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My 1/2g Dorm Reef


victor52

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Hi,

After reading on here for a while, I decided to post my new pico.

My intention is to keep it in my dorm room and just carry it home for vacations (hence its size)!

My only problem is that my dorms don't allow pets. I've read all the rules and found a couple loop holes. I have plants and they don't say anything so why would a reef be any different. :unsure:

 

This pico has been pretty much my Christmas/New-Years break project and I hope it all works well.

 

My utility list:

  • A cheapo walmart HOB filter. DIYeid into a fuge with live rock rubble (I've had it for like 12 year.. no lie)
  • Palm Filter by Azoo... only because its smaller
  • DIY ATO
  • Tetra 2-15g Heater
  • 1lb of Premium Caribbean Haitian Live Rock
  • Couple scoops of Tropic Eden Aragasnow Aragonite Live Sand

 

Lighting:

  • 3 Cree XR-E: 1 Neutral Whit and 2 Royal Blue (backorder)

 

and without further a due my tank:

1/2g of shear... um... coolness :rolleyes:

 

This is her during leak testing

dibujopzk.jpg

 

This is her today

picture113q.jpg

 

picture115k.jpg

 

Updated Stocking List:

4/13/2012

 

 

  • Corals
    ____________________________
    • 1 green finger leather
    • 5 Hairy Mushrooms
    • 2 Red Mushrooms
    • Green Star Polyps
    • Green dragon eyes
    • Green bay packer
    • Pink/grey polyps
    • Brown zoas
    • 1 Frog spawn
    • 1 Candy cane
    • Starry Night Green Star Polyps Coral
    • Green Zoas Coral
    • 1 Kenya Tree Leather Cora
    • Acan
    • Palm Tree Cloves
    • Orange Monti
    • Purple Monti
    • Green Favia
    • Jabba the Hut Zoas
    • Christmas Favia
    • Setosa Monti
    • Many many unknow zoas
     
    Inverts
    ____________________________
    • Cerith Snail
    • Brittle Star
    • Pods

 

 

FTS Updated 4/20/12:

post-62641-1334981480_thumb.jpg

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I'm starting s college reef too I'm excited to see what you do, however I am allowed to keep fish! Let's see some pictures!!

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To tell you the truth I don't really see them having a problem with it. The tank is really tiny. I had sea monkeys the whole last semester openly and they never said anything. Their tank wasn't much smaller. but we'll see... :ninja:

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That's ridiculous that they won't let you have fish!! I don't see the difference between an aquarium with plants and an aquarium with fishies!!

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yup i don't either... its not like there going to pee on the carpet. :wacko:

Thats why I don't expect problems from them as far as a couple corals :D

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great job! super clean and good circulation. how are you going to handle topoff, it will be twice daily?

 

maybe something like the hamster water bottle or similar auto doser would help make topoff convenient

just a small bottle out of the way, enough to help like a day or two so it stays small and unobtrusive.

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oh snap, I forgot to mention it.

I'm waiting for my Float switch and Relay, their in the mail as we speak.

Its going to be your basic Tom's Aqualifter ATO design. Hopefully this will get-er-done!

 

Here's a video of my aquascaping

.

I tried to keep it as light as possible becouse as you guys know not much fits in a pico if all you have is rocks

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really nice

Im suprised the valve is that sensitive to keep a .5 accurate, it can trigger within a 1/4" drop? if so I may need one of those haven't seen it done at this scale neat man!

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what i did before is just raise it out of the water enough for an small drop to trip it. other than that nothing special

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The no pet policy is usually just because people may be allergic to pet hair. For the other types of pets....they can get out of their cage and wreak havoc. Fish are usually not counted as pets. If they are counted then they are usually in their own policy that limits tank size in order to minimize the water damage if the tank breaks. I think you are totally ok with your plan :)

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sub gallons are where its at!

That what I'm talking about... whoop whoop :unsure:

lol

 

if they say something just say like "its just a cup of this new eco-friendly tea...it has sea salt in it" hahah

yum... sadly someone might acualy buy it if you advertise it just right ;)

Its so small its ridiculous...

they can't say no its too cute

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just bought a Refractome​ter with ATC on eBay... this thing is getting pricey for such a small reef :huh:

its cool, can't wait to just sit back and watch it do its thing.

My goal is to get as independently functional as possible. (ATO, light timmers...ect.)

I also just want to do maybe only 2 water changes a week like my other reef. That's the goal at least, but I won't know until I test the heck out my system for at least a month.

 

Yay my LEDs just shipped out today. CAn't wAit!!! omgomgomg ←this is my favorite smiley but i've never had a reason to use it till now!

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dont worry the refracto is one of the highest upfront cost items you'll get, but the thing is vital and can be used for any SW or brackish tank. a very useful tool that will last. unless you drop it, so dont :lol:

 

Independently functional is great. ATO and lighting timers are keys to that. I once left my 3 gal pico for a month-long break, everything did fine on its own. if you dont stock things that require actual feeding (non photosynthetic animals) then this thing can really run itself for a long while.

 

2 water changes per week is much more than some pico owners do, which is a shame. the more WC the better for a small reef as long as you do them right. brandon is the man to talk to about that lol. he posted in this thread. try to make the WCs full if you can, its going to be sub gallon and easy anyway. use an airline tube if space is tight to take the water out.

 

I will surely be following this, sub gallon reefs are interesting in practice.

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I hope water changes aren't as messy like my 10g use to be. I'm sure a turkey baster will do the trick. With 2 or 3 suctions it would completely drain my tank.

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lol turkey is good for basting stuff to get particulates into the water column, and sure it can be good for water changes too, but for times when you want to be delicate with the rock or inhabitants, the airline tube is your tool. it can allow you to get into spots that he turkey wont go :lol: and get the debris out .

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would i just start a suction with the airline tube into a cup...

 

I need recommendations as to what I should install my LEDs onto. Do all LEDs need to have a heatsink; I'm going to be running mine pretty low because all I want to stalk is a poop load of various zoos (I like'em... alot!) and my hairy mushroom... at least that's what we all say and then we all get excited when we see sps at the lfs and suddenly upgrade. :eek:

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yes they'll probably need a nice heatsink, and depending on the number of them maybe a fan. heatsink is to mount them on and dissipate heat obviously.

 

yes you just start a suction for the air tube. you can do it with the turkey lol.

 

some zoas like higher light, some low, experiment with the intensity if you got a dimmable driver to see how they all like it best.

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its only three Cree XR-E LEDs. do you really think I will need a fan. with my hood being so small im not sure I can fit one in there... maybe a laptop fan.

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just see hot hot they get. if they dont get too warm then that means you might get away with no fan. if they do then do you best with finding one.

3 crees can put out a ton of heat, you surely need the heatsink at least.

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do you know of were I can find a small enough heatsink to place exactly(pereferably) 3 of these LEDs on.

 

Edit: just found one on ebay. Hopefully it fits into my hood

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thesmallerthebetter
do you know of were I can find a small enough heatsink to place exactly(pereferably) 3 of these LEDs on.

 

Edit: just found one on ebay. Hopefully it fits into my hood

 

theres a chap out of florida on ebay that sells sexy little 3x3 black anodized heatsinks....dont recall the name tho

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