Working on starting my second tank - pico reef

[Wrassenaround]

 

[The Ginga Ninja]

Hey! I just started a series on how to do this maybe check it out hope it helps! My third pico:

How to Pico Reef: The Complete Guide to 5 Gallons or Less

 

[CO2TLEY]

 

[Tired]

I'd second the recommendation of a tiny fish. Both to provide nutrients to the corals, and because amphipods, if left without a predator, can harass your corals. Trimma gobies are a good choice; they're tiny, not very active, and add a nice spot of color.

They may also not even need to be fed very often once the tank is mature, as they hunt pods. I had one for a few years that I fed anywhere from once a week to once a month, though I did feed some of the LPS corals, and by extension the rest of the tank slightly, and it stayed nice and fat. The one downside is they can be timid, particularly at first, and spend a fair amount of time in hiding until they get comfortable with you.

Clown gobies are another option, but may pick at SPS polyps, so are best left out if you plan to go for any of the easy SPS in this tank. Which I do recommend at least considering- something like a branching montipora would be simple enough to keep, once the tank is mature, and will be a nice bit of variety in texture.

 

[Reef Devils]

I have a 13.5 that's been running for a year, now I'm starting up a 5-gal pico reef.
No solid plans on stocking it yet, would love any input. Not planning on adding a fish, just as much diversity in coral/ inverts as I can.

Planning to add a sand bed, and use water, live rock, and filter media from the existing tank to get it started right up.

Hoping to take more advantage of the coral farms near me. The tank will be going on my desk so I can watch it while I do grad school work!

Welcome to R2R!

 

[vetteguy53081]