted 12 during feeding time

 

IMGP8032.JPG

 

I am debating removing these clove polyps. They are doing great but there is algae growing all around them. I do not want it spreading.

 

IMGP8033.JPG

 

GSP is really growing, I am hoping it just edges around the rock and does not start to takeover the main rock I may have to push everything forward to ensure this.

 

IMGP8034.JPG

 

IMGP8036.JPG

 

The acan was originally red and green! So some changes are coming 1 maybe 2 corals are coming out. I'm looking at more stuff I can jam in. Probably mushrooms / zoos but maybe another LPS.

Link to comment

Looking nice :-) Im still trying to get some sexy's for my IQ3. My LFS has my name down for some but hasn't been able to get them yet :(

 

Hey what did you end up doing about a heater? Are you still running the Hydor 7.5W? I am going to change mine out for something a little more powerful and something with a thermostat! One day I came home to find my tank at around 30C and the zoos wilting and have even found the tank at around 23C which shows the heater hasn't really got the guts to warm it when the room is cold.

 

I am thinking of one of the Hagen Marina heaters... Possibly the 17W or 25W. It has a fixed thermostat which keeps it at 26C.

Link to comment
Hey what did you end up doing about a heater? Are you still running the Hydor 7.5W?

 

I never even took the hydor out of the box. Not being able to adjust it renders it useless imo and potentially deadly.

 

No heater at all. I don't think the tank has ever dropped below 75, maybe when the AC was blasting but these days with no heat / no ac on it seems pretty good. If it gets too cold in the winter I'll probably just buy a controller for the hydor.

Link to comment
ParanoidObseshun

Tanks really sweet! You are getting some nice growth and its filing in nicely. I know what you mean about the cloves. I had a piece I really liked too but had to remove it because the algae choked the zoos on the frag and then spread to the rocks around it and really pissed me off lol.

Link to comment

So I made a few minor changes. I spent about 15minutes with tweezers and pulled as much of the algae off the cloves as possible. This stressed them out but they are bouncing back. This should delay the algae spreading for at least a bit. I think I will eventually remove the colony but I need to find something to replace them with first.

 

I took out the micro that was being choked out and replaced it with a small acan frag. Also pushed the xenia further back so it won't do the same thing with the micro.

 

I also added a tiny piece of chalice and my favorite favia. Almost lost this piece but have a couple of small frags. Unfortunately I glued it backwords and most of it is not facing the front. Oh well it will grow in.

 

The sexy shrimp really add a lot to the tank. The clown goby is cute, but the sexy shrimp are always dancing and active!

 

Favorite Favia

IMGP8066.JPG

 

Acan frag just out of reach of xenia

IMGP8055.JPG

 

Random shot, mushrooms have really expanded.

IMGP8067.JPG

 

New Chalice

IMGP8047.JPG

 

Not sure if the sexy shrimp is eating the algae or the coral

IMGP8063.JPG

 

Updated FTS

 

IMGP8060.JPG

Link to comment

Nice tank!

 

I was thinking about getting a Dynamax as well. Where did you buy yours? I am in Alberta and noticed Big Als online has the tank and extra light for sale. Dynamax seems to have a whole line of products you can buy for the tank. Do you know anyone that sells all there stuff in Canada?

 

thanks,

 

Palmer

Link to comment
Nice tank!

 

I was thinking about getting a Dynamax as well. Where did you buy yours? I am in Alberta and noticed Big Als online has the tank and extra light for sale. Dynamax seems to have a whole line of products you can buy for the tank. Do you know anyone that sells all there stuff in Canada?

 

thanks,

 

Palmer

 

Big Al's just as you mentioned sells them. Check your local store they may have it in store that's where I bought mine and second light. IMO you need at least 2 lights for corals, 3 would probably be even better but I don't think I could fit a 3rd since I have the rio mini sun in the middle. I could probably squeeze another one of those in though hmm.

 

In unrelated news my octopus died, I hardly knew him. I tore down the tank after not seeing him for close to a week and could not locate him and 2 crabs were still kicking so he's not around anymore :( disappointed, but I also have a tank full of fiddler crabs that I have no use for!

Link to comment

that is so beautiful!!!

i just seen these on the big al's site and was HOPING id find someone with one on here

and yours has want to get one lol

but till then i got my 29gallon to work on

 

keep up the good work :D

Link to comment
too bad...

Turns out he's still alive. Wish would have known this BEFORE tearing the tank down. I searched each piece of live rock with a flashlight and never found him. It was only when I put all the rock in a barrel without water that he crawled out. So the rock is back in the tank looks like a mess but he's alive and well. Not that I have any proof.

 

Back to the pico. It seems the sexy shrimp have managed to clean off the clove polyps. I got about 90% off the algae off myself with tweezers but they seem to have done the rest.

 

IMGP8092.JPG

 

IMGP8090.JPG

 

Not sure what type of macro that is, but its slow growing and colourful. So i added that tiny piece to add a splash of colour.

 

Also a new zoa frag

IMGP8091.JPG

 

These pics are a little yellower then normal as the sun was shinning strong on the tank at the time.

Link to comment

Awesome tank Keep up the great hard work ! I own one myself now and trying to do something similar to yours ! Question: how do you glue or fix stuff on the back wall of the aquarium, i mean corals etc..?

Link to comment
Awesome tank Keep up the great hard work ! I own one myself now and trying to do something similar to yours ! Question: how do you glue or fix stuff on the back wall of the aquarium, i mean corals etc..?

 

Thanks, I'd love to see yours. Always looking for inspiration. When I started this tank I couldn't find one set up as a reef.

 

I attach them to the wall the same way I attach them to plugs. Superglue gel! dollar store is the best place to get them. I usually buy the entire rack when I go.

Link to comment
just hope you wont want to turn this into a FW planted pico lol. youll never get those rocks off the background w/o damaging it :P

 

I've never had a fresh water tank in my life other then turtles.

 

Besides I already damaged this tank in a couple of places. I drilled a hole which isn't exactly perfect so I have a 2nd powerhead in the false wall. Because the tank is so small I also damaged a tiny bit of the trim with the back end of the drill. A real DIY disaster.

 

I saw this tank at the store took it home and set it up within 20mins lol.

 

On an unrelated note I was watching my fiddler crabs (octopus food) and they spend most of their time on land but do go in the water (marine) and can live under water for several weeks with no access to land. I won't ever do this because I don't have the desire or space, but imagine say a 130 gallon thats 6 feet long. Have an Island beach in the middle with mangroves growing on the sides of the island and on one side of the tank have marine and one side fresh water. The fiddlers could go back and forth and mangroves would grow either way. It would be neat and if you used glass baffles similar to a sump for the island you'd have no chance of them combing themselves to one big brackish tank.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions


×
×
  • Create New...