Fishfreak's C.C. Coffee Pot Pico: Soft reboot complete

[Felicia]

Hi!  Just a reminder to please pm me your February FTS by this Friday 3/2/18.

[fishfreak0114]

40 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Hi!  Just a reminder to please pm me your February FTS by this Friday 3/2/18.

Thanks for the reminder  

[Cintax]

On 13/02/2018 at 5:13 PM, vlangel said:

If you use a vining plant like phylodrendron or ivy, you can let it grow over and around the top.  The focus will be on all the life and no one will ever notice the scratches.

Philodendron would be an excellent choice. There are varieties of ivy which have variegated leaves which might be interesting as well.

 

I see you have added a few plants already.

 

This tank has been awesome to follow. Keep up the good work.

[fishfreak0114]

1 hour ago, Cintax said:

Philodendron would be an excellent choice. There are varieties of ivy which have variegated leaves which might be interesting as well.

 

I see you have added a few plants already.

 

This tank has been awesome to follow. Keep up the good work.

I’m going to keep an eye for those plants come spring.  And thank you!

[Cintax]

1 minute ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I’m going to keep an eye for those plants come spring.  And thank you!

Sounds good. I noticed you said that you sealed it all up with plastic bags. Keep an eye on how much water you are adding when watering since there is no drainage. Plenty of plants can get root rot if left sitting, so make sure you look into how water tolerant plants are.

 

[vlangel]

3 hours ago, Cintax said:

Sounds good. I noticed you said that you sealed it all up with plastic bags. Keep an eye on how much water you are adding when watering since there is no drainage. Plenty of plants can get root rot if left sitting, so make sure you look into how water tolerant plants are.

 

Philodrendron do not need much water at all, which is why I know about them.  I am notorious for neglecting my plants!

[fishfreak0114]

3 hours ago, Cintax said:

Sounds good. I noticed you said that you sealed it all up with plastic bags. Keep an eye on how much water you are adding when watering since there is no drainage. Plenty of plants can get root rot if left sitting, so make sure you look into how water tolerant plants are.

 

I hadn’t thought about the lack of drainage, thanks for bringing that up!  I’ve been trying to water just a little at a time and seeing how the plants respond to it. So far so good. 

24 minutes ago, vlangel said:

Philodrendron do not need much water at all, which is why I know about them.  I am notorious for neglecting my plants!

Me too!  The succulents on my windowsill are barely making it. 

[Cintax]

Most people kill plants by loving them too much; especially succulents. 

[fishfreak0114]

2 hours ago, Cintax said:

Most people kill plants by loving them too much; especially succulents. 

I think it’s going almost a month between watering that’s doing them in  

[fishfreak0114]

February's Official FPS!  I can't believe that there's only a month left of the contest!  Well, as they say, time flies when you're having fun!  This has been a great experience.  I've enjoyed reading about everyone else's picos, and watching my own develop.  I don't know if I ever would have had the guts to try such a tiny tank if it weren't for this contest!

k edited by orb1915, on Flickr

 

[fishfreak0114]

So, guess who's light bulb burnt out again!  Mine!  I never did order any spares.  Thankfully I have the compact fluorescent.

[Clown79]

I love it. It's so cute! 

 

I love the leather.

 

 

I always  wanted a coffee pot reef on my counter but my low cupboards pose a problem with lighting and I could never figure out how to do it..lol

[vlangel]

8 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

So, guess who's light bulb burnt out again!  Mine!  I never did order any spares.  Thankfully I have the compact fluorescent.

Bummer, but I am glad that you have a back up.  My par bulb just blew out yesterday as well, grrrrr!?  I have a new par bulb on order that should be here next week.

[natalia_la_loca]

That’s annoying that the bulb burned out   maybe the heat builds up too much because it’s enclosed?

[Cintax]

My experience with those PAR bulbs are that they are garbage.  I bought a few for starting seedlings and they all failed after about 2 months.

 

I just build my own arrays now.

[fishfreak0114]

8 hours ago, Clown79 said:

I love it. It's so cute! 

 

I love the leather.

 

 

I always  wanted a coffee pot reef on my counter but my low cupboards pose a problem with lighting and I could never figure out how to do it..lol

Thanks!  What if you put the light inside the machine like mine?

2 hours ago, vlangel said:

Bummer, but I am glad that you have a back up.  My par bulb just blew out yesterday as well, grrrrr!?  I have a new par bulb on order that should be here next week.

It’s seems that these cheap bulbs don’t last long!  Glad to hear you have one on the way  

[fishfreak0114]

1 hour ago, natalia_la_loca said:

That’s annoying that the bulb burned out   maybe the heat builds up too much because it’s enclosed?

I’ve wondered that too, but the bulb never feels very hot when I touch it. I kind of think it’s just because it’s a really cheap bulb.  I plan to order 4 this time, which will only cost about $25. 

1 hour ago, Cintax said:

My experience with those PAR bulbs are that they are garbage.  I bought a few for starting seedlings and they all failed after about 2 months.

 

I just build my own arrays now.

Two months seems to be how long they last for me too. Maybe after the contest I’ll try to figure some alternative lighting out!

[Cintax]

You can probably build a small custom light with some 3UP array and a simple driver. You wouldn't need much to light that tank I bet. Maybe a small computer CPU heat sink with a small fan to cool it. With only three LEDs and a fan, it could be done using a cheap 12V 1A switching power supply or a AC/DC driver made my MeanWell for example. 

[fishfreak0114]

1 hour ago, Cintax said:

You can probably build a small custom light with some 3UP array and a simple driver. You wouldn't need much to light that tank I bet. Maybe a small computer CPU heat sink with a small fan to cool it. With only three LEDs and a fan, it could be done using a cheap 12V 1A switching power supply or a AC/DC driver made my MeanWell for example. 

I’ll have to look into that. I have zero skills with electrical stuff, but I could probably find someone to help me.  Whatever the light ends up being, it need to fit inside the machine. 

 

I’ve been pretty lazy updating lately. I really want to post some pics, but I’ve been so busy!  It seems that teachers think we have no life outside of school and should do homework 24/7. 

 

Anyways, I added a couple more things. I honestly don’t know how I’m still finding room. I put in a piece of my favourite Japanese leather that was irritating blastos in my other tank, another piece of pipe organ, an itty bitty rhodactis, and a couple more polyps of red death Paly in a place where they’ll get more light and hopefully grow better.  I also think I sighted part of Fat Bastard sticking out of the rocks last night  

 

It’s crazy how much life is in such a tiny space. Not having any fish or large inverts has really made me appreciate the little guys.  There’s massive amphipods zooming around, brittle stars poking out of the rocks, and unknown blobs growing. 

[fishfreak0114]

I ordered new light bulbs, but unfortunately I could only find them shipped from China so they won't make it here by the end of the contest.  Non-blue CFL it is for the final FTS.  As long as the corals don't mind the light though, I guess it doesn't really matter.

[Felicia]

The contest is coming to a close!  March 31st will be the official end of the competition and then the voting will begin.  In order to help the community decide what tanks to vote for, each remaining contestant will need to do the following:

1. PM me three (3) final photos that you think summarize your container reef.  The composition for two of these is up to you, but one of them should be a final FTS taken sometime during the month of March.
2. PM me a written summary of your container reef build and experiences throughout the competition.  This should be no more than 250 words.
3. These items must be private messaged to me by midnight (Pacific Standard Time) on March 31st.

[seabass]

On 3/11/2018 at 9:41 PM, fishfreak0114 said:

Non-blue CFL it is for the final FTS.

At least it should make taking pictures easier.

 

I really like this little pot.  Great job, and good luck in the contest.

[fishfreak0114]

7 hours ago, seabass said:

At least it should make taking pictures easier.

 

I really like this little pot.  Great job, and good luck in the contest.

True. The bulb seems dimmer to me now, but I think it’s just because I got used to the LED. 

 

And thank you, I wish you luck too   I certainly am not expecting to win any of the categories, but I’m so happy I joined this contest because now I have a cute little pico and a lot more knowledge!  

[Lula_Mae]

Pot is looking great!  One question though, would you categorize this as regular, decaf or espresso?

[fishfreak0114]

1 hour ago, Lula_Mae said:

Pot is looking great!  One question though, would you categorize this as regular, decaf or espresso?

Thanks Lula!  I think it’s espresso