Yodle Pico

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

What's good Reef2Reef? I can't believe I haven't been on the forums in so long. Usually I just browse, but today I decided to share my little project. I started working for a company about a year ago that has really changed my life for the best. One of my fellow reefers and good friend referred me here and I have gotten to know some of nicest people. We recently moved to a new building and since we have this amazing culture I wanted to share with my co-workers the beauty of what fascinates us hobbyist to do what we do best. Nano's are quite trendy these days and I wanted to push my reefing skills to the extreme. This project is dedicated to the passion that started for me at age 13 and has lead me to where I am today.

Tank: Ecoxotic Ecopico 5 gal, DOB: 10-06-12

Mechanical Filter: Stock pump

Bio Fileter: 3 lbs of Live Rock, 2 lbs (estimate) of black sand

Lighting: 3x LED arm light fixtures, 9 strips total. (Will post configuration later)

Supplements: B-ionic 2 part and Mg

Livestock: 2x Astrea snails, 2x Nassarius snails, Mandarin goby, Blue striped pipefish , Harlequin shrimp

My first pics are from my old iPhone 3G, but I just got my 5 and there's a tight app called Viddy that I want to play around with. Enjoy!

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

Oct. 6th, day 1 of the Yodle Pico. Tonga pieces were just sitting on the bottom of my display at home. Established tank water was used. No soup.

431755_451656211544999_921635607_n by SPS Samurai, on Flickr

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

Oct. 26th. Have been teased for 20 days straight for having no fish. lol. Come on now you can't rush reef building!

559392_458948804149073_940818888_n by SPS Samurai, on Flickr

revhtree · Nov 10, 2012

That's a sweet little tank! Keep us updated!

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

Thanks Rev! I'm going to swing by work tomorrow and try to shoot some video of the fish, since people are still complaining that they can't see them because they're so tiny. :cry: Corals have been fragged, should be healed and in by the end of the month!

revsgirl · Nov 10, 2012

I like it! Following!

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

I appreciate all the views and interest. This thread will be pic heavy. Unfortunately I can't get into the office today to shoot the video since all of Yodle will be at the University of Texas enjoying the game. \\m// Hook 'em Horns \\m// I'll load some files by Tuesday. In the meantime I welcome any Q and A.

I'll start. I've been researching some possible methods to increase the water flow for my sticks. Short of causing a tsunami in a tank this size I haven't found anything that will give me enough flow with a small enough footprint. I've looked at the Tunze nanostream, specifically the 6045 model, because of the flow control nozzle. If any one has some suggestions for modifying them even further or an alternative flow source please chime in. Other than that 'm just looking at another stock pump.

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

Well if I did go with the Tunze, I'm thinking I can put it at it's lowest setting. There's a glass top on it so I could arch the nozzle directly at the surface so that the current banks off the glass lid and pours downward similar to the direction of a parabola. Any suggestions?

skinz78 · Nov 10, 2012

Great looking little pico!

SPS Samurai · Nov 10, 2012

I appreciate the compliment Skinz78. In the back of my mind I wanted to have a QT for my Acro's, that's how I justified it. This little thing is obviously going to get carried away. :tongue:

SPS Samurai · Nov 12, 2012

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SPS Samurai · Nov 12, 2012

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SPS Samurai · Nov 15, 2012

Nov. 14th added a couple of Acros and frag of the Tyree Dragon's Breath Chalice. I'm using 3 fiberglass screens to cover the pico and help acclimate everything to the LED's.

SPS Samurai · Nov 15, 2012

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SPS Samurai · Nov 26, 2012

You know you're a reefer when you visit home for Thanksgiving and when you're saying goodbye your Mom tells you, "I was cleaning out your drawers and found this, take this with you you need it for your tank." What would we do without or Moms? :bounce:

photo-1 by SPS Samurai, on Flickr

SPS Samurai · Nov 26, 2012

My bad I haven't been able to practice my photography skills with this i5, so there's a slight glare in the pics. Hoping to get some video this week and I'll see if I can get a few FTS tomorrow. I want to do a progression shot with the T & T Lokani. I stared at the mother colony for over an hour and it definitely isn't the 20k nor 30k Lokani. It's much more darker and the branches are more thinner. This thing glows like an Oregon Tort!

photo-2 by SPS Samurai, on Flickr

SPS Samurai · Nov 26, 2012

This ID is puzzling me, here's my theory. I want to be thorough, because branch thickness is never a true indicator of Acropora species do to the effect of wave systems. The thin branching is what drew me to it. Im thinking imported specimen. Different from the "League" Lokani's, because this specimen is solid purple and gradually transitions into brown undersides closer to the main stem of the coral where lower light levels reach it. All polyps are white. Axial coralites are flat. Did I mention the branches are thin and it glows like a headlight? :bigsmile:

The "League" Lokanis I've seen have much more thicker branching. The purple transitions into cream hues and deep green in the center of the colony.They also sprout green polyps on their Incipient Radial coralites in the center region of the coral's stem. Axial coralites are very robust, rounded and contain white polyps. I know they're some SPS heavyweights that see what I'm seeing. None the less its a tight imported Lokani!

SPS Samurai · Nov 27, 2012

Ran some tests today and the parameters are sitting at N03: Undetectable, Ca: 400ppm (need to raise a little), dKH: 11. I decided to pull the filter sponge out of the stock filter 2 weeks ago and replace it with a bag of Phosgaurd. I've never ran carbon on any of my reef tanks. Nothing against it, just never had a need for it. For flow I'm going to run the Koralia Nano and just try and bank the current off the lid until I can maybe find a good deal on a used MP10. Day by day I'm starting to become a believer on these LED's. I haven't even removed fiberglass screen #1 yet and the colors are banging! Time will tell how the SPS adapt and color up. Never been a hardcore chalice enthusiast, so many of y'all will be more familiar with these than I. I don't have photoshop, these are straight i5 shots. They ask me what I do and who I do it for? Got the Pico looking like an alien graveyard!