Setting up 2.5 pico.. questions

[yonsu]

Hi everyone. Let me first start off by saying that I am a complete noob to saltwater tanks. Due to very limited space, I have decided to undertake the challenge of a 2.5 pico tank. I realize this will be time consuming and a pain to keep up with (or so I've read).

I've done some reading, but I'm still unclear on a few things..
Right now, the only supplies I have are the tank and the heater. The heater is 25W.
-I am planning on purchasing an AquaClear 20 HOB. Will this be sufficient for water flow?
-As far as substrate is concerned, which is best for a smaller tank? I have access to all three types referenced in the stickied tutorial ('setting up a nano tank'), but I am hoping to go for the most economical, yet beneficial option..
-As far as lighting is concerned. This tank will only have live rock and a couple inverts.. Do I need any type of special lighting? Right now, the tank has a 7W fluorescent bulb..
-The local LFS has all of their live rock in a giant black bin.. how do I know which pieces are 'good?' I plan on getting 3 pounds or so.. and I'm hoping that they're cured before-hand. When I get them, do I immediately put them into the tank?

Finally, is there any type of fish that will be comfortable in a tank this size? I have read, controversially, that certain species of gobies will do alright. Any recommendations?

The tank is just in planning stages right now. Any input is appreciated.
Thanks everyone!

 

[MrBungle]

hello and welcom to the tank!
a bunch of us here have 2.5g pico's so you have come to a good place. I have an AC20 filter on my pico, plenty of flow. You can go with a larger AC filter and swap out the impellar with the AC20 one if you want a bigger water volume/fuge. As for substrate, anything will do fine as long as there's no silicates in it, ie. cheap hobby sand/play sand. As for the light, you could make do with 7W. If you plan on corals, you will need to upgrade. The live rock is all up to you. Depending on how you want your aquascaping to look like. Pick out smaller pieces and try to avoid breaking large pieces. If they aren't cured, you have 2 options. One, you could cure it in a bucket, and two, you could cure it in the tank with or without the sand. If you cure it in the tank, i'd suggest doing so without the sand. You'll get all sorts of nasty stuff from the die-off of the LR. After it's cured you can add the live sand, if you're planning on buying live sand. There's a limited selection of fish for a 2.5g tank, some may be hard to find, some not. I have a 1" yellow clown goby doing well in my tank. As for others, Blue Neon Goby, Catalina Goby (cold water), Eviota Gobies, Redhead Goby, Trimma Goby, Yellow Neon Goby, Citron Goby, and Green Banded Goby will work.

 

[1979camaro]

I would say for the sand just get simple (dead) aragonite. Good as a CA buffer and relatively cheap.

For the live rock you need to think about density. Less density is always better...you want the 3#s you buy to be a lot of rock, not one little tiny heavy rock. Realistically, though, in a 2.5g your bioload is going to be tiny so I would worry less about weight and simply get a piece or two that you think look good. Since you have nothing else in your tank there is no reason not to put them straight in. Expect some die off so watch your levels for a few weeks and see what is going on.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Only had my 2.5gal for about a month, so this is just my personal experience thus far, no where near the pros that browse this section.

Hi everyone. Let me first start off by saying that I am a complete noob to saltwater tanks. Due to very limited space, I have decided to undertake the challenge of a 2.5 pico tank. I realize this will be time consuming and a pain to keep up with (or so I've read).

I thought the same. And my 2.5, for the very limited time i've had it, has not been a pain at all....really a relaxed achievment so far and a good change from FW. Only pain i have with it is the constant top offs, but thats hardly anything.

-I am planning on purchasing an AquaClear 20 HOB. Will this be sufficient for water flow?

Should be fine, though like bungle said you can always swap out the impellers with different models to push more water. Or you could go for a bigger filter to start and get a smaller impeller to lessen the flow if needed. AC filters are nice because of their large box and the way most models can swap out impellers with each other. Personally i'm running an AC70 with an AC20 or 30 impeller and i havn't had a problem with flow.

-As far as substrate is concerned, which is best for a smaller tank? I have access to all three types referenced in the stickied tutorial ('setting up a nano tank'), but I am hoping to go for the most economical, yet beneficial option..

I'm using Aragamax (aragonite) sand, wouldn't change it either. I love it. Its one of the more finer aragonite substrates. Havn't had any problems with it thus far.

Can't wait to see how your setup comes along, i love my 2.5!

 

[CoolWaters]

i love my custom 3g XD
hope you'll get yours up and going soon.
might just has a huge 5lb LR in it with salt....still need to take a big wack at it.
since im the only person paying for it (other then my sister a few bucks here and there) its going to take a while.
but for sure its going up before summer vaction ends.


about your live rock. since its a small tank...you should get really small pieces. the smaller the more options you have on landscape. but thats also a double edge blade...its frustrating to get the landscape you want. its like a puzzle and u have to use all the pieces.

anyways try to get some rocks that doesnt look completely dead (my bad) if u can fine something with coral line already on it by all means get it. coral line takes forever to grow if you start off with none...

as for big pieces u can break them down with a hammer. (save the litlle rubbles and just throw them in your tank too.)

theres some great tips on google about pegging live rock together if u dont like to cement or stacking rocks.

 

[jessey]

yay, welcome to MFT! i'm also a noob, but the only advice i can give you... use RO/DI water. i tried to get away with using tap water, and i just kept killing inverts. i switched to distilled water this week and i can already see the difference. good luck!

 

[yonsu]

So, I went with the aragonite sand and my tank is now set up. Salinity is at about 1.023.. I have one question though.. the heater I purchased can not be completely submerged.. and because of that, the very end of it is submersed in the sand.. will this be alright? Also, how do I know how much flow is enough? On the highest setting, the flow pushes the sand in one area of the tank and essentially creates a big ditch.. and on the lowest setting, the sand is not moved at all.

Thanks everyone!

 

[ram man]

Glad to see another pico keeper, also glad to see you did all of your research. Everthing sound ok so far, see if you can find a flow on the ac20 that doesnt push sand around, but also gives you lots of water circulation. For a fish you could do a small type of perching goby, I like the green banded gobies, and the green and yellow clown gobies. All 3 dont need alot of swimming space and usualy just sit on a rock and chill out. If you want an invert only tank there are a few you could do. I have a mantis shrimp in my 2.5 gallon, but with one you could only keep corals and nothing else with the mantis. It also depends on species, alot need atleast 5 gallons when fully grown(2-3inches for most species) but If you find a small one you could keep it in the 2.5 for a year or so. There are also sexy shrimp, you could keep a trio of these in a 2.5, some people had had problems with them eating the skirts of zoas. You could always have a small crab, pom pom crabs stay small, but can be shy.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I believe you don't want the heater touching the substrate. If you get a fully submersible one, it can be a little longer and still fit in the tank since it can go sideways.

Otherwise sounds good, good luck!

 

[Mahamotorworks]

I travel across the world and when I check in Everyone has/is starting a Pico tank. I wonder what 220v stuff I can find for a pico.

MAHA