Pico build!

[razorskiss]

I've started up the Pico tank I won from the recent @ESHOPPS.INC and @WWC giveaway. Went with a simple bit of Marco rock and live sand, the plan is to get through the initial dino phase and start adding livestock with the first signs of green algae. This tank is in a research lab at a university so we plan to keep some curiosities including one or two macroalgae specimens and a lettuce slug, with maybe a snail or two as CUC. Some folks suggest that a tank this size could be suitable for a tiny goby but I'm not sure about that. Since this tank is in a workplace it would be hard to feed over the weekends so I'm leaning against having a fish, especially In a tank this small. Looking forward to add the RFG from @Vivid Creative Aquatics that they so generously offered to the giveaway winners.

 

[Peace River]

Congratulations on the win and the new adventure!

@reefiniteasy - how do you navigate a tank with fish in a classroom?

 

[razorskiss]

Congratulations on the win and the new adventure!

@reefiniteasy - how do you navigate a tank with fish in a classroom?

I wonder if a Pico refugium in the back chamber might sustain enough pods to feed something like a trimma goby between feedings over a weekend

 

[razorskiss]

Ok, so my initial set up of the pico tank was ultimately torn down, work got busy and I never introduced any livestock. Eventually the tank grew some kind of slimy biofilm and rather than try to battle it back before continuing, I opted to toss the contents, clean it out and start over. The new iteration of the tank started out with the pico kit from TBS, live ocean rock and gravel for the substrate. This is my first time with live rock and it's super cool, found a hitchhiker chiton and some other critters I'm not sure about the ID of. I'm planning to let the tank stabilize for several weeks before introducing a threadfin goby and pistol shrimp, which will be it for livestock except maybe some small corals in a few months. The tank has a lid from @Kraken Reef and flow from dual RFGs from @Vivid Creative Aquatics, currently underfed by the stock pump but an upgrade is en route.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Glad to see the tank is still doing well!

 

[razorskiss]

Glad to see the tank is still doing well!

It's a fun little tank! The TBS rock makes it fun to spend forever looking over nooks and crannies using the flipper magnifying glass. I'm pretty sure there's a tiny brittle star in there as well, but I've only caught glimpses of one of its arms hanging out of a hole.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Always preferred starting with live rock - or at least rock from an established system. It like a box of chocolates - you never know what you gunna get - LOL

Tank reboot looks good

 

[QuickrdenU]

I have 2 of these tanks and each have a goby/pistol pair. One even has a clown fish pair as well. Definitely overstocked and they will be going into my big tank soon! But the goby and shrimp are just enough. I would consider a clown goby but nothing else after that.

One shrimp rearranges things every couple weeks and the other seems to leave it alone. Very interesting even in such small tanks. Just make sure to place any corals high enough so you don’t need to blow them off regularly like me. And keep everything away from the sides of the tank. There is very little room to clean the acrylic. My huge hands knock everything around. But fun little tanks. Enjoy!

 

[razorskiss]

I have 2 of these tanks and each have a goby/pistol pair. One even has a clown fish pair as well. Definitely overstocked and they will be going into my big tank soon! But the goby and shrimp are just enough. I would consider a clown goby but nothing else after that.

One shrimp rearranges things every couple weeks and the other seems to leave it alone. Very interesting even in such small tanks. Just make sure to place any corals high enough so you don’t need to blow them off regularly like me. And keep everything away from the sides of the tank. There is very little room to clean the acrylic. My huge hands knock everything around. But fun little tanks. Enjoy!

How do you typically feed the shrimp and goby in these tanks? Luckily the tank is right next to a sink with a DI water tap so nutrient export will be easy via frequent water changes.

 

[QuickrdenU]

How do you typically feed the shrimp and goby in these tanks? Luckily the tank is right next to a sink with a DI water tap so nutrient export will be easy via frequent water changes.

A long pipette is my favorite instrument with these tanks. You can use it for blowing stuff off the rocks and for feeding. I’ll squirt some thawed frozen food down near his hole and then run the wave maker til it’s all gone or when it’s feeding time I turn off the pumps, he comes out, and catches a few pellets as I send them down right in front of his tunnel.

 

[razorskiss]

After almost a year of running a kessil light on my 25g cube I find that I'm not a fan of this AI Prime, the color blending is so bad, holy disco ball. The app is better, but I'm definitely sticking with kessil going forward