Started Mini Bow 2.5 Pico Reef!

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severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
2,177
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North GA
Well, as some of you already know, I have about 100 lbs. of Fiji rock just sitting around here in a Rubbermaid container, waiting for a 90 gallon tank. Unfortunately, I still don't have that 90 gallon, and it driving me nuts to have all that rock doing nothing. So, I decided to set up a nano, which ended up being a pico!

My original plan was to use a 5 gallon or a 10 gallon, to get an incandescent hood, and to use the screw-in CF bulbs for lighting (a pc strip is sort of out of the budget at the moment), but I realized that I wouldn't really have the wattage I was looking for when I found out the bulbs were only 10W instead of 20. I went for the Minibow 2.5 instead so I would have enough light to keep some softies.

Here's all the equipment, and my white dog who thinks he owns the place:

Shown here are the Minibow, the Coralife 50/50 bulb, the smallest heater I could find, my sand and salt, and super cheap filter. I generally don't buy cheap filters, but this one is just going to be full of LR rubble anyway.

The tank is in my kitchen. I started to pick out my LR pieces, and hung the Aqua Tech filter.


Here's where I ran into a problem- D'OH! The intake tube on the Aqua Tech sticks out too far into the tank. I didn't want to mod the hood, so I swapped it out for the Aquaclear 20 on my betta tank. Don't worry, I stuffed the AC media into the Aqua Tech. Then I added the heater and some more LR:


Here's the AC, full of rubble:


Then I changed the 'scape, and added some different rocks. I really like the one with the hole.


Another shot:


My plan for the tank is to keep some shrooms and zoos, and that's about it. I also plan to add some snails and probably a cleaner shrimp. Hopefully it will work out.:)
 

severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
2,177
0
0
44
North GA
Today I added a thermometer, and changed the scape. I took out a couple of rocks, and pushed the others to the back of the tank.


Closer:


I also tested the water, to find that the cycle has begun!
Ammonia= .5
Nitrite= 0
Nitrate= 10-15 - this is weird, but I'm using tap water at the moment so that might explain it. I'll likely switch to RO/DI or distilled when it cycles and I start adding corals.
pH= 8.2-8.3
temp= 77

I'll post updates as the tank progresses.
 

jojo22

Salt-aholic Xtreme
Sep 21, 2006
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Looks like a good start!!
 
Mar 29, 2007
1,550
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nice, whats going in it? Will look very nice when the corraline starts to grow :)
 

severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
2,177
0
0
44
North GA
I'm planning for just some snails and a cleaner shrimp, something along those lines. The tank is so small I'll just do inverts. I want mostly shrooms and zoos.
 

jojo22

Salt-aholic Xtreme
Sep 21, 2006
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I think a sexy shrimp would be cool!!
 

severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
2,177
0
0
44
North GA
They are really cool, maybe I would have room for 2. Then again, I really like the cleaner shrimp too.
 

jojo22

Salt-aholic Xtreme
Sep 21, 2006
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HEHE The perils of a tiny tank, when I had my 2.5 I house a single emerald crab, that was pretty cool.
 
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