Hey! New here :)

[SPR1968]

Hi thomas welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[flyfisher2]

 

[dwair]

I’m thomas, I’m 25 & I’ve been keeping freshwater for years. (Live, all natural tanks for schooling fish to cichlids) Decided to start my adventure with a 5 gallon pico.

So far, all is going smooth in the establishing phase. I’ve got 2 hermits, and a small baby emerald who I noticed was having his legs ripped off at a local petco by his own kind (way too many in the small display, go figure). I call him stumpy.

About 2 months in now (date established 6/12/21) and she’s passed the ugly diatom phase.

noticing a nice culture of copepods all over the glass. Hoping to stock a small fish before looking towards corals. Any ideas?

Also any recommendations for a low power wave maker?

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!

 

[ChefReeferThomas]

Hey as long as it works, run it till it burns out!
The Kessil a80 might be a good one to consider
As a replacement when the time comes, somewhat affordable, and puts out enough power to keep a variety of coral and even anemones thriving.

I’ve read a lot about Kessil, they seem to be a pretty common staple amongst reefers. I’m sure I’ll end up using one some day.

In a couple more months after I have a fish or two and all the testing equipment I would like to try my hand at some zoas to get me started. We’ll see how the light performs then I guess haha

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world Thomas. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R Thomas!

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I’m thomas, I’m 25 & I’ve been keeping freshwater for years. (Live, all natural tanks for schooling fish to cichlids) Decided to start my adventure with a 5 gallon pico.

So far, all is going smooth in the establishing phase. I’ve got 2 hermits, and a small baby emerald who I noticed was having his legs ripped off at a local petco by his own kind (way too many in the small display, go figure). I call him stumpy.

About 2 months in now (date established 6/12/21) and she’s passed the ugly diatom phase.

noticing a nice culture of copepods all over the glass. Hoping to stock a small fish before looking towards corals. Any ideas?

Also any recommendations for a low power wave maker?

Hi Thomas and Welcome!

I'd recommend a neon blue goby or if you have cover/lid then red firefish/dartfish. Defer to others on wave makers as I just use powerheads n gyres in random flow modes

Glad you joined! Seems like you are well on your way

 

[Billldg]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[stewie]

Welcome

 

[ChefReeferThomas]

Hi Thomas and Welcome!

I'd recommend a neon blue goby or if you have cover/lid then red firefish/dartfish. Defer to others on wave makers as I just use powerheads n gyres in random flow modes

Glad you joined! Seems like you are well on your way

No lid, but I’ve kept jumpers before and only lost a few. Less than I can count on one hand. Just don’t give em a reason to skip town and they shouldn’t is my philosophy. Might have to DIY one in the future to help regulate evapo loss

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome to R2R, my first tank was a 3 gal. Pico lol that didn’t last but still like my nano. Blue neon gobies or clown gobies are great for that size tank

 

[LiveWire]

Welcome to the REEF!!

 

[Sharkbait19]

Welcome to Reef2Reef, Thomas! You’ll love it here!

As far as a good pico fish, small gobies like clowns or neons should work well. I advise you quarantine, especially if you buy from petco.

 

[ChefReeferThomas]

i haven’t worked a forum in so long, sorry if the replies and posts are repetitive and or choppy and out of place y’all. I promise I’ll get the hang of it haha

 

[ChefReeferThomas]

Welcome to Reef2Reef, Thomas! You’ll love it here!

As far as a good pico fish, small gobies like clowns or neons should work well. I advise you quarantine, especially if you buy from petco.

Not super typical of me to pick up any kind of livestock from petco aside from glass shrimp. Only reason I’ll hit them is when I don’t feel like waiting on an Amazon order and don’t mind spending the extra few bucks. Still, I plan on quarantining basically everything involved with saltwater. The idea of bobbits make me squeamish.

as far as corals go, and my fish it’s probably gonna be from woodys seahorse aquarium & supply over in Portland, I’m not super close but they got the best quality as far as LFS are concerned around me. Check them out on insta, lemme know what ya think?

@seahorseaquariumsupply

 

[Sharkbait19]

Not super typical of me to pick up any kind of livestock from petco aside from glass shrimp. Only reason I’ll hit them is when I don’t feel like waiting on an Amazon order and don’t mind spending the extra few bucks. Still, I plan on quarantining basically everything involved with saltwater. The idea of bobbits make me squeamish.

as far as corals go, and my fish it’s probably gonna be from woodys seahorse aquarium & supply over in Portland, I’m not super close but they got the best quality as far as LFS are concerned around me. Check them out on insta, lemme know what ya think?

@seahorseaquariumsupply

5 stars is usually a good thing!
My lfs is a bit of a drive too, but the quality makes it very worth it.

 

[ChefReeferThomas]

5 stars is usually a good thing!
My lfs is a bit of a drive too, but the quality makes it very worth it.

I’ve been in only once and he gave me some golden advice to start up this pico the right way with the understanding of what it is I do with my freshwater tanks and this current build. I enjoyed their shop a lot too the corals were all healthy and captivating. The fish and seahorse were lively, and exciting to watch. You can tell they really care. But that’s my untrained eye making assumptions.

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!