lurchone
New Member
Hello everyone! My name is matt and I figured id share the evolution of my 5g fluval chi reef!
So I started out with this... a basic fluval chi pico tank that I got from a friend...
I promptly started figuring out what to do with it... My initial thought was a freshwater planted shrimp tank but then I noticed lots of coral sitting on a frag rack that I cant stand to look at in my 125 so I figured what the heck, lets do a pico!
So I set up a ****** light in the fixture I planned on using and stared at it for a few days and decided what direction I wanted to go with it...
Well obviously firs things first and the back was promptly painted black and after a bit of scavengeing around I found a hob filter and some other odds and ends to get it filled
All the rock came out of the sump of my 120 and was very well established with pods, feather dusters, sponges, and all the good stuff so there was not much of a cycle at all.
So after about 3 months or so of it running like that I decided I couldn't stand the hob filter and surface slime on it with no overflow so the diy urge kicked in and I got myself a sheet of black acrylic and went all fabrication mode! (the one on top was my first run which I was very unhappy with and decided I should try again much more sober....)
So once I got it right finally (that's why we get extra material right?) I moved all the rock and few coral that were in there into a 5g bucket for a few days and proceded to silicone in the new overflow. (yes I know silicone doesn't bond to acrylic but if you use enough it doesn't move)
Now came the process of repurposing an old work bench as a stand and moving the light mount to the new spot and some rescaping fun!
And here is how it sits today!
Equipment is a 240l aquamedic pump (I belive) and a korila hydor ecopico 180. 15w nano heater and a par 36 bulb in a crappy fixtue hung with a shelf bracket painted to match the wall
So I started out with this... a basic fluval chi pico tank that I got from a friend...
I promptly started figuring out what to do with it... My initial thought was a freshwater planted shrimp tank but then I noticed lots of coral sitting on a frag rack that I cant stand to look at in my 125 so I figured what the heck, lets do a pico!
So I set up a ****** light in the fixture I planned on using and stared at it for a few days and decided what direction I wanted to go with it...
Well obviously firs things first and the back was promptly painted black and after a bit of scavengeing around I found a hob filter and some other odds and ends to get it filled
All the rock came out of the sump of my 120 and was very well established with pods, feather dusters, sponges, and all the good stuff so there was not much of a cycle at all.
So after about 3 months or so of it running like that I decided I couldn't stand the hob filter and surface slime on it with no overflow so the diy urge kicked in and I got myself a sheet of black acrylic and went all fabrication mode! (the one on top was my first run which I was very unhappy with and decided I should try again much more sober....)
So once I got it right finally (that's why we get extra material right?) I moved all the rock and few coral that were in there into a 5g bucket for a few days and proceded to silicone in the new overflow. (yes I know silicone doesn't bond to acrylic but if you use enough it doesn't move)
Now came the process of repurposing an old work bench as a stand and moving the light mount to the new spot and some rescaping fun!
And here is how it sits today!
Equipment is a 240l aquamedic pump (I belive) and a korila hydor ecopico 180. 15w nano heater and a par 36 bulb in a crappy fixtue hung with a shelf bracket painted to match the wall
