Just Another Pico Reef

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 2, 2023

Hello all,

Usually just poke my head in once in a while to see what everyone is up to, but this time I decided to make a small thread for my small tank

It’s only .3 gallons so not a lot to work with, but slowly turning it into a good old fashioned tiny mixed reef is my desire. As far as equipment goes, I won’t be using anything too fancy, just a light, small heater, and the return pump is all

Now let’s talk adding fish…lol jk. I might add a tiny little hermit crab or something like a bumblebee shrimp would be cool, but honestly this tank will focus on just corals. After initially cycling the tank, I plan on just doing 50%-ish weekly water changes along with manually topping off when needed, but I suppose this is all subject to change if needed.

In all, I’m excited to start working on such a small tank; should be a fun little desktop reef

Thanks for stopping by and happy reefing!

Gumbies R Us · Feb 2, 2023

I have always loved pico tanks, the challenges associated with them, and the joy of having a little mini tank. Best of luck with your Pico!!

kevgib67 · Feb 2, 2023

What, no Tang?!?!? Blasphemy!

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 2, 2023

Gumbies R Us said:
I have always loved pico tanks, the challenges associated with them, and the joy of having a little mini tank. Best of luck with your Pico!!

They are so much fun! Sometimes difficult like you said, but when everything is running smoothly they can look incredible.

Thanks!

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 4, 2023

Super simple rock scape, but I really want to keep as much negative space as possible to keep the perspective of scale looking good.

Now time to sit back a let the cycle do it’s thing.

Fish Styx · Feb 12, 2023

I never ran a Pico, myself, but I do love looking at them. Can't wait to see this one come together. Tagging along for the ride!

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 19, 2023

Fish Styx said:
I never ran a Pico, myself, but I do love looking at them. Can't wait to see this one come together. Tagging along for the ride!

They are pretty fun little tanks to have. And pretty cheap as far as this hobby is concerned.

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 19, 2023

I spy a tiny reef tank

TheRainyDayAquarium · Feb 23, 2023

Added a few zoas the other day. Frag plugs are the bane of small tanks like this. Did my best to cut them off of the frag plugs; it will grow over everything eventually I suppose. Also pardon the not-so-clean glass.

1epauletteshark · Mar 14, 2023

Did you end up with a bumble bee shrimp? If not you should still 100% get one. I would probably grab a Pom Pom crab while you are at it too. Happy reefing and best of luck.

TheRainyDayAquarium · Mar 20, 2023

1epauletteshark said:
Did you end up with a bumble bee shrimp? If not you should still 100% get one. I would probably grab a Pom Pom crab while you are at it too. Happy reefing and best of luck.

Not yet, I'm taking this tank pretty slow. Years ago I had a small tank like this at the office with a pom pom crab in it; super fun little tank.

Scooter21 · Mar 20, 2023

Maybe the fun of this is the challenge, but it seems like the best solution to these mini tanks would be to have a much larger sized sump hidden away.

TheRainyDayAquarium · Apr 3, 2023

That could be a way to keep them for sure! In my experience they are pretty easy to care for. You have to keep a closer eye on maintenance, but it’s nothing too crazy.

BadCrab · Apr 4, 2023

Awesome little tank - who manufactured it?

It’s cool how the goals for a pico present unique challenges due to the space constraint - it’ll be a fun aquascaping challenge to still get the variety of textures and heights you expect in a mixed reef. I’m excited to watch it grow in!

tinyfellows · Apr 4, 2023

What light is that?

TheRainyDayAquarium · Apr 5, 2023

BadCrab said:
Awesome little tank - who manufactured it?

It’s cool how the goals for a pico present unique challenges due to the space constraint - it’ll be a fun aquascaping challenge to still get the variety of textures and heights you expect in a mixed reef. I’m excited to watch it grow in!

Thanks! I actually make these tanks under my brand Vasa Blue. I sell a few styles on my website, but wanted to just have a normal build thread for my personal one.

It’s a fun challenge for sure scaping a small tank like this. I think the hardest part is acclimating the corals, I end up doing a 100% water change when I have more than 2 frags lol.