Starting a pico tank

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I know. I know.
Can't make up my mind at the moment. I'm stuck between wanting an Sps tank and wanting to please my wife. Lol.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I just got my dermested beetles in the mail today. woohoo! What I'm doing for extra money is boiling / bugging skulls and skeletons, degreasing and whitening them for sale and for customers. I finally got my beetle colony today and I'll be working them hard from here on out - I have tons of skulls saved for them to work their magic on. I'm thinking about offering a beetle service to the local universities for very little if they promote my business under the table... Also, doing work for local biology teachers will help get my name out there - Bare Bones Taxidermy. I'm kind of excited now about everything. I think what I am going to do is work this business pretty hard and any actual profit that I pull from the business, I will invest in my aquarium.


As far as mixed reef vs. sps tank - it's all up in the air right now. I'm not sure what direction that I want to go in at the moment. I'm sure that will all come with time.

Though, the more I design it all in my head, the more complex it gets. LOL! Here is what I am thinking:

Bookcase style tank
2ft long, 1ft wide, 14" tall, acrylic, 1/2" beananimal overflow that is built into the back of the tank hanging out the back of the bookcase.
Sump about the same to fit on bottom shelf in cabinet. - acrylic.
JBJ ato system
Aqualifter pump for ATO,
CADlights Pipeless skimmer
CADlights biopellet reactor, modified
Two little fishies kalk stirrer
Quiet One pump


There are people who have already recommended tunze powerheads, but I am just not sure yet. What do you guys think?



The more I think about it, the more I want to do SPS only and have one kick ass RO/DI unit and backups... I KNOW that is what happened to my last system - stupid city wide chlorine burns.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
IDK much about tunze powerheads, but I think real estate will be at a premium in a small tank like that. Might want to consider a MP10. I love my VorTechs man.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
A miniature closed loop using a small external pump can make it easier to cool the water as well as preserve real estate inside the tanks.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Now that is an idea. I had an MP10 and I liked it a lot but the dang thing had issues. Maybe a brand new one would work better.
Bang, I like the idea of a closed loop as well. Maybe pair it with an SCWD?
That's a hard decision to make. They both would cost about the same. The mp10 is pretty low profile though and has a lot more options as far as different currents and dialing it up and down. With a closed loop though, I could potentially hook it to a chiller and a filter and have much more control. Ugh! Even more decisions - thanks guys! Lol
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
In addition to chilling, inline heaters are very efficient and don't clutter up a small tank. Even without a chiller, just some extra tubing and a fan can significantly cool the water. I had a small tank at work once, before LED and fluorescent were popular. With a closed loop I had about 10' of tubing coiled in a tub of water with a fan pointed at it. The timer that turned the lights on also turned on the fan. Just thinking...
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member

I've seen all kinds of cooling methods on the internet... The most interesting one I have seen to date is geothermal cooling.
A closed system would add possibilities. Acrylic is pretty easy to work with and holes can be added pretty easily.
Just have to design a system to fit the needs of the livestock I want to keep.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I went by my Lfs and saw that they have these little 4g and 6g pico tanks - acrylic with a sump in the back and an LED light for roughly $150. I don't remember the brand, but it would save a lot in the long run to get something premade and then modify it to fit the needs of the system. I think 6g is about all I would want to mess with anyway.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I am still considering all possibilities at this point. There is potential for almost anything at this point.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Apparently I suck at keeping beetles alive. The container I was keeping my beetles in overheated and killed them all. I have to reorder some more beetles and figure out a new housing system. I have a 16ft anaconda skeleton I have to preserve in the next year.
My wife and I decided to use red oak for the rest of the furniture in our home.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
The local zoo wants an articulation for display. Dermistid beetles - flesh eating beetles. I took on a side job cleaning skulls and skeletons for display - museums and collectors.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/397427/starting-a-pico-tank/20#post_3543195
I went by my Lfs and saw that they have these little 4g and 6g pico tanks - acrylic with a sump in the back and an LED light for roughly $150. I don't remember the brand, but it would save a lot in the long run to get something premade and then modify it to fit the needs of the system. I think 6g is about all I would want to mess with anyway.

I admire your enthusiasm for modification. When I looked at my 125 and was planning the 200DD build I realized that for me, modification isn't the best idea. I put so much time and money into this hobby that with this new tank I want it to be what I want...I don't want to have to 'make it work' so to speak.
 
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