• Going to make a Pico reef. (2 gallon reef tank)
    72 replies, posted
my goodness, the power supply for that seems quite large for what you are doing. what are you pulling for the fan and leds?
I'm not sure to be honest. The whole system is definitely more powerful than it needs to be. I kinda got it with the idea that I might be able to salvage it and make bigger lights in the future. Right now it's just got six 3 watt LEDs: [url]http://shop.stevesleds.com/3-up-Tristar-Connected-Wiring-AntiDisco-Tristar-AntiDisco.htm[/url] and the fan: [url]http://shop.stevesleds.com/Pressurizing-Cooling-Fan-with-Power-Regulator-Pressurizing-Cooling-Fan-w-plug.htm[/url] and this driver: [url]http://shop.stevesleds.com/The-Single-Dimming-LED-Driver-Single-Driver.htm[/url]
well I would say something around 30 Watts going through everything. If you would mind having something that is open frame, you could probably use something like a Mean Well PS-45-24 (max 45watt, 24.0V @ 1.90A) and I could send you one for free. (work in power supply warehouse, so whatever you need, I can get)
So glad I got into this hobby, I learn something new every time I look into the tank. My xenia coral was really small when I bought it, but it has now firmly glued itself to a neighbouring rock- you can also see tiny new polyps sprouting out in places, which pulse rhythmically just like the older ones. Might have to start cutting it back sooner or later. The large pale bulges growing out of the "trunk" appear to lean towards surfaces to grow onto, thus starting a new xenia colony. I also witnessed the (Left) green hairy mushrooms eating bits of flake food that sunk into their mouths (My clownfish are messy eaters). It's little things like this that help you realize that corals are animals, and not plants. [img]http://i.imgur.com/R97OJnl.jpg[/img] And to anyone interested, this is what xenia looks like when it pulses. Some people hate it because it can grow like a weed, but it's probably one of my favourite corals. [video=youtube;vkLrcn9Fa1g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkLrcn9Fa1g[/video]
Hey, just wondering how does pico/reef life starts in a tank just filled with water and lighting? I mean isn't that same as placing empty cardboard box in middle of room and wait for a dinosaur to appear in it? Don't you need to start a life off with adding like two fishes or two bacterias or something? Can somebody explain this? I am not too familiar with this, but from what I've seen I take the pico/reef as something similar to universe? I mean world forms, colonies form, citizens form etc... or is it something different?
[QUOTE=arleitiss;42115535]Hey, just wondering how does pico/reef life starts in a tank just filled with water and lighting? I mean isn't that same as placing empty cardboard box in middle of room and wait for a dinosaur to appear in it? Don't you need to start a life off with adding like two fishes or two bacterias or something? Can somebody explain this? I am not too familiar with this, but from what I've seen I take the pico/reef as something similar to universe? I mean world forms, colonies form, citizens form etc... or is it something different?[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFQCYpIHLNQ[/media] [editline]7th September 2013[/editline] But in reality, to start any reef tank you need to put in something like Live rock or live sand to get things kicking. A lot of that stuff is taken from real reefs and stored in water at fish stores and gets all nice and full of inhabitants. Then you plop it in your new tank and they come out. Sometimes you can get some pretty crazy critters seemingly out of nowhere. I once found a Nudibranch in my old tank like two years after I started it. Never bought one of those in my life. You also have to introduce ammonia to start off the nitrogen cycle but that will usually come with the introduction of live rock/sand/fish. [editline]7th September 2013[/editline] My little filter from the start doesn't seem to be keeping up. I'm thinking about getting a 2.5-5 gallon tank and sticking it behind it and using that as a sump. Doubling or tripling the water volume. Should work them. (also a protein skimmer and other filter goodies)
I live beside beach, there is lots of rocks covered in moss/sea stuff, could I pick up one of those? Sometimes crabs live under those rocks. my location: [URL]https://www.google.ie/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d3011!2d-6.1667088!3d53.3523612[/URL] (ireland) it's like a pier or so, and it has stairs on sides going down, that has lots of sand always under water, rocks with moss and different grass/foliage on rocks. Also if being quick after sea backs off, sometimes you can pick up a jellyfish which was thrown onto coast (pretty hard to do) Would any of those work?
It's usually not a good idea to use rocks/sand from beaches because you don't know what kind of contaminates they might have on them. Usually anywhere that humans congregate is a dirty place and has things you don't want in your tank. Much better to buy stuff from a fish store.
[QUOTE=OvB;42116138]It's usually not a good idea to use rocks/sand from beaches because you don't know what kind of contaminates they might have on them. Usually anywhere that humans congregate is a dirty place and has things you don't want in your tank. Much better to buy stuff from a fish store.[/QUOTE] Well it's not like a zoidberg will grow up out of tank and run away? (who knows though) So in other words, I need to get something that has a parasites/microbes/bacterias on it which was grown/kept in clean environment? (Like other fish, etc..) is that right?
You need stuff like this: [url]http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393[/url] You should also research a lot before trying to start a reef tank. [url]http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2249&aid=2833[/url]
Amazing stuff. I really should check out maker mates more often.
The filter can't keep up so I bought a 2.5 gallon tank and I'm going to turn it into a sump. Something like this: [url]http://www.nano-reef.com/uploads/gallery/category_7/med_gallery_78039_7_213674.jpg[/url] But between School and GTA V tomorrow, I probably won't get around to it for awhile. [editline]16th September 2013[/editline] (It will double the water volume, too)
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