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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Starting a Pico Reef tank
Hello, im tony and im new to thesaltwater section 
i have been eyeing saltwater tanks for quite sometime now, and have been very interested for quite a while. I have been taking a look at nano aquariums, as i would like to have a 10g reef in the future. researching while Fl was down( what else could do ) i ran into something called a pico reef tank. It consists of aquariums smaller than 3 gallons. Now, i have been looking into this for a few days now and et me know what you think.
A rimless 2.5 gallon aquarium
20 gallon HOB filter( might make it into a sump? how does that work?)
2 pounds of LR
2 pounds of LS.
maybe some soft corals. i am new to this stuff, so alot of advice would be really helpful. I do not plan to stock it with anything althoug i might consider 1Nassarius snail to keep the sand in constant movement, or maybe a cleaner shrimp. I have read that 2.5 gallons are tough to start with, but i am willing to give it a try.
thanks in advance and if you think i am out of my mind, please let me know so that i dont do anything stupid  | 
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| My first SW tank was a 2.5 gallon pico, and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. It's difficult to keep the tank stable (I had to top off with FW twice a day due to the evaporation), and it isn't nearly as cheap as you probably expect. You'll be extremely limited on stocking, as you know. I kept a clown goby in mine and wouldn't do it again. Also, you'll need to purchase a power compact light for any corals in a 2.5, plus a hydrometer or refractometer (preferably, they are much more accurate) even if you purchase premixed water from the LFS because you'll need to monitor salinity at least a couple times a day. If you mix your own water, you'll need a powerhead and either an RO/DI unit or a container for bringing home RO/DI water. Tap water is not recommended for a SW tank. I bought my water at Walmart and mixed it at home. For lighting, I ended up with a Coralife 18W PC strip light (about $40) because the screw-in PC bulb that fit in the Minibow hood was inadequate, and the hood on the tank caused issues with pH. My heater was a Whisper, one of the smallest ones that Walmart sells. It was about 10 bucks and I used it for years until I sold it with a tank- great product IMO. The preset thermostat kept the tank at 78-80 always.
As for the HOB, it isn't possible to turn it into a sump. It can be used for circulation and biological filtration. I used an Aquaclear 20 on my 2.5 and filled the chamber with live rock rubble. live sand isn't necessary; plain aragonite sand will become live eventually.
Here are a couple pics of how my pico looked when I had it going, in case you are interested.  
It was kind of a cool tank, but like I said, it required a ton of attention. I ended up getting bored with it because of the limitations of the size, so I upgraded to a 5.5 gallon, then to the Biocube 8. I was able to get the Biocube 8 for $99.99 after rebate and it was a great tank. I had a lot more fun with it than either of the smaller ones. I'd recommend it if it is in the budget... you have a lot more options with it, and it is easy to set up.
Hope this helps! | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by harpua2002  My first SW tank was a 2.5 gallon pico, and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. It's difficult to keep the tank stable (I had to top off with FW twice a day due to the evaporation), and it isn't nearly as cheap as you probably expect. You'll be extremely limited on stocking, as you know. I kept a clown goby in mine and wouldn't do it again. Also, you'll need to purchase a power compact light for any corals in a 2.5, plus a hydrometer or refractometer (preferably, they are much more accurate) even if you purchase premixed water from the LFS because you'll need to monitor salinity at least a couple times a day. If you mix your own water, you'll need a powerhead and either an RO/DI unit or a container for bringing home RO/DI water. Tap water is not recommended for a SW tank. I bought my water at Walmart and mixed it at home. For lighting, I ended up with a Coralife 18W PC strip light (about $40) because the screw-in PC bulb that fit in the Minibow hood was inadequate, and the hood on the tank caused issues with pH. My heater was a Whisper, one of the smallest ones that Walmart sells. It was about 10 bucks and I used it for years until I sold it with a tank- great product IMO. The preset thermostat kept the tank at 78-80 always.
As for the HOB, it isn't possible to turn it into a sump. It can be used for circulation and biological filtration. I used an Aquaclear 20 on my 2.5 and filled the chamber with live rock rubble. Live sand isn't necessary; plain aragonite sand will become live eventually.
Here are a couple pics of how my pico looked when I had it going, in case you are interested.
It was kind of a cool tank, but like I said, it required a ton of attention. I ended up getting bored with it because of the limitations of the size, so I upgraded to a 5.5 gallon, then to the Biocube 8. I was able to get the Biocube 8 for $99.99 after rebate and it was a great tank. I had a lot more fun with it than either of the smaller ones. I'd recommend it if it is in the budget... you have a lot more options with it, and it is easy to set up.
Hope this helps! | thanks harpua, maybe ill just buy fake coral deco and MAKE it look like a SW tank haha
by any chance did you have a box full of LR waiting for a 90gal?  i think i saw your tank´s pic on another forum before, it was actually you that made me want to start the tank ill just make it look ike a fake SW i guess. Ill buy some shrimpand say theyre SW  thanks alot | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hey Tony,
I started out with a 2.5gal. My first ever SW tank, its now migrated into a 10gal and really could go even larger lol. Don't let anyone tell you it won't work or its to hard to start out in SW that small. Its possible.
It is a bit harder to dial in on perfect water and conditions in a smaller tank, but not impossible. And i've found that once you get that all sorted, it really runs itself quite well.
The only reason i'd tell you to start out bigger, is you'll probably upgrade anyway...its bound to happen lol just the nature of the beast.
I used and currently use an HOB filter on mine. I think its an Aquaclear 30 or something. Mid range filter. Does the job, that job only being to push water and hold some LR rubble. HOBs are pretty easy to mod into a small refugium. Just silicone some type of grate/screen to the outflow to let the water past but keep all the macro algae and stuff inside. I wouldn't worry about a sump on a tank this small, i think its more headache then anything. With this size tank, its so easy to do water changes that you won't really benefit much from a sump. Thats why people will just turn their HOB filters into small Fuges.
Soft corals are good starters, especially Green Star Polyps and Zoanthids. These are very adaptable to light. A single shrimp could work. You should look into Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis). Very cool shrimp and perfect for small tanks. A little harder to find in the stores but my favorite.
Coralife aqualight has a Mini fixture that could work well for that tank. If you have a glass top you can set it right on top. http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=419
One thing to pay attention to in a small tank, is the evaporation. It happens much quicker then a large tank and it could cause problems faster. So just keep up with the top offs and WCs and you should be fine. | 
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| thanks mike! I was worried about that. One question, what does a refugium really do? I was actually thinking of just starting with polyps. Ive read they grow in length? also, does the amount of sand and rock sound good for the size of the tank? its the 2.5 gal you can buy at petsmart for like7$ | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| It can work, and it's not impossible, but it does take a lot of attention. A larger approach is easier for a beginner (and anyone else for that matter). If you're willing to put the effort into the tank, then it's your call.
Yes, that was me on the other forum that got about 75 lbs. or so of free live rock. It ended up drying out and it's now base rock. My husband and I actually used some in the recent upgrade from the 20H to the 50. | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by harpua2002 It can work, and it's not impossible, but it does take a lot of attention. A larger approach is easier for a beginner (and anyone else for that matter). If you're willing to put the effort into the tank, then it's your call.
Yes, that was me on the other forum that got about 75 lbs. or so of free live rock. It ended up drying out and it's now base rock. My husband and I actually used some in the recent upgrade from the 20H to the 50. | thanks! i thought it looked familiar | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Polyps only grow in lengths if they start reaching for light. Its a good sign to tell you, you need more light or they need to be moved.
That might be a little to much sand and rock. Not real sure honestly. A 2.5gal is pretty small, it kind of depends on each piece of rock and its shape. You don't want it packed so tight you can't place corals or get any flow.
Just to show, here are some pics of my old 2.5gal. They go in order as the tank aged. Hope you don't mind me flooding your post with pictures!     
Thats all with compact florescent lights. I eventually put a Metal Halide over the tank. The 2.5 gal got me some of the best looking Live Rock i've seen in years. This is just after about 6months-year in the tank.  | |
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July 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| THoSE ARE AMAZING!! i dont mind at all, in fact, put them all up if you´d like The LR is brathtaking, all the different colors in them. How do you cycle a SW tank' is it different from any other cycling for FW?
One more thing, i was thinking as a background to paint it some color, i am not sure tho. I was thinking black. Would it be ok if the color was black, IMO it brings out the colors on the Coral and LR. | |
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August 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| http://www.fishlore.com/reeftanksetup.htm
Also, I advise you to not start a small tank. Not only it will require a lot of your attention, but an example is you get a small container and a big container. Put a few drops of blue food coloring in each container. The small one will tun blue the fastest and the darkest compared to the big container. Imagine if the blue coloring is maybe a disease or bad water quality. | |
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