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5.5g Reef Islands


Sandeep

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Sandeep,

 

what heater do you recommend for a 3gal pico. Looking for a controllable one. So far the aquatop one I have is only giving me 76deg.

 

Looking for the magical 80deg.

 

Tim

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I used to have a beautiful little 25W finnex titanium heater. They don't make it any more, but looking at their 50W heater, I see its only 5.6 inches long which is perfect for small tanks. In comparison my Eheim Jager is about 8 inches long and barely fits in my 5.5g and is significantly wider than the finnex heater.

 

See: http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Electronic-Controller-Aquarium-20-Gallon/dp/B002YJW58K

 

Whats really nice about the finnex heaters is that the temperature control for the heater is outside the tank, so it is very easy to adjust as you don't have to stick you hands in the tank. All that's in the tank is the tiny tube of the heater.

 

I eventually want to get one of these and a reef controller like the Reef Keeper Lite.

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lnglostsurfer

Sandeep,

 

what heater do you recommend for a 3gal pico. Looking for a controllable one. So far the aquatop one I have is only giving me 76deg.

 

Looking for the magical 80deg.

 

Tim

Why would you want your tank at 80 degrees instead of 76? I prefer to keep my tank a bit lower because overall metabolism is lower and you don't have to feed as much and also algae doesn't get so out of control.

 

And +1 to getting a controller, I've been wanting one for awhile but every time I have the cash for one I either spend it on corals or alcohol....

 

Tank is looking great though, I love how its coming along. Does the cantilever stand make it any less stable? I feel like with the smaller footprint it could be an issue but maybe not with the weight of it.

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Keeping your tank at 76 degrees is a bit cold and on the lowest end of the recommended range for reef tanks (76 - 83 degrees). Most hobbyists keep their tanks in the 78-80 degree range. Interestingly the greatest variety of corals in the oceans are found in the temperature range of 83 to 86. I keep my reef tanks at 79.

 

Tell me about it, always wanting to get a reef controller but end up spending the money on corals or other things.

 

The smaller footprint of the cantilever stand is not that small compared to the top to create instability. It is pretty impossible to overturn the stand even with your hands. The key is to make sure that the base is not too small like a tiny column and to completely sand it flat when all the pieces are glued so that 100% of its bottom makes contact with the table where it sits. The same goes for the top of the stand where the tank sits. Use a wood piece with zero warp, I used a finished bookshelf piece. Having all surfaces in contact both on the top and bottom ensure no stress on the aquarium glass (something to really watch out for with seamless bent glass aquariums) and no stress on the base. My design is super stead and stable.

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76 seems too cold like previous above. When I had my old 10 & 29gal tanks, the 80-81 deg range was very good and happy tanks. So since this Is my first Pico, it would seem logical to keep that warm temps.

 

Objections? I appreciate all inputs as this is a great hobby/lifestyle.

Tim

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Fantastic tank!

 

 

That micro-elegance is an interesting story. I've been propagating and fragging a Indo Elegance in my 50g tank for 7 years now, I'm currently on my 7th generation frags. Here is a shot of my 50 gallon, what looks like a giant Elegance is actually 9 frags.

 

50g_20130904_1.jpg

 

In the middle of the tank you can see three of my micro-elegance frags. They are now about 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter and are now 3-5 years old.

 

50g_20130904_6.jpg

 

For your reference, this is what these three micro-elegance frags looked like 3 years ago, in the pic two of them do not even have a mouth, while the third one (two years old at that time had eventually developed one).

 

P_2010_05_02_5.jpg

 

How on earth do you frag these elegances??

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Tank seems to be fine with the bioload of two fish. The key to sucess is the combination of only feeding the fish twice a week, target feeding them by only giving them a little at a time, waiting for them to consume it and then giving some more. That feeding schedule combined with the weekly water changes are the key to good water quality.

 

Alternatively instead of fish you can also consider shrimp. I love skunk cleaner shrimp and fire shrimp. They are intelliginet and very active. It's just that I decided to pass on them for this tank because I have found it a pain to constantly be protecting the corals from food theft when I'm spot feeding them. Even after gving the shrimp some food first before attempting to feed the corals.

do the two fishes not steal food from corals too? i have the keep my clown away when feeding corals

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Realy enjoyed reading this thread as I'll be starting my 5.4 gallon this week, just waiting for my rock order. I think the stand was a great addition~! I read that you used finished bookshelf? Is that correct? I'm interested in building one for my tank as well any tips would be greatly appreciated.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Tank is about to celebrate its 1'st year in a few days, time for an update.

Coming along nicely, not bad for one year.

 

pico_20140602_1.jpg

pico_20140602_2.jpg

pico_20140602_3.jpg

pico_20140602_4.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Great job! I am amazed with what you have accomplished in this tank.

 

I too am interested to hear 1) any tips you have to build the stand, and 2) how you frag of the elegance.

 

Keep up the the good work!

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Cameron6796

Yeah what this is a year i though it was like a couple months away but not a year wow fast. I love the stand as well more details would be great

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Yes hard to believe how time flies. At the same time the tank looks a lot older than it really is.

 

Concerning the stand for the flat piece, you want as flat and finished a piece of wood as possible with zero warp as you want it to carry the weight of the tank evently. That is why I went with a finished piece of bookshelf wood. Mine had a white laminate on it, they also come with a black laminate as well. Just visit your local Home Depot, etc. and see what they have. I cut it so that it would have only 1/2" larger dimensions than the tank on the left and right side. I position the tank on it so that it also has that same 1/2" ledge on the front. At the back of the tank don't worry if your piece has more overhang as no one is going to see the greater overhang at the back. Not worth the hassles of cutting the bookshelf with a long cut there.

 

pico8g_20140125_1.jpg

 

For the base I just used 4 pieces of regular woodworking lumber. I think about and 1" thick. The height can vary, I think mine is about three inches. Just eyeball how much of a cantelever you want to have. It does not have to be the same all the way around. I like the asthetics of my 8g reef cantilever better than this tank. On that one the overhand on the left and right sides is more pronounced than the cantilever at the front and back of the tank. On my 5.5g I went with a even amount of overhand all around, but I think less overhand front and back and more overhang on the left and right sides look better.

 

Just cut 4 pieces for your base and use a strong wood glue to glue them in place. For my rectangular base the front and back pieces are longer cut and the shorter cut pieces for the left and right sides then fit within the two longer pieces to complete the rectangle. Using the longer cut pieces for the front and the back means that you dont see the seams of the joints of the left and right side shorter pieces of the base which are hidden behind the longer pieces when looking at the tank from the front.

 

Once dry I used a flat black waterproof outdoor paint on the whole think. With that plastic laminate on the bookshelf, I had to use a few coats because it does not soak on the paint.

 

Once done and with the tank on your new stand, make sure to level it perfectly if your table where your tank sits is not perfectly level. Use a bubble level on your tank and sticking a stack of pennies or dimes wrapped in black electrical tape and the front and back left or right sides of the tank for levelling. Being wrapped in black electrical tape they can not be seen when looking at the tank.

 

The narrow base with cantelevers of this stand design look really nice and don't worry about the base being narrow, tank and base are super stable when setup on your table.

 

If any of you do build a similar cantelever stand for your nano or pico tanks, be sure to post pics of your creatiion in this thread.

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How much activated carbon do you use in the filter for this tank?

 

About the same as a native AC carbon filter pouch would hold.

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