2.5 gallon office Pico Reef

[DCaldarona]

Thanks to Etsy for having obscure things we reefers enjoy! I was able to find a 3D printed 1/4" RFG! Of course I broke it on install and had to super glue it back together, but it works perfectly.

 

I was able to spend a minute cleaning the tank and used a toothbrush to remove a bit of the algae. Still keeping up with the 2 100% water changes weekly. I did add some Marine Pure Gems in a small filter bag to the back chamber in hopes of adding more bio filtration.

Things are getting better! Stay tuned....

[dwdenny]

Tank is looking good. just started cycling mine but not rushing into things have some work travel coming up soon and don't want to worry about anything but cycling while I am gone. Plus my wife wouldn't what to mess with the tank.

[DCaldarona]

UPGRADES & ALGAE ELIMINATOR

Yep! I upgraded the tank! The 2.5 gallon was okay and I may use it for another project but I just wanted a tiny bit more room. PetCo had a sale on the GloFish 3 Gallon AIO aquariums so I grabbed one. It's decent for the price. What I like most is that I was able to use the return pump of my choosing. It did take a bit of reworking the weird plumbing that came stock but I went with a 90gph pump! The filter chamber is just more spacious overall and accommodates a good amount of Marine pure balls. The feature I like least is the flared nozzle. For some reason the bottom was left open which, when paired with the power of the pump I have, causes the water to arch towards the surface of the water making a lot of noise. The only solution this far has been to strategically aim the nozzle down and toward the side glass. 

An additional lighting upgrade that I'm super happy about is the AI Prime HD! Nothing against the Kessil A80 (it's a great light) I just always like the ability to provide a more natural sunrise/sunset effect for my reef tanks. I couldn't pass on the Prime as I was getting it with the 18" flex neck and shipped for $150. It's such a versatile light It'll not go to waste.

I'm willingly turning myself in to the Tang Police!

Yes, I have a Sailfin Tang in a 3 Gallon aquarium...WAIT! BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT! it is very very small ( Just larger than a ¢.50 piece) AND it is a very short term tank. It's here to clean up the algae and then it'll move along to my larger tank at home. I've also added a Bicolor Blenny to help with algae control and to further reduce the time the Tang will be in this tank. 

I've added some more coral but I did remove the Pocillipora as the Blenny was nipping at it.

Enjoy the pics. Stay tuned for more

 

 

 

 

 

[Zer0]

Gotta say, I didn't think I would ever see pico and tang in the same sentence, but here we are lol. Tank looks nice!

[DCaldarona]

He's already bulldozing the hair algae. I think he'll be out of there by the first week of April.

[DCaldarona]

AI PRIME PICO REEF SETTINGS

Taken from BRS recommended settings for 7.5gal and lowered to meet the needs of this small tank. 

[dwdenny]

WWC has a setting for their 2g pico pretty blue for me and it has a lot of green early in the startup.  Been playing around with their setting to find what I like but I don't have any coral in the tank yet. 

 

I might try your settings on my 4g they look good to me. I like more of the 14,000k look. I used to the run the old Phoenix 150W HQI MH bulbs which said they were 14,000k and a couple CF actinic bulbs on my 40 breeder.

[DCaldarona]

Thanks! I'll have to check out their recommended settings.

[DCaldarona]

Well as of two weeks ago the tang and blenny have been rehomed. I took that opportunity to rescape the rock work. I had a buck of rocks curing for about two months. I had glued a little reef scape together awhile back and tossed it in a heated and circulated bucket of saltwater. Since I wasn’t in any hurry it ended up soaking for about two months. Because the little scape was already glued and cured, the switch out was easy. I’ve ordered a box of Two little fishies Stax so I could add a few small flat rocks to the base of the scape. I want to add some height and a nice flat place for an mini acan garden. 
 

More to come….

[greenerdayz]

Any chance you still have this tank up? Just bought a 2.5 retreat and have some questions!

[DCaldarona]

Oh man! I've been so busy. I still have the tank. However I upgraded my office tank to a 7.5g

[DCaldarona]

Things have been significantly upgraded! 

[DCaldarona]

Update on 7.5:

Two Blood Orange Misbar Clowns are now the primary residents. They are beauties and have been hanging out for a few months now. A few softies dotted across the aquascape. Water changes are once a week of about 95%. Tank seems to have settled in now and I'm considering adding a few more corals. The issue is that the clowns are VERY territorial and will pick at or try to throw new additions away from their space. 

I'm getting a new office and have a new 15 Gallon Innovative Marine tank waiting to be employed, so I may just wait until then to make any changes. 

[DCaldarona]

It's been a while since I've posted an update. The tank has reached a very stable point int it's life. The Pulsing Xenia have of course taken over, there a few aptasia that I have yet to kill but they are out of the way, mostly. The clowns are doing very well and are healthy. The mushroom has split which is nice. Overall I truly think the Xenia are soaking up the majority of any excess nutrients the clean up crew takes care of the rest. I am ashamed to admit I don't recall the last time I did a water change, however, everything seems to be doing very well. 

[debbeach13]

Did you ever set up the 15 gallon?

[DCaldarona]

@debbeach13 Unfortunately I decided against it and actually ended up selling the tank unopened. Maybe when I have more time and space.