MiniMalistic Pico by NanoTopia

[NanoTopia]

Here's the video:

 

Pico Skimmer in action

[TimberC]

I just came across your thread and all I can say is wow! It looks very very nice and I am so jealous of your DIY skills. Keep up the good work man.

[pschom]

This is a really great build. How are you making these acrylic things?

[Giga]

wow dude you got some skill with acrylic

[NanoTopia]

I just came across your thread and all I can say is wow! It looks very very nice and I am so jealous of your DIY skills. Keep up the good work man.

 

 

This is a really great build. How are you making these acrylic things?

 

 

wow dude you got some skill with acrylic

 

 

Working with acrylic is quite easy since it is a soft material. I use what plastic and acrylic I can find and shape it with a dremel. It's a bit messy to work with when you grind or sand it into shapes but it can be worked into just about any shape. I glue using an epoxy , I don't use IPS Weld-on 4 because some of the products are not true acrylic, some are other plastics. Thanks everyone for your kind comments on my DIY skills, I attribute then to patience, research, and thinking it through, I do not work from a plan.

[monkeytrumpets]

VERY nice setup! You have some amazing DIY skills! I'll definitely be following along.

[NanoTopia]

VERY nice setup! You have some amazing DIY skills! I'll definitely be following along.

 

Thanks soloskillz, I have some coral going in soon, I will post a pic or two.

[Enigma]

Very cool. I'm most impressed with your filtration system.

[chrssprngs]

Wow. Just watched the skimmer video. Nice job. Now you need something to skim. Bring on the waste!

[NanoTopia]

Very cool. I'm most impressed with your filtration system.

 

Thanx, I really hate algae so I put in place some ways to knock down the nutrients.

 

 

Wow. Just watched the skimmer video. Nice job. Now you need something to skim. Bring on the waste!

 

, ya I know, when I turned it on I was surprised that it was foaming up at all. I think it was removing some nutrient from the cycle, honestly it has not been pulling much lately but I know it will when the livestock goes in ( soon).

[NanoTopia]

Well I put some corals in yesterday, some are not 100% happy yet and I have not placed them in their final spots. There is a Sexy shrimp in the tank but he's hiding out currently. I was looking yesterday for a branching red digitata for the top of the rock but I could not find one, bummer. I will continue to search for the right one. I placed the orange chalice in also, it was fading in my 20G, just too bright for it. Hopefully it will do better in the Pico and colour up a bit more. So it's a start, more to come. Sorry the pics are not the best, I was in a bit of a rush.

 

 

I think this is a Tyree Bird Frag.

 

Orange Chalice that bleached a bit in my 20G

 

Spiny Astrea X 2

 

Favia, not so happy

 

Chalice, kind of blue with mixed colours, can't really see it in the photo

 

Multi colour Favia, quite cool

 

War Coral Favia

 

I have owned quite a few different corals over the years but believe it or not, this is my first Acan

 

FTS, I know everything will get moved around again and again until I am happy, lol.

[Islandoftiki]

Looking good!

[monkeytrumpets]

Very nice!

[disaster999]

skimming kinda really wet there

[NanoTopia]

Looking good!

 

 

Thanks, I really want something like a branching digitata in there, add some dimension to the tank, still looking.

 

 

Very nice!

 

Thanks again soloskillz, much appreciated.

 

 

skimming kinda really wet there

 

Ya, I had it overflow for a while and just didn't siphon out the last bit. Overall it has been working quite well, because the water level changes with evaporation the skimmer requires constant adjusting. It has pulled out some green skimmate so I am happy with the design. One thing I might change is the cup lid, the foam pushes it around and comes out through the top on occasion. I need to extend the height of the lid a little.

[mike c]

Sweet! Looks very nice! Hows the flow, with the Koralia in there?

[NanoTopia]

Sweet! Looks very nice! Hows the flow, with the Koralia in there?

I think it's perfect for what I'm keeping. Time will tell though, see how the new corals respond. I'm hoping I don't have to go with anything bigger, there is just no room.

[echopiece]

Very cool little tank! Lots of ingenuity and custom work! Love the media reactor. Maybe I missed it, but do you have an ATO setup? My pico evaps about 2 gallons a week! Keep us posted on how the corals react and acclimate.

[NanoTopia]

Very cool little tank! Lots of ingenuity and custom work! Love the media reactor. Maybe I missed it, but do you have an ATO setup? My pico evaps about 2 gallons a week! Keep us posted on how the corals react and acclimate.

 

No ATO, I think I lose considerably less water per week, maybe 1 gallon at most. I likely will not add an ATO to my pico unless I travel in the future. My water changes come directly from my 20 gallon. I know it may sound unconventional but the water in my 20 is very good, and the levels are bang on and tested. I never have to dose the pico and I know the water is good. Makes it easy to keep the tank stable.

 

The corals have all acclimated very well, everything is open and looks happy. I added an orange monty incrusting last week, so far it looks happy as well. NO3/PO4 are both at zero, and params are stable. I would like to be able to keep temp from fluctuating but I would need a controller to run the heater and fan for that.

 

Thanks for the compliments, I will post some updated pics soon as I have moved some thing around since the last FTS.

[echopiece]

No ATO, I think I lose considerably less water per week, maybe 1 gallon at most. I likely will not add an ATO to my pico unless I travel in the future. My water changes come directly from my 20 gallon. I know it may sound unconventional but the water in my 20 is very good, and the levels are bang on and tested. I never have to dose the pico and I know the water is good. Makes it easy to keep the tank stable.

 

The corals have all acclimated very well, everything is open and looks happy. I added an orange monty incrusting last week, so far it looks happy as well. NO3/PO4 are both at zero, and params are stable. I would like to be able to keep temp from fluctuating but I would need a controller to run the heater and fan for that.

 

Thanks for the compliments, I will post some updated pics soon as I have moved some thing around since the last FTS.

My RKL controller was the best buy for my tank hands down. Keeps the temp perfectly stable!

[NanoTopia]

Yes agreed, I have one on my 20 g.

[TheUnfocusedOne]

You've got a really fantastic little tank there.

[NanoTopia]

You've got a really fantastic little tank there.

 

Well thank you unfocused one, I haven't had much time to fiddle with it lately. I am still going to add more shrimps as well and a branching digi if I can find one sutable. Work in progress, stay tuned

[TheUnfocusedOne]

Well thank you unfocused one, I haven't had much time to fiddle with it lately. I am still going to add more shrimps as well and a branching digi if I can find one sutable. Work in progress, stay tuned

 

What kind of coral is your avatar?

 

Sorry, it's tough for me to look at your thread photos. My work blocks pics from that site for some reason, so I have to check it out on my phone, which is a pain.

[NanoTopia]

What kind of coral is your avatar?

 

Sorry, it's tough for me to look at your thread photos. My work blocks pics from that site for some reason, so I have to check it out on my phone, which is a pain.

 

The avatar pic is a Acropora Valida, it's in my 20g.