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Birthday Office Pico Reef - 2.6 gal


James33

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So I have been talking about saltwater aquariums and how much I enjoy them at work, and my co-workers all chipped in on the idea of a pico reef tank in our office/my cubical! This will be the first time I will be doing a pico reef and I need YOUR help! I'm very excited about this, and don't want to let them down, and I am definitely up for the challenge!

 

What I currently have:

- Fluval Spec iii kit (2.6 gal)

- 10lb bag of CaribSea (I know I don't need nearly this much)

- Fluval Sea Marine Salt (to get started)

 

Getting this weekend:

- Live rock (if I can get water into tank today)

- Thermometer (it gets hot in the summer here so I don't want to buy a heater QUITE yet until I see what temps run)

- Refractometer

 

First question - The light is made for freshwater (as well as the whole kit), so I am asking recommendations for a light upgrade? I plan to just have soft corals and LPS in the tank, so I don't want to spend a fortune on the light.

 

Second question - Will the stock pump suffice (for now at least)? Box says flow is 46-66 gph..

 

Third question - What do you recommend that I run in the filter in terms of media?

 

ANYTHING ELSE (good luck wishes....do's and dont's...must gets...) IM SO ANXIOUS!! I will probably update this because I think I forgot about half the things I wanted to post in here!

 

Thanks <3

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Christopher Marks

Welcome to the community @James33! 👋

 

The Fluval Spec III should make for a handsome pico reef setup. For your lighting, you might consider using a simple 50/50 compact fluorescent bulb mounted in a tabletop lamp of some sort: https://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Compact-Fluorescent-Colormax-10-Watt/dp/B0002AQ44O/. They're only around $12 or so, and an adjustable height lamp or hanging lamp with a standard socket will work. Zoo Med also has a version: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-reef-sun-5050-compact-fluorescent-bulb. For the coral you hope to keep and the small tank size, it should be just right. If the screw type bulb socket won't work, there are 13 watt compact fluorescent 50/50 bulbs available as well, but they need special fixtures to hold them. There are also LED PAR bulbs available, but any are too powerful for a tank of this size, and quality PAR bulbs don't come cheap.

 

That stock pump return should be fine to get you started. Measure the pump if you're able to before you set it up, just to make it easier to source a replacement in the future if needed. Something a little more powerful would be better for circulation.

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On 4/27/2018 at 1:16 PM, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome to the community @James33! 👋

 

The Fluval Spec III should make for a handsome pico reef setup. For your lighting, you might consider using a simple 50/50 compact fluorescent bulb mounted in a tabletop lamp of some sort: https://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Compact-Fluorescent-Colormax-10-Watt/dp/B0002AQ44O/. They're only around $12 or so, and an adjustable height lamp or hanging lamp with a standard socket will work. Zoo Med also has a version: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-reef-sun-5050-compact-fluorescent-bulb. For the coral you hope to keep and the small tank size, it should be just right. If the screw type bulb socket won't work, there are 13 watt compact fluorescent 50/50 bulbs available as well, but they need special fixtures to hold them. There are also LED PAR bulbs available, but any are too powerful for a tank of this size, and quality PAR bulbs don't come cheap.

 

That stock pump return should be fine to get you started. Measure the pump if you're able to before you set it up, just to make it easier to source a replacement in the future if needed. Something a little more powerful would be better for circulation.

Thanks Christopher!!! I'm excited to be a part of the community and I can't wait to learn so much more!

 

I just moved to this area so I went on a bit of excursion today to multiple LFS to see what everyone has available and prices, etc. Of course I went to one and they were having a massive sale today so I ended up buying a Cobalt MJ Mini 606 (159 gph) because I cannot help spending money?! I don't have the tank at home since it's at work, but I will have to see if it will fit in the pump section. I've been trying to do some research on sizing and whatnot, but I will know quickly on Monday. I have read some reviews that it is noisy, so if that is the case I will probably have to find something else. 

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Christopher Marks

The Mini 606 is a classic design that goes way back before even the start of this community, Cobalt started offering them again! It’s a workhorse for sure, should be perfect for your setup, as long as it fits of course! 😄

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

OK SO I'm bringing this back to life because I FINALLY have enough things to get this started!!

 

I got an 50/50 compact fluorescent bulb for $9, and a gooseneck desktop lamp from home depot that I will sit behind the tank. I'm heading out to the LFS in an hour or so because I'm going to setup the tank tonight :) My saltwater has been mixing for a good bit now (mixed last night, had significant other test the sp (1.025) and run my submerged pump until I get home)

 

Few questions...

- How bad is it when they say they can't ensure the live rock is 'pest free'? Should I go with that?

- The bag of CaribSea live sand has water in there....Do I dump the water in with the sand or do I drain the sand?

- Do I leave the light on during the cycling process, or have the light off?

 

Thanks everyone!!

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Christopher Marks

Excellent!

1 minute ago, James33 said:

Few questions...

- How bad is it when they say they can't ensure the live rock is 'pest free'? Should I go with that?

- The bag of CaribSea live sand has water in there....Do I dump the water in with the sand or do I drain the sand?

- Do I leave the light on during the cycling process, or have the light off?

  • Any live rock from the ocean, and even rock from stocked and cured tanks, can potentially carry 'pests'. The spectrum of pests can be wide, some are worse than others. There may be a number of invertebrates hiding inside the rock. Visually inspecting it is best, you can't catch everything, but you can inspect for things like hair algae, bubble algae, aptasia anemones, etc. If it is coming from a reputable place, things should be fine. Picking out your own pieces is nice.
  • You can drain off the water in the Caribsea live sand bag and place the sand in the tank damp.
  • Keeping a light off or just reduced during a cycle is fine to do, the theory is it can help reduce some algae growth. Either way is fine though, there's no real way to avoid a new tank diatom bloom 😉 
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17 minutes ago, James33 said:

OK SO I'm bringing this back to life because I FINALLY have enough things to get this started!!

 

I got an 50/50 compact fluorescent bulb for $9, and a gooseneck desktop lamp from home depot that I will sit behind the tank. I'm heading out to the LFS in an hour or so because I'm going to setup the tank tonight 🙂 My saltwater has been mixing for a good bit now (mixed last night, had significant other test the sp (1.025) and run my submerged pump until I get home)

 

Few questions...

- How bad is it when they say they can't ensure the live rock is 'pest free'? Should I go with that?

- The bag of CaribSea live sand has water in there....Do I dump the water in with the sand or do I drain the sand?

- Do I leave the light on during the cycling process, or have the light off?

 

Thanks everyone!!

Concerning the pests, since you’re dealing with such a small space it’ll be easy to just take stuff out till you can get it/them. Also what some would call a pest some would see as cool so there’s that too. Benefit of truly live rock is the cycle is established and you don’t have to wait to add livestock unless you let the rock dry out and die off. 

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Welp, we are off! Pump turned on at 2200! The tank was cloudy, so I'm hoping when I wake up it will be a bit better. I'm so excited and nervous I don't even know what to do next besides....wait!

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Christopher Marks
1 minute ago, James33 said:

I don't even know what to do next besides....wait!

This hobby comes with some waiting from time to time, practice makes perfect 😉 

 

Congrats on the beginning, it takes some patience during the cycle as the building phase winds down, but now you get to plan out your next moves! How does it all look with the new desktop lamp and bulb?

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7 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

This hobby comes with some waiting from time to time, practice makes perfect 😉 

 

Congrats on the beginning, it takes some patience during the cycle as the building phase winds down, but now you get to plan out your next moves! How does it all look with the new desktop lamp and bulb?

I woke up so excited to see if things had cleared, and they did!! I actually really like the look the light gives the tank 

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So almost 72 hours after setup, I wanted to test the water. I added a heater because the water was too cold, and now it's showing 78 degrees. I'm using the Tetra HT10 50 submersible heater. I put it in the back where the pump is, is this okay?

 

Anyway, current values...I'm using API

 

Temp - 78F

SG - 1.025

pH - 8.0?

Ammonia - .25

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 0 or 5?

 

Should I be adding a piece of shrimp or something to spike ammonia?

 

 

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Christopher Marks

You're right on track! I think your heater should be in an OK place back there, just be sure it's not in a chamber where it can become exposed to air as water evaporates.

 

The ammonia will slowly build up just from the live sand and rock you have added. You could add a little bit of fish food or an ammonia cycle additive to accelerate the process slightly, but it's really not necessary. The bacteria present in the sand and rock are finding an equilibrium right now, the ammonia is from the 'die off' stage.

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So, noob question here...when topping off the tank to get it back to my full line, do I add saltwater or RO/DI water? I added some 2 days ago (RO/DI) and the salinity dropped to 1.023.....how do I not let that happen?

 

Also, it's been a week today all of my levels are still at 0 (ammonia never got higher than .25 and nitrite/nitrate always 0) so when should I do a water change and how much?! 

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Ro/di water to top off. But when you are testing your water a bunch (as you probably are since its cycling) you will lose some overall volume and topping off to the same line with Ro/di will lower your salinity, especially with this small a tank. Also since you have 0 nitrate I would stay your still at the beginning stage of your cycle. Generally you wanna see a decent amount of nitrate when your cycle is complete.

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35 minutes ago, Donny41 said:

Ro/di water to top off. But when you are testing your water a bunch (as you probably are since its cycling) you will lose some overall volume and topping off to the same line with Ro/di will lower your salinity, especially with this small a tank. Also since you have 0 nitrate I would stay your still at the beginning stage of your cycle. Generally you wanna see a decent amount of nitrate when your cycle is complete.

So if I top off with RO/DI how long should I wait to test the salinity? And if it's off do I just mix salt in to get it back?

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Top off your tank with RODI. Topping it off to your fill line should return the salinity to the level it was at the last time it was full. With these small tanks I generally wait 5 minutes or so for the water to mix and then recheck it. 

Regarding the 1.023-

Are you using a refractometer to check your salinity? If so, you may want to recalibrate it. 

Could you have overshot your fill lIne that time? Is your fill line marked some way that it stays constant (like with tape). 

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12 minutes ago, SeaFurn said:

Top off your tank with RODI. Topping it off to your fill line should return the salinity to the level it was at the last time it was full. With these small tanks I generally wait 5 minutes or so for the water to mix and then recheck it. 

Regarding the 1.023-

Are you using a refractometer to check your salinity? If so, you may want to recalibrate it. 

Could you have overshot your fill lIne that time? Is your fill line marked some way that it stays constant (like with tape). 

So I topped it off the other day with RO/DI and got the salinity back to 1.025 and marked it with tape. Today I had to add a cup of RO/DI and I waited a good half hour actually and the salinity was 1.023 again. And yes, I'm using a refractometer. I bought it a week ago and had it calibrated then...would it be off already?

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7 hours ago, James33 said:

So I topped it off the other day with RO/DI and got the salinity back to 1.025 and marked it with tape. Today I had to add a cup of RO/DI and I waited a good half hour actually and the salinity was 1.023 again. And yes, I'm using a refractometer. I bought it a week ago and had it calibrated then...would it be off already?

Its possible but I wouldn't think so. I had the same issue when I started my tank, and since I went a few weeks without changing the water as it was cycling, but was often testing it which requires taking water out I couldn't fill it back to the same fill line. So I just topped off to get back to the proper salinity. Now that I do water change every week it's not an issue since I don't take out as much water to test. It doesnt effect the volume enough to alter the salinity when I top off. So if you want to have the water at a instant level I would add Ro/di until you are at the proper salinity, and then add saltwater to match the line.

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9 hours ago, James33 said:

So, noob question here...when topping off the tank to get it back to my full line, do I add saltwater or RO/DI water? I added some 2 days ago (RO/DI) and the salinity dropped to 1.023.....how do I not let that happen?

 

Also, it's been a week today all of my levels are still at 0 (ammonia never got higher than .25 and nitrite/nitrate always 0) so when should I do a water change and how much?! 

Did the level drop any when you turned the pump on and you were filling it up from that? On a daily basis you want to top off with RODI or distilled but you may need to add a bit of fresh saltwater first to get your salinity where it needs to be.

 

(I thought I posted this last night but somehow it didn't take lol)

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9 hours ago, James33 said:

So I topped it off the other day with RO/DI and got the salinity back to 1.025 and marked it with tape. Today I had to add a cup of RO/DI and I waited a good half hour actually and the salinity was 1.023 again. And yes, I'm using a refractometer. I bought it a week ago and had it calibrated then...would it be off already?

It shouldn’t be off in a week. It will get off so you’ll want to check occasionally. I was just trying to think of reasons it could be so off. 

@Lula_Mae touches on a good point about the pump. 

Is the line that you marked the fill line with tape with the pumps running or stopped?  If stopped and you are then putting water in with with the pumps running you will have over filled it lowering your salinity. 

 

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9 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Did the level drop any when you turned the pump on and you were filling it up from that? On a daily basis you want to top off with RODI or distilled but you may need to add a bit of fresh saltwater first to get your salinity where it needs to be.

 

(I thought I posted this last night but somehow it didn't take lol)

So, I didn't have a fill line until a few days ago, but where I marked the tank, the salinity was 1.025. The pump was running the entire time I put the tape on and measure salinity. Now, every day I come home from work and I have to top off back to the fill line. When I do that, the salinity is 1.025 BEFORE I top off, but when I add a cup of RO/DI to get back to the fill line, the salinity drops to 1.023.

 

8 hours ago, SeaFurn said:

It shouldn’t be off in a week. It will get off so you’ll want to check occasionally. I was just trying to think of reasons it could be so off. 

@Lula_Mae touches on a good point about the pump. 

Is the line that you marked the fill line with tape with the pumps running or stopped?  If stopped and you are then putting water in with with the pumps running you will have over filled it lowering your salinity. 

 

Pumps running

 

Sorry for so many posts on this, I really appreciate your guys help!!! I'm just so confused on what to do haha

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Strange. 

So I’d try this all again. Something’s been off at some point. 

Refill the tank to it’s fill line and make sure the salinity measures 1.025 with a calibrated refractometer.

Then tomorrow, when when you get home from work, before you refill the tank, measure the salinity again. It should be something more than 1.025.

Then use RODI to fill it back to it’s fill line. Wait a few minutes for the water to mix and check the salinity. It should be back to 1.025. 

Let us know how it goes. 

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On 5/31/2018 at 2:05 PM, SeaFurn said:

Strange. 

So I’d try this all again. Something’s been off at some point. 

Refill the tank to it’s fill line and make sure the salinity measures 1.025 with a calibrated refractometer.

Then tomorrow, when when you get home from work, before you refill the tank, measure the salinity again. It should be something more than 1.025.

Then use RODI to fill it back to it’s fill line. Wait a few minutes for the water to mix and check the salinity. It should be back to 1.025. 

Let us know how it goes. 

OK SO.....

 

I came home from work on  Friday, and there really was no evaporation, and refractometer showed 1.025

Saturday in the evening I saw it was below the fill line, and the refractometer showed probably between 1.025 and 1.026

Today, the water was enough that I wanted to fill up to fill line and refractometer showed 1.026. I added RO/DI and waited a bit...rechecked and it was 1.025!!!!!!! I have NO idea what I was doing wrong or what was going on, but it seems to have figured itself out?! THANK YOU

 

Now, next question is what do you guys reccommened that I have running in the back? the AIO comes with the carbon and the bio cubes with the dual foam block. I want to make an amazon order today and want to see what yall thought!

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You just need filter floss and some good carbon in the back. 

Ditch the bio balls and the foam block.  (Your live rock serves as your bio filter.)

 

You can make a floss holder out of egg crate pretty easily (DIY) - if there’s enough room in those chambers. Change it out the floss once per week.

 

Buy it some bulk carbon and put it in a mesh bag. Rinse it well before putting it in the tank. I change mine once per month. 

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