DCaldarona Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Broke out the 3.5 gal glo fish tank. I have a bunch of extra reef "stuff" around from a larger tank I took down so I decided to throw together a Pico tank for fun. I 3D printed an RFG for the return and another tiny RFG for the original return pump to use as extra flow. I have an already cycled piece of live rock with a dead pocillopora attached. I added a couple new tiny pieces of rock I found interesting as well. Only inhabitant this far is a blue leg crab. Light is an old Kessil A80. I tossed in a few Marine Pure bio balls in the back chamber as well as a small piece of filter sponge just to catch the floating clutter for a little while. I'll probably add dry sand and just let this little thing take it's time maturing. More to come! 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 Sand in! My LFS was out of my normal favorites, so I ended up getting a dry sand that is just a bit larger than oolite, which I haven't ever used. It's not blowing around the tank as it is now. We'll see how this goes. Peace for now! 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 Changed up the scape. I have a ton of Real Reef Rocks from a larger tank I broke down earlier this year. I 3D printed an RFG for the flow and added a tiny RFG to an extra pump I had. I decided that was too much equipment and 3D printed a dual flow connection to get the added circulation. I tossed some food I to see what the flow looked like and I was happy. Stay tuned for more! PXL_20240229_030501235.LS.mp4 3 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I like the new scape. It will allow you to clean the glass much better. 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone... I printed two RFG's that attach to the duel outlet. I want to get all the "fiddling around" done so when it comes to adding coral, inverts, etc., I can really just keep my hands out of the tank and let it do what it's going to do. I'd like a touch more flow but the chamber is so small I may have to live with what I have. I upgraded the stock pump a couple years ago to a 110 gph pump (I think). I'll pulled it out after adding the sand just to make sure it was clean and free of sand, but I didn't really look at the flow rate. After making this recent modification I tossed in a tiny sprinkle of fish food just to see what the flow looked like. More to come soon! PXL_20240301_032736233.LS.mp4 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 I tossed in some corals from my work tank. I did a water change and decided to clear out some of the Pulsing Xenia and a couple button polyps. The seemed fine at first, but by the morning the looked dead. I check the floating thermometer and it still read 78°. I found and an old Inkbird temp controller and tossed it on the tank. It immediately alarmed because the tank temp was 82°! I got it cooled down over a few hours and finally get it stabilized with the Inkbird. Now that the temp was under control I decided to install a larger return pump. I ordered a small Amazon pump. I literally jammed it into the back of the tank. The plastic actually bowed a little in order to make room. I'm much happier with th flow of 220gph pumping around the aquascape. The button polyps seem to enjoy the added flow as well. More to come soon! PXL_20240303_010855265.LS~2.mp4 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 Just yo be clear, this tank is on my work bench in my basement while it cycles and I fiddle with the flow, light, etc. I plan to move it to a more enjoyable spot soon. Excuse the mess around the tank! Quote Link to comment
colormegone Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Looks like you have some flow now! At 2" wide I don't think that pump would fit in my 8.3 Lifegard rear chamber. Looks good to me so far. 1 Quote Link to comment
DCaldarona Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 I went back to th original pump after giving it a deep cleaning, which helped to improve the flow. The 220gph pump, even turned all the way down was too much for this tiny tank. I also decided to go with one RFG instead of two. Much happier with the flow overall. I added a patch of GSP, Zoas and Palys. As with all my other experiences with GSP it just doesn't seem to like my tanks. The palys are happy and opened but the zoa rock remains closed. It's been a week. I moved them just yesterday to a more shaded area. Perhaps they're getting too much light. Time will tell. Patients, observation, and 100% water changes weekly. Stay tuned for more! P.S. At some point I'll dig out my Orphek photo lenses. Quote Link to comment
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