1.5 gallon Pico Build - Little Piece of the Ocean at the Office

Eagle_Steve

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Well now that my Pico is running fine and not dead yet, I figured a build thread was in order.

1.5 Gallon Deep Blue Tank
Top Fin RP200 All in One Pump/Filter with modded output nozzle
Tetra 50w Heater
DIY LED Light with a cheap Chinese light for the housing.
3lb Live Rock
1 Kenya Tree
Some GSP pulled from big tank at home.
Purple Hairy Mushroom
Caulerpa
Ogo
2x Margarita Snails
Loads of Pods from when in my sump
and a Pom Pom Crab


The tank started 2 months ago with sand from my tank at home, rock rubble from the sump, and the coral was all reductions in existing stock from home. The only new item was the Pom Pom Crab, and it is a funny creature to watch during long conference calls. When I first set the tank up, it was built as it sits and set in my sump. I let it sit there for a month with the heater and pump running underwater. The little pump as has the sponge filter left in it, but i pulled the carbon bag out of it. I placed Purigen in a small mesh bag and use that instead. When it comes time to clean, I take the sponge and smack it on the sink without rinsing it and then change out the Purigen. Generally this is done once a week. I do a 2 cup water change every week and all of my reading have been stable. The pump itself has a flow adjuster, and its all the way up, the spray bar removed, and the outlet has been heated and formed to resemble a nozzle. I get flow everywhere in the little tank, and the flow ends at the filter inlet.

PH - 8.3
Temp - 77
SG - 1.025
Alk - 9 dKH
NH3 - 0
NO2 - 2-3
PO4 - .1
Calcium - 430
Mag. - 1300

All tests are Salifert and Red Sea. I use both kits when testing. Testing has been once a week since removed from my sump and placed in my office. Ammonia I had tested every day until last week. I am to the point I think since I am doing 2 cups of water a day WC, I will stop testing as long as things look good. The nitrates are staying at 2-3 due to me prob overfeeding the Pom Pom, but it has to eat right. 3 mouths to feed with it lol.

I have already had to trim the Ogo and the Caulerpa. Had a small bit of GHA, but the snails have demolished it. The Kenya Tree was a small branch with 8-9 arms a month ago and it is doing well (they live through a power head chop up), the GSP has attached itself besides where it was glued down, the GSP also is open most of the time (little ticked about the white being kicked up for the pic) and the Shroom is doing well (No its mouth is not open, a small shell landed on it when the Pom Pom was digging, and has since been removed) . Coralline Algae has either grown in size or I have new spots of it. So all in all I am very happy with this. The happiest part was coming in this morning to work early, and seeing a ton of pods scatter when I turned the light on. That give me a little reassurance that something else is in there to eat what the Pom Pom misses.

I plan to add some mixed Zoas once my new light gets here, but no more live stock. But it sure is nice having it at the office to break up the monotony. Hopefully all stays well, as now that I have said something about it, I am paranoid there will be a crash.

Excuse the pics, I turned the white all the way up since the blue jacks with my phone, and man it was bright.
Pico 1.jpg



I turned the white on and the Pom Pom ran for cover. The little white dots dead in the middle are its anemone buddies.
Pom Pom.jpg


New coralline growth and existing that has expanded quite a bit. Seems this tank is doing the same thing my big tank did. Green shows up and then it goes to Purple. Come on and cover the back glass already lol.
Coraline.jpg
 

mattgsa

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You work at a really nice place. I don't think there is anyway they would let us have an aquarium at work. Does having it at work make keeping it clean difficult? It looks like a really nice tank.
 
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Eagle_Steve

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Thanks for the compliments.

As for keeping it clean, the 2 snails do a good job, and I think the macro algae consumes most of what anything that would grow on the glass does, so only had to run a pad across it once. And that was super easy.

As for my work, they don't care. We have quite a few people with Beta tanks. I am about to set up a 29 BioCube as soon as it gets done with its vinegar bath. Shame it wont fit in my sump. That I have to say is the best thing about this little tank. There was no cycle due to that. Left it full of water, sealed the top with tape and plastic, drove to work, uncovered and bam.
 
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Eagle_Steve

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So being as I am going to set up 29 nano in the office, I decided since my DIY fixture was more then enough for it (50w), I would order a cheap light for the pico. Well it arrived and I have to say for the price I cannot complain. Of course time will tell if the light is worth it. The light is an Asta 20 Marine, and is insanely bright for its size at full power. It may even work on the 29 cube I will be setting up. Currently I have it set on 2 clicks of each type of blue, 1 click on white, and 1 click on UV (Red, Green, Actual UV and another Royal Blue). I assume that would be 20% Blue, 20% Royal Blue, 10% White and 10% UV. Luckily I do have a Par meter (borrowed biotech marine btm3000) and this is what I got.

Light is 6" above the waters surface. Tank is 12"x6"x6" so max depth is 4"-4.5" due to sand bed. All readings taken from the center of the tank. With the 120 degree lens installed.

Maxed Out:
1" below water - 448
Bottom - 261

Current Settings:
1" below water - 142
Bottom - 76

I only have a hairy shroom, a Kenya Tree, and some GSP so 142 par 1"down should be the sweet spot for them since they sit at about 1" to 2" below the surface in this tank (sweet spot is a based from the readings I took at home and how they grow like crazy there with the par readings where they are placed in that tank)

Only time will tell if the corals grow or die lol. Light isn't the only factor in that though lol.

Ohh, here is tank with the new light on its current settings. At least this time I didn't have to blast white to get a pic lol. (little orange filter over camera)

light 5.jpg
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

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