Opinions on my choice of items for Pico setup

[chipmaker]

Newbie by all means but have kept FW tanks for over 30 years, as well as pond fish.

 

Had considered a MB2.5, but I would like better lighting, so instead opted for an all glass typical aquarium I can get for less than $8.00. In one way I can't see paying for a MB and not needing the included accessories, and having to deal with a hood. Making a typical rectangular hood is not a problem out of Plexiglass, or wood so this way I would have more room for decent lighting setups, and addition of fans if needed.

 

Powerfilter choice so far is a Aqua Clear 20, or would a Aqua Clear 30 be a better bet for only $2.00 more. Is there sufficient room in the AC20 to put LR rubble or would I really need togo with a AC 30 if i want to use rubble.....Is there another HOB ytpe filter that cold be used which would be better or is the AC filter a good choice and if so what one, the 20 or 30.

 

 

Every single petshop here tells me the same thing, YOU CAN NOT MAKE A PICO in a MB or 2.5 gal or smaller and the smallest size recomended is a 12 gal........evidently they have not seen some setups on this forum..........so they have proven to be little help to me n deciding what I need to do.......

 

Don't know much about LR, corals,mrooms etc, so would 3# of LR plus say 1# LR rubble be sufficient? HOw deep do I need my sand bed.........I thought 2 to 2 1/2 inches would be ok.....or about 3 pounds..

 

Was thinking of installing a 13watt actinic light and also a 13 watt 6500K daylight or would I be better oging for ther 28 watt lights, or could I get by with a 50/50 PC of 13 watt artinic and 10,000K daylight.

 

Is 13 watts sufficient to grow corals, or do I need to go up in wattage? I want to have a lot of LR and the likes as possible and perhaps a clown or coral goby.........and a starfish and some snails.......sny suggestions here......main interest is shrooms, corals etc but wife is wanting something she can see swim or move without needing water current......so open to all suggestions, but a fish is not a must have......

 

Is it normal to have both artinic and daylight on at the same time or is it best to have them independant of each other?

 

Was considering Hellolighting for my source of lights...

 

 

Any suggestions or help is appreciated......HOpefully I can get a list of what I actually hsould use or need and get what has to be ordered online ordered and pickup the stuff I can locally on Monday....

 

Thanks

[minimalist]

Go with an AquaClear 300 or 150. What I did was buy the 300 for the water volume and then swapped out the impeller for a 150 impeller. This is to slow down the water circulation. In addition to that, I turned the intake on the AC300 down to half capacity to further slow the water movement. The pet stores were partially correct - It is difficult to keep a nano this small because any problems in the water are much more detrimental with such a limited volume. The AquaClear 300 or 150 will give you a little extra room for error as well as a place to put your heater and your LR rubble.

 

Clowns are probably too big for 2.5g. A goby would do just fine though. The yellow clown goby and neon goby are great choices. You could safely house a shrimp or two as well.

 

2 Nassarius snails would also be a nice addition to stir up your sand bed and scavenge for any uneaten food.

 

Your sand bed and LR plans sound on point.

 

Lighting should be 18W+ for shrooms and zoos but you could get away with less. I highly recommend a Coralife 50/50. I got my 18W Coralife for shy of $30.

 

With tank, sand, rock, AC300, AC150 impeller, heater, and light you're looking at about $100. Not bad at all. Do your research and good luck!

 

P.S. - Your LFS should be able to show you how to switch out the impeller but if you need help, fell free to send me a PM. It's one of those things that can be frustrating to figure out on your own but once you know it's cake.

[Kogut]

I'll make some comments on the pieces of your post that I know a bit about...

 

No clown. No fish above some type of small goby (even that's pushing it). No star. Don't even think about it. No star. I think you should just get 3 sexy shrimp and let them own the tank (as opposed to fish).

 

That lighting should grow mushrooms just fine and keep zoas "okay". I'd get a bit more if you want the zoas to really look nice... Things like sun polyps and dendros are perfect for low-light, too. Dendro frags are expensive, but beautiful and require no light at all (just feedings every few days).