William Posted October 5, 2019 Author Share Posted October 5, 2019 13 hours ago, Poison Dart Frog said: Your little tank looks so nice. I just got one of the Mignon 150 filters and a $29 Aquatop reef light to set up another pico. Yours is definitely an inspiration. The layout is excellent. Thank you, I highly recommend the surface skimmer mod. S.T. International Aquarium Surface Skimmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GR9OYY6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_29lMDb7DK1S9C is the one i use. I cut it so that it has a smaller firm factor in order to fit the small tank. 3 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 On 10/5/2019 at 5:07 PM, William said: Thank you, I highly recommend the surface skimmer mod. S.T. International Aquarium Surface Skimmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GR9OYY6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_29lMDb7DK1S9C is the one i use. I cut it so that it has a smaller firm factor in order to fit the small tank. Think i need something like this for the Pico, seems my surface skimmer is not working and I have a tank like an oil slick (again) Quote Link to comment
mariahranch Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I know it is a smaller filter with lower flow, but I recently added this tiny guy to my aquamaxx pico. It comes already set up with the surface skimmer, is a perfect tiny size for the tank, and is cheap. I’ve actually purchased several of these now and added one to each of my nano tanks because they really do work. My only complaint is the power cord is really short! https://www.amazon.com/FEDOUR-Aquarium-Cascade-Unbreakable-Biochemical/dp/B07SHD1BGN/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=FEDOUR+Aquarium+Cascade+Hang-On+Mini+Filter+for+1-10+Gallon%2C+Unbreakable+Shell+and+Quiet%2CBiochemical+Cotton+Filter&qid=1570455537&sr=8-1 if you plan on using a powerhead anyway I think it is a good option for these little tanks 2 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 I’m not sure if these will be the final photos (I just did a water change today and everything is a bit upset) 6 4 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 And some more Quote Link to comment
caas1496 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Wow the tank looks amazing. Those are some awesome mushrooms. What are your plans for the tank after contest is over? Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 I’m kinda sad that the contest is almost over. I think this tank will truly shine with another 4-6 months of growth.... 2 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 1 minute ago, caas1496 said: Wow the tank looks amazing. Those are some awesome mushrooms. What are your plans for the tank after contest is over? I had considered upgrading it to a larger tank, but I kinda love the way it looks and it’s incredibly low maintenance. So at this point I will keep it going in it’s current state. I may try to add more SPS corals. 2 Quote Link to comment
caas1496 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 I agree. I hope you will keep posting updates so we can follow along. Its turning out to be awesome tank. Has it been difficult to keep the SPS you have now happy with such a small water volume? Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 1 minute ago, caas1496 said: I agree. I hope you will keep posting updates so we can follow along. Its turning out to be awesome tank. Has it been difficult to keep the SPS you have now happy with such a small water volume? I had a pretty hard time with them early on. I have thrown some birdsnest trimmings from my Reefer in the pico and they are doing well. I plan to post updates on this tank for as long as I have it (I guess at the year mark this tank would be old enough to be a contestant for TOTM). Quote Link to comment
A.m.P Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Your upset tank looks better than allot of folk's peak lol... 1 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 2 minutes ago, Amphrites said: Your upset tank looks better than allot of folk's peak lol... Lol.... I appreciate it. I honestly think having macroalgae in the tank has helped a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 44 minutes ago, William said: I’m jealous of your zoas. They all look great. 1 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 16 minutes ago, WV Reefer said: I’m jealous of your zoas. They all look great. I typically have a hard time with them, but for some reason this tank is the exception. I have found that when I started dosing All for Reef and acropower they started to take off. 2 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 How are those Zoas growing beneath the hob filter? Looks like they're mounted on some form or Orthodontist Brace Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 The corals and their colors are great. I think this tank will be a contender. 2 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Ratvan said: How are those Zoas growing beneath the hob filter? Looks like they're mounted on some form or Orthodontist Brace They are attached to the underside of a cup coral 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 1 minute ago, William said: They are attached to the underside of a cup coral Wow, that's cool. 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Hi @William 👋 Can you believe it has been 7 months already? The summer flew by! This is a friendly reminder to post your final competition FTS and a 1 to 2 paragraph recap of your experience in the pico reef competition (for voting). Be sure to share your future plans for your pico reef as well, will it continue forward or get an upgrade? The competition ends on Sunday October 27th at midnight! Thank you for being a part of the Old School Pico Reef Competition! ❤️ 1 Quote Link to comment
William Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 Final FTS: I want to start off by saying that I have really enjoyed this competition. Seeing all of the different ways in which a 2.5 gallon pico aquarium can be set up and maintained has been both informative and entertaining. When I decided to join the competition in April, I did not have a specific plan or idea. I already had an Ultum Nature Systems 3N freshwater planted pico aquarium on my desk at the time and I thought that a saltwater version would look great next to it. I designed the aquascape to somewhat mimic the scape in my planted aquarium. The addition of red dragon's breath macroalgae also assisted in this. The tank had some ups and downs in the beginning, with a dinoflagellate outbreak ranking among the worst. I moved apartments in June, and despite a large amount of anxiety on my part, the aquariums did wonderfully. I have really been surprised by how easy this tank is to care for with only a 1 gallon water changes every other week. I believe that one reason for this is due to the macroalgae acting as a source for nutrient export. I have really fallen in love with this tank and I currently have no plans to take it down. I have contemplated upgrading it to a larger UNS tank, but at this time I plan to leave it as it is. Aquarium specs: Tank: UNS 3N (2.9 gal) Light: Nano-box reef Tide Filter: Azoo mignon 150 with surface skimmer attachment Heater: Marina Compact Heater Auto-top off: XPAqua Circulation: Hydor Pico evo-mag 180 Rock: Rubble from my RSR Nano, "shapes" rock Sand: Sand from RSR nano, pulse a small amount of dry special grade Dosing (weekly): 2ml Tropic Marin "All-For-Reef" 1ml Acropower 3 drops of Vibrant Inhabitants: Fish: Snow Onyx Clownfish Inverts: Red Mithrax crab Pom Pom Crab Rainbow Bubble-tip Anemone Mini-maxi carpet Anemone(s) Rock Flower Anemone(s) Various snails Various hermits Coral: Birdsnest Katopora Green acropora Orange setosa Red pocillopora Orange leptastrea Green Duncan x2 Dragon soul favia Zoanthids (random) Purple frilly gorgonian Blastomusa merletti Red Iridescent mushroom Orange Jawbreaker mushroom Assorted favia Assorted Chalice Here is a bonus FTS: 19 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 This tank is fantastic looking! TOTM worthy when it hits a year old 😉 5 Quote Link to comment
William Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 8 hours ago, Tamberav said: This tank is fantastic looking! TOTM worthy when it hits a year old 😉 Thanks 😊 Quote Link to comment
William Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 Voting Time!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
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