2.5 gallon reef slow slow slow build. Help needed!

[Dunnman39]

I have an extra 2.5 gallong tank that needs to be used. I am planning on having about 5 pounds live sand and as much live rock I need to get the scape I am looking for. For coral I am thinking mushrooms or polyps ad the majority and some sps? Any suggestions for some good combinations would be appreciated. I know fish are slim to none for this size but is there a possible fish out there? What are some unique reef safe inverts? I still need to figire out what light I am getting and a heater if I choose to have one. I am also thinking to go filterless with the main filter being the live rock which I am planning on getting from tampa bay salt water. Is that okay? I was thinking on doing weekly 50% water changes and daily top offs to keep the salinity in order. I do not have a RODI system so it aill be tap water with seachem prime being added..really no other options. Does all this sound good so far? Will I need to dose anything like calcium or something for corals or will the water changes be okay? Any other suggestions would be helpful. Now this is a slow slow slow build because I will be in Florida in August so that's when I will be getting the live rock. Right now I am just planning everything so I am ready

 

[Martini5788]

I would rule sps out completely in a tank that size. There was a thread a few days ago about a reef vase, look at that. I can't think of a single fish that would do okay in 2.5 gallons, I would
Consider mainly inverts like sexy shrimp. And if you
Can't do rodi, just use distilled water from the grocery store.

 

[Dunnman39]

I would rule sps out completely in a tank that size. There was a thread a few days ago about a reef vase, look at that. I can't think of a single fish that would do okay in 2.5 gallons, I would
Consider mainly inverts like sexy shrimp. And if you
Can't do rodi, just use distilled water from the grocery store.

Why rule sps out? And okay awesome should I still treat the water with prime?

 

[Martini5788]

Sps need stability that I seriously doubt can be provided in a 2.5 gallon tank. And they will have nowhere to grow. No room to expand without having to be fragged. Just seems pointless to me

 

[Jeff4777]

Are you set on 2.5 gallons?.. I mean I know you said you already have it but.. 5 pounds of live sand plus the live rock alone bring your total water volume down even more.

 

[Dunnman39]

Are you set on 2.5 gallons?.. I mean I know you said you already have it but.. 5 pounds of live sand plus the live rock alone bring your total water volume down even more.

Yes I am almost set on it as right now I am pretty maxed out on space. Thinking now though 5 pounds is a little more the. i was thinking. I just want a nice thin layer of sand so possibly 2 pounds.

 

[Dunnman39]

Sps need stability that I seriously doubt can be provided in a 2.5 gallon tank. And they will have nowhere to grow. No room to expand without having to be fragged. Just seems pointless to me

Oh it can certainly be provided in a 2.5 gallon tank. I have researched and seen many success stories and in all honesty for me I think it may be easier than my 55 gallon SW tank.

 

[gogo7]

hey dunnman...i'm your friend here....is your container an actual aquarium?
if so, you've got some surface area....i've kept a few picos...
i recomend you go dsb, custom air lift/pistol shrimp tunnel system buried in about four to six inches of good sand. a piece of live rock or two to seed the sand for a few weeks.
you can pair some smaller shrimp gobies with a randalls pistol, .. if you've got a lid, or your tank is taller than eighteen inches. which i doubt. lol. cycle sand and tubes and rock alone for one month. no light. make sure it cycles for a month
a quality par30 over top will help some really nice single polyp lps once it has cycled. whatever corals you buy, they will grow big fast. be prepared to frag just when everything was starting to look good. softies are the worst. some plating lps offensive as well.. trial and error.
a few nassarius..forget about hermits. they get bored fast. and murderous. and the nice ones act like they have alzhiemers (no offense to any psws out there) after a while. burrowing snails are good at eating unwanted foods that the pistol doesn't get.
pompom crabs usually need target feeding. porcelien crabs like phyto, live or dead. again turkey baster.
the clown gobies are cool. one species, idr, needs a cooler temp. which could be a good thing. green clown gobies are very tame. my avatar is gogo, a green clown gobie that lived in a one gallon vase for a couple of years.
you can do most of the crazy stuff that would make most of the members here cringe and rage and pelt you with poo.
so no tangs, no crinoids. no mantis shrimps... a breeding pair of peppermint shrimps are as interesting in such a small aquarium as an expensive ''''vampire blood shrimp from the rarest reef of tonga'''
don't be afraid of worms. they're you're friend.
be prepared to scrub once in while. toothbrush on a stick works for me.
smaller stuff is far more interesting .
use live foods if you can.
use that baster daily.
buy one gallon distilled bottles and do your weekly water change on recycling day. daily topoffs should be between two to three ounces a day. use a bottle all in one reef supplement for top ups. don't worry about precision, be consistent with the water changes and top offs. daily. don't use tap water unless you plan on having a large fat green slug trying to keep up with the green lawn you're growing.
if you've got a larger display, this air driven thing could be a copepod factory for you.
an no, no blue pipefish either.

that took me two beers to write, i hope it was worth it.
if you need any help passed this lot, pm me. i've some pics that might help you out.

 

[Dunnman39]

hey dunnman...i'm your friend here....is your container an actual aquarium?
if so, you've got some surface area....i've kept a few picos...
i recomend you go dsb, custom air lift/pistol shrimp tunnel system buried in about four to six inches of good sand. a piece of live rock or two to seed the sand for a few weeks.
you can pair some smaller shrimp gobies with a randalls pistol, .. if you've got a lid, or your tank is taller than eighteen inches. which i doubt. lol. cycle sand and tubes and rock alone for one month. no light. make sure it cycles for a month
a quality par30 over top will help some really nice single polyp lps once it has cycled. whatever corals you buy, they will grow big fast. be prepared to frag just when everything was starting to look good. softies are the worst. some plating lps offensive as well.. trial and error.
a few nassarius..forget about hermits. they get bored fast. and murderous. and the nice ones act like they have alzhiemers (no offense to any psws out there) after a while. burrowing snails are good at eating unwanted foods that the pistol doesn't get.
pompom crabs usually need target feeding. porcelien crabs like phyto, live or dead. again turkey baster.
the clown gobies are cool. one species, idr, needs a cooler temp. which could be a good thing. green clown gobies are very tame. my avatar is gogo, a green clown gobie that lived in a one gallon vase for a couple of years.
you can do most of the crazy stuff that would make most of the members here cringe and rage and pelt you with poo.
so no tangs, no crinoids. no mantis shrimps... a breeding pair of peppermint shrimps are as interesting in such a small aquarium as an expensive ''''vampire blood shrimp from the rarest reef of tonga'''
don't be afraid of worms. they're you're friend.
be prepared to scrub once in while. toothbrush on a stick works for me.
smaller stuff is far more interesting .
use live foods if you can.
use that baster daily.
buy one gallon distilled bottles and do your weekly water change on recycling day. daily topoffs should be between two to three ounces a day. use a bottle all in one reef supplement for top ups. don't worry about precision, be consistent with the water changes and top offs. daily. don't use tap water unless you plan on having a large fat green slug trying to keep up with the green lawn you're growing.
if you've got a larger display, this air driven thing could be a copepod factory for you.
an no, no blue pipefish either.

that took me two beers to write, i hope it was worth it.
if you need any help passed this lot, pm me. i've some pics that might help you out.

This is just perfect. I will look over every species mentioned. It is a regular aquarium. What exactly is an air lift tunnel system? Should I remove the live rock or can I leave it in the tank. Can I go filterless? What type of combinations would you recommend for corals? When using distilled should I still treat it with prime? Is my maintenance routine good? And do i need to dose anything for corals in a small tank?

 

[RedRubyDragon]

Filterless is ok as long as there's rocks/sand. I would go no fish, maybe some sexy shrimp and a few snails with a hermit perhaps. 2.5 gallons will sour really fast.
For sps, you might get away with some monti's, but take it all slow.
50% wc might be too much, start with 5-10% and see how the tank reacts.

 

[Dunnman39]

Filterless is ok as long as there's rocks/sand. I would go no fish, maybe some sexy shrimp and a few snails with a hermit perhaps. 2.5 gallons will sour really fast.
For sps, you might get away with some monti's, but take it all slow.
50% wc might be too much, start with 5-10% and see how the tank reacts.

I was thinking of going no fish from the start as I have a 55 gal for that. I really like the different types of shrimp out there. So daily top off for evaporation and weekly 5-10% water changes?

 

[lpsouth1978]

When I had my 3g pico up and running, I was simply changing a cup or two of water daily. I also had a very precise top off system using an aqualifter pump. The aqualifter adds water slowly, so you do not add too much water each time it goes off.

Stability and consistency will be your friend with a tank this small. It takes a lot of commitment and work to make a successful pico, but it is possible, even with SPS. The small daily water changes and ATO allowed me to keep a small monti cap, pink birdsnest, and some acans with no problem. However, if you neglect the schedule for even a very short time, things will turn ugly in a hurry.

Good luck to you.

 

[Dunnman39]

When I had my 3g pico up and running, I was simply changing a cup or two of water daily. I also had a very precise top off system using an aqualifter pump. The aqualifter adds water slowly, so you do not add too much water each time it goes off.

Stability and consistency will be your friend with a tank this small. It takes a lot of commitment and work to make a successful pico, but it is possible, even with SPS. The small daily water changes and ATO allowed me to keep a small monti cap, pink birdsnest, and some acans with no problem. However, if you neglect the schedule for even a very short time, things will turn ugly in a hurry.

Good luck to you.

Can you give me step by step on instructions on how the aqualifter works?

 

[lpsouth1978]

Can you give me step by step on instructions on how the aqualifter works?

You would need to get an ATO with a float switch. There are several on the market and one most would work. Autotopoff.com has some inexpensive, but good systems, or JBJ makes one that would work as well. You simply plug the pump into the ATO and place the float on the edge of the tank so that it can keep the water level consistent. For a pico, a slow pump is necessary because if it moves water too fast it will add more water than needed before it can shut back off, and lower your salinity.