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cincyJames' Gumball Pico


cincyJames

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It has been a few weeks since my last update. Nothing too exciting going on in the Gumball Pico, but I do have a couple updates/new additions. Yesterday, I decided to chop off some of my pulsing xenia. What started off as about a nickel sized piece at the LFS.... Grew into a dollar size coral! Although I am glad it grew so we'll, it took up about 75% of the light in my tank, so I cut it back pretty aggressively. The first two photos were from Saturday night and the third photo was after I cut it back on Sunday. The chunks I cut off were shipped across the street to my father-in-law's 29 gallon. 

 

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In the photo above, you can also see my newest frag purchase. Nothing fancy, just some blue snowflake polyps. They are fully encrusted on the frag so it fit best on the left side of the tank. At this point, I have started to run out of space for corals. I am going to probably sit back and let everything fill in. 

 

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And last but not least....I made a really BIG decision.... I added a fish!!! I found a Rainfordi Goby at the LFS that seemed perfect for the tank. He is still somewhat timid, but I have seen him out and about quite a bit. These are the best shots I have of him. 

 

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For the past 3 months, the tank has been super stable... So like any good reefer, it only makes sense to mess with the balance and potentially screw everything up. Haha. If I start to have issue with algae (due to feedings) or other concerns, I may just pull him out and put him in my 5 gallon. I will be sure to keep you all updated! 

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This thing is just amazing.  The sump design is brilliant. Those blue snowflake polyps get a bad rap for being invasive but if you are going to enjoy them, a pico might just be the best way to do it, where you can swap out rubble if things get too out of control.

 

I don't have any experience with rainfordi gobies and it sounds like you have a backup plan, but they are one of the more challenging ones to feed from what I understand. Good luck, I hope he does well from you, he's absolutely adorable. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope everyone's week is going well! Death visited the Gumball Pico this week. On Sunday evening, I began to search for my Rainfordi Goby... Much to my disappointment, I found him... being devoured by 2 hermit crabs :( I saw him eating throughout the week and all of my tank parameters seemed to be good, so who knows. I will probably hold off on adding any other fish for a while. 

 

Other than that setback, the tank seems to be doing well. I have began to see an uptick in small fan worms/feather dusters throughout the tank as well as other inverts. I have noticed more bristle worms crawling about too. They aren't out of control yet, but definitely something to monitor. 

 

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Another cool update, in my opinion,  when I added green zoas to the tank, I had noticed a very small muscle attached to the live rock. Over the past week or so, this muscle appears to have grown and also has been on the move. It was originally down toward the bottom of the overflow pipe (never had a pic of him) but now it has taken a place of prominence in the tank. 

 

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This is just a random shot of a hermit, eying its next victim...lol

 

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Hope you all have a great week!

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  • 1 month later...

5 Month Update: It is hard to believe that this tank has been up and running for just over 5 months now. No major issues or die offs. Recently though, I did some battle with flatworms. Two drops of Flatworms eXit seemed to do the trick and I have not seen any since. No adverse effect to corals, inverts, etc.  

 

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You will notice that the Xenia is drastically reduced. I cut a good chunk back and it migrated up and onto my return pump outlet. I still have a couple sprouts here and there and am interested to see if they grow throughout the tank or die back. One thing I have noticed lately is that the corals closer to the sandbed are reaching up for light. Those corals in the center and middle of the globe appear to be doing well though. I assume it is due to cheap LED lights and the curvature of the globe. I may look to update the lighting in the future, but for now I plan to just leave as is. 

 

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  • Wow 3
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This may be the coolest pico in existence, I have the same little gumball machine but would never in a million years think to turn it into a functioning reef tank :D props to you

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  • 3 weeks later...
cincyJames

6 month update!!!

 

The Gumball Pico is cruising along. I need to do a water change sometime soon.  It has been roughly a month and all I have done is top off what has evaporated. The photos below are what the tank looks like without water changes or scrubbing the glass... HA!

 

Nothing has really changed in the tank other than my corals continue to stretch to get more adequate light. I ordered a second LED kit off Amazon today so I am going to try and use two of those little kits to provide more light. I am also not sure if some of the lighting issues are coming from the spherical shape of the dome also.  I have contemplated removing the aluminum top that came on the gumbal machine and just putting a PAR38 bulb over it. I really don't want to go this route due to taking away from the look of the tank, but we shall see. 

 

Regardless, the tank is still a focal point in our living room and a great conversation piece.

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Christopher Marks

Has it been 6 months already? Wow! This clever little pico is really beautiful @cincyJames!

 

I like your plan of doubling the lighting there's in there, it can't hurt to try, losing the top for a PAR bulb would be a bummer for sure! Does the light that you're using now put off any noticeable heat?

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cincyJames

 

26 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

Has it been 6 months already? Wow! This clever little pico is really beautiful @cincyJames!

 

I like your plan of doubling the lighting there's in there, it can't hurt to try, losing the top for a PAR bulb would be a bummer for sure! Does the light that you're using now put off any noticeable heat?

Thanks! It is crazy that it has been 6 months already. 

 

As far as I can tell, no. The aluminum lid never feels warm and the lights aren't really warm to the touch. If they are putting off heat, it doesn't seem to be enough to raise the water temp. My InkBird seems to run a couple times an hour so the heater is definitely keeping the tank above room temp. I hope another set of LEDs at least helps the corals settle back down. Crazy long necks on them these days. Haha

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  • 3 months later...

9 month update:

 

Unfortunately, the last 3 months have been pretty difficult for the tank.  As mentioned previously, I received in a second set of LEDs and now am running double the light that I was before.  I was still able to conceal the LEDs in the lid and it definitely is twice as bright! 

 

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With this added light though, came ALGAE!  This has been the first true issue in the tank and unfortunately, my husbandry for the tank was severely lacking over the summer.  Between our 6 kids, vacations, camps, sports practices, work, etc., this tank was placed on the back burner.  Today I decided to spend a few hours working on the tank, in hopes of getting it back to its former glory.  Besides algae issues, I have also had issues with flatworms again and heater issues.  The 10W Aqueon heaters that I have been using with my Ink Bird have been burning out after about 3 months of use or so.  I am not certain if this is because of the constant on/off nature of the Ink Bird, in order to keep the heat at 79 degrees or what.  Regardless, the past few weeks or so, the tank has just been running at ambient room temperature.  I am currently taking any/all suggestions for a heater that is no more than 4" long and can handle the constant on/off nature of keeping this tank to temp.

 

With all of these problems, it appears that my snail and hermit crab have passed away as well.  This likely didn't help my algae issues either.  Most of the corals look pitiful, but in a shocking turn, my teal candy cane has a head that is splitting?!  I assume it is due to being directly under the LEDs and being in a filthy tank.  Anyways, here is the current/updated pic of the tank.  It is pretty depressing to compare what it looked like 4 months ago and what looks like today.  I am hoping that I am able to get it back to where it was.

 

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Unrelated to this tank, my 5 gallon tank, even though being equally as neglected, has been doing awesome over the summer!  In this hobby, I have always tried to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible.  For this tank, minimal interaction seems to be beneficial.  For the gumball tank... more interaction is definitely needed.

 

As always, any thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. are appreciated.

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Christopher Marks

Aww sorry to hear @cincyJames, the busy summer season can be tough. Have you considered taping over some of the white LEDs to reduce output a little while you get the algae under control? The corals definitely don't look like they're reaching for light anymore though! A growing consensus seems to show that too many white LED diodes can increase algae growth.

 

There is a betta tank heater that is compact and reliable, it was a popular choice during the pico jar contest, I'll see if I can track down the exact name...

 

Glad to hear your 5 gallon is doing better! I bet this gumball pico is just too new to be as stable as that one, but you'll get there!

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