Pico Tank! Wavemaker/powerhead suggestions?

lainamarie · Oct 25, 2024

ALRIGHT!

So I always called my 3gallon a nano tank, apparently I’m mistaken, it’s a pico.

Currently my small clown is housed in the pico and it’s been sorely neglected, I have some CUC in there and a sexy shrimp, and some small feather dusters that have just appeared. I have a berzerko cyphastrea in there managing and a dead birds nest coral. The cyano bacteria is out of this world and there’s some bubble algae that I intend to get some emerald crabs to handle in there.

Basically my question is how to handle the cyano? I can manually remove a lot of it from the sand bed for sure, so I will do that.

I’d like to move my clown to my main display tank, and get a pico reef light that’s affordable (SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!) something that doesn’t get hot!

I want some water movement because ideally I’d like a bunch of flowy corals to just take over, get some emerald and pompom crabs and a bunch of shrimps!

So anyways, recommendations?

VintageReefer · Oct 25, 2024

ReefBreeders Pico LED

The all new 2023 model year ReefBreeders Pico LED has been overhauled from the bottom up- making it one of the best options for small aquariums out there! One major change is the new controller- we developed an advanced yet simple to use interface. The original Pico had a simple on and off...

shop.reefbreeders.com

SPS: 10x10”
Mixed Reef: 14x14
Soft Corals/FOWLR: 16x16

Or

ReefBreeders Pico LED V2

The new and improved ReefBreeders Pico LED V2 has been redesigned to be user-friendly with advanced features and twice the power of the V1. The Pico LED V2 has 15watts of LED power and includes a built in two-channel dimmer and timer. Each channel can be dimmed in 10 percent increments for...

shop.reefbreeders.com

SPS: 12” x 12”
Mixed Reef: 18” x 18”
Soft Corals/FOWLR: 24x24

lainamarie · Oct 25, 2024

VintageReefer said:
ReefBreeders Pico LED

The all new 2023 model year ReefBreeders Pico LED has been overhauled from the bottom up- making it one of the best options for small aquariums out there! One major change is the new controller- we developed an advanced yet simple to use interface. The original Pico had a simple on and off...

shop.reefbreeders.com

SPS: 10x10”
Mixed Reef: 14x14
Soft Corals/FOWLR: 16x16

Or

ReefBreeders Pico LED V2

The new and improved ReefBreeders Pico LED V2 has been redesigned to be user-friendly with advanced features and twice the power of the V1. The Pico LED V2 has 15watts of LED power and includes a built in two-channel dimmer and timer. Each channel can be dimmed in 10 percent increments for...

shop.reefbreeders.com

SPS: 12” x 12”
Mixed Reef: 18” x 18”
Soft Corals/FOWLR: 24x24

unfortunately with the stiff yet moveable arm on these types, I won’t be able to fit the tank into its new home which will be like 13inx13in little square in an ikea kallax shelf, so i would need a flat square type light!

any powerheads?!

Reef_Freak720 · Oct 25, 2024

Only pico powerhead I've seen is a 3d printed one.

Maybe try an airpump? That's how I added flow to my reef bowl way back when

As far as light have you thought about using one of those led reef bulbs that screw in?

lainamarie · Oct 25, 2024

Reef_Freak720 said:
Only pico powerhead I've seen is a 3d printed one.

Maybe try an airpump? That's how I added flow to my reef bowl way back when

As far as light have you thought about using one of those led reef bulbs that screw in?

didn’t even know they had that! i considered the nicrew clip 5/8ths clip on for rimless tanks, its rimless so it should work and its like 50$ and i saw a review with it on the same tank i have so.. maybe shall try.

i never thought of using an air pump just to increase flow and i happen to have like 5 of them so maybe i’ll give that a shot!

i read another threat and someone was using a 1600gph powerhead on nutrient mode for a 5 gallon

Reef_Freak720 · Oct 25, 2024

lainamarie said:
didn’t even know they had that! i considered the nicrew clip 5/8ths clip on for rimless tanks, its rimless so it should work and its like 50$ and i saw a review with it on the same tank i have so.. maybe shall try.

i never thought of using an air pump just to increase flow and i happen to have like 5 of them so maybe i’ll give that a shot!

i read another threat and someone was using a 1600gph powerhead on nutrient mode for a 5 gallon

I ran the reef breeders version on the picos I had going.

You just don't want too much air as to cause water to splash out, salt creep everywhere lol.

That's smart. I'd be worried about it accidentally coming out of nute mode and mixing up the whole tank. But that's just my anxiety.

VintageReefer · Oct 25, 2024

This is the smallest powerhead I’ve come across, it’s 530gph on max power but of course you wouldn’t use max. It’s adjustable. The nutrient and wave modes pulse it on and off also so things aren’t blasted by constant flow

https://a.co/d/duVGNCE

lainamarie · Oct 25, 2024

Reef_Freak720 said:
I ran the reef breeders version on the picos I had going.

You just don't want too much air as to cause water to splash out, salt creep everywhere lol.

That's smart. I'd be worried about it accidentally coming out of nute mode and mixing up the whole tank. But that's just my anxiety.

i’d be worried about that too. i found a tiny fountain pump (like for a cat fountain or a small waterfall) i’ll try sticking that to the side of the tank lol.

gotta love the huge boxes of random equipment!

lainamarie · Oct 25, 2024

VintageReefer said:
This is the smallest powerhead I’ve come across, it’s 530gph on max power but of course you wouldn’t use max. It’s adjustable. The nutrient and wave modes pulse it on and off also so things aren’t blasted by constant flow

https://a.co/d/duVGNCE

oh dope! that’s pretty much perfect if it’s adjustable but ya if it fails i’d feel bad if they do get blasted. just sad shrimpies flailing around in a whirlpool

dedragon · Oct 25, 2024

in a tank this small usually the filtration has enough flow for the whole tank, whether that is from a power filter or return from sump. Im using an innovative marine spinstream on my 12"x12"x6" and its doing a good job of changing the water flow in such a small tank

Gumbies R Us · Oct 25, 2024

I have a pico I got from pnw customs. It uses a 3w 50gph return pump. Works great in a tank that size!

souciemm · Oct 25, 2024

I use this one in my 6 gallon Jecod ELW-3M. Its super adjustable and programable. But for 3 gallons you could probably get away with just a return pump in the 50-120gph range or air pump.