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3 Gallon Picotope!- Clean Slate


JoeR

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Hi y'all,

 

This is my first saltwater tank- a 3 gallon jbj picotope I got to "get my feet wet" so to speak. My parents bought it for me for my 17th birthday, and it was setup on 1/27/17 I believe. It's stocked with 3 pounds of live rock that I epoxied together to create the arc shape and 'live' sand for the substrate. I upgraded the filter to an aquaclear70, which I'll probably end up moding into a fuge. I kept the stock light for now.

 

I've definitely made some mistakes and had some issues with this tank already, but I've had more success than failure at least. My biggest issue though has been trying to keep the nitrates down, and after several water changes and a cut back on food they're finally at about 10ppm. The excess nitrates have led to a major cyano outbreak, which is giving me a really hard time. Other than nitrates, my params look perfect. I try to maintain the salinity at .0125.

 

As a side note, peppermint shrimp are very effective at getting rid of aptasia but also DESTROY CORAL!! Mine completely decimated four of my corals so I had to take them out immediately. Also wasn't aware yellow clown goby jump.. now I know.

 

The pictures are horrible, sorry. They don't do it justice honestly. The corals are a little unhappy in these photos because I had just vacuumed/ done a water change. They immediately perked up as always. 

 

TL;DR:

Livestock:

-4 hermit crabs

-1 mystery snail+5 astraea 

-1 yellowtail damsel

-1 Mystery shellfish

 

Coral:

-3 colonies of zoas 

-1 finger leather +mini frag

-1 green mushroom

-1 'cup' something or other? Rico maybe?

 

Equipment:

-stock pico light

-aquaclear70 filter

-10watt terra mini heater

 

Params:

-.0125 salinity

-10ppm nitrates

-78 degrees

-0 ammonia and nitrites

 

A couple questions to follow, bare with me...

IMG_0922.JPG

IMG_0929.JPG

 

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So now a few questions....

 

1) Can anyone identify this shellfish? It came with the zoa colony and is definitely alive. It's black and pretty boring in appearance.

 

2) What are the specks that are growing on the glass? Coralline growth? It's impossible to scrape off without scratching the glass; any tips?

 

3)As can be seen in the pictures, two of my zoas are very happy and have grown well. However, the third one is closed and hasn't opened in weeks. Any ideas why? Should I dip them?

 

4) I want to upgrade the light at some point to grow higher light corals, what are some cost-effective options? I think LEDs are best...  but most recommend the dual satellite which is no longer for sale anywhere...

 

5) Wha kind of snail is this? It appeared out of no where a week ago, I assume from the live rock, and is riding the other snail's back in the picture lol.

 

Thanks in advance for any help, I really appreciate it.

IMG_0915.JPG

IMG_0927.JPG

Also, heres a quick picture to show how large the finger leather is when expanded.

IMG_0843.JPG

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fishfreak0114

Hi and :welcome: to NR.  The specs on your glass might be pods.  Do they move around?  For led's perhaps look at rapid led. I've built a solderless DIY kit from them and it was easy and good quality.  Also, I wouldn't keep a yellowtail damsel in a 3G. Your pretty much limited to a small goby like a clown goby of similar fish wise.  Perhaps the damsel was bullying the clown goby which prompted it to jump?  But lids are definitely good :) 

 

look ok really close at the zoas that are closed with a magnifying glass.  There might be nudibranchs or zoa spiders on them.  I would have thought they'd spread to the other colonies in that time but maybe not.  

 

Nice finger leather!

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24 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

Hi and :welcome: to NR.  The specs on your glass might be pods.  Do they move around?  For led's perhaps look at rapid led. I've built a solderless DIY kit from them and it was easy and good quality.  Also, I wouldn't keep a yellowtail damsel in a 3G. Your pretty much limited to a small goby like a clown goby of similar fish wise.  Perhaps the damsel was bullying the clown goby which prompted it to jump?  But lids are definitely good :) 

 

look ok really close at the zoas that are closed with a magnifying glass.  There might be nudibranchs or zoa spiders on them.  I would have thought they'd spread to the other colonies in that time but maybe not.  

 

Nice finger leather!

Thanks for the response!

 

I've not noticed that they move around but maybe? I'll have to keep an eye on them to find out.

 

I've been modeling el Fabio's pico guide, and he says that the yellowtail damsels do really well in a pico. I would have stuck to a goby, but after learning they jump they were no longer an option. I have never had two fish in this at once, I tried the goby first and two days later he disappeared so then about a week later I purchased the damsel. He's actually smaller than the goby was.

 

I don't have the knowledge to build my own light, but if it's significantly cheaper I'll definitely have to look into it!

 

Ill look for the possible pests tomorrow morning, thanks!

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Welcome:)

 

The shellfish looks like a bivalve.

 

The specs on the glass could be pods, flatworms, coralline, calcium etc. More description is needed.

If its coralline i highly recommend the flip mag, best cleaner!

 

Zoas can be like that. It could be the mushroom next to it, could be nudibranchs, spiders, zoa pox, lighting, just them. 

 

Lighting for a 3g, I'd check out coral compulsion par38 or par30. They have full spectrum and dimmable. Great price and really good option for tiny tanks

 

Aquamaxx nemolight- another good option in a good price range

 

Kessil

Ai Prime

 

^ both great lights, powerful, more $$$

 

Fyi: thats a kenya leather

Looks like a whelk snail

 

Pistols are jerks. Tore apart 3 of my brains. Use Aiptasia x, its great.

 

I agree, a damsel in a 3g is not a good idea. The fish grows to 3" requires a 30g tank, needs more room to swim, produces too much waste(you'll be fighting nitrates/phos issues)

 

Pico's are really good for gobies, pistol/goby pair, inverts, tailspot blenny.

 

I'd remove the damsel and make a mesh lid for the tank and choose another option. 

 

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5 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Welcome:)

 

The shellfish looks like a bivalve.

 

The specs on the glass could be pods, flatworms, coralline, calcium etc. More description is needed.

If its coralline i highly recommend the flip mag, best cleaner!

 

Zoas can be like that. It could be the mushroom next to it, could be nudibranchs, spiders, zoa pox, lighting, just them. 

 

Lighting for a 3g, I'd check out coral compulsion par38 or par30. They have full spectrum and dimmable. Great price and really good option for tiny tanks

 

Aquamaxx nemolight- another good option in a good price range

 

Kessil

Ai Prime

 

^ both great lights, powerful, more $$$

 

Fyi: thats a kenya leather

Looks like a whelk snail

 

Pistols are jerks. Tore apart 3 of my brains. Use Aiptasia x, its great.

 

I agree, a damsel in a 3g is not a good idea. The fish grows to 3" requires a 30g tank, needs more room to swim, produces too much waste(you'll be fighting nitrates/phos issues)

 

Pico's are really good for gobies, pistol/goby pair, inverts, tailspot blenny.

 

I'd remove the damsel and make a mesh lid for the tank and choose another option. 

 

Thanks!

 

The zoas weren't open even when the shroom wasn't near them. I don't have a magnifying glass, but I can't see anything when I look closely. There's cyano that grows over them that I blast it off when I notice it. There's only one polyp that opens, but it's a different color (blue/green instead of pink and black) so maybe the type of zoa is just fussy?

 

I'll look into those lights, the nemolight looks really nice.

 

I will definitely get aiptasiaX next time, no more shrimp lol

 

I had a hard time trying to convince my parents that we can't keep two clownfish in this tank, despite the lfs owner telling us we could. We compromised on this for now; If he shows signs of stress or grows too large I'll exchange him.

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3 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

Everyone else has already given you great answers. 

I just want to add, this bulb, used in a normal light socket, fixture of your choice, is a good cost effective choice: https://www.amazon.com/ABI-Coral-Optimized-Spectrum-PAR38/dp/B01LWP37SD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489057508&sr=8-1&keywords=abi+tuna+blue+par38

Thanks for the recommendation; What kind of light would that give me? Medium? It seems too good to be true when you compare price with the other bulbs. If you do have one, how does it look? In the pictures it looks very 'blue'.

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35 minutes ago, JoeR said:

Thanks for the recommendation; What kind of light would that give me? Medium? It seems too good to be true when you compare price with the other bulbs. If you do have one, how does it look? In the pictures it looks very 'blue'.

 

Actually, over a 3g picotope it would be more than adequate to grow any type of coral, even SPS. 

It's definitely stronger than the light you already have, although in my personal opinion your current light is fine for Soft Corals. 

I actually do have one. 

You should know that pics taken under LEDs are notorious for looking more blue than in real life, unless you are good at editing or photography. 

To me it looks like a color temperature of 15k. 

(10k looks really white & can wash colors out sometimes, 20k looks really blue & give colors a lot of "pop" but doesn't look natural to my eye.)

Part of the reason this is cheaper is that it is cheaper to manufacture cause it's just a bulb, not a full fixture. 

Full LED fixtures cost more to make but also come with fancy extras like dimming functions and controllers that let you do "storm settings" and all kinds of extra stuff. 

This is just a bulb that you screw into a light socket, but it's more than enough for what you need and you would actually need to have it higher over your tank to let your corals get used to it since it's much stronger. 

 

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1 hour ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Actually, over a 3g picotope it would be more than adequate to grow any type of coral, even SPS. 

It's definitely stronger than the light you already have, although in my personal opinion your current light is fine for Soft Corals. 

I actually do have one. 

You should know that pics taken under LEDs are notorious for looking more blue than in real life, unless you are good at editing or photography. 

To me it looks like a color temperature of 15k. 

(10k looks really white & can wash colors out sometimes, 20k looks really blue & give colors a lot of "pop" but doesn't look natural to my eye.)

Part of the reason this is cheaper is that it is cheaper to manufacture cause it's just a bulb, not a full fixture. 

Full LED fixtures cost more to make but also come with fancy extras like dimming functions and controllers that let you do "storm settings" and all kinds of extra stuff. 

This is just a bulb that you screw into a light socket, but it's more than enough for what you need and you would actually need to have it higher over your tank to let your corals get used to it since it's much stronger. 

 

How about clams? Is it bright enough for a small blue crocea or something similar? Can this be used with a timer?

 

I actually don't mind the current light, but Its a little too 'white' and doesn't quite bring the colors out like I'd like it too. But I also agree with you, some lights look too unnatural. Im looking to eventually grow coral other than softies, so maybe when I get my paycheck I'll probably get this bulb and a gooseneck. 

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2 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

I think it's bright enough for anything, honestly, in a tank that size. 

 

Here's another bulb from the same company that is just slightly less blue: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CXTZN2Q?psc=1

You said you have one of these bulbs, do you have a thread with pictures of it? I'd like to get an idea of what it looks like color wise. Also, would I get the 12 watt or 24 watt bulb? Thanks for the help btw!

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50 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

See here for a really good example of a reef pico under that bulb: 

 

 

Get the 12w

Thanks for the link- How did I miss that thread? That is so amazing that there's so much life in a bowl! I think the color is really nice, and for $24 you can't beat it. 

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Nice little tank!  Your zoa colonies are gorgeous, and that leather is huge!  Zoas can be temperamental, but you could try a dip to see if that will help the cranky ones.  I use Lugol's (side note: strongly recommend you do a preventative dip on everything that goes into the tank.  I am using Lugol's presently but others are using Bayer and I will be getting some next time I make a trip to Lowe's/Home Depot).  There's lots of info out there on dipping coral. :)

 

The light Weetie recommended is a very good, budget-friendly option.  It will allow you to grow pretty much whatever you want in that size tank.  12w will be plenty.

 

Peppermint shrimp are definitely little jerks, and hermit crabs are too in my opinion (though they usually don't harrass coral).  I had peps once and caught them ripping the skirts out of my zoas! :furious: Mean little boogers lol.

 

Seems like you're off to a good start! :welcome: to NR!

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That light will be plenty.

The par bulbs are cheaper because its not a fixture. That doesn't mean it won't work. It just means you can't control the colours/percentages, create a sunrise/sunset. 

 

I used a par38 over a 15g with no issue. It was easy, screw in, plug into light timer.

As mentioned, leds often look really blue in photos unless you use filters.

 

At 15k it will give you a nice pop in coral colour. More blue is better than white.

 

As for a clam, they grow very big, too big for a 3g.

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12 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Nice little tank!  Your zoa colonies are gorgeous, and that leather is huge!  Zoas can be temperamental, but you could try a dip to see if that will help the cranky ones.  I use Lugol's (side note: strongly recommend you do a preventative dip on everything that goes into the tank.  I am using Lugol's presently but others are using Bayer and I will be getting some next time I make a trip to Lowe's/Home Depot).  There's lots of info out there on dipping coral. :)

 

The light Weetie recommended is a very good, budget-friendly option.  It will allow you to grow pretty much whatever you want in that size tank.  12w will be plenty.

 

Peppermint shrimp are definitely little jerks, and hermit crabs are too in my opinion (though they usually don't harrass coral).  I had peps once and caught them ripping the skirts out of my zoas! :furious: Mean little boogers lol.

 

Seems like you're off to a good start! :welcome: to NR!

Thank you!

The leather is actually too big now, I'll have to sell it back to the lfs soon. As far as dipping, I was looking at the ones you can make with household ingredients- peroxide I think. And now that you mention it, I should have dipped everything before I put it in. Not sure why I didn't. I've not read about the Bauer before, I may already have it as I use it on my bonsai.

 

I agree, I watched them literally rip them up with their tiny pinchers. Let's just say they are my least favorite shrimp now...

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6 hours ago, Clown79 said:

That light will be plenty.

The par bulbs are cheaper because its not a fixture. That doesn't mean it won't work. It just means you can't control the colours/percentages, create a sunrise/sunset. 

 

I used a par38 over a 15g with no issue. It was easy, screw in, plug into light timer.

As mentioned, leds often look really blue in photos unless you use filters.

 

At 15k it will give you a nice pop in coral colour. More blue is better than white.

 

As for a clam, they grow very big, too big for a 3g.

I don't think I would even use a sunrise/sunset setting so no loss there.. I agree more blue is better than white.

 

There's not any type of clam that will work in this tank? How fast do they grow? I know that some people keep them until they grow too large and then sell them back to the store and get another small one. El Fabio had one in his pico, but then again he also had sponges and other things I couldn't keep... 

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14 hours ago, JoeR said:

Thank you!

The leather is actually too big now, I'll have to sell it back to the lfs soon. As far as dipping, I was looking at the ones you can make with household ingredients- peroxide I think. And now that you mention it, I should have dipped everything before I put it in. Not sure why I didn't. I've not read about the Bauer before, I may already have it as I use it on my bonsai.

 

I agree, I watched them literally rip them up with their tiny pinchers. Let's just say they are my least favorite shrimp now...

Be careful with peroxide, as even diluted 3% (aka regular household peroxide) can do some corals in.  I believe (I may be wrong lol) that Lugol's and Bayer are some of the safest dips for corals, and I think Bayer may be considered safer?  Someone please correct me if I am wrong!

 

Don't worry about not dipping, I didn't either when I was new. :) Just something that is a good practice to get into for the future.

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Coral rx is safe to use. Never used bayer, its not sold in cda anymore. 

 

You don't have to get rid of the leather, you csn frag it and sell/trade in the fragged pieces.

 

There are no small clams

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Peroxide can be used as a dip, although I don't see it used that way as often anymore. It's been a while since I've done it, but I THINK I used about 50% peroxide, 50% tankwater, and you would use normal household 3% peroxide when using that way. 

35% peroxide, which is a completely different thing, has been used successfully to kill pest algae on LR and frags. You would want to make sure that it doesn't come into contact with coral tissue at all. Remove affected frag from water, paint peroxide onto algae, let set out for a few mins, rinse well in separate container, then return to tank. 

Lugol's is a great all purpose mild dip. I've even used lugol's dips after making frags to help the frags heal and recover quicker. 

CoralRx and Bayer are good for killing pests. 

 

I agree that you could very easily frag the Leather and sell or trade the frags. 

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Thanks for the advice guys!

 

Sounds like I should just skip the peroxide and dip with something else. I'll read more and figure it out

 

I tried to frag a very small peice of it to keep before selling the big one but the hermits/snails kept disturbing it. I found it in the filter today after using the toothpick method... it's destroyed. 

 

When you say frag it, Do you mean cut everything off the main stem? What do you do with the main stem afterwards? Is there a way to prevent hermits from disturbing the newly cut frags? What about infection? 

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You can kinda cut as much or as little as you want off the main stem. 

I dip freshly made frags after making them in a simple dip with 1 cup tankwater and about 2 drops lugol's iodine for 3-5 mins before placing them back in the tank. I think it disinfects the new cuts and helps them heal & recover more quickly. 

To protect the frags from hermits & snails, try isolating them in a small container in your tank til they attach to the frag plug. You could something like a shot glass or anything that is a smaller size but will still allow circulation. 

I have a "Coral Recovery Condo" in my Pico tank from a little glass house that originally housed an air plant. I really need to post a pic of that today, been meaning to. 

I had a Yuma that had floated free and sailed into a Frogspawn without unfortunate results to the Yuma. I put it in there so it could recover in peace while reattaching to some rubble, and it's worked well. 

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