2.5 gallon Pico Build Thread - Reef Tank

Hoshiaki · May 19, 2021

Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!

GK3 · May 19, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!

Did one of these as a very first saltwater. So much fun. If you do closed top, add some macro algae for o2 exchange. Otherwise take the lid off and get a small ATO. Surprisingly, they don’t evaporate a lot, but with such a small volume it will cause a swing.

Hoshiaki · May 19, 2021

GK3 said:
Did one of these as a very first saltwater. So much fun. If you do closed top, add some macro algae for o2 exchange. Otherwise take the lid off and get a small ATO. Surprisingly, they don’t evaporate a lot, but with such a small volume it will cause a swing.

Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?

GK3 · May 19, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?

So back when I did it, no one made pico gear, so I made my own with a small 12 volt water pump from eBay. My res was maybe 1/10th of gallon and would last around a week. One of that major equipment manufacturers just released a nano pump for small tank ato’s. I can’t remember the name but it’s very new. That would be a good place to start if you don’t want to do DIY.

Hoshiaki · May 19, 2021

GK3 said:
So back when I did it, no one made pico gear, so I made my own with a small 12 volt water pump from eBay. My res was maybe 1/10th of gallon and would last around a week. One of that major equipment manufacturers just released a nano pump for small tank ato’s. I can’t remember the name but it’s very new. That would be a good place to start if you don’t want to do DIY.

Oh alright yeah! I’ll be sure to look for it, thanks again

GK3 · May 19, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Oh alright yeah! I’ll be sure to look for it, thanks again

Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.

GK3 · May 19, 2021

GK3 said:
Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.

Unless you live in a snowy climate the heat the crap out of it lol

Hoshiaki · May 20, 2021

GK3 said:
Another recommendation, not sure where you live but a small pc fan is almost a must anywhere the climate is warmer. I had two over mine and a heater. I had programmed a microcontroller off a thermocouple in the water to regulate the temp. You don’t need to go that nuts, but I’d argue a chilling mechanism is more crucial than heating on these small tanks.

I live in Illinois in the USA where the temps were in the 30’s two days ago and now it’s 84 lol. And yeah i think i’ll get some pc fans, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t think i’ll have to worry about the heater this summer haha

thanks!

LarrySpice · May 20, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?

This is on the pricier end, but from my knowledge is a pretty good ato.

I dont own one, but I've read and seen it work very well. The green bit works as a sensor for water level and then hose will send water in. Because these are the only two things needed in the tank, would probably be relatively sleek in a little pico.

Hoshiaki · Jun 7, 2021

Just got a little kenya tree coral (i named them coralline) and drip acclimated them for around half an hour. they were ‘open’ before i had to move them from the container (for the acclimation) to the tank and now they’re pretty shriveled up.
i expected them to be shriveled up but i was wondering if anyone can predict how long they usually stay like this? i just want to make sure i’m not doing something wrong.

they’re in a place with moderate flow and lighting

LarrySpice · Jun 8, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Just got a little kenya tree coral (i named them coralline) and drip acclimated them for around half an hour. they were ‘open’ before i had to move them from the container (for the acclimation) to the tank and now they’re pretty shriveled up.
i expected them to be shriveled up but i was wondering if anyone can predict how long they usually stay like this? i just want to make sure i’m not doing something wrong.

they’re in a place with moderate flow and lighting

In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.

Hoshiaki · Jun 8, 2021

LarrySpice said:
In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.

thank you!

Hoshiaki · Jun 8, 2021

LarrySpice said:
In my girlfriend's 55g, we had one of these guys. Took a day or two for it to really extend up but some shrivelling at the start is super normal from what I am aware. That's a sweet looking frag! Once he's comfortable, that coral will grow pretty quickly! Kenya trees are fairly hardy from what I am aware, so it should be alright, just gotta give it some time I figure.

I'm by no means an expert, just speaking from my personal experience with this coral.

Coralline is already looking better!

LarrySpice · Jun 10, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Coralline is already looking better!

Definitely looking good! Much more extension already, can't wait to see how this guy grows and extends out.

ctopherl · Jun 10, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Hey guys! This is gonna be my build thread for my 2.5 gallon pico tank.

So far i have about an inch of sand on the bottom and a live rock. It’s been cycling for about 3 days and i’m grateful for the glass lid because i haven’t had to top it off yet!

So where did you get the tank and lid?

Hoshiaki · Jun 21, 2021

ctopherl said:
So where did you get the tank and lid?

I actually got the tank and lid from Savors! (a thrift shop) It was going for a super cheap 15$ with the filter and lights included

srobertb · Jun 21, 2021

Hoshiaki said:
Thanks for the info! And yeah i’m pretty excited for the challenge. Btw do you recommend any good ATOs for a tank this small?

Auto aqua ATO lite for $76. They have an insanely small footprint in the tank. I use one on my freshwater tank (in the sump area) and my coffee machine (I have a Jura I drilled for an ATO and a 5 gallon ATO reservoir behind it).

I would probably swing for the XP Aqua Duetto ($120) because it has an extra fail safe *and* the light sensor doesn’t have an LED light.