The diary of a 2.5G Pico reef (DIY/AIO)

[Squid_reef]

 

Hi, fellow reefers. 

 

 I will be hosting the evolution of the tank on Instagram under the name Squid_Reef.

 

 Below are some pictures of the progress. - it's still very early days! only been up and running from yesterday, 

 Now comes the cycling (which I won't rush), I'm only planning to grow corals with a few invertebrates. 

 

TANK SPECS

Display: Ciano Cube 15

Rock: CaribSea Liferock Nano Arches

Sand: CaribSea Sand

Lighting: Fluval Nano Marines LED

Return Pump: AquaMedic DC Runner 1.3

Heating: Aquael Ultra Heater 25w

Controller: Inkbird Temperature Controller ITC-308S

Skimmer: None

Filtration: 3 Chambers DIY
Refugium: DIY chamber with Chaeto + LED light

Filter Media: Floss + Red Sea Reef Spec Carbon & Seachem PhosGuard

Top Off: Auto Aqua

Monitoring: Seneye

LIVESTOCK:

INVERTS:

1x Blue hermit crabs
3x Ceriths snails
1x Sexy Schrimp

CORALS:

1x Pink Tip Torch/Euphyllia 
1x Black Torch/Euphyllia 
1x Super Green Candy Cane
1x Purple Rim Candy Cane
1x Flamboyance Zoa

1x Ice Phantom Zoa
1x Scrambled eggs Zoa
1x Eagle Eye Zoa
1x Acan Micromussa

LATEST FTS: 15/06/2022

 

THREAD START:



Here's the pictures of the progress, I hope some of you will make the journey on Instagram to support and share tips/advice.👊

   Carib sea live rock

 

 

 

   Making of the Sump.

 

 

 

   Making of the Sump.

 

 

   Making of the Sump.

 

 

   Leak test & Coral positioning.

 

 

   Filtration in place.

 

 

Cycling has started.


TBC...

[debbeach13]

Welcome back.

[Squid_reef]

Thank you @debbeach13!

[SantaMonica]

Look at that media basket :)

[Squid_reef]

8 hours ago, SantaMonica said:

Look at that media basket 🙂

It has been quite fun in the process, learning from the pro(s) 

[SaltyGallon]

A great set up, and cool scape. Following along 🙂

[Squid_reef]

20 hours ago, SaltyGallon said:

A great set up, and cool scape. Following along 🙂

Thank you @SaltyGallon🙌

I always enjoy looking up at yours 🤓

[LazyFish]

I love the rock scape on this...makes me want to redo my 2.5 I just started o.o

[Squid_reef]

Thanks @LazyFish!
Still got time for that 🤙

[Squid_reef]

So, I wasn't 100% pleased with where I placed the Pico originally (having some electrical equipment nearby was stressing me out)
 

I've bought a small cabinet which fits in nicely, making more room for all the bits and bobs.

Other than that, the cycle is still on - I dosed some Dr Tim's Ammonium yesterday to help with the process and have the RedSea starter kit to complete it all. 
 

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

I like the new spot/cabinet, and a nice little diy tank 👍

[Squid_reef]

Quick update.

The cycle is at it's tipping point, Ammonia is dropping hard since a few days (I'm taking things really slow with that tiny cube), Nitrites & Nitrates are already there as well.
Thanks to the Seneye I'm able to follow the whole journey.






My PH however is not yet stabilize nor is high enough.




Spoiler alert - I'm not planning to add any lifeform before at least January as I'm going abroad very soon, so it will just be the tank as it is with the bacterias doing their thing. 


In the meantime in order to keep me entertained I have built a quick lid to prevent any splashes & to reduce evaporation 😏

pan widget

[Nixperience]

Looks good. I think the lid off will help the PH. 

[Squid_reef]

13 minutes ago, Nixperience said:

Looks good. I think the lid off will help the PH. 

Yeah I think you're definitely right, I was already starting to notice a further drop. 

 

I'll do a laser cut to convert it to a mesh screen lid👍

[Squid_reef]

Happy New Year everyone! 💫

Hell of a start for me as I've introduced the first corals to the Pico over the past weeks.
I went to my LFS and grabbed two Torches, a few Zoas and one Candy Can. 

I've also introduced a Blue hermit crab and a Sexy shrimp. 

Here's a few snaps of their introduction to their new habitat 🙌

 

Quote

 

      



Pink Tip Torch


Candy Cane


Zoas.

  

[Squid_reef]

Bit of update.
 
I've got another Candy cane (purple this time) to go along with the green one 🖖 - Green one is going to split very soon, he's loving the spot.
Also added a couple of Zoas to the gang, will let them settle gently, pictures will come later on - my scrambled eggs on the other hand are battling with BGH so I'll keep an eye on them, taking them out and dipping them with Coral dip RX is something I'm willing to do as the last call if things get too ugly (but that will imply to get them unglued from the rock.. not something I'm looking for.)
 
And last addition and not the least! A mesmerizing Acan💥.
 
Here are some shots, don't hesitate to follow up on Instagram for more content and reels 😁.

 
Euphyllia Garden - @Squid_reef





Acan - @Squid_reef




 
Candy Cane about to split - @Squid_reef




 
Pico - @Squid_reef
 

 

[Squid_reef]

Quick setup update.

I've made some room in the 'Sump' to make a small refugium.

I've got a LED lamp that I'm planning to dim using tracing paper (potentially some coloured one to get the light warmer).
 

Here's a quick peek:

 

 
Small cage made up of Egg Crates - @Squid_reef


No more room!- @Squid_reef
 

[yodav]

How do you like the Seneye and what does it monitor? I don't do any testing or monitoring but would love to keep track of the key parameters in the easiest way possible.

[Squid_reef]

@yodav

I'm enjoying it very much, it's one of the best investments I've done about the Pico so far tbh. 
 
It comes at a cost, but if you're looking for an 'easy' solution to keep track of the key parameters at any time and from anywhere then I'd say the Seneye is worth it. ( It gives you a reading every 30 minutes and you have to change the slide for PH etc.. once a month)
 
It covers all the basic parameters such as PH, Temperature, Nh3 (Ammonia) and Nh4 (Ammonium) + and that's a big plus - it can be used as a PAR/LUX Meter and that is decent👌
 
Here are a few shots of the UI to give you an idea (this is taken from my phone but you can do the same thing from your Pc/Mac):

This is the App UI - it gives you the basic information:




Then if you want more details you can go to the dashboard:





You can see the data either as a graphic or by readings:






And there's the PAR/LUX meters you can use when needed.







 

[Ratvan]

Is that the Seneye Reef? I have the Home version knocking around somewhere that I have never used (was in a job lot of fish stuff with a tank that i wanted) 

[yodav]

@Squid_reef Thanks. This is really helpful. I am seeing mixed reviews about it but I would be willing to give it a shot. An Apex system just seems way too expensive for my first monitoring system.

[Squid_reef]

@Ratvan Yes that's the one 👍


@yodav No worries.

They are some mixed reviews indeed - I've done some research before getting it - most of the bad reviews I've seen were about the accuracy of some of the readings being off.
I mean, in my opinion, most of the people want the product to work as advertised without taking the care of looking at the instruction... which explain some of the complaints.
 

For instance, I have tested all the parameters against the Seneye on the first day (just like you would calibrate any other bits of equipment) I noticed the temperature was reading a bit higher than it was supposed to - I just had to correct it through the app (you can calibrate each setting accordingly to your reading if you need to). That was a problem solved in no time. 
 

Also, you're supposed to change your 'slide' each month and Seneye mentioned that for a Marine reef tank you should make sure to soak your 'slide' in your tank's water at least 48H before swapping it. (if you're religiously doing this there's no reason the readings would be off).

Again this is only my experience, others can differ but overall it's a a good deal compared to a proper Apex system.

 

[Squid_reef]

Well, it's been a while. 🤪
 I got stuck with work and life and didn't manage to post any updates here.
 
 Here's a quick recap of how things have been over the past few months.
 
 I had to deal with some intruders, that came by to say hello.
 Asterina stars were the first ones. 
 It didn't bother me at first until I realized it was bullying some of my Zoas which eventually ended with some of them dying, I spotted a few heads missing every morning.
 I did a quick clean and got rid of the 2 Asterina that were in the tank, Zoas are fine by now?
 
 The second intruders which is still an inhabitant of the tank are Aiptasia.
 I've tried to use Aiptasia-X - didn't do much, it's killing the big ones but there's always more to come, I'm ok with it as long as it doesn't start to bother another coral.
 I was thinking of getting a peppermint shrimp to take care of them if that gets out of control.
 If anyone has any advice other than A-X and Peppermint I'm eager to hear some.
 
 Apart from the intruders, things have been pretty good, I've noticed some growth on some of the Favia and the Candy Cane who split and are already making another batch of heads. The Purple on the other hand hasn't split yet.
 
 I've also added the following corals: Elegance, Cyarina, Hammer & Cyphastrea.
 
 here are some shots and the LTS.


 

 

Full tank shot 06/15/2022 - @Squid_reef





The Elegance is making the Torch look tiny - @Squid_reef





The Pink tip Toch has to be one of my favourite coral - @Squid_reef





Cynarina, the level of details this coral gets is insane - @Squid_reef





As to be my favourite corner of the Pico, the Euphyllia garden - @Squid_reef




 

[Reefkid88]

Just outstanding..just wow. 

[Squid_reef]

16 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

Just outstanding..just wow. 

Thank you @Reefkid88 🙌