2.5 gallon Pico Build Thread - Reef Tank

Hoshiaki

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Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

3A1229FE-8656-4242-8D74-914CE5BB0517.jpeg


So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!
 

GK3

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Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

3A1229FE-8656-4242-8D74-914CE5BB0517.jpeg


So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!
Did one of these as a very first saltwater. So much fun. If you do closed top, add some macro algae for o2 exchange. Otherwise take the lid off and get a small ATO. Surprisingly, they don’t evaporate a lot, but with such a small volume it will cause a swing.
 
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Hoshiaki

Hoshiaki

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Did one of these as a very first saltwater. So much fun. If you do closed top, add some macro algae for o2 exchange. Otherwise take the lid off and get a small ATO. Surprisingly, they don’t evaporate a lot, but with such a small volume it will cause a swing.
Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?
 
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GK3

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Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?
So back when I did it, no one made pico gear, so I made my own with a small 12 volt water pump from eBay. My res was maybe 1/10th of gallon and would last around a week. One of that major equipment manufacturers just released a nano pump for small tank ato’s. I can’t remember the name but it’s very new. That would be a good place to start if you don’t want to do DIY.
 
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Hoshiaki

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So back when I did it, no one made pico gear, so I made my own with a small 12 volt water pump from eBay. My res was maybe 1/10th of gallon and would last around a week. One of that major equipment manufacturers just released a nano pump for small tank ato’s. I can’t remember the name but it’s very new. That would be a good place to start if you don’t want to do DIY.
Oh alright yeah! I’ll be sure to look for it, thanks again :)
 

GK3

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Oh alright yeah! I’ll be sure to look for it, thanks again :)
Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.
 

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Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.
Unless you live in a snowy climate the heat the crap out of it lol
 
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Hoshiaki

Hoshiaki

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Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.
I live in Illinois in the USA where the temps were in the 30’s two days ago and now it’s 84 lol. And yeah i think i’ll get some pc fans, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t think i’ll have to worry about the heater this summer haha :) thanks!
 

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Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?
This is on the pricier end, but from my knowledge is a pretty good ato.



I dont own one, but I've read and seen it work very well. The green bit works as a sensor for water level and then hose will send water in. Because these are the only two things needed in the tank, would probably be relatively sleek in a little pico.
 
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Hoshiaki

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Just got a little kenya tree coral (i named them coralline) and drip acclimated them for around half an hour. they were ‘open’ before i had to move them from the container (for the acclimation) to the tank and now they’re pretty shriveled up.
i expected them to be shriveled up but i was wondering if anyone can predict how long they usually stay like this? i just want to make sure i’m not doing something wrong.

they’re in a place with moderate flow and lighting

3F7C9735-C0A9-4F0A-855B-DDB24FDFA61F.jpeg
 

LarrySpice

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Just got a little kenya tree coral (i named them coralline) and drip acclimated them for around half an hour. they were ‘open’ before i had to move them from the container (for the acclimation) to the tank and now they’re pretty shriveled up.
i expected them to be shriveled up but i was wondering if anyone can predict how long they usually stay like this? i just want to make sure i’m not doing something wrong.

they’re in a place with moderate flow and lighting

3F7C9735-C0A9-4F0A-855B-DDB24FDFA61F.jpeg
In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.
 
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Hoshiaki

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In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.
thank you!
 
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Hoshiaki

Hoshiaki

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In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.
E8D23023-1AD2-46F0-8A0B-26AB34F57E7F.jpeg
Coralline is already looking better!
 

ctopherl

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Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

3A1229FE-8656-4242-8D74-914CE5BB0517.jpeg


So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!
So where did you get the tank and lid?
 

srobertb

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Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?
Auto aqua ATO lite for $76. They have an insanely small footprint in the tank. I use one on my freshwater tank (in the sump area) and my coffee machine (I have a Jura I drilled for an ATO and a 5 gallon ATO reservoir behind it).

I would probably swing for the XP Aqua Duetto ($120) because it has an extra fail safe *and* the light sensor doesn’t have an LED light.
 
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