My first 3g Picotope

[pj86]

04/11/2012 FTS

 

 

 

• Equipment
   
  Tank: 3 Gallon JBJ picotope
  Light: RapidLED Par 38
  Filter: Moded Aquaclear 70 with Chemi Pure Elite and Chaeto
  Controller: Neptune Apex Lite
  Temp control: Small fan, no heater (25watt Theo during winter)
  Miscellaneous: 4 Tom aqualifter, 1 small airpump, wine chiller (auto feeder and water change & ATO)
  

 

• Inhabitants
  Fish
  Priolepis boreus (Circus Goby, Upsidedown Cave Goby)
  Eviota pellucida (Gold Neon Pygmy Goby)
   
  SPS
   
   
  LPS
   
   
  Soft Corals
  GSP (3types)
  Several Zoa's
  Utter Chaos
  Tubbs Blue Zoas
  Yellow polyps
  Toadstool leather coral
  neospongodes
   
  NPS
  Sarconephthya
  Orange Sponge
  Blue Sponge
   
  Invertebrates
  2 pom pom crabs
  Yellow sea cucumber (Have 5, two of them split)
  Flame Scallop
  Crocea Clam
  Large tunicate
   
  Macroalgae
  Nemastoma (hitchhicker)
  C. peltata
  Halymenia sp. (2 types)
   
  Clean up crew
  3 Astrea snails
   
  Interesting Hitchhikers
  Colonial tunicate
  

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02/06/2012 FTS 1

01/23/2012 FTS 1, 2

01/02/2012 FTS 1, 2, 3

11/22/2011 FTS 1

11/15/2011 FTS 1, 2

08/07/2011 FTS 1

06/19/2011 FTS 1

04/12/2011 FTS 1

04/03/2011 FTS 1

03/11/2011 FTS 1

02/24/2011 FTS 1

02/01/2011 FTS 1

01/25/2011 FTS 1, 2

01/04/2011 FTS 1, 2

12/08/2010 FTS 1, 2

12/01/2010 FTS 1

11/22/2010 FTS 1

11/15/2010 FTS 1

 

VIDEOS

08/09/2011

04/12/2011

 

So after reading several threads on the forum (specially el Fab's) I drew some guts and inspiration to try it myself. So I began yesterday by setting up the tank a picotope 3 gallons, with a moded AC 70 refugium. I found a LFS that I really liked and bought about 6 lbs of fiji live rock. I added also about 4-5 pounds of live sand. This is day 2 that the setup is running. I'm waiting for it to cycle. I hope to add some easy corals in the future and maybe a small fish, but first gotta be patient and wait for the tank to cycle. Here are some pics, the tank is at day 2.

 

Setup testing with water

 

Up and running, water still a little cloudy but will go away in a few more hours.

 

Close up

[Addinali]

Nice scape really makes the tank look bigger. What are you running in you ac70

[pj86]

Nice scape really makes the tank look bigger. What are you running in you ac70

Thanks. At the moment the ac70 only has a foam pad and some filter floss. Once the tank has cycle I will add the activated carbon, and the biomax that the filter came with. Once I have used those I will switch to chemi-pure elite. Also in the larger compartment I will add some chaeto and have it under reverse photoperiod from the tank. I hope to replicate this http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry2004830

[snookman03]

Like the rockwork looking good.

[pj86]

Thanks. Still waiting for the tank to cycle. What should I add next once the cycle is done? Cleaner crew + chaeto?

[pj86]

Got new lights!!! A 12" 2x18w dual current satellite. Makes the tank look much brighter.

 

 

 

My parameters seem to be stuck for the past 2 days with

 

ammonia 0

nitrite 1.0 ppm

nitrate 0.

Temperature 80 degrees

pH 8.0

salinity 1.027

 

Funny thing is that even though the tank is pretty much empty at the moment, I still stare at it quite often. Can't wait to put stuff in it.

 

 

Images were small, here are larger ones

 

 

[driftsaru]

the fascination of a nano reef noobie I LOVED those days, so much to learn. Welcome to NR and please feel free to ask for advice! Nice pico, i hope it turns out to be everything you ever wanted!

[el fabuloso]

Beautiful tank! I love the rock work. Do you plan on keeping that rock in the foreground? You really should, it gives the tank a sense of depth and would look really nice covered with zoas or perhaps as a nice ric garden down the line.

[jdl]

looks great welcome to the club

[pj86]

the fascination of a nano reef noobie I LOVED those days, so much to learn. Welcome to NR and please feel free to ask for advice! Nice pico, i hope it turns out to be everything you ever wanted!

Thanks, yeah it feels great to be a noob, everything seems so exciting.

 

Beautiful tank! I love the rock work. Do you plan on keeping that rock in the foreground? You really should, it gives the tank a sense of depth and would look really nice covered with zoas or perhaps as a nice ric garden down the line.

Thanks, El fabuloso. I must say that almost 98% of what I know so far is from your pico thread. So far my tank is doing amazing. I will be keeping the rocks in the foreground, it just happened that I moved them there to break some of the flow but after I saw it decided they were going to stay there.

 

looks great welcome to the club

Thanks

[pj86]

NEW EQUIPMENT!!!! So my first question, I bought a level sensor and was wondering if it is fine to just wire it directly to a extension cord or if it is necessary to buy other parts for safety reasons. Here is a pic of the parts, also the model of the floater is here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00428UPH4/ref=oss_product .

 

 

Thanks

[Mitch619]

Thanks, yeah it feels great to be a noob, everything seems so exciting.

 

 

Thanks, El fabuloso. I must say that almost 98% of what I know so far is from your pico thread. So far my tank is doing amazing. I will be keeping the rocks in the foreground, it just happened that I moved them there to break some of the flow but after I saw it decided they were going to stay there.

 

 

Thanks

 

Hey would you sell the stock light fixture? I'd like to buy it.

[pj86]

Hey would you sell the stock light fixture? I'd like to buy it.

Mitch619 I would have gladly sold you the stock fixture but I'm currently using the stock fixture as a light for the refugium. I'll post pics sometime soon.

[pj86]

10 days of cycling so far, parameter have been steady for the past 5 days. So I decided to add the cleaner crew. Here they are

"Spooky" the blue electric hermit

"The Twins" (I wasn't able to get a good pic of the other one he was busy in the back)

" The Hitchhiker" - Should I be worried about this guy?

"The triplets" - the one on the left is just a reflection of the middle one

Chaeto/refugium - I dont keep both lights on, I just turned on the refugium light to take the pic.

 

So far parameters have been all 0 after the addition of the new members. Also, algae has been minimal, just occasional growth here and there. I hope the parameters stay stable. Also I set up the ATO, there was no response if it was okay to just hooked it up directly to the extension cord. So I just tried it out. I hope it is safe...lol.

[pj86]

Got my first few corals!!!! Gonna post pics soon

[Enjoij5]

Nice pico. The aquascaping really does make the tank look bigger. The aq fuge idea is great too. I use to have one on a previous tank and I'm thinking of adding one onto a small cube set up I'm about to start. As for the wiring I am not sure about that one but I'm positive someone on here does. Keep asking around. Excited to watch this grow.

[Clavius85]

Nice looking pico! Love the rockwork.

[Tijani]

Nice and cool Pics ........Thanks for share.

[pj86]

Thanks Tijani, Clavius85 and Enjoij5. So here are the pics, my first corals!!!

 

GPS, heard they are easy and grow crazy sometimes. So im going to try to keep an open eye on this one so it doesn't take over my tank.

Kryptonite candy cane coral, I just had to get it, it looked so cool.

Zoa's, I got these and these seemed to be pretty upset that my electric blue leg hermit crab walked all over them. I had to feed the hermit some food so he would stop bothering them.

Hmm hitchhiker, I think it is a nudibranch, are these safe for the reef?

 

And of course the FTS

[Addinali]

Looking really good nice candy cane too:)

[pj86]

So it was a nudi, im so new to this hobby. So I didnt know it is suggested to dipped corals in freshwater for a minute or so to get rid of pest and that zoa eating nudi's exist. Wish they were nicer to corals, cool little critters but they had to go. I wonder if the crab was walking all over that particular piece because it was trying to eat the eggs...hmm.

[pyronus]

I use a product called Coral Revive for a dip instead of just straight up fresh water. Revive is great for getting rid of pests, I dipped a zoa colony and watched everything from flatworms to asterina starfish fall off the frag. Some people also use Coral Rx to the same effect.

 

Dipping is priority one with new corals, nothing goes in the tank, unless it gets quarantined or dipped first.

 

Nice looking pico, GL

[pj86]

Thanks Addinali and pyronus. I ended up buying some coral Rx and have been using it on my new additions. Yesterday I got 3 more additions to my tank: a Ricordea, a zoa, and blue polyps. Everything looks great, conditions have been stable.

I went to a new LFS and they had a greater selection of material and smaller frags. Also, I placed an order for some sexy shrimps. So can't wait to have those in. Also, I saw several blue velvet nudibranch roaming around their tanks and was really interested. I did my research and they seem to die easily due to food depletion (flatworms.) Maybe Ill take the challenge and try to maintain one alive by setting up another tank that is specially meant to raise flatworms for food while keeping the nudibranch in the main tank. Will see, I think it would be cool because currently people seem to use them as pest eradication and then are seen as disposable material if another suitable tank is not found.

Well those are the developments and my thoughts so far.

[pj86]

Got 3 more corals and a fish!!! Green clown goby. He is so fat and healthy. Also, luckily I have seen him eat a little bit, which is a good sign. Also my small tank is filled with amphipods and copepods which I see my goby actually eating from time to time. The copepods have multiplied which has probably contributed to no algae bloom at all so far. Parameters are really stable. I believe I will do no more purchases till I get my sexy shrimps which should be in 2 weeks (hopefully I can restrain myself, gotta let the tank rest). Once the goby is less shy I will try to take a pic.

[pj86]

Some updated pics of the tank

My zoa garden is starting to look really nice. Don't know the names.

Some polyps and a ricordea. The ricordea already decided to begin splitting

Decided to get a monti for my green clown goby. I dont think he has noticed it yet.

Xenia tree is stuck in the sand with a plug. I hope this thing doesnt get out of control like most people say it does.

Here is the best pic of my green clown goby. He is building some confidence and eats quite a bit. Hopefully he starts swimming outside so I can admire it.

And a must FTS