Hello. I'm feeling the nanoreefer bug again!

[Anonymous]

Hi, long time no see, eh?

After a hiatus of some time, I'm back to feeding my reefer addiction. (har har). I've been checking out the nano buildoff entries to steal ideas from :twisted: and i see a lot of good entries, great job everyone. i do have a question, though.

I've had nano's like the one davemohr is building, and I *really* like the tiny size and extremely simple setup. The biggest problem I had in such an aquarium is the fight with water evap / salinity. Compensating for it was never a problem, but I would like to do what I can to preclude it. Since most of the uber tiny aquariums don't have a lid, and in the winter, the air inside a minnesota home is usually very dry, evap is a huge problem.

Also, I somewhat feel that putting a lid on diminishes healthy gas exchange.

What have you done? Put a bubbler in? Said "screw it!" and just top it off all the time like a madman? Constructed a lid for yourself? I don't like that idea because although I can craft computer code like beautiful poetry my IRL construction skills are um ... laughable. Anything I'd make will turn out ghetto fabulous.

inquiring minds want to know.
thanks
-me

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Hwarang,

I can't/won't speak for David, but the one in my build off picts (done just for fun), used an Aqualight mini. 9" in length and fit over the little tank almost perfectly. Top off was at a min. It had a cheap little heater from Wal Fart which caused heat to be the bigger issue, as was someones over feeding. That little pico has since been disassembled.

I also have an nice little 2.5 that at one point was packed with little frags(I'm in the process of redoing it). It runs with 4x9watt pc lights, has a skilter filter 250, and 3" fan. It ran for a year with no heater and no problems. I recently added a small heater, and I'm not crazy about the effect it had on the corals. Oh and it has a glass top under a hood.

I'm working on a new project now. Going to use a dessert dish or pretty glass vase w/glass top and an airstone. I want to put a purple slug in it, but only after I find out what the hell they eat. I have one of those clip-on Galaxy lights and a small flat heater on order for it. I think I'm going to run the heater opposite of the light schedule.

I love my nano's but I'm really more into the pico's. Picos rule BABY :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

cool, thx.

MORE REPLIES!!

 

[brandon4291]

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... ht=mini+75 is a possible way to build a sealed pico reef. They don't have to be technical in order to grow coral, some of the simplest setups like fish bowls with sealed lids (using the grommeting system in this thread) and powerheads/submersible heaters work great and will make long-term pico reef displays. One of the best ways to create a sealed lid, for any pico, is to simply get a sheet of clear acrylic from Home Depot and use a jigsaw to cut out the particular shape, printed by laying the original sheet on top of the aquarium and tracing the lip with a felt marker. Run the cables and actually silicone the lid on a thick, raised lip around the tank and let dry, two days. Then, take a razor blade and make a single incision that circles the aquarium in one movement...after that, the lid can be raised and resealed and with a little down pressure from a canopy or some type of clamp as is used above...you can easily build a lid, once topoff is no longer a requirement for a nano you'll be spoiled permanently

Lid sealing is interesting...sometimes the O2 levels will be fine because there is a half-inch of airspace under the lid...enough to buffer CO2/O2 variants in the daily lighting cycle and sometimes aeration helps, it all depends on the bioloading of the system. More bioload, more aeration needed. More corals, less bioload, less aeration needed (they make their own). This particular design I have stuck with for three pico designs over the course of 3-4 years has the internal refugium, O2 production is round the clock and never falls short. I would estimate that I have pruned at least 5 lbs of macro from a one-inch wide refugium over the last two years

Can't wait to get the new design up, lid sealing is major avenue in pico reef design.

 

[Anonymous]

Heya brandon, how's things?

I remember that thread well, as I have spent many wasted hours at work doorling over your 2.5 w/ fuge built in. Sadly, my DIY skills are at 0% and anything I make turns out horribly ghetto and usually non-functional. lol.

For my re-entry into the reef/nano/pico world I am looking for a very small, mostly stock, low tech setup. I have a few of those funky acrylic picos u can get at the LFS (you know the various pastel colors and comes with a little PC light), and I have a 2.5 and a 5.5 chillin - so it's a decision of which to use really. I'm hoping to just get some mechanical filtration on there aslo to serve as current flow, and just toss on some small frags and see what happens. j

I don't nkow what I might put in for livestock, I am considering again keeping a stomatopod.

Mostly I want to watch copepods and amphipods again. I don't know why, but they are my favorite thing about aquariums.

I want to make copepod city 2.0. I miss copepod city.

 

[Anonymous]

Just buy a used litermeter if you can find one, and don't worrry about the evap. I have had one on my 15, then my 10, now my 20. Best $100 I've spent on my reefs.

Glad to see you back!

B

 

[brandon4291]

that's another good call Bingo, do you try and dose with that drip as well or just topoff? Gravity drips (like Kent aquadoser) are cheap and may work well through the first half of the volume, and as volume decreases the drip slows so that's a severe problem for picos. Then there is the problem with kinked lines that further restrict drip rate and the like...a mechanical/peristaltic pump (liter meter) is very handy and well worth the cost, $100 is cheap. Hospital IV equivalents cost in the 500-800 range, and do no more than the liter meter for our purposes

 

[Anonymous]

hehe well the total cost of this nano/pico is going to be under $50 including livestock so I don't think that's in the budget but i will defniitely keep that info hand for when i set up my 20L which is my dream tank simply because i like the long shallow shape and it still qualifies as a nano.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Hwarang

Just like to say its good to see you around again.

Bryan

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Hwarang, check this little pico out. http://nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=978 and an update. http://www.nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1123

It's amazing how far you an take these tiny little tanks. I've been considering ripping apart my 2.5 and starting up one of these.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi knucklehead! *wave*

Sugar mag!! FFS.

That's it! I'm making a pico. End of story. And I swore I'd only have one this time. I have this laying around:
*shakes fist @ you*

 

[majestic sea life]

Hwarang,

Long time hows your lil mantis doing. I been in the mantis thing now on my 7th mantis lol. Just wanted to post to say glad to see your back and ready for more.

~Brian

 

[Anonymous]

hey dude!
banstyle the mantis kicked it about 6 mos ago but she had a good run and much interesting behavior was observed. i have this red sea deco pico im going to set up and i think a mantis is going to be the resident. got some pix of your stomatopods and whatnot?

 

[majestic sea life]

yeah i got some pics of my O. latirostris and im getting a P. cilita this week. Going on 7 mantis shrimps and you are the one that got me into stomatopods. Sorry to hear about your mantis she was a cool lil girl everyone is useing her photo now lol. So i dont no how to post a few pics in one post but i will still show you some pics.

 

[majestic sea life]

few more left. This is her 18gal cube 15x15x15''. With 2 9watt PC and a few zoas up top.

 

[majestic sea life]

2 more pics to go this is a whole body shot of her. I have a crapy diga cam.

 

[majestic sea life]

this is going to be the temp home of the P. Cilita a 5.5gal cube 11x11x11'' Then going to put in a 70watt MH and corals + a N.wenn.

 

[majestic sea life]

Last one sorry for all the pics ppl.

~Brian

 

[Anonymous]

ppl are using that pic? that's my intellectual properteh!!! i said one person could use it and i think it was you.

i have been piratted.

yarrrgh! taste my DMCA!!!

 

[majestic sea life]

Did my pics show up cuz now they are not showing up on my screen lol. You tell them man ill get all the ppls names. Also when ppl are asking about N.weens they show your pic and dont say that you took it. Lets get thos SOBs :twisted: O yeah do you have msn or AIM?

~Brian