|
|
|
|
#1
09/08/2007, 11:04 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
First Salt Setup, PICO
Hi everyone! I am new to this site and new to the salt scene in general. I have had fresh planted tanks and Dart Frog vivariums. I specialize in making ecosystems as close to the natural environment as possible (i.e. region specific plants and livestock). In my house, my boyfriend has been into the salt hobby for a few years now so he is helping out a bit with advise but he is not here as I write this post so excuse if my "lingo" is not correct.
 So, on to business. I just put together my first salt aquarium yesterday! It is a 3 gallon Pico (plus a 160gph filter). I am just going to break this down piece by piece before I show the pictures so just bare with me.  -3 gallon Picotope + 9 watt Clamp on Lamp -Millennium 2000 Wet-Dry Multi-Filter 160gph -Coralife Mini Aqualight 9 inch/18 watt (two 9 watt lamps) -Lexan Polycarbonate 8x10 clear sheet -Blue LED strip -4lbs Hatian live rock -Nature's Ocean live sand I am using the Coralife Mini Aqualight as my main light. It is placed on top of the Polycarbonate. The Polycarbonate is secured by small drops of silicon glue on either side (not glued to the tank, just to keep the Polycarbonate from slidding when the cat feels like getting into places he shouldn't be). I have the 9 watt Clamp on Lamp on my filter. Within the next few days I plan on turning my filter into a Refugium style Reverse photosynthesis arrangement. I hope that is clear, I had to look up the "proper" words for what I am trying to build. Basically it's just a natural filter with plants, sand, and liverock. The Blue LED strip is from older projects, my boyfriend built it, homebrew style (A.K.A Ghetto).*note: I posted the thumbnails because the original size is REALLY big! Just click the thumbnail to see a good medium size version of the picture.  Picture of the whole setup with all lights on (if you look closely you can see a pic of my dad in the background!  ). Sideways picture of the "Reverse photosynthesis arrangement".  Close-up of Hatian Live Rock (I know, great pieces huh?  ). A picture of the main light setup. More pictures in next post (There's a limit?)... Last edited by Cierra1985; 09/08/2007 at 11:11 PM. |
|
#2
09/08/2007, 11:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
...Pics continued.
 A close-up of the silicon glue "stoppers".  A REALLY awesome picture of the Blue LED's in action!  A close-up of the LED's behind the aquarium.  This is a dimmer for the LED's (fish have to sleep ya know!). Thanks for lookin! Cierra |
|
#3
09/09/2007, 12:54 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
will be hard to keep water perams in check on a tank that small
|
|
#4
09/09/2007, 07:59 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
She didn't mention fish. Coral only pico with weekly water changes are rather easy to maintain imo. I have a 5.5g that does have a fish and the only issue I have run into is the pH dropping. However, a little Mrs. Wages lime in the top off water and the corals are growing again. The thing I like about the little coral tanks is that they are easy to maintain with water changes since each water change is so large. ex.: If I do a 1g water change on my nano I have done a 25-30% change of the actual water in the tank. Have fun, it looks like you are off to a great start. If you get tired of the hob filter, you can drill the back of the tank and put in a closed loop system that can hide the pump.
Check out this thread for some good info on picos. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=902677
__________________
Florida Panhandle Reefkeeper Club Member |
|
#5
09/09/2007, 09:44 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks for the responses! I don't plan on getting fish (for such a small tank, seems a bit cruel if ya ask me). I am only going to get one shrimp. The rest will be soft corals. Maybe an oyster if my light is bright enough.
I anticipate many small water changes. That is true wth all of our tanks, maybe just the larger ones are more forgiving. I live in South Florida so the only thing temperature wise that I have to worry about is the heat. Because we have so many tanks and such, we keep the air at a constant temperature (you should see our electric bill).  Thanks again! Feel free to add more comments and suggestions! Cierra |
|
#6
09/11/2007, 09:44 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
OK, so it's been all what of two days since my last post? I finially understand the concept behind my reverse photosynthesis filter! I added some pictures below of my tank in sleep mode. Note the light turned ON at night over my filter :
ING!::. I also built a little cover out of plastic to help keep some of the light out of my main tank.On a second note, I needed some "experimental" subjects to get started with. I opted with a simple plant and some mushrooms. Sounds easy enough...not. Does the term "suicidal mushrooms" mean anything to anyone reading this? I placed them thinking "Finially, they are all in a spot", not an hour later and there's at least one jumping off the cliff and getting caught in the filter suction. Eventually though I did find places for all of them in small craters ::Ah ha! Get out of that one!::. OK, so...here's the "exciting" ::cough:: pictures... *Note: I apologize in advance for my inability to take in tank photos.  Light on reverse photosynthesis filter but not main tank.  This is my filter so far...it needs some work in the next few days. I am going to add some Mangrove seedlings to a cup of sand on the far side of the filter.  Here is my plant. I know, the sand is a bit shallow for it but, it looks happy anyway ::Tilt::.  In the middle is a greenish-blue mushroom.  Two small neon yellow mushrooms ::The Emo ones::. Enjoy! Cierra |
|
#7
09/15/2007, 11:28 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hi again! Ok, its been a few days but I have done alot with my pico! I finially got some pictures this morning. Everything was open! I don't know where to start so, for this blog I will skip my initial summary and just go right into the pictures.
 Self explainatory, just a shot of my whole tank. On the right rock is (top) White Palm Palm Xenia and (middle) Neon Yellow mushrooms from previous post.  I bought this little pink and yellow Nudibranch because I was told they eat algea. How many people have fallen for this one? They are very specific carnivors that only eat certain Sponges. I am taking her back today.  On the bottom left is a fire an ice/ lemon lime frag from my boyfriends 12 gallon nano. On the bottom middle is the bluish-green mushroom I bought before my last post. On the top right is a dragon eye (?) polyp frag.  Lookie! My friend, the Fire Shrimp.  I added mangroves and a little filtering sponge. On another note, I bought some items from ebay last night. Radioactive Dragon Eye Polyp Chaeto Thanks for lookin'! Cierra |
|
#8
09/22/2007, 04:29 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Your light is bright enough for most Softies and a lot of large polyp stony corals. "oysters", scallops and clams should be avoided. Scallops having a poor survival rate even in larger well established aquariums and clams needing intense lighting and are able to outgrow such a small aquarium. being your first salt water aquarium I would try zoanthids, shrooms and maybe a hammer or frog spawn coral. i would stay away from corals like kenya trees and green star polyps because under the right condition they will multiply and take over your tank. I had a kenya tree that would drop a branch/frag/piece few weeks and eventually i had a tank full of kenya tree's. Happy reefing.
|
|
#10
09/22/2007, 09:38 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Ok, this is a sad moment for us all, er, well, maybe just me, well, I'm not too sad but I'm trying to be dramatic so just roll with it. ::sniffle::
 Anywho, This will be my last post in this section. I will be moving to the Nano section since my construction is basically over. Over the past few days I have done alot. I added the Chaeto, Dragon Eyes, Bumble Bee Snails, and a clam. Now, I know that clams require alot of light but he was only $20 and so far doing well. If he starts to close up I will move him to my b/f's aquarium, he has a 70W HQI Metal Halide System in a 12g Nano Reef.On with the pictures!...  My normal, whole tank shot.  I did alot on this side of the aquarium. The back of this rock is my shrimp's hangout.  My two new pieces. Dragon Eye, clam.  Chaeto!  More Chaeto! Thanks for lookin'! Cierra |
|
#12
09/22/2007, 09:55 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
You posted not to get a clam AFTER I got a clam! I <3 Clammy! He's OK, just like that slug I bought from the same fish store and returned! LOL!
Seriously, they have the worse advise in the world but great stock, prices, and people. I saw Missy Elliot shopping there one day! Cierra |
|
#13
09/22/2007, 10:33 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Short term the clam will be fine, but there's a good chance that by the time you realize something's wrong, it may be too late. I really think you should move him to a tank with sufficient lighting. Also, if my math is correct, your tank is only 15 days old. You really need to slow down. Unless you got all of your rock and sand from an established tank (and possibly even then), your tank is still probably going through some sort of a cycle. If nothing else, it hasn't established the microfauna an established tank would have. You really shouldn't be adding anything living at this point, especially a clam. They can be very sensitive creatures, and really aren't the best animals for beginners. If you do decide to keep the clam (and I'd strongly recommend against it), it may require some supplemental feeding given you don't have any fish and just one shrimp. The lighting is the biggest issue, though.
Have you started to test your water yet? I really don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm. I'm just hoping your not setting yourself up for failure. This can be a very rewarding hobby. Just slow down a bit, enjoy what you have at the moment. In a couple months, if everything's going well, both you and your tank should be ready for the next step. Man, Missy Elliot never shops at my fish store!
__________________
All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. |
|
#14
09/22/2007, 10:46 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hey just a bit of info. Clams when they are that small rely on filter feeding. So a good way to feed it is to get some photoplankton (like DT) and fill a container up with water and some photoplankton. Then put the clam in there and let him feed for awhile. The bigger they grow the more they relay on there zooxanthellae for photosynthesis. Best of luck with the little guy.
|
|
#15
09/22/2007, 10:53 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I don't want to stress the clam out, but I have been putting some photoplankton in a serenge with some of the water and squirting it near the clam. I'm not sure how often to feed him. I read somewehre to feed them 2x a day but that seems like it could cause nitrate problems. I feed my aquarium when it looks hungry (seems like a funny unscientific measure but people who have had tanks for a long time know what I'm talking about).
Cierra |
|
#16
09/22/2007, 10:58 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
You actually don't want to directly squirt anything at a clam, good way to kill it. Personally I would advise taking it back and not adding anything for a month, you are moving very fast and buying items that most likely will die due to your inexperience and impatience, trust me, most of us have gone through this or seen it happen over and over.
__________________
Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can make a child look like a deer. *Jack Handey |
|
#18
09/23/2007, 12:21 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks for all the advise! The internet is full of contradicting information. This has been true for every hobby I have had. I'm not entirely sure that there is a right or wrong way of doing things. Seems as though people try things, if it worked for them they preach it, if it didn't work or they haven't tried it, they shun it. Every aquarium is completely different, and every care giver is different. As for now, all my corals are doing great, always open, growing even! I am not too worried about it.
Thanks again! Cierra 
|
|
#20
09/23/2007, 06:36 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
OK, if you want to follow my progress, click here
|
|
#21
09/23/2007, 09:11 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. |
|
#22
09/24/2007, 05:30 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Just to bolster what Mike C. said, James F. actually came and spoke to our marine aquarium society here in DFW (Jan. 2007)--DFWMAS--and stressed how feeding a clam is not necessary or prudent in 99% of the cases. They should be in a setup where light is producing all the food they need. He also highly discouraged the container method referenced for feeding clams because long term it stresses the clam out as has been noted by Mike.
__________________
Ben Hegi |
|
#23
09/24/2007, 09:06 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
please take the clam back!!! by time you realize something is wrong it will be to late,take some time and do more reasearch
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
i think the best thing for you to do is to upgrade your light or bring the clam back it may look fine for a couple weeks but it will go down hill quick |
|
|
Linear Mode
