Nelson Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Dear all, This is my first aquarium and it happens to be a pico reef! Hopefully everything ends well, but today is still a mystery for me. I was triggered to start with this hobby after visiting a lfs and seeing your beautiful creations in the contest. My equipment is: - Ada cube 8L - Aquaclear 20 - Chinese e27 bulb, advertised as 36W but actually 12W - Real reaf rock (the brand) - A pet drinking bottle as ATO. Bought the wrong one. - Ikea lamp - Seachem ammonium alert I have coral pro salt and a RODI unit. I will do a 100% water change weekly. First I plan to cycle it with the shrimp method, because I don't have live rock and sand. As for livestock: - Hammer. Is this possible? - Maybe a mushroom - Snail - No fish - As for coral, does somebody have a good suggestion for a beginner? Is it possible to skip the cycle? Thanks for reading! 2 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Welcome to the community @Nelson! I like your little pico reef system design! Do you have any plans to install a heater for temperature control, or do you plan to run it at room temperature? Finding reliable heaters small enough for pico tanks can be a challenge, but you may have seen a few favored ones used in the pico contest builds. A hammer coral is technically possible to keep, but you may find the size constraints of the pico tank to be too limiting. Euphyllia corals like the hammer can have quite a spread, they also extend sweeper tentacles that can sting and damage other coral near by. What types of coral are available at your local aquarium shops? Any zoanthids? 10 minutes ago, Nelson said: Is it possible to skip the cycle? Nope, every system must go through the nitrogen cycle process. Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Thank you! I bought this heater, but shipping will take some time https://www.aliexpress.com/item/25W-500W-Mini-Submersible-Aquarium-Heater-Adjustable-Aquarium-ECO-Heater-Reptlie-Turtle-Fish-Tank-Thermostat-Temp/32836023326.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_10340_10341_10084_10083_10613_10304_10615_10307_10614_10301_10059_10314_10534_100031_10604_10103_10142,searchweb201603_6,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=02dbb7ba-5a4a-4cb2-982c-ba47a32266b0-11&algo_pvid=02dbb7ba-5a4a-4cb2-982c-ba47a32266b0&transAbTest=ae803_4&priceBeautifyAB=0 It is hard to find small aquarium heaters with good temperature control, so I bought a thermostat as well to prevent overheating https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-Arrival-220V-new-LCD-Thermostat-Temperature-Controller-Aquarium-Refrigerator-Incubator/32694942173.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_10340_10341_10084_10083_10613_10304_10615_10307_10614_10301_10059_10314_10534_100031_10604_10103_10142,searchweb201603_6,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=3a285a94-5da8-40c1-8895-3d2b16f60226-8&algo_pvid=3a285a94-5da8-40c1-8895-3d2b16f60226&transAbTest=ae803_4&priceBeautifyAB=0 I will do the cycle without the heater. Should I turn the flow on and put the stock filtermaterial in the AC20 during the cycle? There is palytoxin in zoanthids right? I'm afraid of them haha. I would prefer a coral moving with the waterflow Quote Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 MY TYPE OF SETUP !!! Definitely following along. Quote Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 The easy therm heaters are nice,I had a betta heater from petco in my 8" cube kept it 78 no problem,I watched it with a temp probe for about a week to make aure it was good enough and didn't worry about it anymore. Only really need to worry about palytoxin is when youre fragging or really deep cleaning other than that its no worries. Quote Link to comment
Lula_Mae Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Nelson said: Thank you! I bought this heater, but shipping will take some time https://www.aliexpress.com/item/25W-500W-Mini-Submersible-Aquarium-Heater-Adjustable-Aquarium-ECO-Heater-Reptlie-Turtle-Fish-Tank-Thermostat-Temp/32836023326.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_10340_10341_10084_10083_10613_10304_10615_10307_10614_10301_10059_10314_10534_100031_10604_10103_10142,searchweb201603_6,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=02dbb7ba-5a4a-4cb2-982c-ba47a32266b0-11&algo_pvid=02dbb7ba-5a4a-4cb2-982c-ba47a32266b0&transAbTest=ae803_4&priceBeautifyAB=0 It is hard to find small aquarium heaters with good temperature control, so I bought a thermostat as well to prevent overheating https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-Arrival-220V-new-LCD-Thermostat-Temperature-Controller-Aquarium-Refrigerator-Incubator/32694942173.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_10340_10341_10084_10083_10613_10304_10615_10307_10614_10301_10059_10314_10534_100031_10604_10103_10142,searchweb201603_6,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=3a285a94-5da8-40c1-8895-3d2b16f60226-8&algo_pvid=3a285a94-5da8-40c1-8895-3d2b16f60226&transAbTest=ae803_4&priceBeautifyAB=0 I will do the cycle without the heater. Should I turn the flow on and put the stock filtermaterial in the AC20 during the cycle? There is palytoxin in zoanthids right? I'm afraid of them haha. I would prefer a coral moving with the waterflow That heater looks interesting, hope it's a good one for you. If you can get ahold of pure ammonia like Dr. Tim's, that's cleaner than using shrimp or fish food. Use the AC20 especially if it's you're primary source of flow but don't worry about using filter media right now. Since you've got real reef Rick, it's supposed to be injected with bacteria, so the cycle should be very quick. Do you have test kits for at least ammonia and nitrate? Zoas are fine. Only a couple types of palythoa are the scary-toxic kind, and even they are fine to have with precautions. Use gloves (like disposable medical ones you can get from a drug store-I like nitrile gloves, they are usually blue) when you're fragging or otherwise pissing them off and you'll be fine. Run carbon after doing that to keep them from aggravating other things. I used to always have zoas die on my, now they are doing reasonably well and I love them. My jar is full of them lol. Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 10, 2018 Author Share Posted January 10, 2018 I can't find the easy therm heater in my country, just like dr Tim but thanks for the suggestions anyway! It's also possible to buy ammonia for cleaning purposes, but most of the time there are additives such as surfactants which are harmful. I didn't know about the bacteria on the real reaf rock and forgot to buy test kits as you mentioned. The costs are adding up haha. Already spent 200 euro on everything and no livestock yet... Here are some pictures with the lights on before adding water to start the cycle next week. Definitely not the best light and sorry for the potato camera (iphone) 1 Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Dear all, The pico is up and running. Cycle kick off was today and it took me quite some time, since everything is new for me ( RODI unit, mixing salt, etc). I plan to buy some salifert (made in holland ) this week, to check ppm of nitrite. I added 0.6 mL of ammonia solution (5%) to bring level up to something below 5ppm. Waiting begins... Here is a video of the cube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwEK-6yHOik 1 Quote Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 So what made you decide to go with a rodi unit for such a small tank ? Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 38 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said: So what made you decide to go with a rodi unit for such a small tank ? Now I realize I only have the RO part of the RODI oops. I thought everyone has this thing. What is your alternative? Quote Link to comment
Lula_Mae Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 On 1/15/2018 at 3:06 PM, Nelson said: Now I realize I only have the RO part of the RODI oops. I thought everyone has this thing. What is your alternative? I used bottled distilled water for nine years. 2 Quote Link to comment
Travis55 Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 What’s your light led count? I ordered a Chinese 36w just like that. But it has more white than blue... I’m irritated I didn’t look around more. Yours looks awesome! Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 3 hours ago, Travis55 said: What’s your light led count? I ordered a Chinese 36w just like that. But it has more white than blue... I’m irritated I didn’t look around more. Yours looks awesome! LED Qty Type Wattage Voltage Blue:Cold White:Purple/UV 12 PCS PAR38 36W 85-265V 4:4:4 Not sure if this light will be good enough for the corals. At the fish store I came across a nice light, happened to be a Kessil, and I was blown away by the price haha. This one was only 12 euro's... Quote Link to comment
JBM Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 That light should be fine. There is a great thread in the lighting section about how high a par38 should be hung. It's really dependent on optics, and foot print needed. Enjoy your cycle, it'll be about 6-8 weeks till you see a algae bloom. I'm confident you'll be fine with a RO machine. I wouldn't stress about not having the DI part. Keep a log with your readings. It'll help long term. 1 Quote Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 On 1/16/2018 at 5:46 PM, Lula_Mae said: I used bottled distilled water for nine years. Me too,I just felt like spending the $150-$300 on a ro system for a tank my size (which was .5 gallon more than this) was pointless. But to each their own,if you got it spend it lol. 3 Quote Link to comment
Lula_Mae Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 21 hours ago, Reefkid88 said: Me too,I just felt like spending the $150-$300 on a ro system for a tank my size (which was .5 gallon more than this) was pointless. But to each their own,if you got it spend it lol. I finally got my own cuz I've spent at least the cost of one in jugs of water over the years lol. 1 Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 On 19-1-2018 at 4:32 PM, JBM said: That light should be fine. There is a great thread in the lighting section about how high a par38 should be hung. It's really dependent on optics, and foot print needed. Enjoy your cycle, it'll be about 6-8 weeks till you see a algae bloom. I'm confident you'll be fine with a RO machine. I wouldn't stress about not having the DI part. Keep a log with your readings. It'll help long term. Thank you for the information! Oh jeez, 6-8 weeks is a lot of waiting Hopefully my heater arrives next week and I can speed up the cycle a bit, because now the thermostat reads only 19 degrees celsius. Doing the refill on the hamster bottle is a pain in the butt, since I need to cover up the outlet when mounting it in place. Did not thought about this beforehand. My RO unit was 40 bucks. Carrying jugs of water by bycicle was no option for me... Quote Link to comment
JBM Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I had the hamster bottle on my old 5.5 aio tank. Personally, I didn't find it cumbersome or a chore to refill it. To each his own I guess. Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Today I bought the test kits and did the tests. The bad news: My ammonia test kit expired at 10-2016... Did not take a look at it at the lfs. The good news: There is a small amount of nitrite, little more than 0.1 ppm. The RO water reads zero ppm. My RO water reads 5 ppm nitrate, is that a problem? Quote Link to comment
ChristopherDido Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hey thanks for the comment on my other thread! How's your tank doing? Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 12 hours ago, ChristopherDido said: Hey thanks for the comment on my other thread! How's your tank doing? The cycle is not complete yet. The 6-8 weeks JBM mentioned is indeed a reasonable estimate for a dry rock and dry sand cycle. Once complete I plan on adding an euphyllia coral, mangrove and chaeto. I ordered stuff to culture my own phytoplankton in some ikea bottles. Will see how that goes and maybe progress to copepods in the future. 1 Quote Link to comment
JBM Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 I didn't see the YouTube link before. Awesome! I really like the simplicity of your set up. Clean lines, nothing overly fancy. All you need now is patience. Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 Hey there, I have some problems with the cycle. I never observed a nitrite spike and the maximum value I get is only 0.1 ppm at the moment. Below the test for nitrate I think it is 25 ppm. My ammonia is 2 ppm at the moment. Is it possible there is such a small amount off nitrite, or is this tank not cycling? Thank you for all the help :-) Below a fts, not much going on, waiting for the airline, valves etc to be delivered. 1 Quote Link to comment
Nelson Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Too much chaeto 1 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 How does the hamster bottle work as an ATO? What triggers the water to drip into the tank? Quote Link to comment
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