Hello fellow reefers!
So I've been reefing almost 5 years and unfortunately never did a build thread and I WANT THAT BADGE!
So I decided to finally document my salty travels leading up to this new pico build, and to make my prized "Build Thread Badge" all the more sweeter!
So in 2015 I started with a used 60 cube with a DIY sump and canopy that I got from a friend who my wife considers responsible for my salty money pit addiction. Most of the components in the tank were DIY, and I loved every mishap and mistake I made on that tank. It really made me learn the ropes for this hobby!
Fast forward to 2018 where after lots of lessons learned and a few casualties (more corals than fish luckily...I guess) we sold our home and moved to a larger house to accommodate our ever growing kids. With the new home we decided to upgrade our tank since we now had the additional room for a larger tank... but first the 2 months of demo-remodeling had to happen before we got the new tank :mad:. So I had to move all my corals and fish to my friends house so he could watch them during the demo-remo (his punishment for getting me into this hobby) since we couldn't take the tank to the place we were temporarily staying at.
Luckily after the almost 2 months there were no casualties and everything was ready to be moved into the new tank! I was lucky to have my LFS owner/friend get me a new RSR 350 at a great price and he even helped install it!
Fast forward again to 2020 and things are in full swing and the tank is doing great...
after a few more lessons learned, the new tank finally stabilized, and being stuck at home working and being an unpaid teachers aid/ IT tech for two kids doing online learning from home I decided to jump into the pico game (and finally get the coveted "Build Thread Badge" and hang with the cool kids on R2R!)
Two weeks ago I was give an AIO marineland 3 gal tank that I thought would make an excellent pico after some modification. I wanted to modify the tank so I could use it to display one of my rainbow nems (originally I posted here they were CSB but after further research I guess they're use var. of rainbow BTAs...) and some zoas (possibly rastas if I can find some...). The challenge for a tank this small was getting parts to fit it so I had to 3D print the majority of the parts I needed for the tank. So here is what I've done so far..
To keep things looking clean I spray painted the exterior cpvc pipe and checked for leaks once everything dried...
After the first water test today there were a small leak in the return pipe so as soon as that dries for 24 hrs I'll post more pics and updates on the final water test, pending aquascape, and more 3D printed add-ons that need to be printed!!
Stay tuned!!!
So I've been reefing almost 5 years and unfortunately never did a build thread and I WANT THAT BADGE!
So I decided to finally document my salty travels leading up to this new pico build, and to make my prized "Build Thread Badge" all the more sweeter!So in 2015 I started with a used 60 cube with a DIY sump and canopy that I got from a friend who my wife considers responsible for my salty money pit addiction. Most of the components in the tank were DIY, and I loved every mishap and mistake I made on that tank. It really made me learn the ropes for this hobby!
Fast forward to 2018 where after lots of lessons learned and a few casualties (more corals than fish luckily...I guess
) we sold our home and moved to a larger house to accommodate our ever growing kids. With the new home we decided to upgrade our tank since we now had the additional room for a larger tank... but first the 2 months of demo-remodeling had to happen before we got the new tank :mad:. So I had to move all my corals and fish to my friends house so he could watch them during the demo-remo (his punishment for getting me into this hobby) since we couldn't take the tank to the place we were temporarily staying at.Luckily after the almost 2 months there were no casualties and everything was ready to be moved into the new tank! I was lucky to have my LFS owner/friend get me a new RSR 350 at a great price and he even helped install it!
Fast forward again to 2020 and things are in full swing and the tank is doing great...
after a few more lessons learned, the new tank finally stabilized, and being stuck at home working and being an unpaid teachers aid/ IT tech for two kids doing online learning from home I decided to jump into the pico game (and finally get the coveted "Build Thread Badge" and hang with the cool kids on R2R!)
Two weeks ago I was give an AIO marineland 3 gal tank that I thought would make an excellent pico after some modification. I wanted to modify the tank so I could use it to display one of my rainbow nems (originally I posted here they were CSB but after further research I guess they're use var. of rainbow BTAs...) and some zoas (possibly rastas if I can find some...). The challenge for a tank this small was getting parts to fit it so I had to 3D print the majority of the parts I needed for the tank. So here is what I've done so far..
- I found a reasonable stand on Amazon ($87) to fit the sump (a spare 3 gal that I was using for quarantining) and pico. I needed the stand to be tall enough to see the pico, but not too tall that I would need a large pump to move the water up to the display.
- I removed the back filter chamber in the pico to allow for additional space in the display and drilled two holes; one for return and one for the drain. I printed some bulkheads and used some spare cpvc pipe I had since it is smaller in diameter and wouldn't take too much space in the back.
- removed two strips of the black backing to make the display look a bit bigger and cleaner from the the front.
- 3D printed some clips to hold a glass top to minimize evaporation.
- baffled the sump, installed a fuge light
- 3D printed the bulk heads, overflow box, and Kessil stand.
To keep things looking clean I spray painted the exterior cpvc pipe and checked for leaks once everything dried...
After the first water test today there were a small leak in the return pipe so as soon as that dries for 24 hrs I'll post more pics and updates on the final water test, pending aquascape, and more 3D printed add-ons that need to be printed!!
Stay tuned!!!
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