Welcome to Picoville

[jemmott]

Hey guys

 

I'm not sure if picos qualify for this group but this is my new project ?.

The tank holds 13 litres so around the 2.8 gallon mark.

 

The lighting unit is 3 x 8w t5 so will be perfect for the soft corals I plan to keep, I also plan to keep a couple of snails and the odd crab.
 
I have a HOB filter that is rated 480lph and will house filter floss and a mixture of carbon and phosphate remover, the tank came with a 200lph internal filter so I will just remove the current black along and fill with more filter floss for polishing, so all in all there should be plenty enough flow for the tank.

The heater is 25w and I also have a digital thermometer to monitor the temp swings.

 

I have about 2 - 3kg dry sand as I plan to have a inch thick sand bed and plan to buy a kilo or so of live rock.

In terms of maintaining the pico,I plan to carry out 5 litre water changes ever 5 days followed by fresh r.o top up when ever needed.

 

Now the tank will be fully set up in the next coming weeks once I decide where I will be placing the tank.

 

If anyone has any advice on keeping/maintaining a pico that would be fab, I have kept marines in the past so I do have experience, however we never stop learning lol.

 

P.s excuse the tank still in its box lol

Many Thanks

 

[Lorekeeper]

Looks great so far!

 

Just like any tank, be careful to watch your salinity levels, as well as your water parameters. Picos are just a little more prone to swings in salinity and water quality, so frequent water tests and water changes definitely go a long way!

 

Although I like the look of sand, I'd be careful using it in a 2.5 Gallon. Used it in mine for a while, and ended up with pretty bad nitrate issues until I took it out, as there's not a ton of room to get in the tank and clean out the sandbed. That being said, your mileage may vary.

 

Happy reefing!

[Lula_Mae]

What a cute little tank!  I've run my picos both with sand and bare bottom, there's advantages and disadvantages for both but I think it boils down to personal preference.  I'd be prepared to top off every day (some do more than once a day but I pretty much have only ever done once a day--but am not keeping SPS either).  One method of sand cleaning in picos that Brandon429 has advocated before is to set the tank in the sink and just pour fresh saltwater through until the sand bed has been thoroughly flushed out, I haven't tried myself.  Some also make their rock so it's removable, stir up the sand bed well, do a large water change, then do a second change to clear out detritus that got stirred up (or something like that, pretty tired at the moment so not remembering details lol).

[debbeach13]

Welcome to NR and reefing. We love pico's. Check out some of the pico's in the forum dedicated to them or the contest. There are many members with pico's and they can answer any questions you might have. Enjoy your little tank.

[jemmott]

Thanks for the replys folks.

 

What test kits would you recommend?once upon a time I used salifert for phosphate and calcium i do believe but that was some time ago.

 

From the research I have gathered most people test salinity,ALK,calcium (for sps) and occasionally nitrates, however what do you guys test for in your picos?

 

As for the sand bed I am in two minds as I have researched the pros and cons however I'm not really a fan of a bare bottom tank.

 

As for a a to I was thinking about using a rabbit water feeder, something like 600ml and have that constantly dripping into the tank?

 

I am also going to buy a desk top fan just to blow over the surface of the tank to push out any heat from the t5s.

 

What's how many inverts would you guys recommend? 

 

I plan to cram in as many soft corals as I can....(could be pico of the month one day) lol.

 

I must say the initial responses have been fantastic....not like the main forum over here in the UK.

 

If you guys have anymore tips or advice please send them my way as it's been a while.

 

P.s here is a tank I once had set up in my bedroom at my parents house.

 

Many Thanks 

[JBM]

8 hours ago, jemmott said:

Thanks for the replys folks.

 

What test kits would you recommend?once upon a time I used salifert for phosphate and calcium i do believe but that was some time ago.

 

From the research I have gathered most people test salinity,ALK,calcium (for sps) and occasionally nitrates, however what do you guys test for in your picos?

 

As for the sand bed I am in two minds as I have researched the pros and cons however I'm not really a fan of a bare bottom tank.

 

As for a a to I was thinking about using a rabbit water feeder, something like 600ml and have that constantly dripping into the tank?

 

I am also going to buy a desk top fan just to blow over the surface of the tank to push out any heat from the t5s.

 

What's how many inverts would you guys recommend? 

 

I plan to cram in as many soft corals as I can....(could be pico of the month one day) lol.

 

I must say the initial responses have been fantastic....not like the main forum over here in the UK.

 

If you guys have anymore tips or advice please send them my way as it's been a while.

 

P.s here is a tank I once had set up in my bedroom at my parents house.

 

Many Thanks 

 

A good middle of the road kit is API.  Just make sure it was manufactured in the last year, you know for freshness

 

A rabbit feeder is perfect for ATO, remove the ball & run flex tubing to the tank @ the desired level. Let gravity do the rest.

 

2-3 trochus snails, 1-2 nassarius snails & what ever odd invert you find appealing (pom pom, emerald, sexy, ghost etc) I'd stay away from a cleaner shrimp as they get rather large.

[Christopher Marks]

9 hours ago, jemmott said:

As for a a to I was thinking about using a rabbit water feeder, something like 600ml and have that constantly dripping into the tank?

Freshwater won’t evaporate from the tank quickly enough to require a constant drip, but it is possible to retrofit a top off system from a water feeder. Here’s some more insight:

There are some more discussions and debates on them, but they’ve been in use since 2008 or so: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:nano-reef.com+water+bottle+ato&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

[JBM]

what he said ^^^^^

i need to go back to sleep

[jemmott]

Hey guys

 

Today I have decided to paint the rear side ofbthe pico with a nice blue acrylic paint, so far I have done one coat however this is going to need at least 3 ?, also I managed to get 10 litres of salty water off a fellow reefer ?, all that I need to buy now is about 1 kg of live rock then I'm ready to go ☺

[jemmott]

Hey guys

 

The tank has now been painted (5 Coates of acrylic later.....) I have 10 litres of salty water given to me by a neighbour ready to go In however the tank is 13 litres so my question is...Can I still cycle the the tank with less water until I can get more?

[jemmott]

 

[k4ndyk1ng]

Another reefer in the UK? I can't wait to see this tank filled up, following along 

[vlangel]

Very cute and you did a great job painting the back.  Yes you can cycle with less water as long as the rock is submerged and the water is aerated.

[jemmott]

Thanks guys

 

Today has been productive, I brought just under 2 kilos of live rock and a 10 litre drum filled with r.o.

 

The live rock is currently sat in a bucket with the saltwater,a spare heater and a 200lph filter with floss.

 

I will need to rinse the dry sand with the r.o I got today and hopefully have the tank filled tonight if not tomorrow morning (fingers crossed)

 

The paint seemed to take forever to dry and I almost gave up....The wife nagging Lol,I can't remember the shade of blue but it is similar to the tank backing that the fish shops use lol.

 

I will add some more photos when I return home later ?.

 

Many Thanks 

[jemmott]

Hey guys

 

I have now added my live rock,sand and salted water to the pico and I really like the lay out, it gives me options to add corals in good places.

 

I have turned my HOB which provides a good flow and I have turned my heater on too,I have set it at 24.

 

The tank is a little cloudy as expected but will clear soon, the picture doesn't do the rock justice lol

 

Let me know what you guys think?

 

Cheers

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by jemmott
Adding more pictures

[JBM]

everything looks great.

 

enjoy your cycle

[vlangel]

Looks good.  Nice porous rock and like you said, good place to put coral.  You are off to a great start.

[jemmott]

46 minutes ago, vlangel said:

Looks good.  Nice porous rock and like you said, good place to put coral.  You are off to a great start.

Thank you vlangel

 

The misses wasn't impressed when I first said I may need to add more rock but I wasn't thinking straight as I forgot that most corals come on rock or plugs so I wouldnt have much room Lol.

[jemmott]

Hello guys

 

The tank has now settled and I have added a Molly to start the cycle however the water is from a established tank so is the live rock so in theory I shouldn't have much of a cycle?

[Lorekeeper]

Well, the water won't do anything for helping to cycle a tank. But, established live rock can either cause an instant cycle, or allow for just a mini cycle as the rock reestablishes itself in the new tank. I'd monitor water levels, but I think you should have a fairly short cycle.

 

That being said, I'm going to go ahead and just mention that using a fish for a cycle is kinda cruel, even if it is a hardy fish like a damsel or a molly. I personally try to stay away from it, as just adding a few PPM of pure ammonia is quicker and more efficient, even if it is a bit less interesting to watch. Molly's can also get up to 6" (although 3-4" is more likely with anything but a sailfin), so I wouldn't really recommend keeping it in anything less than a 20 gallon personally.

 

Not trying to detract from your tank though. Looks great so far!

[jemmott]

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

•  

Hey guys

 

It's been a while since I last posted anything on here.....

 

My pico has come a long way from where she first was and I have upgraded the light to a asta lumini 20 led.....amazing light.

 

I do not dose nor feed the tank.

 

The tank houses a mixture of sps lps and softies and a single blue knuckled hermit crab.

 

I carry out a 3 litre water change every Wednesday and saturday and top up r.o when needed.

 

Many thanks 

[Christopher Marks]

It has really come a long ways in the first year @jemmott, looking good!

[jemmott]

17 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

It has really come a long ways in the first year @jemmott, looking good!

Thank you christopher

 

The key to my reef is leaving it lol

 

I don't really put my hands in the tank and other than water changes I just let it be.

 

I plan to add some lps (chalice, acans) and zoas in the new year....Nothing expensive either lol.

 

Many thanks 

[DaveMc]

Wow, looks great. Following along 😊

[Lula_Mae]

Love the toadstools!