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My first pico! Dymax IQ3 now 5 YEARS OLD!


andrewkw

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gulfsurfer101

That is a sick tank, I love it. I would look into getting an ato put on before trying to find a skimmer. I really don't see a need for one on a tank this size. I use a coral life brand salt as well and do not dose anything in my cube. Wc's work just fine on tanks this small. You won't be dissapointed with your par30, I use one from boostled and it gets the job done nicely.

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Here's a weird one.

 

I thought one of my sexy shrimp died a couple months ago when I was playing with a hydor heater and it got the tank up to 86+ today I looked and noticed wtf 3! So I do in fact have all 3 still. I guess the carpet has brought him out.

 

I also added a tiny pom pom crab today. I was trading in some maro at the lfs and just happened to see it. The pom poms are really small. This tank is quickly becoming over stocked lol. Since they are mostly detritus eaters I don't think it's much of a concern. I wonder if I will see him again. I have not seen the porcellian crab since I added him.

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good to hear you still have all the shrimp. tell us how the crab does.

 

this is a 3 gal tank right?

since you dont have a list in your first post, may i ask what the major livestock is in this tank?

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thesmallerthebetter

so the sexy host the mini maxi?

 

thats awsome!

 

any tips on getting one to stay put? i wanna add one to my smallest pico (the 1/4 gal) but fear it killing everything in its path (mostly acropora and montis)

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maybe if you can get it to go on a small rock then move the rock to the sand bed and not allow it to touch other rock...i think they dont like crawling over sand, but its an animal, it will do w/e the heck it pleases lmao! I feel your anguish, I want to get one so bad for my pico too but dont want it moving and destroying all of my soft corals lol.

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good to hear you still have all the shrimp. tell us how the crab does.

 

this is a 3 gal tank right?

since you dont have a list in your first post, may i ask what the major livestock is in this tank?

 

The tank is 8.66" x 6.69" x 8.66" that's just over 2 gallons. However I think the actual water volume is well under 2 gallons. When I do a water change I usually fill a 1 gallon bucket approximately 3/4 of the way up and to get enough water out of the tank I have to empty it about halfway. Up until this week I have been using a cup to get the water out but I think I'm going to have to switch to airline tube or some thicker tubing I knocked one of the Duncans off with the cup.

 

Inverts in the tank are :

3 sexy shrimp - i still don't know how i thought one was dead for months...

1 pom pom crab who is really small maybe the size of a dime

1 porcellian crab - it's one of the darker ones I wish I got the light one

 

Here are a couple of new pics

 

Despite the fact I always forget to water these guys they are doing better then my mangroves that receive almost daily watering in my frag system

 

IMGP8348.JPG

 

This ricordia seems to be doing well

 

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Here is my homemade hole to add the second powerhead

IMGP8355.JPG

 

IMGP8358.JPG

 

Pom Pom

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IMGP8363.JPG

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thesmallerthebetter
dec2010picofts.jpg

 

Spent a good half hour trying to get the perfect full tank shot. After I didn't I decided to post this.

 

absolutely incredible!!!!!

 

i love what youve done to this tank :) how many of the stock lights did you use if i may ask, and do you feel that they are providing sufficient lighting?

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thanks. I am using 3 stock lights plus a rio mini sun. The rio does absolutely nothing but adds the slightest amount of blue to the white lights.

 

I do NOT feel the stock lights are enough and will likely be changing them for a par 30 bulb. As mentioned earlier in my thread my 2 lights that are 6 months old are only approximately 50% as bright as they were when originally purchased. I've added a 3rd light recently and it almost outshines the other 2.

 

If these lights actually lasted I'd say they are fine, but if they are only going to last 6 months then they aren't worth buying even at 30$ each.

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thesmallerthebetter
thanks. I am using 3 stock lights plus a rio mini sun. The rio does absolutely nothing but adds the slightest amount of blue to the white lights.

 

I do NOT feel the stock lights are enough and will likely be changing them for a par 30 bulb. As mentioned earlier in my thread my 2 lights that are 6 months old are only approximately 50% as bright as they were when originally purchased. I've added a 3rd light recently and it almost outshines the other 2.

 

If these lights actually lasted I'd say they are fine, but if they are only going to last 6 months then they aren't worth buying even at 30$ each.

 

ah :) i see

 

i do think it is incredible as well as rare to see a pico a dense and beautiful as your have here :) you have done a marvelous job

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yep looks perfect with the lights you have now. the par bulb will change they way the corals will look. depending on what you choose, itll all look much more purple/blue (thats what people seem to go with)

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yep looks perfect with the lights you have now. the par bulb will change they way the corals will look. depending on what you choose, itll all look much more purple/blue (thats what people seem to go with)

 

 

Yes it looks perfect now, but in order to keep it perfect I will have to change the lighting fixtures twice a year.

 

I'm not sure if the par 30 bulbs will actually last 50 000 hours but imagine they last a LOT longer then these dymax robot fixtures. This tank is by far the whitest I've ever had. I would like it more blue but I'm okay with the colour. I'm not okay with constantly changing these fixtures. It also might look a little better with one bulb over the tank rather then these 3 fixtures plus the mini sun.

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sushi_defender

I presume the par38 that you are thinking of is from nanotuners.com? I was looking at that one as well. I was wondering though which model you would get. The 12k or 20k. I too have an IQ3 and was wondering which one would be appropriate when I upgrade my lighting system.

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I presume the par38 that you are thinking of is from nanotuners.com? I was looking at that one as well. I was wondering though which model you would get. The 12k or 20k. I too have an IQ3 and was wondering which one would be appropriate when I upgrade my lighting system.

 

 

I'm actually looking at par 30 which are less power then the 38's. I'd prefer a 20k look but it's a matter of personal opinion. With the tank being so white I could love with 10k too.

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I'm actually looking at par 30 which are less power then the 38's. I'd prefer a 20k look but it's a matter of personal opinion. With the tank being so white I could love with 10k too.

 

are you going to put these par30's in as a DIY project? I just bought the IQ3, and I bought an extra light, and now I am bummed it looks like I will have to upgrade the lights.

I was looking at this from BIG Al's:

JBJ Nano-Glo 4-LED Magnetic Refugium Light

 

What do you think of this setup for the IQ3? I have to admit, I am a bit ignorant to the whole LED thing, and have started to read up a bit. I can't mount anything on the ceiling since I will be running this pico at work in my cube (my pico "work" tank).

 

If you could elaborate on your light setup, that would be great.

 

Also, on the hole, thanks for the pic BTW. I upgraded the pump and was wondering if I still needed another hole for another power head. I wish they made powerhead the size of peanut. I LOVE how you don't see any plumbing in this tank. AS always, A W E S O M E tank. Its inspiring!

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are you going to put these par30's in as a DIY project? I just bought the IQ3, and I bought an extra light, and now I am bummed it looks like I will have to upgrade the lights.

I was looking at this from BIG Al's:

JBJ Nano-Glo 4-LED Magnetic Refugium Light

 

What do you think of this setup for the IQ3? I have to admit, I am a bit ignorant to the whole LED thing, and have started to read up a bit. I can't mount anything on the ceiling since I will be running this pico at work in my cube (my pico "work" tank).

 

If you could elaborate on your light setup, that would be great.

 

Also, on the hole, thanks for the pic BTW. I upgraded the pump and was wondering if I still needed another hole for another power head. I wish they made powerhead the size of peanut. I LOVE how you don't see any plumbing in this tank. AS always, A W E S O M E tank. Its inspiring!

or even this one.. Wonder if it comes with blue..

Evilc66's PicoLamp 12.1

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I was thinking of getting the par 30 because of the simplicity. No mods. It's a regular sized lightbulb socket. I'll just get a desk lamp or something that allows the bulb to be open and that's that. Simple and effective.

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dec2010picofts.jpg

 

Spent a good half hour trying to get the perfect full tank shot. After I didn't I decided to post this.

Thats incredible man. Excellent tank, you should be proud.

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thanks. I am proud of the tank.

 

Yesterday I ordered a par 30 bulb from rapid led's sale. The bulb is 3 Royal Blue and 2 Cool White CREE LEDs. What colour can I expect from this? 14k 20k? Either way it will be bluer and more realistic then the white 10k look I have now. I'll just need to find a fixture for it. I am thinking a desk lamp and then just remove the bell. I haven't seen too many fixtures that don't cover the bulb. It's too bad these bulbs require air it would look nicer covered but should still look better then the 4 led's I have overhanging the tank.

 

I'll now have some room at the back for either a couple more mangroves, maybe an ATO finally, or a micro skimmer but I don't think they make one small enough and the tank is doing fine skimmerless anyway.

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are you going to remove the other lights and just run the par30? Do you think the par 38 is overkill? Looks like a nice blub. I am on the fense about the 30 vs the 38.

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are you going to remove the other lights and just run the par30? Do you think the par 38 is overkill? Looks like a nice blub. I am on the fense about the 30 vs the 38.

 

 

Everything else is going. I may keep the rio mini sun but probably not.

 

I do think the par 38 is overkill. The tank footprint is only 8x6. I don't want to have to hang the light super high.

 

I'm doing my water changes with airline tube now. Much easier and I don't drip on my desk. I just can't fit a cup in the tank anymore with it filling up.

 

I also painstakingly cut the smallest frogspawn ever and glued it in. It actually was easier then I thought it would be to cut something so small. The baby was on a dead skeleton so I didn't have to worry about destroying a larger piece to get this microscopic one. I got glue on a zoo polyp or 2 but otherwise it went in without a hitch. I am thinking once I switch to the PAR 30 bulb my chalices at the top will have to go down to the bottom so the frogspawn will have room to grow and I'll still have room for 1 or 2 more small corals up there. Maybe with the par 30 i can try a monti or other basic sps.

 

IMGP8463.JPG

inflated it's roughly the size of a dime.

 

Also took a nice pic of one of my duncans.

 

IMGP8461.JPG

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thesmallerthebetter

no fair! i wanna baby froggy for my pico!!!!! haha

 

nice job on the frag :)

 

i someday hope to find a baby that size growing on one of those stunning blue and gold torches.....

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