Sarah's 5g SPS pico

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

7/23/20- most recent FTS:

Updated System Info:
Tank: Fluval Spec V (5 gallon)
Light: AI Prime LED
ATO: dosing pump sending water on a timer.
Sump/Skimmer/Dosing/all that other stuff: None yet (we will see how it does with water changes alone. I plan to do a 90% WC weekly).
Feeding schedule: fish gets marine pellets daily. Corals get reef roids once a week a few hours before WC.

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Original first post:
Hi! I'm returning after a 3 year break from the hobby. I had a 60 gallon tank that crashed in 2017 when we had a blackout of nearly a week (I had a battery backup on the tank, but it was only enough to run for 3 days. Who would have thought I'd need it for 7).

Anyway, I'm ready to jump back in. I'm trying a pico tank this time in my basement office. It's going to be a while before I can actually get it up, stocked and running, but I'm very excited.

Just getting started and rounding up a list of equipment I'll be using... here we go!

Right now, I'm thinking it will be bare bottom. We'll see.

Stay tuned if you're into picos!

 

[Phycodurus]

welcome back! what's on the shortlist for the prospective reef critters?

 

[Max!]

Welcome back. Cheers from Annapolis !

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

welcome back! what's on the shortlist for the prospective reef critters?

I'm thinking for fiah/inverts a clown goby and maybe a pom pom crab. I would love a flaming prawn goby but I hear they hide all the time. But honestly I'm in it for the corals mostly not the fish. Fish are just a nice perk lol.

Corals though... I am going to have to be selective due to the space limitations and there are so many I love. I think my favorite Coral is forest fire digitata so I gotta try to keep that. Otherwise I plan to start with shrooms and see how that goes. I've never tried to keep things stable in a tiny tank so I don't know how well it will go. I had some gorgeous dark purple shrooms in my old tank, may try to get more of those.

Suggestions are welcome!

 

[VKP01]

Following!

I love flaming prawn gobies. If it’s the only fish in such a small system I bet you’d see it more. Im considering one for my tank at some point.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Sounds cool. Can’t wait to see pics. A digi would be a nice center piece.

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

The tank is wet!! And cloudy. And gross lol.

I got some live rock. Having a major bacterial bloom from the die off so don't mind the cloudiness. Here's my SECOND pass at an aquascape (already replacing pics of the first). Thoughts??

I hope that is enough rock to cycle the tank properly....

The tricky part about this tank too is that it's visible from the front of my desk coming into the room, as well as the side I will see while seated at the desk (most of the viewing). Both sides need to look good. I like the front ok right now, but this is the back:

Maybe it needs a little piece in that gap between the two rocks?

More work to be done. The light is ordered and should arrive in about 3 weeks. The one on there now is just a temporary stopgap, hopefully it keeps the coralline alive...

 

[Phycodurus]

i’m partial to contorted fiji live rock so the three (?) large pieces on top of the flat base rock strike me as just round boulders (but i can see it’ll provide flat surfaces for the corals).

my eye wants to see a cave somewhere lol.

i do like how you offset the flat base rock off-center.

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

i’m partial to contorted fiji live rock so the three (?) large pieces on top of the flat base rock strike me as just round boulders (but i can see it’ll provide flat surfaces for the corals).

my eye wants to see a cave somewhere lol.

i do like how you offset the flat base rock off-center.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm happy with the placement of the base rock and the one next to it but may mess with the others. Plus, since I want to add mushrooms to start, I'll likely add a rock with mushrooms attached, which will change things around considerably in such a small space.

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

Well it took about 2 weeks since there was a lot of die off and ammonia was up to 8 ppm for a while, but the ammonia is finally falling and the nitrites and nitrates are spiking. Stay tuned for an update to the aquascape and addition of CUC and first fish once the cycle is finished... hopefully I can start adding in another 2 weeks or so!

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

Update time!

Tank is cycled since April. I added a CUC of a few snails and hermits about 2 weeks ago. I am now treating the tank with reef flux for bryopsis which came in on the live rock (womp womp). Here are a few pics so you can see my scape. I am most certainly in the uglies. Pardon the rubble and stuff on the bottom, I can't siphon anything out until algae treatment is done:

My new light should arrive tomorrow, which I am very excited for! I went with the AI Prime. Once that's in place and reef flux tx for bryopsis ends I'll be adding a fish and adding corals soon after!

Still torn between an easy-to-get clown goby and waiting for the more hard-to-get flaming prawn goby. Hmmmm...

 

[SamiTANKS]

I like what you did with your rock work! I have similar plans for a fluval spec V, following along!

How did you get your rock work elevated/floating like that? Is it glued to the back wall?

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

I like what you did with your rock work! I have similar plans for a fluval spec V, following along!

How did you get your rock work elevated/floating like that? Is it glued to the back wall?

Thank you! There's a magnet glued to the rock that's treated to be reef safe and another outside the glass holding it up. I got it on eBay

 

[jaren45]

Nice tank! I found when I was using my spec still that having a powerhead on the opposite side blowing into the overflow helped keep my water clearer when it was actually being directed into my filter floss. Otherwise I had to siphon loads of detritus

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

Cleaned up and put on the new light. I also ordered a fish! I went with citron clown goby. It comes Wed!

A couple corals also on the way, will post pics when I've added them!

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

I've got corals! and a fish!

Here's the goby. I named him Pudge. He has nibbled at some table shrimp but isn't a voracious eater yet... may have to get some other frozen food to try to entice him:

And here's the FTS with the new corals. I added 2 acros, a birdsnest, and a setosa. I started with cheap ones because I'm not sure how hard it will be to keep them in this tank. I plan to feed reef roids and change the water once a week. Wish me luck!

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

Update: it's been about 2 weeks since I added the goby and the corals. Pudge the goby is looking great, his fins are all healed up and he's eating table shrimp and Hikari marine pellets. No longer timid, he loves to explore the tank.

For the SPS, I'm taking the advice of @brandon429 and feeding Reef Roids once a week, letting them feed for about 2 hours, then doing a full water change. So far so good!

The outcome with the corals so far has actually surprised me: the birdsnest, which I'd consider an easy to keep SPS, developed RTN and was a goner very soon after putting it in the tank. The acros on the other hand, which are harder to keep, are doing well: strong color, getting polyp extension. I cut one of the frags into two pieces to try in different areas of the tank. The orange setosa is also looking great, with plenty of polyp extension, even noticing some growth already in such a short time. I think I've got the AI Prime light pretty well dialed-in now.

So the question is, what corals will I add next?? I've been pondering. The frontrunner in my mind for the next addition is a purple bonsai acro.

Any suggestions?

 

[brandon429]

that is such a nice setup my gosh

i stared at the rock formation a bit before reading to see how was made, and it was too clean of an install to see details I was stumped but kept thinking how good that space is to have current under rocks for once

the rocks aren’t going to go through major shifts and changes in ability to provide base support for the system, they’re pretty much as activated as they’re going to be

other corals doing fine and fish, id add whichever sps you like and with active high quality feed + water changes to mimic the reef shelf busy action that is

it should grow, any darn coral added should just grow really nice one here!

once you input actual hermatypic corals that seal into place, lock into place un removable, no invader can be entertained.
once it’s got elk antlers when algae shows up just drain the tank and kill it by scraping + target kill then refill, or just detach the cool magnet wall for lift out cleaning. It’s a bulletproof nano due to accessibility for hand guiding

you can lock in antlers of sps and being able to be kept clean of detritus means the reef will never experience old tank syndrome, not ever. By design this reef is immune to old tank syndrome and it should be able to handle your sps right now. I’m not sure my own reef would keep that sps lol so whatever is destined to do well for you is already suited to be there, it’s ready. Any brain coral sold in the hobby would do well there and accept 2x weekly feed plus end of week water changes and lock into place. With its cleanliness which allows for more feed, not feed withholding in order to stave off work, you can CPR change water / feed any coral into growth...the longer you sustain busy intervals of feed + water change youll pack in coral mass and can back off in work long about October but have positive-mass corals, not just sitting there frags.

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

that is such a nice setup my gosh

i stared at the rock formation a bit before reading to see how was made, and it was too clean of an install to see details I was stumped but kept thinking how good that space is to have current under rocks for once

the rocks aren’t going to go through major shifts and changes in ability to provide base support for the system, they’re pretty much as activated as they’re going to be

other corals doing fine and fish, id add whichever sps you like and with active high quality feed + water changes to mimic the reef shelf busy action that is

it should grow, any darn coral added should just grow really nice one here!

once you input actual hermatypic corals that seal into place, lock into place un removable, no invader can be entertained.
once it’s got elk antlers when algae shows up just drain the tank and kill it by scraping + target kill then refill, or just detach the cool magnet wall for lift out cleaning. It’s a bulletproof nano due to accessibility for hand guiding

you can lock in antlers of sps and being able to be kept clean of detritus means the reef will never experience old tank syndrome, not ever. By design this reef is immune to old tank syndrome and it should be able to handle your sps right now. I’m not sure my own reef would keep that sps lol so whatever is destined to do well for you is already suited to be there, it’s ready. Any brain coral sold in the hobby would do well there and accept 2x weekly feed plus end of week water changes and lock into place

Thank you that means a lot coming from an experienced pico keeper!

 

[LivinTheSwreefLife]

Update time!

Things have been good the last 2 months. Some of the original corals I added didn't make it, but the setosa I added in late May is encrusted and growing nicely:

I also added 2 corals a month ago. One bleached within a matter of hours after an alk swing. The other is an Oregon blue tort and it's looking happy. It's encrusting, but veerrrrryyyy slowly.

I also recently added some montiporas. I'll take pics of them soon but they look very happy so far.

In other news, the tank was looking great with basically no algae at all while I maintained once weekly water changes. Then I decided to wait 3 weeks for a change to see what would happen. That was a mistake. Since then it's been improving with diligent water changes and I just ordered an emerald crab, but yeah, lesson learned, won't be missing those weekly changes again.

Here's the new FTS. Like I said... Algae... Hope it dies off quickly.