MH for zoos in JBJ Picotope?

N

ne`yeah

New member
Hi guys,
Im currently setting up a nano tank. The inhabitants are a pair of harlequin shrimp and i'm going to keep zoos, ricordeas and mushrooms. There will be nothing else. Im using the JBJ Picotope tank which has a volume of 3 gallon and a water level height of 7". I do want the best for the growth of the corals and thinking of using a 70w MH lighting fixture for it. My choices are the Aquamedic with 20k bulb, the JBJ Viper or the retrofit kit from illuming.com. I will be hanging it ard 8-10" above the water level.
Now my question is, will it be too much light for the corals and the shrimps? Please advise. Thanks.
 
How about if i change the light intensity by using 20k bulb?
Will these zoos actually get burnt with too much lighting?
 
i think it will heat the tank too much, perhaps if you had a sump to balance the heat, but I would try it, see if it works.
 
twon8,
considering the heat issue, im thinking of using a fan directly blowing into the back of the tank. Also thinking of building a sump for it too.. But do u think that there is too much light for the corals?
 
I don't know, i have never kept a tank that small. it might be too much light for mushrooms, but probably not for zoas.
 
MH is too bright for that size tank. why do one that small anyways? its like 10times easier to use the same MH on a 10g tank.

you will have major heat issues on a 3g tank, and if you use a fan, you will have major evaporation problems. with a tank volume that small. just evaporating an inch off the surface of the tank is like 1/8 of your total tank volume. which is a HUGE change in salinity. IMO tanks need a more stable salinity in order for all the inhabitants to be fully happy.
 
My first intention was just to keep a pair of harlequin shrimps with live rock, thus i decided to go for a smaller and also the simplest-looking tank like the picotope. Immediately, i changed the filter using the Eheim Liberty 150 and got a sanders picollo skimmer. The lighting is still stock; 9w 50/50 pc. The tank seems to be running very well. So i have decided to try to put in some corals and this seems to get me addicted.
RIght now im thinking of upgrading to a nano remora skimmer to give me the full space of the tank (the sanders took alot of space at a corner) and add more corals (just zoas and shrooms) and see what happens. I do want to make the tank looks the simplest and so this is the reason that makes me want to get a MH..
Regarding evaporation, currently it only evaporates very minimally. I prepare a cup of water by the side of the tank everyday. Will be using JBJ ATO when im away or if i decide to add a sump later on..

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7761608#post7761608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by surfnvb7
MH is too bright for that size tank. why do one that small anyways? its like 10times easier to use the same MH on a 10g tank.

you will have major heat issues on a 3g tank, and if you use a fan, you will have major evaporation problems. with a tank volume that small. just evaporating an inch off the surface of the tank is like 1/8 of your total tank volume. which is a HUGE change in salinity. IMO tanks need a more stable salinity in order for all the inhabitants to be fully happy.
Click to expand...
 
yeah, but when you add a MH, and crank up the fan even more, that will increase the evap alot more than you think. and also, by adding a skimmer, you are increasing the evap even more. and most of those nano-skimmers only have the ability to skim very wet, which will also contribute to a decrease in salinity.

i dont know too much about harlequin shrimp, but i know enough to know they are very sensitive creatures, and live very secluded life styles in the rocks seaking out star fish.

you will have to feed them star fish (like 2 choc chip stars every month), and when they eat them the star fish will of course decompose, and pollute the water. a big ole choc chip star decomposing in a 3g tank is bad news. i think you'll pollute the water column and poison the shrimp.

you may wanna try posting this in the nano forum instead of in here. those people will be able to tell you for sure what kind of odds you are up against from experience.
 
Yup, will take all those into consideration. Thanks for your advice. :)
Btw, i feed the leave the starfish in the tank only for a few days and i freeze them right away. Currently training them to eat frozen star as well. :rolleye1:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7762207#post7762207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ne`yeah
Yup, will take all those into consideration. Thanks for your advice. :)
Btw, i feed the leave the starfish in the tank only for a few days and i freeze them right away. Currently training them to eat frozen star as well. :rolleye1:
Click to expand...

wow, good luck with that!
 
Hello there,

I would recomend you stay clear of Harlequins in a nano... I speak from experience. I had a pair in a 5 gallon hex flat back years ago... they did great for a while until one of the stars i put in for food did not acclimate well, and died over night and crashed the tank.

As for the lighting on a small tank... I used to have a diffrent nano that was a 5 gallon with a 250 magnetic halide 20k bulb... I had a couple of fans hitting the water. There was no sump but I evaporated an ubsurd amount of water a day. No other way to top off than with an auto top off.

The tank housed SPS, Clams, zoanthids, Ricordea, and a kick but coco worm that grew plenty of new tube in the time the tank was running.

The tank eventualy crashed with a spawn... No clue what spawned but in 5 gallons of water, it was milk... so enough of that novelty I tore it down.

I recomend you get at least a 20 gallon for the harlequin Like this if and when a star dies the impact won't be as much. Also I'd put a small skimmer on there, even if a common seaclone atleast.

Goodluck!!

Juan-Carlos
 
I've got a 2.5G tank with a 70W Astralux halide about 8" over the top. The only thing I have in the tank is a couple zoos and a couple shrooms though. I don't think I'd consider putting anything besides corals in the tank. I have HUGE temperature swings that I'm working on combating, but I've been lazy about it. I have an ATO on the tank. For the longest time I didn't have an ATO and the tank looked like crap because I wouldn't top off regularly and I'm sure the salinity swings were insane. After I added the halide and the ATO, the tank became much neater to look at. Once I get the temperature thing under control, I might add a shrimp, but I don't think I'd add any fish to the tank. Or I'll just leave it as a coral tank. Or I'll take it down. Who knows. :)

Eric
 
Ditto to Joan-carlos! Please take the Harliquins out of a tank that small, they will crash the tank because of their food sorce. Stars are nasty to a tank when dieing ... espically one that small. Go with a pair of cleaner shrimp or blue leg'd coral banded's if you want a pair of shrimp. Maybe even a goby/pistol pair.

I dont think a 70W will be bad if your using a 20k bulb. the fan will cause ALOT of evaporation though. ever since the warmer weather started and I plugged my fan back in, I have to top off twice a day on my 20 gallon to keep things stable. I could not imagine topping off a 3 gallon.

They make clip on 13W strip pc light for nano's, grab one or 2 of those & you'll be fine for zoa's and shrooms.
 
MH is only better in a deep tank. Anythign else you can use Flourescents and find it exactly the same. You're just wasting money on them.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention that I had the bulb and ballast laying around. :)

The only money I spent was the $7.88 at Walmart for the Brinks fixture that I mod'd the bulb into.
 
Thanks alot for the responses guys.

Juan-Carlos,
Thanks for the advice. Seems that many ppl are worried about how the dying star might pollute the tank. However, the harlequins are my main purpose of building this tank. Will definitely try to find the best way to prevent the tank from having any problems. I also already installed a Sanders picollo protein skimmer. It's air driven and has been pulling out alot of dark skimmate. Will see how it goes. Currently training them to feed on legs of frozen star. I have only fed them 1 live star since i bought them and they took like a week to finish just 1 leg. It was still alive then, but i went to freeze it right away. Been feeding the remaining legs (1 at a time) to the shrimps now and they seem to be eating only the inner part of the star. Took it out after a few hrs. MY other alternative is to create a sump behind the tank to keep asterina stars and feed them once in a while..

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7763651#post7763651 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Juan-Carlos
Hello there,

I would recomend you stay clear of Harlequins in a nano... I speak from experience. I had a pair in a 5 gallon hex flat back years ago... they did great for a while until one of the stars i put in for food did not acclimate well, and died over night and crashed the tank.

As for the lighting on a small tank... I used to have a diffrent nano that was a 5 gallon with a 250 magnetic halide 20k bulb... I had a couple of fans hitting the water. There was no sump but I evaporated an ubsurd amount of water a day. No other way to top off than with an auto top off.

The tank housed SPS, Clams, zoanthids, Ricordea, and a kick but coco worm that grew plenty of new tube in the time the tank was running.

The tank eventualy crashed with a spawn... No clue what spawned but in 5 gallons of water, it was milk... so enough of that novelty I tore it down.

I recomend you get at least a 20 gallon for the harlequin Like this if and when a star dies the impact won't be as much. Also I'd put a small skimmer on there, even if a common seaclone atleast.

Goodluck!!

Juan-Carlos
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Eric,
May i know if the zoos and shrooms are doing well under that kind of lighting?? Im really want to know about this...
The evaporation in my tank is currently pretty minimal as i have yet to add any fans to it. If i were to add a fan, i'd only do HD Fan and place it on the back of the tank, blowing directly to the glass. Temperature is pretty stable now, just a little bit precautious if the MH is gonna heat up the tank too muhc...
And ATO is definitely what im going to get next after i get the light and experiment.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7764890#post7764890 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by perpetual98
I've got a 2.5G tank with a 70W Astralux halide about 8" over the top. The only thing I have in the tank is a couple zoos and a couple shrooms though. I don't think I'd consider putting anything besides corals in the tank. I have HUGE temperature swings that I'm working on combating, but I've been lazy about it. I have an ATO on the tank. For the longest time I didn't have an ATO and the tank looked like crap because I wouldn't top off regularly and I'm sure the salinity swings were insane. After I added the halide and the ATO, the tank became much neater to look at. Once I get the temperature thing under control, I might add a shrimp, but I don't think I'd add any fish to the tank. Or I'll just leave it as a coral tank. Or I'll take it down. Who knows. :)

Eric
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Jovreefer,
Im currently not using a fan yet thou.. Will look for other chilling method if the MH is causing heat problem. Probably the HD fan or the nanotuners chiller for the nanocube. Pretty neat stuf.
I have been trying to get high-wattage clip-on fixtures.
There used to be 1 made by Red Sea for the dragon nano tank or sthing called like tt. It's using 18w 50/50 bulb and exterior is in black. Very nice but have not been able to find this in my area or even online...
Those that are selling in drsfoster&smith are only 13w and they come in funky colors.. So, not really my type.. :o

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7765551#post7765551 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jovreefer

I dont think a 70W will be bad if your using a 20k bulb. the fan will cause ALOT of evaporation though. ever since the warmer weather started and I plugged my fan back in, I have to top off twice a day on my 20 gallon to keep things stable. I could not imagine topping off a 3 gallon.

They make clip on 13W strip pc light for nano's, grab one or 2 of those & you'll be fine for zoa's and shrooms. [/B]
Click to expand...
 
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