dangles
Valuable Member
I was in Florida last week and brought back some red mangrove propagules.
My main tank isn't really suited for mangroves, and I didn't want to throw them in pots and put them outside with my first mangrove, so what the heck, let's do a pico build!
I don't have much space for another tank, and my wife isn't wild about the idea (really pushing my luck with this one!) but I think if I can keep it nice and neat/clean looking, and minimize the time I have to spend on it, I should be ok lol
I had a 5 gallon Aqueon tank laying around, as well as a HOB filter and heater/tstat from a previous QT setup. That gets me most of the way there. I'm wanting to keep this one CHEAP and ultra low maintenance.
Here's the plan:
Tank: 5 gallon Aqueon $10
Filter/flow: Sicce Seachem HOB 35 filter (just for water movement) $40
Lights: TBD - something CHEAP! I'll need both a full spectrum light for the mangroves, and I'd like something for the corals as well... with a little more blue
Heater - Tetra 50 watt "Amazon special" $10
Thermostat - Inkbird ITC306T $32
Sand - Aragonite 10 lbs $14
Rock - pulling rock from my main tank's sump
I already have AWC set up on my main display, which is removing 1.5 gallons of water each day. My plan is to plug this pico inline with the AWC so it's getting that 1.5 gallons from the main tank. I have a DOS head not currently being used, which I will set up to take 1.5 gallons a day from the pico tank and send it to the drain. This will virtually eliminate a need for any kind of mechanical filtration, and minimize the need for testing (I may not need to test much at all, really). No need for dosing, either.
I'm still working on finding a solid (or "good enough") ATO so I don't have to do much at all besides clean the glass.
As far as stocking, I think it's too small for any fish. I have a rock flower anemone and some cool clove polyps coming from TSA. I'd like to find some nice (but cheap!) shrooms for it as well. Maybe some other softie if I can find something that doesn't grow TOO fast. Maybe I'll put some macro algae in there as well. We'll see. I'll work on getting some sexy shrimp and some other small inverts for it as well.
My biggest concern: ALGAE. No room for super effective CUC, and there will be probably be quite a bit of light for the mangrove. So I'll be reliant on the little inverts
Anyway hopefully I can keep this moderately successful with the "massive" daily water changes using main tank water, and an ATO. I know picos are notoriously difficult.
Wish me luck!
My main tank isn't really suited for mangroves, and I didn't want to throw them in pots and put them outside with my first mangrove, so what the heck, let's do a pico build!
I don't have much space for another tank, and my wife isn't wild about the idea (really pushing my luck with this one!) but I think if I can keep it nice and neat/clean looking, and minimize the time I have to spend on it, I should be ok lol
I had a 5 gallon Aqueon tank laying around, as well as a HOB filter and heater/tstat from a previous QT setup. That gets me most of the way there. I'm wanting to keep this one CHEAP and ultra low maintenance.
Here's the plan:
Tank: 5 gallon Aqueon $10
Filter/flow: Sicce Seachem HOB 35 filter (just for water movement) $40
Lights: TBD - something CHEAP! I'll need both a full spectrum light for the mangroves, and I'd like something for the corals as well... with a little more blue
Heater - Tetra 50 watt "Amazon special" $10
Thermostat - Inkbird ITC306T $32
Sand - Aragonite 10 lbs $14
Rock - pulling rock from my main tank's sump
I already have AWC set up on my main display, which is removing 1.5 gallons of water each day. My plan is to plug this pico inline with the AWC so it's getting that 1.5 gallons from the main tank. I have a DOS head not currently being used, which I will set up to take 1.5 gallons a day from the pico tank and send it to the drain. This will virtually eliminate a need for any kind of mechanical filtration, and minimize the need for testing (I may not need to test much at all, really). No need for dosing, either.
I'm still working on finding a solid (or "good enough") ATO so I don't have to do much at all besides clean the glass.
As far as stocking, I think it's too small for any fish. I have a rock flower anemone and some cool clove polyps coming from TSA. I'd like to find some nice (but cheap!) shrooms for it as well. Maybe some other softie if I can find something that doesn't grow TOO fast. Maybe I'll put some macro algae in there as well. We'll see. I'll work on getting some sexy shrimp and some other small inverts for it as well.
My biggest concern: ALGAE. No room for super effective CUC, and there will be probably be quite a bit of light for the mangrove. So I'll be reliant on the little inverts
Anyway hopefully I can keep this moderately successful with the "massive" daily water changes using main tank water, and an ATO. I know picos are notoriously difficult.
Wish me luck!
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