Macintosh Classic - pico reef - Starting back in the game after ~8 years....

MarsRover · Dec 18, 2015

Hello All,

Recently re-entering the reef world after about 9 years out of the game.

Since this is my first post, I figure I'll introduce myself a bit: Back in high school (2005/2006) my first job was at a great tropical fish and reptile store in Maryland, Totally Fish. I worked there for a few years untill it went out of business. Went to college in 2008 and had to sell off my reef and various reptiles and fish. Haven't reef'd since.

In college I unearthed (literally unearthed....it was buried in the animal sciences courtyard at University of Maryland) a Macintosh classic. I have been wanting to make a tank out of one of these for YEARS so i hoarded the rusty box until after i graduated college and moved it all out to California for work.

I have since built a tank out of the Mac. classic, cutting, bending, and bonding the acrylic myself which was a fun learning experience.... It's about 3Gallons.

Anyway, I've had my tank setup now for about 2 months. Have a few lbs of live rock and about 1" deep of live sand. I have a SUNSUN 602B canister filter with Seachem Purigen (100ml pouch) inside. For lighting i have the Elive Tank Mounted LED Mini Track Light with 1 pod (2 blue 2 white).

A few a weeks ago i purchased a bicolor blenny (who has made quick work of the algae on the walls....) and three little hermit crabs who have been pretty happy, and a small richordia, who has been medium happy...... from a LFS.

I tested the water and everything was good and clear so i decided to go to a different LFS and pick up a few SPS's..... literally the next morning they were all bleached out.... i'm afraid i might have killed them (you can see the 4 still on their frag plugs down in the sand in front... i started them down there expecting to move them upward towards the light slowly.....) and my sad richordia to the right....

To that point I had been working off of what i remember from back when i worked at the tropical fish and reptile store as a teen. After realizing last night that I don't have a heater in my tank and my tank temps are around 65degF, I purchased a 50W submersible heater from petco (in a panic while kicking myself....) preset to a temp of 78dF. Checked the temps this AM and they are holding at 78.

After feeling horrible for probably killing these living corals, I decided it would be a good idea to get back into the community with my new adventure and get some guidence.

Please feel free to provide me with constructive critisism, comments, suggestions etc...

I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks folks,

-MR

xavier009 · Dec 18, 2015

Following along. Jist set up a 3.7 gallon myself. Still cycling

Shep · Dec 18, 2015

Very cool looking tank!

jolt · Dec 18, 2015

Love it!

MarsRover · Dec 18, 2015

Thanks everyone!

Last night i decided to get a second pod, blue/red this time, so now i have a blue/white and a blue/red pod. I still am concerned this isn't enough light after reading around and getting comments from other forums. I think i'm going to take the plunge for the AI prime today.

xavier009 · Dec 18, 2015

Have you looked into par38 bulbs? Thats what i will be doing with my pico. Coralcompulsion.com

Flashy Fins · Dec 18, 2015

Very cool tank! Hope the fish wasn't put off by such a drastic bump in temperature all at once.

Flashy Fins · Dec 18, 2015

Since you asked for suggestions/criticism, I think sps will be too great a struggle in such a small tank, and you'll get more wow factor out of vividly colored lps and zoas. But that's my preference and may not match yours, so I wish you luck either way.

MarsRover · Dec 18, 2015

yeah i'm starting to come to that conclusion myself Flashy. I really just want one or two plating type sps to fill in the upper corner.

xavier, the Par38 bulbs are very appealing, and the lesser price is attractive as well, however, considering a fixture and no automation, those additional costs would for sure put me over the 200$ for the AI. I bit the bullet on it just now. Arriving tomorrow. I think it'll make a big difference. My PAR meter arrives later next week.

and yeah, blenny is still pretty ticked off.

xavier009 · Dec 18, 2015

Yeah id definitely go prime myself as well, but i promised the boss lady to keep equip costs to a min. So far ive spent 60 bucks on excluding a new light which likely will be the last equip buy. Lol

MarsRover · Dec 19, 2015

Prime comes in today!!!

Reefing Madness · Dec 19, 2015

MarsRover · Dec 20, 2015

Whoo!

AI came in and it seems pretty awesome. Figured out how to program the widget and heres my current AI prime program:

Lunar lighting: Blue 5% on the lunar effects program going from 22:00 to 05:30

0530 - Lunar cycle program with only blue at 5% all others off

0600 - Blue 3% (all others off)

0630 - Blue 5%, cool white 3% (all others off)

0700 - Blue 5%, cool white 5% (all others off)

0800 - All at 35%

1840 - All at 35%

2000 - Blue 5%, cool white 5% (all others off)

2030 - Blue 5%, cool white 3% (all others off)

2100 - Blue 3% (all others off)

2200 - Lunar cycle program with only blue at 5% all others off - 0530

Let me know what you all think! i'm going to install the AI today hopefully and take some new pictures!

twilliard · Dec 20, 2015

Unique idea!
Welcome to R2R

melypr1985 · Dec 21, 2015

Cool tank! Welcome!

MarsRover · Dec 21, 2015

Thanks everyone!

After talking to Jim's daughter, and her husband, at Jim's Exotic Fish store near LAX yesterday, and seeing my Richordia kinda wither when i turned on the AI prime for the first time yesterday at 35%,

I decided to change my lighting numbers for now:

So for the peak of the day this is what i'm working with:

I plan to ramp up my lighting over the next couple months up to 35%, leaving red and blue at 5% and UV probably somewhere at 10% or below (as per recommendations of Jim's daughter)

And as an update, here is my AI installed as of last night!!!! AI prime "puck" just sitting on top of the tank:

The top of the tank with the AI prime lifted. Had to drill a 3" hole to allow the LED's in.

for those of you wondering where my heater is, and my anemone (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) crab is hiding out (hugging the heater), had to take the tank out of the Mac case so i snapped a picture of the back of the tank:

MarsRover · Dec 31, 2015

I've been out of town since the 24th and won't be home until the 4th..... first time i'm leaving town since building this little guy. I did a water change before i left. Hope everything is going okay!

Over the coarse of my trip i decided a few things:

1. I decided to try some Macro Algae to help manage Nitrates since I've been having a little trouble managing it so i purchased "Rare Red Branching Macroalgae" for $6:

2. I decided to try montipora again now that my tank isn't frigid and is much more stable since my first, failed attempt (beginning of the thread) so i got this gorgeous (i think the colors are anyway...) Montipora capricornis for $8.50:

3. I also found this Acanthastrea lordhowensis that I wanted to try. Read around and it is said to be an "easier" coral to try out so i got it for $12:

they're delivering them when i arrive back home from my trip! Excited about it.

Let me know what you all think/suggest!

-MR

revhtree · Dec 31, 2015

Awesome little MAC! LOL! Welcome back!

DurocShark · Dec 31, 2015

I miss the "turn old computers into aquarium" thing. Many old Macs were converted by my hand.

I think I need to find a Commodore PET case to convert. Off to eBay!