Pico tank owners… advice needed

[littlefoxx]

Hey all! Got my pico tank. For those of you who have one, what fish would you put in here? Obviously needs to be a tiny little one lol. Just cant seem to find what fish is the best option for the tank size. My tank for reference.

 

[Reefering1]

Think less fish, and more inverts

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I always wanted a griesengeri goby, thats what I would get if I had a pico tank.

 

[timmyrules]

I’m putting Pom Pom crabs in mine

 

[littlefoxx]

Think less fish, and more inverts

I was thinking of doing some sexy shrimp with a rock flower, but I wasnt sure if the rock flower could stay in there long term?

 

[littlefoxx]

I always wanted a griesengeri goby, thats what I would get if I had a pico tank.

Thats a beautiful goby!! It says 10 gallons minimum though, not sure if it could go in the tank.. this is a .5 oz I believe.

 

[Reefering1]

I don't see why not! Might be a challenge to find an appropriate light but the picos I've liked had a couple corals, a snail or 2 and a shrimp or crab or something.

 

[Reefering1]

Thats a beautiful goby!! It says 10 gallons minimum though, not sure if it could go in the tank.. this is a .5 oz I believe.

I think it's a half gallon...(?)

 

[littlefoxx]

I think it's a half gallon...(?)

Yeah, heres the link

Micro Reef Ready Tank (0.3 Gallon) Standard (BLACK) - PNW Customs

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

 

[littlefoxx]

Biota has a similar tank with a livestock package and it has a goby which was why I was curious about fish. Just didnt think a fish was small enough for this tank!

 

[Reefering1]

I don't think any fish would be. Or the shrimp, honestly. I think some zoas or
Mushrooms and a snail

 

[Reefering1]

Maybe a cool nudibranch?

 

[littlefoxx]

Maybe a cool nudibranch?

Like what kind?? And you think even sexy shrimp would be too big?

 

[kevgib67]

Like what kind?? And you think even sexy shrimp would be too big?

Na, I think a couple of rfas and 4-5 sexy shrimp would work and their bioload is minimal.

 

[Reefering1]

Na, I think a couple of rfas and 4-5 sexy shrimp would work and their bioload is minimal.

In a 5 inch x 3 inch tank?

 

[kevgib67]

In a 5 inch x 3 inch tank?

That’s the size of a half gallon? I didn’t think it was that small. Cut my recommendation in half. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Reefering1]

That’s the size of a half gallon? I didn’t think it was that small. Cut my recommendation in half. Thanks for pointing it out.

Technically it's .3 of a gallon.

 

[Polymate3D]

Time to chime in as I am working on small Pico's to make this easier.

I had a 0.7L Pico which was 10x10cm. A little yellow goby seemed happy but looked cramped in there.
This aquarium is 14x8cm, so a little bit bigger but not by much.

There is a calculator on here by Jay Hemdal around figuring out suitable sized fish for your aquarium. He does stay at the extremes of small and large you may have to rethink things, but I am using it for a general rule of thumb. The stated overall view is 8x the length + width.

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

PNW 40oz:

14cm + 8cm = 22cm
22cm / 8 = 2.75cm maximum size

So we are straight into goby only territory. Next step is to look at the size of the fish using Fishbase.

Fishbase

Jay's original article states to use 80% of the size given due to the average in captivity.

I will help out a bit more by giving some of the options I have found in my growing list. This again is for my own Pico which I am developing. Currently that is My IKEA 1.7L Pico Aquarium

Panda Goby = 2.4cm
Paragobiodon lacunicolus

Colini Goby = 2.7cm
Tryssogobius colini

Flaming Prawn Goby ($$$) = 2.4cm
Discordipinna griessingeri

Yellow/Green Clown Goby = 2.8cm
Gobiodon okinawae

Now to deal with the elephant in the room. The lids do not look to seal the tank very well, and so salinity is going to be a massive issue to deal with. Water quality could go south very quickly too. I use macro algae to help with this concern, but the biggest 2 issues with small Pico's seems to be temperature & Salinity. 2 areas I am focusing on!

I now have my clown goby in my 1.7L IKEA jar and he looks happy and also looks comfortable. My salinity barely changes over a couple of weeks so far, and temperature is 25.1c +/-0.2c so temperature tolerance is very good. How good will it be with the heater provided? I can't tell you I am afraid.

I would get the tank running and make sure temperature and salinity are stable / controllable.

I have seen so many bad experiences with Pico's and the main reason for it seems to be the owners battle against these issues. Yes they stem from a small water volume but they are equally or more so to do with the fact that equipment is not designed by manufacturers for these small tanks. That is exactly why I am designing my own board, pump, heater and light combination. To empower your vision.

Wish you the best of luck. Anyone who has any questions on my experience so far, feel free to ask away on my thread or here if it is also helpful to the original poster!

- Paul

 

[littlefoxx]

That’s the size of a half gallon? I didn’t think it was that small. Cut my recommendation in half. Thanks for pointing it out.

Yeah its a tiny little tank!

 

[Reef Wizard]

Yeah its a tiny little tank!

Porcelain crabs are really cool if you decide to go the invert route They are reef safe. They have little fans to catch particles in the water instead of claws