Pico

Reverend Reefer · 03/10/2009, 03:07 PM

after checking out Melev's 2Gallon pico, now i want one! seems so easy to do,... just grab a cup of water from my main tank and do a water change once or twice a week.

all i'd need is one powerhead! i can frag some zoas and put em in with some live rock pieces. maybe a heater? although i had to take out the heater out of my DT cuz it runs warm already (live in a condo) without it (79-81F)

the main question i have is, would it be fine if i just used one of those home depot 10,000K daylight? in time i'd probably pick up a little power compact fixture with actinics and maybe some moonlights....

am i delusional or is it really that easy?

looks like he has a clam in there and a sea horse even....

CoRPS · 03/10/2009, 04:29 PM

It'd be better to use a couple of 10 to 20w 50/50 bulbs. Water changes are needed more often and topping off a couple times a day is necessary. The problem with small tanks is the difficulty in keeping the water parameters stable. However, if all you're planning on keeping is some zoanthids it shouldn't be a HUGE deal. Temperature and salinity will be your biggest hurdle

jhildebrand · 03/11/2009, 09:31 AM

also, melev's is tied to his main system if i'm not mistaken. very hard to keep stable params in a tank that small. zoas and shrooms probably won't mind though. topping off may be a big pain, as well as temp going up and down. you can use a 10000K home depot light if you like the way it looks. the tank won't know where you got it from...

CoRPS · 03/11/2009, 10:45 AM

It's not as difficult as some people make it seem. That's not to say it will be as easy as your 65g though.

They sell 10w 50/50 bulbs for around $3 at PetCo. 2-3 of those would be fine for a 2.5g AGA tank.

If you really want to read up on pico tanks you can go over to nano - reef . com (take out the spaces ofcourse, RC doesn't like them). They are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to tanks under 20g. There are tanks there that are under a gallon!

Reverend Reefer · 03/11/2009, 04:26 PM

well, in melev's log he says that he does 1/2cup a day for top off, he wasn't going to feed the tank (i guess he does now that there's a clam and a seahorse in it), no heater and only water changes about twice a week. one powerhead. seems pretty low maintenance.

the nanoreef forum suggests similar, no filtration except water changes, LR+LS -> no skimmers, no additives. if you have a 5.5 gallon, there's a couple people who make a cheato fuge out of a quarter or so of the tank. pretty interesting and also somewhat low maintenance.

i think i might just pick up some small powercompacts with those 50/50 bulbs....

03/10/2009, 03:07 PM	#1
Reverend Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 883	Pico after checking out Melev's 2Gallon pico, now i want one! seems so easy to do,... just grab a cup of water from my main tank and do a water change once or twice a week. all i'd need is one powerhead! i can frag some zoas and put em in with some live rock pieces. maybe a heater? although i had to take out the heater out of my DT cuz it runs warm already (live in a condo) without it (79-81F) the main question i have is, would it be fine if i just used one of those home depot 10,000K daylight? in time i'd probably pick up a little power compact fixture with actinics and maybe some moonlights.... am i delusional or is it really that easy? looks like he has a clam in there and a sea horse even.... __________________ - Rev. Tank: 65G glass 48" long tank; Sump/Fuge: 30G. Lighting: LEDs+single T5 strip. Maintenance: ATO Kalkwasser + 10% weekly WC, daily feedings LPS+Softies dominated.

03/11/2009, 09:31 AM	#3
jhildebrand Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Green Bay Posts: 782	also, melev's is tied to his main system if i'm not mistaken. very hard to keep stable params in a tank that small. zoas and shrooms probably won't mind though. topping off may be a big pain, as well as temp going up and down. you can use a 10000K home depot light if you like the way it looks. the tank won't know where you got it from... __________________ 1000 gallons of liability Current Tank Info: 1000 gallon total system volume - 260g mixed reef - Fish room: 270g fiberglass grow out tank, 150g LPS cube, 150g sump, 150g 'fuge, remote DSB frag tub + 14g nano

03/11/2009, 04:26 PM	#5
Reverend Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 883	well, in melev's log he says that he does 1/2cup a day for top off, he wasn't going to feed the tank (i guess he does now that there's a clam and a seahorse in it), no heater and only water changes about twice a week. one powerhead. seems pretty low maintenance. the nanoreef forum suggests similar, no filtration except water changes, LR+LS -> no skimmers, no additives. if you have a 5.5 gallon, there's a couple people who make a cheato fuge out of a quarter or so of the tank. pretty interesting and also somewhat low maintenance. i think i might just pick up some small powercompacts with those 50/50 bulbs.... __________________ - Rev. Tank: 65G glass 48" long tank; Sump/Fuge: 30G. Lighting: LEDs+single T5 strip. Maintenance: ATO Kalkwasser + 10% weekly WC, daily feedings LPS+Softies dominated.

03/10/2009, 04:29 PM	#2
CoRPS Big Time Reefer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: P-RINE Posts: 2,887	It'd be better to use a couple of 10 to 20w 50/50 bulbs. Water changes are needed more often and topping off a couple times a day is necessary. The problem with small tanks is the difficulty in keeping the water parameters stable. However, if all you're planning on keeping is some zoanthids it shouldn't be a HUGE deal. Temperature and salinity will be your biggest hurdle

03/11/2009, 10:45 AM	#4
CoRPS Big Time Reefer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: P-RINE Posts: 2,887	It's not as difficult as some people make it seem. That's not to say it will be as easy as your 65g though. They sell 10w 50/50 bulbs for around $3 at PetCo. 2-3 of those would be fine for a 2.5g AGA tank. If you really want to read up on pico tanks you can go over to nano - reef . com (take out the spaces ofcourse, RC doesn't like them). They are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to tanks under 20g. There are tanks there that are under a gallon!