Dan's Office Pico Build

[WhiteTailFish]

Well, I'm 1 year into reefing and being member of this forum and since I failed to create a build thread for my RedSea Reefer 350 that I started last May (2020), I figured it would be fun to create a build thread for my simple Lifegard 3.8 Gal tank that I setup in my home office recently. I haven't seen many posts about these tanks so hopefully my thread will be useful for someone looking to get a tank like this. Here we go!

 

[vetteguy53081]

A thread is a thread. Mini systems seem to be on a comeback

 

[ChaosAquaculture]

I love pico tanks! - kali

 

[WhiteTailFish]

So I started this thread over a week ago with the intention of posting some stuff but then I got busy with life and I couldn't find the time to organize my pics for posting into a timeline. But I find myself bored on a Saturday night an with a little motivation to start sharing the journey so far!

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Hardware list:
Tank: Lifegard Crystal 3.8gal Aquarium With Built-In Side Filter
Pump: Sicce Syncra Nano (110 GPH)
Heater: Hygger 50W Mini Inline Quartz Glass Aquarium Heater with External Controller
Light: AquaticLife Reno Blue/White Clamp Lamp LED [9 in. 6w] (FREE with tank)
ATO: DIY gravity fed dripper

 

[WhiteTailFish]

A look at the tank in the corner of my desk and another look into the back chamber.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Water testing the tank with stock pump...the "Lifegard Quiet One 2.0". Well have a listen and tell me if you consider this quiet and would like to have this next to you for 8 hours a day. Spoiler Alert: I don't and it's been replaced with a Sicce!

 

[A2dahlberg]

I was thinking of moving my Betta and starting a pico in his 3.5 gallon bowl. So this might help me decide.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

A look at the "plumbing". Stock LifeGard pump on the top and new Sicce Nano on the bottom. I ended up having to cut the silicone tubing a bit and adding a piece of 3.8"ID /1/2" vinyl tubing to connect to the pump.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Now getting things into the tank. Pump in the 3rd (return) chamber and the heater slides nicely in the the middle chamber. Added a piece of live live rock from the sump of my other tank and a few cups of sand from my other tank as well. For filter media, I left the stock sponge in the bottom, added a a small bag of carbon, and cut a piece of pinky filter.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Its ALLIIIIIVE!
Now I have lights and coral (couple of Xenia) and I glued some rock ruble to make a "monolith" on the left side side.
I think at this point i added a couple of blue legged hermit crabs too!

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Some coral additions: Ricordia florida mushroom, 3 types of Zoas, Pipe organ, Orange Clove Polyps, Green Branching SPS (can't remember name) Gorgonian branch, Green Toadstool, and a recovering Favia frag that hasn't been doing well in my main system.
I'm also preparing the system for the main inhabitants: fish. Yes I'm going to add fish to this tank. So I broke the rock in two pieces to add more holes and tunnels to make the rock more welcoming for future tiny friends.
Also at this point I'm not really satisfied with the lighting. I'm looking for ways to beef up the lighting to help out the coloration and the SPS is not reacting at all to the light.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

So I ended up picking up a blue tube LED from Amazon. It's rated at 3.8 Watts. I figured it would be a perfect addition to the primary white LED lights for POP and overall PAR. While it helped bring out some fluorescence in the coral, it didn't blow me away by any means. I would have needed 2 units to really make a difference throughout the tank, and at $20 CAD a piece, I was sure I could find a better overall lighting solution for around $40.

 

[WhiteTailFish]

This was a cool unique experience I had last week. One of the hermit crabs that I added in the tank started spawning one evening! When I noticed it I thought they were mini shrimp!

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Well, you shouldn't add fish to a tiny tank without having a lid, so I made myself a lid.
I ordered a piece of 12"x12" 1/8" thick Lexan on Amazon. It was perfect as I only had to cut a few inches on one side to make it fit. It also had the benefit of being about half the price of an acrylic sheet.
So, it's getting real late so that will be it for tonight. I'm taking a break from my posting spree and I'll be back tomorrow. Can't wait to introduce you to my new fish friends!

 

[KK's Reef]

Well, you shouldn't add fish to a tiny tank without having a lid, so I made myself a lid.
I ordered a piece of 12"x12" 1/8" thick Lexan on Amazon. It was perfect as I only had to cut a few inches on one side to make it fit. It also had the benefit of being about half the price of an acrylic sheet.
So, it's getting real late so that will be it for tonight. I'm taking a break from my posting spree and I'll be back tomorrow. Can't wait to introduce you to my new fish friends!

Clever idea for the lid. How did you cut the lexan? I'm a bit OCD so I would want the cut to be clean and perfect.

Also, with the lid on, how is the gas exchange? Low evap is a benefit, but how is the aeration?

 

[WhiteTailFish]

Thanks. It works well for my application. The lid does severly cut on evap. I can go a few days without topping off with only .1 or .2 change in ppt salinity. The one drawback is that it does fog up quite a bit. But wherever the light hits the fog clears that up quickly. I changed my light for a panel style fixture rescently that sits on top of the lid and that further eliminates the fogging issue.

The cut was made with a circular saw and a steady hand and it turned out quite good, save a little nick where i started cutting a little too far inside. The lexan cuts like butter even compared to acrylic but i did have a 48 tooth blade instead on the standard wood cutting blade.

As for aeration, i think its ok. The back chamber is still complety open and i did drill a 3/4 inch holes in the front and back of the cover with a step bit for aeration and feeding.

Attched a picture. Please i
gnore my algea...

 

[KK's Reef]

Thanks. It works well for my application. The lid does severly cut on evap. I can go a few days without topping off with only .1 or .2 change in ppt salinity. The one drawback is that it does fog up quite a bit. But wherever the light hits the fog clears that up quickly. I changed my light for a panel style fixture rescently that sits on top of the lid and that further eliminates the fogging issue.

The cut was made with a circular saw and a steady hand and it turned out quite good, save a little nick where i started cutting a little too far inside. The lexan cuts like butter even compared to acrylic but i did have a 48 tooth blade instead on the standard wood cutting blade.

As for aeration, i think its ok. The back chamber is still complety open and i did drill a 3/4 inch holes in the front and back of the cover with a step bit for aeration and feeding.

Attched a picture. Please i
gnore my algea...

Looks clean. I might give that a try.

I'm familiar with Lexan from my R/C days as a kid. Never worked with Lexan this thick, tho.

Thanks for idea. It might save me some $$ vs. going with a KrakenReef lid.

 

[Snorlax]

Does Lexan sag/bend once it absorbs some water?

 

[KK's Reef]

Does Lexan sag/bend once it absorbs some water?

Thin lexan is pliable, but 1/8" inch thick should be pretty sturdy.