WildOne
Community Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2025
- Messages
- 32
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- Location
- Under the snow, laurentians
- What state or country do you live in
- Canada
Time to get other people to list all the stupid things in my idea... before I got much further.
Sump would be large cryptic refugium, a phyto growing area, and a lit refugium as well.
OK, so how many stupids did I do in that list? Better in the list then in the tank...
Goals
Small tank to try these things out - I can make a 90 gallons later if I like it and if I've got the financial means then. There are things I'd like - tiny gobies, garden eels - that I do not want eaten by other fish or by anemones.
So in this tank, 2 things: stuff baby loves, and stuff that won't get along with what I wish in a bigger tank but that I'd like to try growing. Also, budget is a constraint. I won't be going with premium color anything. The fish need to be colorful and preferably at least one that shows interest in humans. Baby would like that.
Currently obtaining a pi to practice home assistant programming of "stuff". Never tried it before. Its supposed to be easier then C.
This thing has to be SAFE. And reasonably toddler-proof.
Available aquarium sizes that fit in the room: 14" cube (11 gallons, probably too small), 16" cube (17 gallons) or 18" cube (24 gallons) are possible. I'll have to drill, and make a mesh cover.
Concepts
The Pi controller will make it easy to have realistic light schedules, including a moon. White light, not actinic for the day light. I plan to also change temperature seasonally. Should be fun.
I like to breed stuff. I hope it happens. Most water critters seem to agree to do it for me in freshwater.
I want to grow a large amount of phytoplankton in the sump, to feed the tank. With more added food, of course.
I'd like to go with a back wall with rocks on it, as far as style goes. A few more in the tank, but mostly 1 big bump attached to the back and a few smaller ones. With plenty of holes for anemone legs to squeeze into.
Fish
The obvious: a pair of clownfish. probably cheap, common color, percula or ocellaris. They're baby's favorites. She likes videos of clownfish in anemones.
The less obvious: on a cube this size, is more fish reasonable or not? The shape of territories is usually important. I would either consider a pair of banggai bardinals or a couple of sapphire damsels. I cannot go for something the anemones are going to eat, anything that lives in the sand (planning anemones there too), that will get bullied to death, pushed into the anemones by clownfish or needs large amounts of swim space. I don't want a war. It needs to hold its own with clownfish and not mess with them.
Other creatures
Bubble tips, rock flower and maxi-mini carpets. I like other anemones, but, well, space. Almost everything else is listed somewhere around 20 inches...
Porcelain crabs. Small non-photosynthetic clams. Long term only, since I would need ample phyto for those.
Corals: not that many? 3 to 5 species total? I'm thinking an encrusting SPS on the back would be nice (no clue what, maybe a few colors of the same species), maybe a bird nest at the top. I would like one stick of one species of LPS more in the middle of the tank. Several colors of the same species, 2 or 3. Maybe cristata torches, or duncans. Soft corals... well, I know they are recommended as the first thing to try. But no zoas or palythoas, or leathers. Not in a toddler's bedroom. Maybe Xenia? She'd probably love it as it moves, but I might like it a lot less if it invades. Clove is another option. I personally love gorgonians and organ pipes, but I should probably start with easier stuff. I might bring her into a store and see what she tries to kiss and goes "wow" about. I can look that up after.
Snails: cerith, dwarf cerith, stomatella, collinista, trochus. Nassarius and scripta dove only after putting them in a separate container with a choice of potential preys and verifying they only eat the dead stuff. Seems way better then asking after on the forum whether my snail was actually a whelk. I'll just double-check beforehand.
I originally wanted marginella, but after looking at a video where they eat clams and other snails, not so much anymore. I'd rather keep to stuff that can breed in the tank, since I assume they're also going to feed the anemones all by themselves. And put some back-up breeders in the sump. I like conches and the like, but not as anemone food.
A bunch on naturally occurring small, non predatory worms, stars, sponges and tunicates are welcome. I may have to ask/trade for them. Hopefully not too many pests, but it will be what it will be.
I'll probably go for a macro or two, over time
Chucky bits, mechanical/electrical/electronic
Homemade furniture containing a sump - note: look for a good lock. note 2: made little edges so she can't push the tank to the floor.
Homemade lamp - I'll look for second hand copper heat dissipators for computers, second hand or maybe new computer fans, a copper pipe to hide the wires and I need to design a way to hold the light up while still having access. LEDs will have to be new. I should end up way cheaper then off the shelf reef lights. Not the first I'd build. I found enough decent info on wavelegths, but what global wattage should I go for a 20 ish gallon tank?
Plugging the heater into the controller should easy, we've done it before. I find modern aquarium heaters terrible. My 40 years old one is still running reliably. I don't have to skills to make a good one, which is too bad, I'll have to buy one.
ATO: gravity fed if possible, dosing pump on the pi otherwise. I'd prefer the same the money and have no pump. How big should I make this to fill, lets say, once a week?
I'm looking into a battery back-up. I would want the current detector before the GFCI box, but the rest after. That way, the battery back-up won't turn on if the box tripped, only if the house has no current. I'd set it to go lower temperatures and flow to save energy. The circuit is arc-fault, at least. Ground probes are planned. Also, pi aren't that expensive vs the content of a tank, so hot swap on the list. I don't know how they work, but I should be able to figure this out.
Small tank to try these things out - I can make a 90 gallons later if I like it and if I've got the financial means then. There are things I'd like - tiny gobies, garden eels - that I do not want eaten by other fish or by anemones.
So in this tank, 2 things: stuff baby loves, and stuff that won't get along with what I wish in a bigger tank but that I'd like to try growing. Also, budget is a constraint. I won't be going with premium color anything. The fish need to be colorful and preferably at least one that shows interest in humans. Baby would like that.
Currently obtaining a pi to practice home assistant programming of "stuff". Never tried it before. Its supposed to be easier then C.
This thing has to be SAFE. And reasonably toddler-proof.
Available aquarium sizes that fit in the room: 14" cube (11 gallons, probably too small), 16" cube (17 gallons) or 18" cube (24 gallons) are possible. I'll have to drill, and make a mesh cover.
Concepts
The Pi controller will make it easy to have realistic light schedules, including a moon. White light, not actinic for the day light. I plan to also change temperature seasonally. Should be fun.
I like to breed stuff. I hope it happens. Most water critters seem to agree to do it for me in freshwater.
I want to grow a large amount of phytoplankton in the sump, to feed the tank. With more added food, of course.
I'd like to go with a back wall with rocks on it, as far as style goes. A few more in the tank, but mostly 1 big bump attached to the back and a few smaller ones. With plenty of holes for anemone legs to squeeze into.
Fish
The obvious: a pair of clownfish. probably cheap, common color, percula or ocellaris. They're baby's favorites. She likes videos of clownfish in anemones.
The less obvious: on a cube this size, is more fish reasonable or not? The shape of territories is usually important. I would either consider a pair of banggai bardinals or a couple of sapphire damsels. I cannot go for something the anemones are going to eat, anything that lives in the sand (planning anemones there too), that will get bullied to death, pushed into the anemones by clownfish or needs large amounts of swim space. I don't want a war. It needs to hold its own with clownfish and not mess with them.
Other creatures
Bubble tips, rock flower and maxi-mini carpets. I like other anemones, but, well, space. Almost everything else is listed somewhere around 20 inches...
Porcelain crabs. Small non-photosynthetic clams. Long term only, since I would need ample phyto for those.
Corals: not that many? 3 to 5 species total? I'm thinking an encrusting SPS on the back would be nice (no clue what, maybe a few colors of the same species), maybe a bird nest at the top. I would like one stick of one species of LPS more in the middle of the tank. Several colors of the same species, 2 or 3. Maybe cristata torches, or duncans. Soft corals... well, I know they are recommended as the first thing to try. But no zoas or palythoas, or leathers. Not in a toddler's bedroom. Maybe Xenia? She'd probably love it as it moves, but I might like it a lot less if it invades. Clove is another option. I personally love gorgonians and organ pipes, but I should probably start with easier stuff. I might bring her into a store and see what she tries to kiss and goes "wow" about. I can look that up after.
Snails: cerith, dwarf cerith, stomatella, collinista, trochus. Nassarius and scripta dove only after putting them in a separate container with a choice of potential preys and verifying they only eat the dead stuff. Seems way better then asking after on the forum whether my snail was actually a whelk. I'll just double-check beforehand.
I originally wanted marginella, but after looking at a video where they eat clams and other snails, not so much anymore. I'd rather keep to stuff that can breed in the tank, since I assume they're also going to feed the anemones all by themselves. And put some back-up breeders in the sump. I like conches and the like, but not as anemone food.
A bunch on naturally occurring small, non predatory worms, stars, sponges and tunicates are welcome. I may have to ask/trade for them. Hopefully not too many pests, but it will be what it will be.
I'll probably go for a macro or two, over time
Chucky bits, mechanical/electrical/electronic
Homemade furniture containing a sump - note: look for a good lock. note 2: made little edges so she can't push the tank to the floor.
Homemade lamp - I'll look for second hand copper heat dissipators for computers, second hand or maybe new computer fans, a copper pipe to hide the wires and I need to design a way to hold the light up while still having access. LEDs will have to be new. I should end up way cheaper then off the shelf reef lights. Not the first I'd build. I found enough decent info on wavelegths, but what global wattage should I go for a 20 ish gallon tank?
Plugging the heater into the controller should easy, we've done it before. I find modern aquarium heaters terrible. My 40 years old one is still running reliably. I don't have to skills to make a good one, which is too bad, I'll have to buy one.
ATO: gravity fed if possible, dosing pump on the pi otherwise. I'd prefer the same the money and have no pump. How big should I make this to fill, lets say, once a week?
I'm looking into a battery back-up. I would want the current detector before the GFCI box, but the rest after. That way, the battery back-up won't turn on if the box tripped, only if the house has no current. I'd set it to go lower temperatures and flow to save energy. The circuit is arc-fault, at least. Ground probes are planned. Also, pi aren't that expensive vs the content of a tank, so hot swap on the list. I don't know how they work, but I should be able to figure this out.
Sump would be large cryptic refugium, a phyto growing area, and a lit refugium as well.
I want to adapt an anoxic denitrator in the furniture, on the side. No mechanical filtration for the sump, but one before the denitrator to not plug it. If needed, I can design and 3D print a hydrocyclone later for the sump to get the chunky bits out or add a sock. No skimmer. I will leave enough space that I can add one if I'm stuck. i'll keep activated carbon on hand, but just for emergencies, not continual use.
I would favor running everything on 1 pump. I should look for a DC pump I can connect to the pi, good quality and reliable. But what kind of gallons per hour will I need on a 20 gallons display? What do people do for turnover?
Do I need a wavemaker for this? I would prefer not to use one. I could divide the return pump output in 3 or 4 directions, one at the surface to break it. The internal wavemaker would put a motor under water, the external ones are not toddler-proof. I don't know if I can find one I can plug into the pi, either, though it is not strictly necessary.
I will dose limewater, epsom salts and magnesium chloride, and probably a product for trace elements. I have no clue what to expect on consumption. I'm not sure wether I should want to automate this or not. With half being anemones, it shouldn't be demanding, right?
Probes: PH and temperature for sure, salinity is probably available. My glass floating hydrometer is for the wrong temperature, 90 celsius is way off. I have to check what else I can get, and the prices.
I would favor running everything on 1 pump. I should look for a DC pump I can connect to the pi, good quality and reliable. But what kind of gallons per hour will I need on a 20 gallons display? What do people do for turnover?
Do I need a wavemaker for this? I would prefer not to use one. I could divide the return pump output in 3 or 4 directions, one at the surface to break it. The internal wavemaker would put a motor under water, the external ones are not toddler-proof. I don't know if I can find one I can plug into the pi, either, though it is not strictly necessary.
I will dose limewater, epsom salts and magnesium chloride, and probably a product for trace elements. I have no clue what to expect on consumption. I'm not sure wether I should want to automate this or not. With half being anemones, it shouldn't be demanding, right?
Probes: PH and temperature for sure, salinity is probably available. My glass floating hydrometer is for the wrong temperature, 90 celsius is way off. I have to check what else I can get, and the prices.
OK, so how many stupids did I do in that list? Better in the list then in the tank...
