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Hi everyone, usually I am not one to enter a contest but I do remember thinking, "what a cute idea" when I read Gena's suggestion of a pico contest.  I probably still would not have entered except that I have not really liked the utility looks of my feeder shrimp tank.  It was so bare bones next to the seahorse DT so I hid it under the cabinet.  Out of sight out of mind as they say and the last order of shrimp were sickly, which is what started Ruth's decline.  I decided a change was in order.

 

This contest fits right in with what I have been thinking...setting up a more attractive shrimp tank but still keep it simple.  I do not expect it to be amazing but it will be much nicer than they have had in the past, (hence the chalet).  After all, they should live the high life before going into the seahorse Coliseum (I mean display tank), LOL.  

 

 

20171003_141703

Oct. 3rd

2017-10-12_09-11-14Set up with 1 piece of LR and 2 pieces of dry rock with seachem stability added to kick off the cycle.  Oct. 5, 2017.

 

2017-11-23_09-22-06

November FTS (settled on final scape but not coral placement)

2017-12-31_02-20-39

December FJS (still moving some coral due to stinging)

2018-01-30_01-33-53

January FJS, (all the coral are in and placed, finally)  They just need to grow!

 

2018-02-27_06-14-01

February FJS

2018-03-21_05-06-52

March FJS

2018-04-08_09-39-39

April FJS after the end of the contest!

 

 

20180104_112218

Jan 2018 the start of the 5.5g aio build.

All painted with a new cover.

Finished and ready to get wet.

2018-03-19_05-03-48

Temporarily houses Whiplash until I found him a new home.

2018-04-08_09-10-09

April FJS, with rock and attached from jar after the creative container contest ends (page 20).

.....................................................................

 

My bowl is a 3 gallon glass cookie jar from Target, $14.99.  I will spray a matching mural on the back of the glass to hide electric cords and to match the seahorse display.

 

Flow is furnished by a rio 90 powerhead and a whisper air pump with an a open airline (which I already have).

 

Filtration will be live rock, macro algae and water changes, (LR and macro algae I already have).  I am using Instant Ocean Reef Crystal salt.

 

The light was an LED par bulb, 8 white and 4 blue diodes, and hanging fixture, ebay $19.  Well the 1st bulb burned out in just 5 months, so I ordered a coral compulsion par 38 bulb.  It is much bluer than the prior bulb.  It has 5 white diodes and 10 blue.

I do not plan to use a heater or ATO.

 

I will keep track of what I buy here in terms of livestock:

Presently the coral are:

2 acan frag and 1 blasto, $69.98

1 yellow polyp frag (dying), 1 mushroom frag(died), 1 yellow zoa frag, 1 sinularia frag, and 1 Idaho grape frag(died)..5 for $50 but $15 credit for macro algae so final price, $35.

I already had 3 gorgonian frags(removed 1 and put back into seahorse display), 1 tiny mushroom, 1 kenya tree(died), palys,a merletti that was doing poorly in the pony tank, a piece of photsynthetic purple sponge, gsp, some sort of green cap that grows in a scrolling fashion and a xenia frag.

I was given a rose coral and 2 other unknown coral by rene(of which 1 died).

I got a 1 head hammer frag, a 1 head frogspawn frag, an orange monti and an encrusting sps from a local reefer friend.

I traded lots of macro algaes from my sump for a blue green candycane, a neon green candy cane and a striped orange sps.  I added cabbage leather to the jar from my sump.

 

Macro algae:

Seeded the jar right after cycle with cheato loaded with pods.  Eventually removed cheato because it clogged rio pump intakes.

Halimedia

Red titan

Dragon's breath

 

Inverts:

A pom pom crab

and about 20+ ghost shrimp.

 

  • Like 14
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Thanks Weetie!  I am generally not real frivolous unless I just can't help myself.  In this case, I can claim that it is needed!

 

20171003_141703

 

I walked around Target and this is the best fit for my purpose.  I think it is the same container others found at Walmart.

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That seems like a popular container and I can see why!  I can't wait to see how each of these comes together!  I see you're rocking the hot sauce like Gena.  Nice choice!  If I was entering the contest, my photo would be with a bottle of soy sauce.  That's a condiment right? :lol:

 

Dawn, just announce your entry over in the contest thread and include a link to this build thread and your entry will be complete!

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I like this idea!  And I love the little seahorse plushie!  I have a whole collection of hedgehog plushies now since getting Violet the hedgehog lol.

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29 minutes ago, gena said:

Yay Dawn :happydance:

I blame, or give you the credit for being in this contest.  When I saw your post when you came home with your container and you suggested a contest, I thought it was a great idea.  I was even secretly watching to see if it would happen.  So give yourself a pat on the back!

28 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

I like this idea!  And I love the little seahorse plushie!  I have a whole collection of hedgehog plushies now since getting Violet the hedgehog lol.

You need to post the hedgehog plushies in honor of Violet!  Maybe she could even be in among them?

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I tore down my 5.5 gallon amphipod culture tank today since my fuge is now full of pods.  That frees up a little rio 90 powerhead for circulation in my pico. I have several whisper air pumps that I may use as well for surface agitation.  Taking down the pod culture also freed up live rock plus I have about a half bucket of dry rubble rock.  I have a tiny heater that I used in 2009 to raise baby clowns but I may not use it.  That will depend on the coral tolerating cooler temperatures. 

 

I already know that I will not be adding any acros or easily broken corals.  How can I chase shrimp with a net with them in the tank?  I would love to have a hammer or frogspawn again and maybe try a few acans.  And of course softies just because I like them.

 

I plan to have some macro algae for color and nutrient export, definitely not caulerpa however.

 

I am still up in the air about whether this will be bb or sandbed. If it had a sandbed that would be better biologically but also more work. Also I do not have a light fixture so that is another item that I need to acquire.  I am not planning to use an ATO or any controllers. 

 

Water changes will be my main way of maintaining water quality.  I make a brute can of water every week for the seahorses.  I may even syphon the water out of the seahorse tank and into the pico, before doing a water change on the seahorses.  I keep the water quality much better in the seahorse tank than any aquarium I have ever had so I expect that it will be fine for the pico.  

 

This tank once set up should cycle almost immediately and be ready for coral.  I have some preparations to get the pico container ready but I expect that I will be ready for coral by November.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, RIP Sebastian said:

Yay! I'm excited for this. Will the brackish pipefish be going in to this jar?

I don't actually have any of those at the moment, but if they come in with the shrimp they will be going into the pico.

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4 hours ago, vlangel said:

I blame, or give you the credit for being in this contest.  When I saw your post when you came home with your container and you suggested a contest, I thought it was a great idea.  I was even secretly watching to see if it would happen.  So give yourself a pat on the back!

You need to post the hedgehog plushies in honor of Violet!  Maybe she could even be in among them?

Hehehe...it just sounded like so much fun :D.  I'm glad you are participating!!!!

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Oh I was hoping for a certain condiment :lol: since its the shrimp chalet you need some cocktail sauce :rolleyes: sorry had to ;) 

 

Image result for cocktail sauce pics

 

 

I know Franks goes with everything but.................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, spectra said:

Oh I was hoping for a certain condiment :lol: since its the shrimp chalet you need some cocktail sauce :rolleyes: sorry had to ;) 

 

Image result for cocktail sauce pics

 

 

I know Franks goes with everything but.................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doh! You are right, what was I thinking?

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15 hours ago, vlangel said:

I blame, or give you the credit for being in this contest.  When I saw your post when you came home with your container and you suggested a contest, I thought it was a great idea.  I was even secretly watching to see if it would happen.  So give yourself a pat on the back!

You need to post the hedgehog plushies in honor of Violet!  Maybe she could even be in among them?

I thought about including Violet but didn't have time to corral Miss Pricklepants for the photo. :lol: Most of my hedgie plushies are still packed away, sadly.

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Since the shrimp chalet will sit on an end table next to the seahorse tank, I decided that it needed to be set up in a similar design with a simple mural.  That would also help hide cords that would be coming out of the pico.

 

Its hard to believe that I was intimidated to start spraying paint since I had done it on the seahorse tank, but I was.  Then I reminded myself that it was only a $15 jar and I could buy another if things went terribly wrong.

 

So here is where we are.

 

20171005_092714

 

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20171005_095003

 

I am just painting blind because I can not see the results since the jar is upside down.  That is so I could paint the bottom in case I choose to do a bb pico.  Now the paint is drying and I am keeping my fingers crossed.  Actually I would be biting my nails if they did not have paint on them, LOL!

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2 minutes ago, RIP Sebastian said:

I'm excited to see how this turns out!

Me too, and very nervous!

 

So I did not notice that my news paper slipped that was covering my kitchen table.  Oops!

 

20171005_095648

 

I tried to wipe the over spray off and got most of it. Now I will have a little reminder of this build.

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20171005_155836

 

This little acrylic glass will not only house the rio but I will put cheato in on top of the pump and red titan and dragon's breath on top of the cheato. A mini fuge of sorts.

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20171005_160137

 

I am so happy with the modular rock idea in the seahorse tank that I epoxied pieces of dry rock together.  Now these 3 pieces will form the scape around the mini fuge.

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