new saltwater tank keeper need help getting started

blacko1999

blacko1999

New Member
hey all i want a smaller tank like the 3 gallon JBJ picotope tank and start a pico reef tank
heres what i know for high quality water
1.025 - 1.027 specific gravity (salinity)
0 ammonia
0 nitrates
0 nitrites
8.0 - 8.4 ph
if the salinity is to high take out some saltwater and add freshwater
if ammonia is too high take out some water and add new saltwater
and could i add a yellow clown goby to the tank
p.s. i know that its small for a begginer but i dont have room for a huge tank i have experience with freshwater so thanks for looking at my post and please help me out im lost
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Get yourself a 3g vase from walmart. Vase must curve inward at top.
Put 4" of course sand in bottom.
Buy an air pump and large bubble air stone and check valve.
Add a small piece of live rock
Find clear plastic lid. Poke hole for airline tube. Put on top of vase.
Top off as necessary. Do 1g water changes per week. Once a year dump a couple 5g buckets of saltwater in it while its in the sink.
Fish is not recommended, but you could try inverts wnd corals.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I honestly don't believe you should put a fish in anything less than 10g.
Filtration is done by the live rock itself. Water movement from the airstone.... the bubbles also add o2 to the tank and keep the pH steady. The top on the vase cuts down on evaporation rate - so it keeps the salinity more stable than an open top.
It would be strictly corals and maybe an invert or two like a sexy shrimp and a crab. Feeding this small of a tank is a chore. If you had a fish in there, nutrients would skyrocket. Especially for a clown goby because they don't necessarily attack their food, they wait for it to float by.
Though, I believe the corals would do really well in this type of system.
Water changes would be as easy as pouring some out and adding some in. Once a year or so you would probably want to take the inverts out and then do some kind of "restart" by dumping at least 10 or so gallons in the vase while it is in the sink.
phytoplankton and oyster feast 1mL or less per week would be plenty for this small tank.
 
blacko1999

blacko1999

New Member
sweet thanks for the info ill post pics if it starts in a while my mom might not be thrilled with the idea
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
There's a guy on this forum that has this tank...

It's a 1g vase...
You can find the full article here..
http://www.nanoreefblog.com/features/pico-reefs/the-history-of-pico-reef-biology
 
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