Wingy's "Old School Pico Reef" now a 5 gallon rimless

[Wingy]

12 hours ago, seabass said:

I'm not sure; depending on your HOB, you might find a heater that fits inside.  For my pico, I'm using a 7.5W always on heater (with a temperature controller), placed inside my filter.  Thermostats make the heaters larger, and seem to be the part that fails first.

 

This is what I'm using:

https://www.amazon.com/Bettastik-Submersible-Betta-Heater-7-5watt/dp/B006QOFST2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Deep+blue+7.5+heater&qid=1561286840&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Ignore the customer ratings from people who didn't understand that it's an always on (not preset) heater.

 

You might check some other contest threads for other ideas.

How big is the heater and how far does it stick out when using the suction cups?  I can't find the dimensions online anywhere.  I really don't want to put it into the filter but if it doesn't stick out to much it can go horizontally under the filter outflow. 

 

 

Everything is very unhappy today.  Even the duncan, which was open even at 66F, is closed up and angry.  I think the heater is messing with the flow and has everything out of sorts.  Even my parrot is freaked out by it and is hiding in the corner.  

[Wingy]

Never mind on measuring it.  I found a pic of one next to a Sharpie marker for comparison.  The suction cup mount can't make it stick out to far so ordered one and if it is to big I will send it back.  

[Wonderboy]

It could be possible that the rapid increase in temperature when you added the new heater had something to do with it. What was the heater set at? If the water was at 66, bringing it up to 72 would probably be the most increase I would allow in a day/few hours (small tanks heat faster than not as small ones). I'm sure everything will be fine though as long as similar increases are not a reoccurring thing.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Wonderboy

[seabass]

4 hours ago, Wingy said:

ordered one

Cool.  Do you have a temperature controller?  You can pick up an Inkbird for not a lot more than a digital timer and thermometer.

 

Otherwise, worse case scenario, is to put it on a timer.  At 7W, it heats fairly slowly, so it's possible to use a timer (on for awhile, then off...); it would take some experimenting to get it set up right on a timer, and need occasional adjustments as the room temperature changes.  However, a temperature controller is the best option (and gives you a good digital thermometer).

 

The heater is shockingly small.  And at 7W, doesn't get that hot.  I shove mine in between the filter cartridge and the back wall of my HOB.  You could put it anywhere, just make sure to unplug it when it's out of the water.

 

Oh, one other thing, I wish the cord were a little longer.  I had to put mine on an extension cord.  However, if you situate your Inkbird close enough, that shouldn't be necessary.

[Wingy]

I have an Inkbird  coming tomorrow and the stick heater will arrive by July 1.  I went with the dual heat/cool on the inkbird because it was only a few dollars more.  I can't see me using the cool but it will be there just in case.   The mushroom is not doing well.  It is shriveled to the size of a pencil eraser and its mouth is gaping.  The sexies, pom pom crab and even the astrea snail have surrounded it.  I think they are waiting for it to die.  I am not going to pull it because I have seen it do this before and won't be surprised at all to see it fat and happy when I get home tonight.  

 

 

[Wingy]

The mushroom is still alive.  It isn't fat and happy but it isn't shriveled.  One or more of the shrimp destroyed my xenia.  It is completely shredded and only a little tiny eraser size piece of the base is left on its rock chip.  I am so mad I seriously considered scampi for dinner.  

[MetaTank]

Damn, I mean, on the one hand, it ate your Xenia. On the other hand, it ate your Xenia? I dunno where I’m going with this one...

[Wingy]

I'm not certain it ate any of the xenia but it ripped large pieces apart.  I had to hunt around and pull out as many chunks as I could find.  I am leaving the little bit of the base for now since there has been no amonia spike so far.  Maybe it can come back.  If any of it manages to survive I think I may have to get a magnetic frag holder and mount it on the side, out of reach of bad shrimps.  

[seabass]

The xenia frags will often take hold if you let them be.  As long as they aren't melting/disintegrating there's a chance they will take hold.  Some people would see this as good, while others would view this as a problem.  I know that some people feel you could stick xenia in a blender, pour it in a tank, and you'd have a tank full of xenia (don't try this). 

[debbeach13]

3 minutes ago, seabass said:

I know that some people feel you could stick xenia in a blender, pour it in a tank, and you'd have a tank full of xenia (don't try this). 

I remember years ago some one did that with mushrooms. Back when blue mushroom were given away between club members or 3 for $5 at the LFS. I do not remember the results being good.  I think he blended too much.

[Wingy]

The Inkbird arrived on Wednesday and the thermometer arrived today.  I set it all up this evening.  Its a shame that other heater was so big.  The temperature was spot on all the time.  I guess our next tank will need to be large enough to accommodate the big heater.  

[seabass]

3 hours ago, Wingy said:

Its a shame that other heater was so big.

I'm surprised that was your impression.  I remember being impressed with its small size.  It can't be much bigger than a finger.

[Wingy]

3 hours ago, seabass said:

I'm surprised that was your impression.  I remember being impressed with its small size.  It can't be much bigger than a finger.

The emergency heater I had to buy last weekend when the one I had crapped out is the huge one.  It worked great and kept the tank at a consistent 77F.  This new stick heater is a great size but it is having trouble keeping the tank above 72F and I have a top on the tank.  I had to pull the Inkbird and new stick heater from the tank in the middle of the night and put big ugly back in.   I'm not sure if the problem is user error or if something is defective.  

[seabass]

Hmm... not sure.  For me, it takes a while to heat the tank, but I can easily heat it to 80°F.  And the online complaints even seem to be from it heating too much.  I'm kind of thinking it's defective.

[Wingy]

It could be a defective heater, a defective temperature probe, it could be that I set the Inkbird wrong.  I will be doing a deep clean and water change later today so I put the stick heater in the box of water without the Inkbird to see what happens.  

[seabass]

1 minute ago, Wingy said:

I put the stick heater in the box of water without the Inkbird to see what happens.

Good plan.

[Wingy]

The Inkbird and stick heater are now working correctly.  It was user error.  I held off doing a water change yesterday in favor of a deep clean today and I'm glad I did.  I found more giant amphipods, this time munching on the mystic montipora, gsp and knopia.  This morning I took everything out, removed and isolated the astrea snail sexies and pom pom crab, stirred the substrate until it looked like milk, removed a dozen red bristle worms that were slow and dipped both corals and rocks in Lugols.  I stopped counting giant amphipods at 12.  I don''t know if they were all coral munchers but they are all dead.  I doubt I got them all because I see little pods on the glass but I reduced their numbers.  Everything is slowly starting to open except for the Sunny D's which were open within minutes of being back on their rock.  

[RickvD]

This amazes me! All of this in such a small tank.

[Wingy]

For some reason the xenia and the simple blue mushroom are giving me the most trouble.  

[Wingy]

The green slimer acro came unglued from the rock during the transfer, shame on me for not gluing it back down, one of the shrimp bumped it and the acro bounced down the rock.  I hope the flesh isn't damaged.  I have placed it in the bottom for now.  The damage the amphipods did to the monty is pretty noticeable now.  There are a few white patches near the center.  Hopefully the Lugols dip will help it heal.  Before lights out the polyps were out and extended and it looked good otherwise.  

[Wingy]

Post big clean out and dip the mystic montipora is almost completely healed.  The green slimer acro is not looking great, its color is not as vibrant since its move and subsequent fall,.  I have moved it higher and turned the light up a bit to see if that helps.  Just about everything else is out and happy including the mushroom.  The duncan seems to like the shifting I did.  Maybe because it isn't touching the side of the tank now.  The little nub is xenia stalk is still holding on but the spoinid hair worms have started picking at it.  That poor piece has been through hell.  

[debbeach13]

Sounds like most of your tank is heading in the right directions. I hope the rest turns the corner for you.

[Wingy]

22 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Sounds like most of your tank is heading in the right directions. I hope the rest turns the corner for you.

Thanks, I hope so too.  

[Wingy]

The snails finished off the last of the xenia this afternoon.  I may try xenia again if the good LFS has any attached to a tiny piece of rubble.  Good news is that I am seeing more and more little pods but if I didn't kill off all the little pods what are the chances that I didn't kill off all the big bad pods.  My other half asked if I could be reintroducing both the small and/or the big bad pods into the tank from eggs in the Imagitarium water.  Is it possible for the eggs not to hatch until light and food source is present?  

[Wonderboy]

I guess it's possible; it says "sanitized" though. But seriously, unless you're using chemicals, those amphipods are going to come back like the little ones do every time; they are probably as tiny as the little ones when they first start out and are deep in the rock and sand. I imagine that they are scavengers but can go after your corals because of their achieved size and appetite. You must do a good job keeping things clean. I wonder if you could just leave small slices of zucchini in there as constant sustenance (I feed microfauna in my systems certain blended, frozen veggies weekly). I also think it would be a good idea to get something else to hunt them for you.