starting my pico......finally

MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#1
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#1
so after receiving a 2.5g AGA I got from a friends aunt, I wondered what the heck you can do with a 2.5g tank. Well, after seeing some amazing stuff on Nano-Reef.com - The source for nano reef aquarium information , and here hehe, I decided to start a pico reef. Right now I have the tank, a Satellite 18W CF light w/ lunar light, 50W stealth heater, and an AC20 filter. My plans are to make the AC20 a fuge with chaeto and rubble, and possibly fit the heater in there. I joined a lfs club that gets me discounts at the biggest lfs i've ever seen haha. This week I will be picking up 4-5 lbs of live rock, some live sand, salt of course, a hydrometer, and some other goods. So for now, here's the before picture *SUPERSMIL
 

A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#3
Jan 14, 2004
1,987
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0
mass
Visit site
#3
what are your stocking plans? Remember when buying live rock for small tanks like this a few small pieces are easier to work with in aquascaping rather than one or two large pieces.
 

MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#4
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#4
the lfs I plan on getting all the stuff I need has all different sizes of LR. So most likely i'll be getting a bunch of small pieces like you said and then using marine putty to fix them together. As for stocking, i'm probably gonna go for shrimp. not sure what kind but the lfs has all different ones. or maybe you guys can suggest a goby or any other fish capable of living in a tank this small.
 

MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#6
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#6
the WC's and top-off's will be no problem. I know the lfs has a bunch of tiny gobies. I really do like shrimp though so i'll end up going with some sort of shrimp. I also plan on eventually getting some low light corals in there.
 

MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#7
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#7
ok well I ran into a problem. The lfs I go to only sells live sand in 25lb bags for like $30. No way in hell am I gonna need all that. The guy said I could go to the beach and get sand and just wash it real good. I just don't like the color of the sand at the beaches around here. So now my quest is to find a local lfs that sells it by the pound.
 

MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#8
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#8
finally got all the stuff I need!.....almost. I'm still waiting for a powerhead but its coming tomorrow. The pics do no justice, especially the moonlight one. when it hits the flow of the filter it shimmers.....so nice! Got around 4lbs of Fiji live rock and have maybe 3/4" of reef sand, not live.

full tank

close-up of LR

moon light(really does no justice)
 

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MrBungle

MrBungle

Large Fish
#12
Oct 18, 2006
421
4
0
37
NY, on an island...
#12
one thing im pissed about is I ordered a reef master kit not realizing it didnt mave ammonia, nitrite, or pH. I do want to have a few small corals in the future so should I hold on to this and get the salt master kit or return/ebay the reef one?
 

Mahamotorworks

Mahamotorworks

Superstar Fish
#15
Aug 26, 2006
1,722
6
0
Thule, Greenland
www.myspace.com
#15
API kits

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Ammonia Test Kit Freshwater/Saltwater (Salicylate)
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Fresh/Salt Nitrate Kit
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals High Range pH Kit
Use to measure pH changes in marine aquariums, aquariums with African cichlids, and very alkaline tap water. Reads the pH of water within the high range of 7.4 to 8.8.

What I was trying to say is that most of the test kits by API use the same card for FW or SW. If you have them for your FW tanks then they Should work on your SW tank.


MAHA
 

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