karisma Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 THIS IS THE LATEST PICS OF THE REEF AS OF NOV. 5th 2011 This last pic is the best pic ive ever taken of my pico and a old fox coral i no longer have, the white fox coral really stood out with my clown goby! And believe it or not all my pics are taken using my iphone 4 -Update, the perc clownfish has been transferred out of the pico and into my nano. Hello everyone, I've been a long time lurker of this forum and have read and learned so many things from all of you! ( all pics in this thread are from my iphone until i get a dslr i hope someday soon) I have just recently started a pico as I'm shutting down my 30 gallon and wish to only keep the one small tank, I've had my 30 gallon for about a year and I know a very small bit about saltwater reef tanks but I am still very new to this and will be asking quite a bit of things in the near future! So what I have right now is a 4.4 gallon glass tank that is an all in one design it's a home made one but is quite Nice. It has a small top overflow and 2 chambers in the back, the first one has live rock rubble in the bottom and cheato ontop of it and I put some filter floss ontop of the cheat for now...bad idea? I don't know I this is proper or not yet as I know cheato needs light, opinions? The second chamber is just my hydor poco return pump and I can put a small heater in here if I need to as well, I want to do an auto top off on this tank and get led lights which I will ask your opinions of right away. I will post pics tonight of my setup. What I've done so far: 1.5 inch live sandbed from a friends sump. About 4lbs of a single super nice live rock piece! Thin glass top, a 50/50 CF 20 watt light and home made fixture, I also have a Coralife 9" mini twin bulb CF fixture but it has the fresh water bulbs and I need to order the 10k and actinic ones still so I'm using the 50/50 for now, however I want to get an led fixture and I'm having trouble deciding which one to get, I don't want a par 38 screw in bulb kind. Choices are: Aquaray 1000hd reef white with controller. Aqua illuminations nano sol (built in full dimming control) Evils new picolamp 12.3 unibody light with full dimming option. ***ENDED UP DOING A DIY LED FIXTURE*** What light do you recommend to use and why?( FYI money don't matter for my lighting) Link to comment
WRH Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 If you don't like the PAR LEDs, and since money is no matter for you, I'd say Evilc66's PicoLamp 12.3. I really wanted one of these, but opted to go for a PAR30 instead. I still want one though. I'd put your chaeto ontop of the floss. Or put the floss elsewhere. Link to comment
karisma Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 If you don't like the PAR LEDs, and since money is no matter for you, I'd say Evilc66's PicoLamp 12.3.I really wanted one of these, but opted to go for a PAR30 instead. I still want one though. I'd put your chaeto ontop of the floss. Or put the floss elsewhere. Yes the cheato should be up top, I think I'll do the ac-70 mod and put cheato in there and then I can keep the filter floss ontop of the live rock rubble in the only (usable) chamber I have. As for the led lamp from evil why do you recommend this lamp over the others? They all use Cree LEDs ? I really am torn between the three, leaning toward the one from aqua illuminations or evils pico lamp because these two do the same as the aquaray 1000 hd reef white but are slightly cheaper. Does anyone have the problem like I have with little pieces of cheato making it into the main display??? It bothers me to keep having to fish it out lol Link to comment
karisma Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 what do you guys think of the aquascape? i think i found a perfect piece of live rock for this tank! Link to comment
doppelganger Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I think it looks great! looking forward to seeing it stocked! Link to comment
karisma Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 I think it looks great! looking forward to seeing it stocked! Thank you! I have added a few zebra hermits and a blue legged hermit to help with the red slime algae until I get my chemi pure elite to help combat that, the tank is cycled already so I've also added a superman mushroom and a few heads of deep water zoos! I plan to make a nice zoa garden at the sanded and a few SPS up top once I have me 6x Cree led fixture made Link to comment
karisma Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 I got a Pom Pom crab today and also put a few zoas and a superman mushroom in. I cant wait for my Leds to arrive! Link to comment
mad28gnc Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Looks like a good start Love the rock! How's the flow behind it? That would be my main concern. Also I would ditch the LR rubble cause after time all kinds of crap is gunna get trapped in it so unless you plan to clean it often ( pita ) it ends up causing more nitrates then it removes. IMO Tank looks great how long did it take you to make? Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Looks like a good startLove the rock! How's the flow behind it? That would be my main concern. Also I would ditch the LR rubble cause after time all kinds of crap is gunna get trapped in it so unless you plan to clean it often ( pita ) it ends up causing more nitrates then it removes. IMO Tank looks great how long did it take you to make? Well there's a hydor pico 1200 return pump back there with alot! Of flow I have it turned down to like a quarter of the output otherwise it blows everything around! You are right about the rubble, I had it in there to help cycle the tank but I'll be removing it. I did a AC 70 mod this weekend but I'm confused now how to place everything. Here's how it works, main display overflows to the larger back chamber then water flows down and up under the single baffle to where the heater and return pump are. Right now as I place my Ac70 fuge mod the intake pulls water up from the return pump area and flows it down over to the larger back chamber instead of the display. I mean, I guess the return pump will send some of that water back but it seems to me like things aren't right back there. I want to dedicate the ac70 to a spot for the heater in the small first chamber and Cheato on a reverse light cycle in the main chamber which will flow over into the tanks main first chamber, I'll pull the rubble out and I'm not sure if I want to put my chemi pure elite in this tank chamber or try to put it in the fuge?? I'm confused how this will all work out right now, any input? Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Will my setup here cause any issues that anyone can think of? It's hard to really explain but basically there's two chambers on the tank and then the AC70 Pulls from the second tank chamber (which is also the return) and flows back into the first tank chamber. I want only my macro algae in the second chamber of the ac70 and the heater in the first chamber of the ac70 along with a a phosphate removing piece of sponge that I'll change weekly. I'm wondering if I do this with the chemi pure in the first chamber of the tank after the fuge then no pods will make it into the main display to become food after thriving in the fuge??? I don't know what else works here, maybe the chemi pure in the ac 70 small chamber? Link to comment
Builder Anthony Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Might want to put something under the tank so you dont ruin the nice wood. Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Might want to put something under the tank so you dont ruin the nice wood. Yeahthats my end table lol! I'll be moving the whole tank onto a stand very soon. Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Any filter guru on this site could help me here? Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Looks like a good startLove the rock! How's the flow behind it? That would be my main concern. Also I would ditch the LR rubble cause after time all kinds of crap is gunna get trapped in it so unless you plan to clean it often ( pita ) it ends up causing more nitrates then it removes. IMO Tank looks great how long did it take you to make? To answer your question about the flow behind the live rock, well I'm not sure cause I have the return pump dialed down low or else it blasts stuff all over the tank! I'm going to try and split the flow with a Y adapter and some lock line. Then I'll face one of the outputs toward the back. Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Well, I hung the ac70 fuge on the tank and put the cheato in it as well as my heater, I have the chemi pure elite in the tanks first chamber which the ac70 spills over into, I'm not sure if this is the most effective way to run my system and Im hoping some people could chime in with some suggestions. Link to comment
karisma Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 any more pic's? I'll post some tonight, hopefully that will help with the explanation of my filter setup. But all it is is a two chambered overflow built into the tank and the ac70 pulling water from and returning it back into the tanks overflow. I don't know if this is proper or not and hoping for some opinions from ANYONE?? Link to comment
karisma Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 ok, i know i delayed the pics, however i have since re scaped my tank and almost fully stocked it ive got 4 more frags of different zoos being shipped this week. so far in the tank: maxi mini anemone duncan coral dendro coral (new to these) fox coral small tri color monti sps gsp glued on the back wall lol another digi? (i cant id the brown sps) breen finger leather several zoas in the "garden" a few nice ricordias (5 total) green/blue mushrooms also, i have almost completed my cree XR-E led pico lamp, i have it on the tank now, im waiting for my single red led to come in and also i need to finish the legs for it. ( 4RB 3CW all xr-e on dimmable drivers so far) Link to comment
karisma Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 sorry guys, the pics are all from my iphone im looking into getting a new dslr camera and then ill have to learn how to use it! also, yes the tri color acro in the pic with the zoas isnt mounted but a guy is getting it tomorrow, so anyone have any thoughts of how it all came together? any changes i should make? i want to add more live rock i think, and also i really cant wait till this weeken when i get my 15 gallon aio! it has a built in ato too Link to comment
Philip271 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I like how you have everything arranged. Looks good! Nothing wrong with the iphone pics either. Link to comment
karisma Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 I like how you have everything arranged. Looks good! Nothing wrong with the iphone pics either. THANK YOU a pic of the light i made Link to comment
karisma Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 can you see my little buddy hiding? here is one with the flash.... i love this pom pom crab!! Link to comment
almost Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 new fts plz, love the scape, im building the same size tank, but with glass, info on how you made the led light enclosure? Link to comment
karisma Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 new fts plz, love the scape, im building the same size tank, but with glass, info on how you made the led light enclosure? The fts is on page one last post, I can post another if you don't see it. The light Is made from an aluminum project box with two dim able buckpucks inclosed inside as well as thermal pasted two heatsinks in there too, there is no acrylic cover made yet though, I'm re designing the light. Similar but it'll have a built in acrylic splash shield, I still have to mount it to my pico tank stand as well. I made a build thread for it if you search my posts you'll find it. Link to comment
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