5.5G Budget Nano - reef-pi & open design

[Ranjib]

I like what you have planned. Can I send you a roll of Velcro to clean up those wires? My OCD is on high alert .

LOL, i do use nylon jackets or even 3d printed scaffolds to secure the cables, but this tank goes through lot of changes. All reef-pi features are tested on this one first :-/ , which is why the cables are laying bare.
Actually i was using montera from ikea previously (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/montera-cable-management-white-30147425/) ,

 

[Ranjib]

Updates:
I changed the tank . After first months use, I didn’t like the visible heater and probes. I upgraded both my pico tanks with this rimless relatively cheap 4 G pico tanks. I removed the pumps in due process. I’ll be reprinting better brackets for them for the new tank .

Corals are doing ok. I had to lower light intensity, liams clove was bleaching otherwise. I introduced few sps frags (Orange digi , a no name Acro and green slimmer), they are just barely alive. I ‘ll be ramping up on flow first

I improved the ato sensor holder to have a small hinge to fix the sensor wire. It’s also easier to attach the float switch due to a predesigned cut in the socket to pass the wire . The design is available on thingiverse. I think I’ll increase the depth, I want to have more height difference between display portion and the back chamber.
Ato container :

 

[Ranjib]

reef-pi , the controller powering this tank is doing good as well. Its been running continuously for a month now (rare since i deploy new reef-pi versions in this build first). Heres how the build in dashboard looks:

I am being lazy and have not calibrated ph probe yet.

 

[Ikk]

Any update on this. how is it all running?

 

[Robert Binz]

The tank was wet today afternoon. I am using instant ocean reef crystal and also seeded the tank with one of my current tank water.

I am using dry Tonga branches from my lfs. There will be a central elevated structure (on the left in current state) and several small individual island for isolating the fast growing encrusting corals. The rocks are not properly arranged yet, I have just dunked them in hurry for the time being

:-

Did you make or order this Reef pi??????

 

[Ranjib]

Did you make or order this Reef pi??????

sorry for the super late response, just noticed this now. I built it myself

 

[Ranjib]

Covid happened . Right before that house happened. Years have passed and I am finally getting some time to catch a breadth . And this means I am slowly setting up these old tanks. I had the tanks, rocks , extra equipment and multiple older reef-pi controllers sitting idle. Why not use it. This was the plan always (to have more tanks as and when time permits , life settles) .
Three months back I bought this original tank back to life .

Water was in on 3rd Jan , earlier this year . I cycled the tank for good 2 months . As the original goal idea is to keep it as cheap as possible . I am incorporating lot of learning from previous years. Going with lot more rock this time , I think if i can keep it clean then it will pay of in stability , there’s the usual hob filter . I am using a stock kasa hs300 power strip . The led light I chose is from Amazon , it’s 1 foot, 12v bar led. An additional rio50 is in there for water movement . There’s 50w heater in it. Ato is through float switch.

 

[Ranjib]

This is how the tank looks now , after almost 6 months

The light , as I mentioned in earlier post is a combination of 4 led bars with an attached manual dimmer .

the reef-pi controller is pi zero based . I don’t think I need a controller for this tank, but it does add an extra layer of security for ato over run type risks

3 month back ..

Some of the coral inhabitants (most from my other tanks ).. blue tubbs

Duncan and candy cane

another type of zoa (id anyone ??), and a shroom

A no name challice

Ricordia

Initially I also experimented with a direct control ato (for no controller based setup ) but later swapped it out with other build

 

[Ranjib]

Spend some time to rearrange a few things in and stand .

This pico is now in its own dedicated stand. I had made this stand for 3D printer, but felt it’s better suited for this tank. I changed the light from a fixed brightness stock light to a custom fixture made with maker beam and 3D printed parts. Lights are led bars, 2 blue(400nm) , 1 white (10k) and one a mix of red white blue led . It’s gives an awesome purplish metal Halide look. I have also attached an inline dimmer to ease acclimation of new corals., but otherwise it’s just on a timer .
After a mishap leading to ato dumping a lot of rodi water (float valve malfunction ) , I decided it’s to risky to use a direct float switch control ato setup. As you can see I have wired the ato with reef-pi . It gives the needed safety net as reef-pi will disable the ato if it runs beyond a specific amount of time , and also send me a text alert when that happens.
It took some time after the light swap for the corals to settle . But now all of them look healthy , and polyps are all open.
Here is the duncan

I also added couple of frags of green slimer , just to see if it can make it

Historically I have been able to keep green slimer , but not necessarily grow it. I think this time I’ll have better luck as i intend to start incorporating all for reef dosing regiment (through ato), later .
I also added a frag of gsp . Long live gsp , the confidence builder

One of the thing I like a lot about pico tank is to be able to see the animals so close. I found this spaghetti worm in the rock structure. Fun thing to watch

Rest of tank inhabitants are doing ok. Here are some of the prettier inhabitants

That’s all for now .. I’ll keep this updated as I ll be very heavily involved in all the picos from now on

 

[Ranjib]

Couple of weeks back I got a Catalina goby (didn’t knew that time it’s a cold water goby ) from lfs. It was part of broader haul for all the tanks .
I got a 120watt chiller and hooked that up with reef-pi and slowly bringing down temperature . I am pretty sure other corals won’t like it. I’m planning to migrate the ones that will show most stress. So far mushrooms look ok , gsp looks ok, alveopora is retracted to 1/2 of its previous size , Zoas also shows some level of stress but not completely closed.
I want to run the tank finally at or around 71 . Duncan is showing most stress as of now . I might move that coral in another tank tomorrow
Fts

star of the show . This was Ryan’s choice. We call him fuzzy.

Fuzzy is very skittish . He barely comes out of his cave .
part of the lfs haul was bunch of new corals. I have added a few more Corallimorphs /mushrooms

rhodactis

Placed this one at the top island. I hope it encrusts

alveopora , not looking great but still ok

candy crane looks ok

Green slimer on top island , not best but polyps are still out .

Orange branching monti on the other hand looks in better state (polyps out )

frag of gsp . Looking just fine . I have a feeling gsp will survive 71F , we’ll see

 

[Ranjib]

Tank is doing ok. Corals are not looking at their best , but polyps are still open at 74-75. I’m planning to reduce another degree in couple of weeks
fTs

and here’s a close up of fuzzy

He is very skittish. But he does browse around when he is not spooked