My Ultimate Pico (on a semi-budget, pic intense)

[compulou]

Sup all I've finally had a chance to put up some pics of my little pico. The actual design I "borrowed" from Taikimoto (which was to use another 2.5 as a fuge, for a total volume of 5g) the rest I fitted here and there to get this:

Equipment:

* Display Tank: Custom made 2.5g 12x6x8 acrylic (a copy of the AGA as I used it's top and bottom frames) $30.00
* Fuge: AGA 2.5g Tank w/siliconed in baffels w/bubble traps also used for filter floss holder $10.00
* Coralife 18w Light (Temp as my dad is building me a canopy for my 36w dual ballasts 10,000k & Actinic lighting $80.00
* Stand (made by my dad) $0.00
* ATO: 2 Channel Reefdosing Pump (bought used) $120.00
* Return Pump: Used Nano pump $0.00
* Circulation: An elite powerhead w/sponge removed $6.00
* Cooling: 2 3" Computers fans I wired up to a transformer $0.00
* Heating: Flat non-adjustable 7.5w Hydor Heater $10.00
* Battery Backup: Repaired 600w APC UPS $30.00

Livestock:

1 Red leg Hermit
3 Tiny Blue leg Hermits
6 Miniscule Turbo's (I mean these things are tiny, bout the size of an eraser head each)
Tons of copepods I've transferred from my 65
Live Rock: From my 10 month old 65g established tank
Water: From my 65g Tank
Fuge Sand/Cheato: From my 65g
Display Sand: From my 65g Tank

There's not much in there yet as I plan to get most of the corals for my pico from my 65g as I've fragged my GSP's, Colt Coral and have some real nice zoas also waiting in my 65g to go in here. Sorry for the crappy pics but I'm not a photographer. Anyways here are the pics step by step as I put it together:

Display Tank about to be installed

Saphire Skimmer fits perfectly in fuge!!! Thanks Kyle for an excellent product and service!!!

Here you can see the stand and the fuge right behind it w/some of the plumbing

Now the display is in

All the wiring and reefdoser goes into the top drawer

Everything is going in together nicely

A nice shot of the fuge with skimmer, live rock rubble, return section and cooling fans, the clear tube is the dripping from the ATO/reefdoser

Wiring almost done, and you can see the doser

Lastly a pic of the tank with the temp light on egg crate.

Salinity: 1.024
Amm: undectectable
Nitrates : undetectable
Nitrites: undetectable
Temp: 77-78 degrees

With both the flat heater and the cooling fans I wired up I've been able to keep the temp rock solid between 77-78 degrees. Funny thing is I swear the temp rises a half degree whenever I'm sitting at my computer desk. Any ways let me know what you all think.

Later,

Lou

 

[i2go]

awesome, is wiring up the coralife bulbs hard? and where do you find nano tanks already drilled? Great job : )

 

[drummereef]

Very nicely done, compulou!

 

[Rosseau]

nice compact fuge. I think i'm about to venture into custom acryllics too. Keep us posted!

 

[dustin323]

Nice setup.

 

[Gundo5000]

Keep us updated, nice job!

 

[earlnewt]

Job well done.

 

[Redstratplayer]

Nice

 

[compulou]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9001768#post9001768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by i2go
awesome, is wiring up the coralife bulbs hard? and where do you find nano tanks already drilled? Great job : )

Thanks all for the nice compliments.

i2go: I didn't have to wire the coralife bulbs as the light I'm using now is the Coralife Aqualight on egg crate:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11382&N=2004+113345

This light is being used temporaily until my pops finishes my canopy. When it's done I've gutted a Current-Usa Dual Satellite 36w light which is going in the canopy.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13637&N=2004+113345

Also the tank is a custom made acrylic tank. I went to a local Acrylic shop and gave him the dementions and two days later wala. A $30.00 acrylic copy of the 2.5g AGA.

 

[Taikimoto]

Glad to see I inspired someone. I have my tank back up and running after the crash, looks like crap right now, but is slowly getting better. Will post pics when things get back to normal.

 

[lmorejon]

Nice job Lou, worling on your canopy this Friday, I'll bring it down next week.
Dad

 

[kase]

looking good.

 

[compulou]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9010640#post9010640 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Taikimoto
Glad to see I inspired someone. I have my tank back up and running after the crash, looks like crap right now, but is slowly getting better. Will post pics when things get back to normal.

Thanks all for the Nice Comments!!! And I'm itching for my canopy to be done, "Dad you listening? hehe"

Taikimoto, no disrepect to you as your a master of the pico but I was going to do a Pico non the less, you gave me "the idea" to do the drilled pico w/fuge. If I never saw your Pico I would of still done one. So you didn't "INSPIRE" me, you assisted/gave me an idea.

Definition of Inspire/Inspiration:

1. stimulate somebody to do something: to encourage somebody to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity

2. cause creative activity: to stimulate somebody to do something, especially creative or artistic work

I've heard you mention that before and I'm sure the others would of done their pico's with or without you. Please don't take this to heart but choose your words more carefully. Besides that dude you've been an asset to this community.

New pics coming soon.

 

[Taikimoto]

So you were going to do a pico anyways, but when you saw mine it gave you the idea to do it drilled w/fuge? So in other words my tank, by your defintion:

1. stimulate somebody to do something: to encourage somebody to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity

Stimulated you to do more with your tank than just put a HOB filter on a 2.5 right?

You even said in your first pm:

Dude I love your setup!!! I hope you don't mind but I am re-creating your exact design. I was already in the process of making a 2.5g Pico that I was going to put a HOB filter on until I saw your tank and I was like :eek2:

Does that not match the very definition you posted?

And you pretty much copied my setup to the T, I dont understand why, when I assume someone was inspired by my setup when I see that they setup a system that is exactly like mine, they get all bent out of shape. Its like they dont want to admit that yes, my setup did inspire them to do something greater.

I mean, saying "no your tank didnt inspire me but I setup a system that is exactly like yours" doesnt really match up ya know?

I was inspired myself when I saw a small little pico tank on the internet a few years ago, but it had the standard HOB filter on it and the heater etc.. on the inside. I decided to make something better and the small tanks I saw were my inspiration for that. I had not seen a small tank drilled such as what I designed back then, and everyone was telling me it couldnt be done, but thats not saying there werent any, but that idea came to me in the design phase.