Robs UK 2 gallon jar

[Rob Francis]

Hi all,

I joined earlier I the year when I was setting up an ADA 45F.

this didn’t go anywhere so I started this 2 gallon jar just before lockdown hit.

The spec so far is as follows, 

2 gallon Anchor Hocking jar.

PicoPro lid with built in lights.

Caribsea sugar sized substrate - I really like this in a smaller set up.

Aquascape - 1 piece of genuine live rock - so light and porous compared to man made products and fits really well in the jar.

50w Visitherm heater - maybe to powerful but is what I had available at the time of setup.

D&D temperature controller.

Tunze mini 300lph pump with a fitted elbow so flow goes straight up for surface agitation.

Filter - Live rock only.

Salt - Red Sea blue bucket made with my own RODI water

Corals - so far I have a few Zoa’s so far (Rasta/punk rocker/bambamscrambled egg) and a single head Duncan which is sprouting 5 baby heads already.

livestock - A pair of scissor tail shrimps for a bit of movement and life.

Clean up Crew - A few brittle stars, a bristleworm and a ton of Amphipods, the rock is alive with them!

I can’t make my mind up exactly what to do at the moment with more corals, I am getting some more Zoa’s on payday but really like Ricordeas and small Euphylia too.

I may get a Rock Flower Anemone & Sexy Shrimp pair at a later date but am trying to keep it as simple as possible to run.

id love a Flame Prawn Goby but will probably not go for it as am trying to keep the bio load as small as possible.

I do an approx 30% water change each week and since it’s been set up have not had to top up with RO at all due to the lid.

The temp controller probe is held in place Behind the rock with a Zoo-Med magnet holder and I plan on adapting another two of them to hold my pump and heater to allow for easy cleaning during water changes.
I haven’t done any water tests for about a month and very rarely test salinity now either. With previous full size tanks I would constantly test/dose and change things, worrying all the time about parameters and suchlike.

Now, I just let it do its thing.

im off out tomorrow to look for a Stomatella snail and maybe a small Torch.

Cheers,

Rob.

 

 

 

[Ratvan]

Looks good, where did you find the Picopro light?

[debbeach13]

Looks nice. Good luck with the jar.

[SaltyGallon]

Nice Rob - looks a solid start that!

[WV Reefer]

54 minutes ago, Rob Francis said:

Hi all,

I joined earlier I the year when I was setting up an ADA 45F.

this didn’t go anywhere so I started this 2 gallon jar just before lockdown hit.

The spec so far is as follows, 

2 gallon Anchor Hocking jar.

PicoPro lid with built in lights.

Caribsea sugar sized substrate - I really like this in a smaller set up.

Aquascape - 1 piece of genuine live rock - so light and porous compared to man made products and fits really well in the jar.

50w Visitherm heater - maybe to powerful but is what I had available at the time of setup.

D&D temperature controller.

Tunze mini 300lph pump with a fitted elbow so flow goes straight up for surface agitation.

Filter - Live rock only.

Salt - Red Sea blue bucket made with my own RODI water

Corals - so far I have a few Zoa’s so far (Rasta/punk rocker/bambamscrambled egg) and a single head Duncan which is sprouting 5 baby heads already.

livestock - A pair of scissor tail shrimps for a bit of movement and life.

Clean up Crew - A few brittle stars, a bristleworm and a ton of Amphipods, the rock is alive with them!

I can’t make my mind up exactly what to do at the moment with more corals, I am getting some more Zoa’s on payday but really like Ricordeas and small Euphylia too.

I may get a Rock Flower Anemone & Sexy Shrimp pair at a later date but am trying to keep it as simple as possible to run.

id love a Flame Prawn Goby but will probably not go for it as am trying to keep the bio load as small as possible.

I do an approx 30% water change each week and since it’s been set up have not had to top up with RO at all due to the lid.

The temp controller probe is held in place Behind the rock with a Zoo-Med magnet holder and I plan on adapting another two of them to hold my pump and heater to allow for easy cleaning during water changes.
I haven’t done any water tests for about a month and very rarely test salinity now either. With previous full size tanks I would constantly test/dose and change things, worrying all the time about parameters and suchlike.

Now, I just let it do its thing.

im off out tomorrow to look for a Stomatella snail and maybe a small Torch.

Cheers,

Rob.

 

 

 

Nice!

[Rob Francis]

4 hours ago, Ratvan said:

Looks good, where did you find the Picopro light?

I bought it from the US.

It cost a small fortune in the end as had to buy a uk power adapter and then pay import fees etc but it really finishes the jar nicely as it stops all the stray light when using the glass lid.

I reckon it’s worth it as it’s my only tank at the moment, apart from the 1.6 litre jar I’ve just picked up from Ikea...

[Christopher Marks]

Great to see another PicoPro reef jar coming online! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it @Rob Francis!

[ReefSmart]

Any updates? Glad to see these making their way overseas! @Rob Francis

[Rob Francis]

On 2/1/2021 at 5:10 PM, ReefSmart said:

Any updates? Glad to see these making their way overseas! @Rob Francis

Hi there,

With various lockdowns etc over here I haven’t really done much with the jar since seti it up roughly this time last year.

Although it keeps on looking after itself and is so easy to maintain.

the led unit is still working perfectly, I have it set up with a cheap 10 hour on, 14 hour off timer with a very basic sunrise/sunset feature.

My Duncan now has 5 fully grown heads but now only have 1 mini shrimp as the smaller one just disappeared one day, no trace of it left in the tank whatsoever?

I have recently had a bit of a change, I use a small Eheim pickup filter now for flow and filtration, there is just enough room in the filter chamber for a small bag of Boyd chemi pure blue and some floss. I aim the outlet straight up with a 45 degree elbow to give a random flow and it seems to work very well.

I have removed the substrate to aid easy cleaning as I found it was getting a bit gritty and have laid the rock down in a flatter position.

A friend now has my zoa collection as I now intend to try some small torches and similar, and maybe the rock flower and sexy shrimp combo mentioned last year. and I also like the idea of an anemone crab too.

I haven’t done a water test for over 6 months and very rarely check salinity as have got used to the evap collecting on the led and just gripping back into the tank!

I’ll try to update again soon.

Cheers,

Rob

 

 

[Christopher Marks]

Glad to hear it's still going @Rob Francis! 2020 has definitely made it difficult to make progress with our hobby. I like your idea of rock flower anemones and shrimp moving forward.

 

Snap a photo to share when you have a chance, I'd love to see how you have your Eheim filter set up as well.

 

This is the first PicoPro light fixture outside of the US I bet, what was the process like for changing the power adapter? Did you have to change the LED drivers at all?

[SaltyGallon]

15 hours ago, Rob Francis said:

I haven’t done a water test for over 6 months and very rarely check salinity as have got used to the evap collecting on the led and just gripping back into the tank!

 

Cooor that's the dream Rob lol 👍

[Rob Francis]

18 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

Glad to hear it's still going @Rob Francis! 2020 has definitely made it difficult to make progress with our hobby. I like your idea of rock flower anemones and shrimp moving forward.

 

Snap a photo to share when you have a chance, I'd love to see how you have your Eheim filter set up as well.

 

This is the first PicoPro light fixture outside of the US I bet, what was the process like for changing the power adapter? Did you have to change the LED drivers at all?

No, it was dead easy, just double checked the specs and bought a decent quality adaptor.

Crossed my fingers when connecting it though!

I haven’t heard of any other’s over here but would definitely recommend one, expensive, especially with shipping and import tax, but it’s my only tank, and everything else is affordable for these little pico’s.

I’ll post some pics ASAP.

[Rob Francis]

5 hours ago, SaltyGallon said:

Cooor that's the dream Rob lol 👍

Yeah, it seems to work though, I was surprised when I first set it up and was waiting for it to go wrong but it’s still running well.

I felt bad to start with but the stock level is basically non existent so there isn’t anything really to harm and I do keep a good eye on it.

I try and look at it as a bit of an experiment and not get too attached or into it.

when I do that I find I get too involved and over the top trying to get everything perfect, it then becomes a chore.

my thoughts are, I can dismantle it and start again at any time if it goes wrong, quick 100% water change and it’s reset.

Here’s a pic from today showing the heater and filter, the sensor for the temp controller is just above the filter.

still very bare but I may start restocking again soon.

cheers,

Rob

 

[Rob Francis]

Just made up 5 litres of fresh salt water, I just weigh out 200g of salt, pour slowly into my bucket while stirring with a wooden spoon! Takes about 10 mins on and off and is perfectly clear by then. I give it an hour while heating to temperature, then syphon 2.5l out, and pour the fresh in. It’s so easy and quick, looking forward to lockdown ending now so I sally stock it.

I think I’m going to go for a couple of small Eyphillia and a rock flower nem with porcelain crab. Then if I can find one, one of my favourite fish, a Flame Prawn Goby.

They are so tiny I think it will be ok with regular, decent water changes.

any views on keeping a fish in these jars, does anyone else, or are you coral/inverts only?

Rob

[Rob Francis]

Quick pic of the Duncan, it comes out at night and is massive, then shrinks down during the day.

I also notice it is much happier when I have, or put a fresh one in, of the Boyd Chemipure Blue sachets in the filter chamber. I use a new one every 4 weeks and they really seem to clear the water so I’m very happy using them.

imalso add a few drops of Seachem seed at water changes to top up the bacteria.

I have toyed with the idea of an external sump/filter setup to remove everything from the display but I think it would just complicate it, and so I would lose the enjoyment I get from its simplicity.

Rob

 

[fulltang]

Nice jar! I'm in the process of setting up my own. I'm wondering how that Eheim is working for you and if you have any more to say on it? I have a little Tunze pump that I was planning on using, but that's an interesting option!