My new 3 gallon pico

[sir_dudeguy]

ok well today i went out and got one of the jbj 3g picotope tanks. Actually it is not for me, but rather a christmas present for my aunt (who kinda got me into aquariums in the first place but never did have a saltwater tank).

Its just going to be a very simple setup. 3g tank, 3.3 pounds of lr that i just got today, and maybe 3 pounds of sand that was left over from when my old tank broke. The light is the 9w 50/50 pc light that comes with it, but i talked to the lfs lady and she said that she could most definately order me another one thru the wholesale people they buy from since i cannot find the thing anywhere. But basically in the end it will be a 2x9w pc fixture...one will be 10K and the other will be 03 actinic. Should be good for basically a small softy tank.

Anywho..enough detail, heres' the pics of it :)

The tank empty by itself...i guess everyone has to get that one picture out of the way so here it is lol.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/nano/IMG_2467.jpg

mixing the salt in there...
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/nano/IMG_2469.jpg

ok here's the filter that it came with...imo the thing is somewhat of a joke lol. I mean the thing BARELY moves the water at all...no way is it enough to get the filtration done thru the rock because theres no way all the water would even be going thru all the rock

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/nano/IMG_2468.jpg
What i did tho was take off the stock filter and put an old whisper 20 on there....i will be getting a new one because the one i have is really old, ugly, and beat up (not to meantion filthy with coraline lol), but for now it works. IMO the flow from the whisper 20 is perfect for this little tank. And its nice and wide


Here it is with some rock in there...
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/nano/IMG_2470.jpg

full
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/nano/IMG_2471.jpg

I will be getting more pictures as the thing comes along. I am hoping to have the thing ready to go by christmas day (or eve rather since thats when we all do our gift exchanges with the rest of the family). I may have started it just a tad bit late, but i think it may cycle by then....the rock was pretty much all cured before it went in there, so it should be fine. If its good before then, i'll put in a couple of frags of gsp and the like

[Redstratplayer]

looking good i love the pic o tope

[sir_dudeguy]

thanks ;)

i also got a question...what heater would be good for this? I'm thinking of a really small one that can just lay sideways in the back so you cant see it...but idk

Oh, and btw, that center bridge formation in the rock will eventualy be covered in gsp i think...should be easy to get that thing covered in it. You cant really see the pic very well since the water was still cloudy from the sand, but its gone away now so i'll take another picture in a bit maybe. I'd like to get a heater in there asap tho since the water is very cold in that room right now

[Alex13]

Lol that was fast! looks good tagging along!

[sir_dudeguy]

the sand storm you mean? Ya it was actually :) Probably because it was only like 3 pounds of sand or so, but also cuz i have a thing of carbon in the filter. I've found that it always helps the sand storm go away within a few hours rather than having to wait 2-3 days like normal. I gotta get the heat up in there and i will put a small frag in and see how it goes. I just got a tiny little heater from walmart today, but i'm not sure if its working or not...the temp felt the same a few hours after i put the thing in there (so freezing basically lol....i didnt know it could get as cold as it is here in az...but then again the room its in has all tile and i'm not using that room right now so the heater is never on and the ac lets air in...so it gets in the lower 40's to high 30s at night in there.

[invincible569]

Any updates?

[Avalanche1201]

nice tank :) got one just like it. im bringing it to my dorm when i go back to school.. may upgrade the filter i need to get some sand for it and ive added a camel shrimp since i took this pic but here it is

http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/data/500/front10.jpg

[sir_dudeguy]

hey, sorry for not giving any updates lol. I'll get a picture of it next time i go to my aunts house, which will probably be tomorrow or something.

Right now there is just 3 ceriths and a small rock w/about 15 or so small orange-skirt zoas.

Cool tank avalanche :) It will look great when you get the sand in there.

[drummereef]

Awesome Sir_Dude. Those are cool little tanks. Can't wait for updates on it.

[kase]

HOT lil tank..

[DJChesnutRabbit]

Nice lil tank !

[Avalanche1201]

thanks sir :)

i wanna try to get some polyps for it once i get back to school...so it can be my first reef tank, and then i can set up a 24g reef when i get home :)

any suggestions? or a good site w/ lots of info on them so i can make a good decision on what to get?

[sir_dudeguy]

if you want a site w/lots of info on these little nano's, check out nano-reef.com.

I will be rigging up another light to this tank too. I just gotta figure out how. It is one of those aqualight mini things...2x9w pc. 10K and a 03 actinic. And i'll still have this light thats on it too, which is a 9w 50/50.

That way i'll be able to keep pretty much any softy. I just have to figure out how to get the light to hang above it. I'm probably going to weld together a small frame in class with legs that sit on both sides of the tank, then a crossbar running from leg to leg above the tank and just hang it w/some wire from the crossbar. Not like it needs to be strong or anything since its only like 2 lbs tops lol.

[Avalanche1201]

nice man, im hopen that the stock light would be good for some polyps...since i dont wanna try corals yet.

i also got a second filter for mine running w/ the stock so ive got 140gph goin...not to shabby for a 3g pico :)

[sir_dudeguy]

im hopen that the stock light would be good for some polyps...since i dont wanna try corals yet

well polyps are corals ;)

and i no longer use the stock filter at all. Complete waste imo. I just tossed it aside and threw a whisper 20 on there. Perfect flow for the whole tank.

Anywho, i went over to check out the tank and take a couple small frags over to it, and i forgot the camera lol, so another time i guess.

any shrimps that would be good in a 3g? Besides those ones that eat starfish only tho...i dont want those.

Would a cleaner be fine? It would take up a lot of space tho

[cbear44]

People will put mantis shrimp in pico's and not have much difficulty.

Did you find a fix for hanging an aqualight mini on the tank? I like the look of the JBJ and am debating between that and a 2.5 AGA...either way would have to figure out a way to use an aqualight...don't want a canopy

[BiggySmalls]

sexy shrimp

[Avalanche1201]

i picked up a camel shrimp the other day...thinken of getting 1 more maybe, and def getting 1 neon blue goby...maybe 2 b/c there so small and thats it...


of course besides a few small frags i wanna try :)

[sir_dudeguy]

cbear, i think that the 2x9 aqualight actually fits the aga 2.5 perfectly. Thats just too small imo tho. Granted i've only got a half gallon more lol, but just the shape and everything is nicer on the pico imo.

as for hanging the 2x9 aqualight over my picotope, i'm thinking of welding something like this. I've got welding class at school and we'll be welding next week, and it should be a pretty easy weld...not like it needs to be super strong. Basically just has to hold itself and 2 extra pounds lol. Heres my idea...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/lightrig.jpg

On the upright parts of the stand, those "T" leg things will not be sideways like they are in the pic. I just drew it like that to show that they're there. They will be perpendicular to the rest of the rig so that it can stand ;)

biggy, i'll look into the sexy shrimp. Is it the harlequins that eat the stars?

[BiggySmalls]

yeah harlequins eat starfish, sexy shrimp like to be in groups of 2 or more, but it isnt necesary

[sir_dudeguy]

hm...maybe get 2 of those then..we'll see. I did do a search on them tho and it shows they need cooler water...72-8 as opposed to the 80ish that most do in reef tanks...would 2 extra degrees harm them? maybe not but it wouldnt be as natural to them i wouldnt think.

[Redstratplayer]

I say get a mantis much cooler

[sir_dudeguy]

true, but that wont do well w/the little goby that may be going in there :)

[Redstratplayer]

not if you get a smasher mantis and not a spearing mantis

[Crackerballer]

I need more pics sir dude guy!

[nYgel]

Is a coral banded too big for a 3 gallon pico? I plan on getting a pico soon, kidna want a coral banded shrimp but dont want it in my 29g.