Starting a pico tank

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I can't get away from the hobby no matter how hard I try. Lol.
Pretend I know nothing about the hobby.
I want a small pico tank that is less than 4g. I am thinking about building the tank custom.
I am building a nice book case for a corner of my living room and I think a bookshelf pico tank would be very pretty.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
No fish. Just corals. Maybe a filter feeding invertebrate or two.
I'm thinking actually of doing two different biotopes. One of them a shallow water lagoon with Sps corals and one with the traditional style soft coral tank - two bookshelf spaces. Lol
 
zoidberg01

zoidberg01

Member
That's nice but remember sps corals are corals that need a lot of light, post pics I wanna see how it will look
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A simple 12 diode 3w LED would probably be enough to light it and put it on a POT to dim it. I think I want to build the tank with thick glass seams and leave the top and bottom rimless - and just perhaps modify the bookcase a little to shield the lights and perhaps install a small computer fan on one side of it to blow into the canopy to keep the tank cool.

I'm thinking something roughly 4 to 5 gallons should do. A one gallon water change would be either 25 to 20% total volume. I might build the book case first and then take inside measurements of the shelf to see about how big the tank needs to be. Black silicone seams? I think a bookshelf unit would look pretty, especially if built right and routed pretty.

I think I just want something for my daughter to grow up knowing and looking at and something to talk about with her. I think a 5g system would be just about the right size.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I hope that it turns out pretty.
I have been looking at how bookcases are made - and there is a lot to be desired. lol
A standard bookcase is about 6.5 foot tall, 2foot wide on the inside and about 1 foot deep. Thinking about possibly fitting the tank to fit the shelf... Then it would be closer to 15 gallons than 4. :(
I'm not sure what I want to do at the moment - I'm going to keep researching and looking and thinking for the time being. I still want an awesome little bookcase pico tank, just not sure on the dimensions or size.
The main reason for having a pico tank is that it is so easy to do a water change... having a tank larger than 5g is taking the easiness away....
 
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eric b 125

Guest
A SPS pico will be difficult, but I have faith in you Seth
 
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eric b 125

Guest
I've been getting idea's for my build from TOTM threads. Came across this in case you missed it:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/totm/
 
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eric b 125

Guest
Dude, in a small tank like that you could make inverts like sexy shrimp and pom pom crabs the main inhabitants along with the corals...
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Yeah man. I know. Something small and fun to watch. I like crabs and shrimp so that could be perfect. I am still trying to think about the overall design of it. Not sure how big or how small I want to go just yet.
Maple is about $32 for a 12ft long 9" wide board. I'm thinking the cost of the book case will be 4x the cost of the tank. Then again, I could just use red oak plywood with a thin veneer and trim it with solid red oak. I just really like the look of maple though. We will jus have to see I guess.
I would really like to get the bookcase built before I build the tank. That way I can perfectly fit the tank on a shelf.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
I think with something of this size it's all in the attention to detail. I'd say take your time and spend your money on what you really want.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I have to play catch up on my bills the next few weeks and then I can start saving. Now that I'm not going to school and doing taxidermy work full time, I can start affording the nice things again. Of course, my wife is riding my back about buying her a bigger ring. Lol. Oh well, all in good time.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Well, I don't think I want any fish. There is such a push in the hobby to have fish. I don't want to mess with em'. Especially in such a small tank.
Now I am wondering: glass or acrylic? I think I have a good design in my head for the bookcase but I think I want to get back into experimenting with acrylic tank building.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Here's an idea off the top of my head, what do you think about some easy mushrooms like Bullseye or Ricordea and a colony of Possum Shrimp for some movement.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I am thinking about it. My wife really likes stuff that moves and I like stuff that grows... lol.

I was thinking about a small mixed reef, nothing too serious for the time being. I think I'm going to have a nice progression to this tank - see how long I can keep it going.. I got to get my RO/DI unit fixed and buy a ton of extra filters because they are doing chlorine burns like nobody's business in my area.

I'm thinking that I can maybe satisfy my need for sps corals and my wifes fascination with stuff that moves in the same tank... xenia, shrooms, zoanthids / paly's, GSP, etc. and then add a couple of easy going SPS corals like birdsnest and montipora.

I dunno, I just see it in my head... I'm going for it. lol.

glass or acrylic?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Build your own acrylic, sounds like fun.

In such a tiny tank I think mixing SPS & softies will end in dead SPS as they battle for space. I would politely suggest you pick one or the other.
 
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