Kickin' It Old School 2.5g Pico Reef Competition! 😎🎓

[JP728]

I havent started my thread yet but you can count me in!

[asting]

15 minutes ago, JP728 said:

I havent started my thread yet but you can count me in!

 

 

Ooh. Photos of back/stand?

[Christopher Marks]

2 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

@Christopher Marks - quick question. The contest starts at 30/3/19 - US-timing, am I correct?

 

Asking because I'm ahead of most of you since I'm in the GMT+8 timezone. So I'll start at 31/3/2019, my local time? 🤔

That’s correct. You’ll have to wait for me to reveal the secret item to be photographed inside your dry tank on the 30th of March, which will likely be the 31st for your time zone 🙂 

1 hour ago, metrokat said:

Of course I wanna! But I just tore down my 2.5g freshwater to make room for...

Fate! To make room for a pico reef 😁

[Christopher Marks]

20 minutes ago, JP728 said:

I havent started my thread yet but you can count me in!

What a cool build! Beautiful customizations to hide the HOB filter and light mount. 

[asting]

Argh. Ordered the mr. Aqua.

 

https://www.amazon.com/LED-Aquarium-Light-Saltwater-10-18inch/dp/B07557W5JS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=asta+marine+led&qid=1553613635&s=gateway&sr=8-3

 

This looks promising. Will be smaller/neater than my fleabay par38.

[JP728]

18 minutes ago, asting said:

Ooh. Photos of back/stand?

Here's the top on hinges for easy hob access. And the back with some extra room for air pump, heater wires and thermometer. The light mount came from my RS MaxNano. 

16 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

What a cool build! Beautiful customizations to hide the HOB filter and light mount. 

Thanks Chris!

[seabass]

That's so cool!

[Lingwendil]

21 minutes ago, JP728 said:

Here's the top on hinges for easy hob access. And the back with some extra room for air pump, heater wires and thermometer. The light mount came from my RS MaxNano. 

Thanks Chris!

Thats rad

 

[Lingwendil]

Anybody doing up a homebrew LED rig for their build? I can donate a couple of PCBs to the cause if they are... My PCBs use the Meanwell LDD700L drivers ($3.50 eah at LED supply) and four or eight channel capability. Would be fun 🙂

 

[A Little Blue]

1 hour ago, JP728 said:

I havent started my thread yet but you can count me in!

Nicely done. 👍

[asting]

Will an ac30 fit a tetra 50w heater? Let's find out

[Tamberav]

7 hours ago, GraniteReefer said:

Like spending 12$ on another tank

It would probably break too.. nah I looked around yesterday and didn't find another.

[Tamberav]

4 hours ago, asting said:

A Standard 2.5 gallon 12" x 6" x 8" or near-equivalent dimension tank, glass or acrylic.

• Max variance of 2" is allowed in twodimensions only.

 

Technically, no because it has a variance in 3 of the dimensions? A strict reading anyway. The first dimension is 10 vs standard 12, second dimension is 6 vs standard 8, and third dimension is 8 vs 9. Maybe you say the 8 should be matched against 8, but then your 6 is left with a 3" variance against 9.

 

 

This one qualifies and I've been eyeing.

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/3-gallon-rimless-aquarium-mr-aqua.html

I looked at that one but wasn't sure if it being a bowfront would be an issue. I forgot how cheap that tank is though and it's looking good right now.

[asting]

56 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

I looked at that one but wasn't sure if it being a bowfront would be an issue. I forgot how cheap that tank is though and it's looking good right now.

Even accounting for the bow as if it were fully rectangular it is still within size limits so I hope it counts. I ordered it, an ac30, and that cheapo light above. Placed my autotopoff.com order and have a heater and fountain pump already. 

 

Also ordered some smart wifi outlets so I can easily turn off ato, filter, heater for water changes.

 

Is an ac30 sufficient flow? Should I nab a small fountain pump to use as a powerhead?

[Tamberav]

2 hours ago, asting said:

Even accounting for the bow as if it were fully rectangular it is still within size limits so I hope it counts. I ordered it, an ac30, and that cheapo light above. Placed my autotopoff.com order and have a heater and fountain pump already. 

 

Also ordered some smart wifi outlets so I can easily turn off ato, filter, heater for water changes.

 

Is an ac30 sufficient flow? Should I nab a small fountain pump to use as a powerhead?

Ya, the rules say standard but I don't think it bows very much?

 

If my leak test fails I may have to get one of those or UNS.

[MetaTank]

Petco is having an online sale, figured I'd spread the word since it ends tonight

 

$20 off your order of $80 or more. Till 11:59 Pacific Time, tonight 3/26/19. Not bad, free shipping on orders over $49

 

Promo Code: spring20

 

No live fish or rock available in this promo

[coryscritch]

6 hours ago, JP728 said:

I havent started my thread yet but you can count me in!

[coryscritch]

That looks really slick 

[Tmr8188]

Ugh.  The Petco’s and Petsmarts near me don’t have any 2.5 gallon tanks in stock.

[hotdrop]

6 hours ago, Lingwendil said:

Anybody doing up a homebrew LED rig for their build? I can donate a couple of PCBs to the cause if they are... My PCBs use the Meanwell LDD700L drivers ($3.50 eah at LED supply) and four or eight channel capability. Would be fun 🙂

 

How do you enclose the LEDs themselves? I’ve thought about building something like this to drive a COB vero29 fuge light but salt spray/creep problems scare me. There aren’t really any off the shelf solutions to enclose the lights that I’ve found. 

[asting]

29 minutes ago, Tmr8188 said:

Ugh.  The Petco’s and Petsmarts near me don’t have any 2.5 gallon tanks in stock.

Same. that's why i went for the 2.5 mr. aqua.

[Tmr8188]

38 minutes ago, asting said:

Same. that's why i went for the 2.5 mr. aqua.

That’s a neat little tank, hopefully they let you in with that.  I was actually wanting to start a small pico and bought a spec III at Petco the other day.  Need to return that one, a contest should keep me interested enough.

[Lingwendil]

3 hours ago, hotdrop said:

How do you enclose the LEDs themselves? I’ve thought about building something like this to drive a COB vero29 fuge light but salt spray/creep problems scare me. There aren’t really any off the shelf solutions to enclose the lights that I’ve found. 

Buy a makersLED 6" for it, super easy 😉

[billdeluz]

On 3/25/2019 at 10:41 AM, hotdrop said:

Might be fun can we limit it to frags only? It’s kind of lame to have people shove a couple hundred dollars of mature coral and rock into a pico and show off a gorgeous reef. A big part of the challenge should be to grow out the pico not just decorate it. 

I dont rhink i could get a colony of anything in this tank lol im sticking with frags regardless 

[Beer]

12 hours ago, Lingwendil said:

I'm already working on replacing my 20 long with a 40 breeder, and I have a 10 tall fresh.....

What are the dimensions on the 10 tall? Is it based off of a 5 gallon?

I’ve been thinking of starting some breeding projects and something like that might work. I need height for some of the breeding tanks. I was thinking of going with a 20 tall, but didn’t want to take up that much space, especially when the fish don’t really need it. I saw some 5 gallon breeders, which hare half height 10s. 20 talls are just double height 10s. It never even occurred to me to make a 10 gallon tall from a 5 gallon frame.