New 3.5 gallon pico all in one tank

[crabbydan]

Just picked up a pico to play with while some of my old rock is in a 90 day fallow period.

Will try to add a photo after I post my question.

What is the best use of the aio compartments for such a small tank?

Tank is 12 inches x 12 inches and 9 inches tall. All numbers forward will be inches.
All compartments are 9 tall.
1st area is 3.5 x 3.5 overflows into 2nd chamber
2nd is 2.5 x 3.5 with removable shelves / grates 3 of the. Bottom 3 inches is clear to the back mini refuge/chateo area? Bottom flow to 3rd area.
3rd area is 1.3/4 x 3.5 air trap baffle section. Overflow then undertow to last chamber that has return pump which is 2.3/4 x 3.5

So first chamber I'm thinking live rock rubble or those ceramic balls by marinepure.
2nd chamber is where I need the most help getting little 2 inch x 3 inch grates in and out seems like a pain so maybe chateo a small live rock rubble then maybe a filter floss on top? Of course light the back panel cutout for the Chateo last chamber is return pump heater if needed and top off valve for a tune nano

Last point tank will likely have a pistol shrimp or Pom pom crab and any other inverts that could be compatible with any corals I can add that survive. I think this is too small for any fish unless I can get a tiny goby.

Suggestions on what to put into each chamber?

 

[crabbydan]

 

[crabbydan]

 

[Reefkid88]

First Chamber: DIY media basket with foam pad on the top,purigen,then carbon. Second chamber I'd do a heater,then lastly in the 3rd the return pump.

 

[crabbydan]

Thanks
Anyone else?

 

[lhof]

Use the new chemipure blue nano. That way you don't have to worry about Purigen and carbon. Both are together in a nice tidy little package. I just tried it on my spec and it's great for picos.

You can use egg crate if you want to make a compartmentalized filter. Helps to organize better. Floss on top, carbon and Purigen next. Could use matrix below that if you want to add more biological filtration. Would use that instead of rubble because of the increased surface area.

Chamber 2 looks like it could fit a small heater if needed. I've tried chaeto and don't recommend it. For me, it added a lot of organic waste to the tank despite its help.

The best thing you can do for a pico is be diligent on water top off and exchanges. All the other stuff is nice and will help but I've found the best results when doing 2 water changes per week.

 

[crabbydan]

Great info and by the way I am a huge muppets animal fan

 

[crabbydan]

Also what is matrix?

 

[homer1475]

Seachem matrix media.

Its basically small super porous rocks used to house biological bacteria.

In such a small tank, using this could cut down on the amount of rock in the display section.

 

[lhof]

Homer nailed it. It's rock rubble on steroids. it gives you the option to use less rock in the display if you choose.

For fish, options are limited in a tank this size. Ive seen juvenile gobies, clowns and firefish in them and i'd even question some of those, but you could get by at least for a while.

I've seen 1 panda goby in a lfs which i should have bought when i had the chance. Something like that might do okay in a tank this size though from snippets I've read, they are really hard to feed.

Since its a 3 gallon i'd consider making an invert the centerpiece - like an electric blue hermit or Halloween hermit, or possibly 2-3 sexy shrimp, or cleaner shrimp (maybe). That would reduce the need to feed everyday since they scavenge and eat algea and will help with the bioload.

Btw, what type of tank is this, i like the display dimensions?
I've got a Spec 3 that's roughly 8.25x10.25x11 (LxWxH) which is proportionally higher than wide.

Gonzo was always my favorite but you can't go wrong with the smash everything coolness of Animal. He's the Jim Henson equivalent of the Tasmanian devil.

 

[lhof]

Also a heads-up: I really like the 2 little fishes nano-mag but you need to be careful - the old model rusts if you leave it in the tank. If you have the new one, there's less worry, but i had the old version almost take down my tank.

In addition to the revamped nano-mag, i recommend the Vertex simplex or vertex duplex. They are more expensive but extremely durable glass cleaners since they are acrylic.

 

[crabbydan]

Thanks for the heads up on the mag cleaner as well as the matrix product I will have to go look that up later. I have a ton of live rock rubble but if matrix is more porous or dense or generally better I will look into it. I picked this tank up on Craig's list so not sure who made it. But it is a solid quality build I will post another shot or two of the tank a pico aquariums logo is on the front glass.

 

[crabbydan]

Back side

 

[svynx]

I think 3-4 sexy shrimp and a pom-pom crab, along with some LPS would look good in there, along with the CUC. They are small enough to have a few of them, and the tank is small enough to find them.

 

[lhof]

That is a great tank by the way. I've heard pico aquariums makes very nice, high end stuff.

 

[crabbydan]

I agree this is a solid built tank just super small.

I was thinking Pom pom crab and the smallest goby pistol shrimp pair I could find. Is that too much. I have a choice looking piece of live rock staying cured in a separate bucket with nice sponges on it etc.. I also have some live rock pieces/rubble left over I plan to glue together into some kind of fantastic looking center piece and might try to incorporate the barnacle rock in one of the photos.

 

[svynx]

As much as I think the pom pom could hold its own, having a pistol shrimp might (and i've been back and forth on this myself) not be a good idea. I have a feeling that after a little while, or during a molt, the pistol will kill the crab.

I could be wrong...

 

[lhof]

As much as I think the pom pom could hold its own, having a pistol shrimp might (and i've been back and forth on this myself) not be a good idea. I have a feeling that after a little while, or during a molt, the pistol will kill the crab.

I could be wrong...

I'd do one or the other. Both are interesting, just save yourself some dough on the off chance they go to war.

 

[crabbydan]

Good advice. I will end up getting both just need to decide who goes in the pico and who goes in the 105 gallon. Might never see a Pom pom in the 105.

 

[Ryan2013]

You also might never see the Pom Pom in the pico lol. I sometimes go day without seeing mine in my 6 gallon with pretty minimal rock work and I just can't figure out where the hell he goes all day.
That said, I have a pompom and randall's pistol shrimp/goby pair that have been together for about 6 months and neither have been killed by the other. The pistol does go after the pompom if he gets too close to the shrimp's burrow during feeding time but its never been anything major. I have my rock work in an arch-type shape so that the pompom can go on the rock that the shrimp is not directly under. Granted, it would probably depend on which shrimp you go with as mine is only about an inch long.