Lostmyz's PICO Build

[lostmyz]

And so it begins... Being away from my big tank for so long drives me nuts! So I wanted something cool and small that I could have fun with. So with all the new picos and nanos designs that all the fish companies are putting out now I had to just get one! I love peninsula tanks so much because you get to maximize the amount of real estate that you can view. So I went with a Fluva Spec V!!!!! Here it is day 1 of it coming home....





But with my obsession I can just have that punny little compartment in the back for filtration. It won't do so I made a plan and this is where it all starts. I drilled it and placed a 3/4" bulk head in there. My plan is to run a 10 gallon sump with a some-what display refugium, skimmer section, section with extra live rock and the return pump. Here are a few pics of the new base. This was by far the scariest glass drilling I have ever done. The glass is a little of an 1/8" thick and nowhere on the web or from hagen could I find if its tempered or not. So I bit the bullet and drilled.





In order to get the bulkhead to actually fit with the tank I had to dremel out a lip on the inner internal filter basket area and than on the shrouding around the base of the had to dremel away from plastic. But as you can see... hole drilled (no cracks) and bulk head fits!

Stay tuned there is a lot more to come in the next few weeks. I will be building a really nice stand for the tank, building the sump and its sections, skimmer, lighting, aquascaping ideas etc...

[bugs713]

Awesome!

I bought the smaller Spec V a while back just because I like the look of them. Will probably be a FW bathroom tank haha

I really like the idea of a nano with a full, out of sight support system!

Good luck, have fun and keep the pics coming!

[Dangerwill]

Thats a cool little tank you got there and extra points for drilling bravery!

[Frick]

Nice start. Sumps on picos are always good for long term success. What are you going to keep in this?

[Nibrown9]

awesome. this is gonna be a great build to watch. im following along.

[Weyrman]

This will be fun to follow.

Are you going to do the return through the drain trick?

[lostmyz]

Originally Posted by Frick

Nice start. Sumps on picos are always good for long term success. What are you going to keep in this?

I want to keep it fairly simple. Going to definitely have SPS, Zoas, maybe a LPS or two. As for livestock:

I am thinking a Tail Spot Blenny (I want some movement occasionally)
5 sexy shrimp
Pom Pom Crab
2 blue footed hermit crabs
2 Nassarius Snails
2 Astrea Snails

Not really sure I can put much more in there granted my total water volume will be probably 10 gallons. I wanted to put a larger shrimp in there (cleaner shrimp) or even a Harlequin and keep a chocolate starfish in my sump for feedings but not sure about it (probably won't do it). I will be OVERSKIMMING, I will probably have to use a timer

Originally Posted by Weyrman

This will be fun to follow. Are you going to do the return through the drain trick?

Yes I plan on doing the return through the drain. The drain will be a 1" or 1.25" flexible hosing attached to a 1" bulkhead in the sump. My return line i believe is 1/2" outside diameter and 3/8" inside diameter


I plan on upgrading the LEDS to a much better system with controllability so I don't bleach out the sps. Return pump is going to be a Quiet One 1200, and I just purchased a BMNAC 3.5 clone off ebay (the SC-65 that I have been told works amazingly. I also have read that if I use an air pump to attach to my venturi line of the pump I will get better skimming... So I am totally going to attempt to do this).

[areucrazy]

Very Nice!! Great job on the drilling. I havent done that befor. I see a mantis in there.... from all angles! LOL...

[tcamos]

Mantis is exactly what I was thinking too! It's like a mini peninsula.

[lostmyz]

I don't think I could have a mini reef in that tank with a mantis and I think the glass is too thin for even the 2.5" manti's out there.

On a side note.... I will be setting up a 10gal mantis tank as well when i get back to FLorida in June!!!!

Also if anyone is interested in helping me aquascaping this bad boy with some dry rock and aquamend while I am in Phoenix starting next week that be awesome!!!!!

[Frick]

If you do SPS with a tail spot, he might nip at it. I just don't trust that genus with small polyps.

I don't think you can over skim. I have never seen anyone to actually over skim, if the skimmer is set up right. Just run it dry and it should work perfect. What skimmer will you be using anyway?

[lostmyz]

I used to keep a Tailspot blenny in my 10gal SPS frag tank for 8 months. never touched a single SPS. he was in the tank till he decided to go carpet surfing while a friend was watching the tank.

As for skimmer I purchased this....



Its a clone of the BM NAC 3.5. I talked to a few people on the nano forums that have used it and had great results from it. It's rated for a 65 gal tank. I will definately have to run the skim as dry as possible. I do that with my large tank and boy does that stuff smell bad and gunkified (well the bio pellets don't help the smell either).

[Kalakuhan]

Cool looking tank, it's gonna be a sweet setup.

I started using my nano to quarantine corals, unfortunately a lot of the corals ended up staying in there because they're growing so well.

Tagging along......

[Junktown]

I have all kinds of small dry rock and cured cycled live rock. Probably hundreds of pounds of each. Some branching totonka and jakarta. A ton of Fiji. If you are interested.

[lostmyz]

Originally Posted by Junktown

I have all kinds of small dry rock and cured cycled live rock. Probably hundreds of pounds of each. Some branching totonka and jakarta. A ton of Fiji. If you are interested.

I am definitely interested in those Junktown!!! I really want to use dry rock for the aquascaping because it is such a small space to work with. I plan on "smashing" the dry rock and aquamending the piece together into the structure that I want. I have a few structures that I am thinking about doing. I'll probably mock them up and take a poll on here to see which people think is best.

Here is a great form thread about aquascaping!!! I've read it over like 4 times. I also have read my ADA aquascaping intro to aquatic plants book like 10 times total now between setting up live plant tanks I have and structure ideas for my pico system.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2217633

[Weyrman]

Originally Posted by lostmyz

Here is a great form thread about aquascaping!!! I've read it over like 4 times. I also have read my ADA aquascaping intro to aquatic plants book like 10 times total now between setting up live plant tanks I have and structure ideas for my pico system.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2217633

That is a great thread! I'm sure I'll be reading it again too.

Thanks!

[BobthePhotoGuy]

What about a yellow clown goby? Add a splash of bright color. The like to perch on corals and watch the world go by.

Bob

[lostmyz]

Originally Posted by BobthePhotoGuy

What about a yellow clown goby? Add a splash of bright color. The like to perch on corals and watch the world go by.

Bob

I've had a lot of suggestions from people to go with the small gobies...


The Citrinis Clown Goby
The Yellow Clown Goby
Green CLown Goby (which I will say is pretty damn cool because I haven't seen many green fish out there)

I have thought about putting in a catalina goby if I get a fan and put over the sump and cool the tank down fairly good since they like colder waters.

I also have debated between a neon blue goby too and even a yellow stripped cling fish.

The fish is a ways off right now. Need to get to Az and build the entire set up first. But always open to suggestions. I just really want a fish with a good personality

[lostmyz]

Small Update....

Just got my lights for my tank in! Good bye POS hagen LEDS... Hello AI Nano with controller!




Awesome Article about the clown gobies and SPS and protection.... I might have to consider them now
http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2012/...ll-herbivores/

[Dangerwill]

Fancy fancy

[lostmyz]

Been trolling around the net looking for ideas for aquascaping this bad boy and I think I have settled on something along the lines of this on a miniature scale. I like the shadowed over hang. And hes got 2 borbs in there OMG!!!

[Addiction2SPS]

Awesome build so far! Will be tagging along.

[LivingStrong08]

I love the Bonsai look! My fish love the overhangs, it's awesome to see Anthias hang out underneath these hangs. Good luck!

[lostmyz]

Dedication.... the tank is traveling to Phx from Florida!!! Never been stared at so much in the airport in my lifE with Looks of..... ***

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[lostmyz]

A little update. Got some packages in.....

uploadfromtaptalk1362904584596.jpg

Tomorrow I will be gping to get my 10gal tank and some 1/4" plexi glass and start the layouts for the sump...

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