I'll start by saying this isn't my first rodeo with a reef pico- I had them setup successfully for years before I both got too busy and had mental health issues that took their toll. In fact I had them set up long enough to notice my own trends in how I care for my tanks and in turn that's determined quite a bit of how I've set up this new one. I'm also quite happy that both tanks are set up based on hardware and materials I had laying around, so they were essentially free.
Reef tank specs:
1.5 gallon
reused 100gph internal filter (with custom output)
reused Lomini light
various dry rubble (and a few little pieces of live rock)
Freshwater tank specs:
2 gallon cube
random fountain pump
reused USB powered plant light it shares with another tank
substrate blend including hand dug sand
re-used mopani wood
Both tanks have been set up within days of each other, but I'll say the freshwater cube is going to be going at a different pace- the substrate came from a tank that I'd kept water in while procrastinating breaking it down. The freshwater tank basically came entirely from me helping some friends set up their first planted tank, and realizing I desperately need to actually break down some tanks from moving 2 months ago. Eventual planned livestock for freshie will be some neocardinia shrimp (color to be determined) and/or Scarlet Badis (or Peacock Gudgeon possibly). Plant wise it's primarily crypts on the left, with peacock moss and anubias on the wood. I added sneaky little substrate pockets so I can get marselia minuta to go into its emerged growth form, and I'm trying some rotala variety as well.
Salt wise, I spent time thinking of where I've gone wrong in the past, and what I can see even now is that I have trouble keeping substrate clean enough to not host a lot of debris and nitrates. The same happens in freshwater, but there at least I can use plants that will take advantage of it. So I've decided from the start to go barebottom, with the understanding I can always add substrate if I need to. In fact I'm using a setup with a false bottom to raise the rockwork up from potential debris, and this (in theory) will make it easier to clean before it becomes problematic. The whole assembly can be lifted out for through cleaning when needed
I do recognize the need for hosting bacteria though, so I have a section of the under false bottom dedicated to holding some rubble, and while the grid I used floats, zipties solve many problems. I also have some ceramic biomedia and a small bit of rubble in the filter, just to overdo things.
As far as the filter goes, that thing can move some water. The output was originally a spray bar, made from (wait for it) the body of a ball point pen. It works fine for freshwater, and despite the green end is both slim and discrete. Originally I was going to have one of the spray openings above water to avoid noticeable protein buildup on the surface, but the filter decided it wanted to jet water out the tank if I did that. Turns out that the green of the pen cap is a good fill line to use.
Overall the flow through the tank is quite nice with no dead spots, and some areas of high and low flow. As the flow goes right around the edges of the tank it goes right through the rock in the lower section with no difficulties.
The light is the only thing I'm truly grumbling about. It's just SO bright compared to the freshwater tanks, the blue is a little annoying to my eyes, and as this whole thing is in my bedroom, it can mess with my circadian rhythm (sleep/ wake cycles) which I already have a disorder of. There's some 6700k light coming from the freshwater side, which I wouldn't mind on its own, and makes me think I won't need the whites on the Lumini at all.
Reef tank specs:
1.5 gallon
reused 100gph internal filter (with custom output)
reused Lomini light
various dry rubble (and a few little pieces of live rock)
Freshwater tank specs:
2 gallon cube
random fountain pump
reused USB powered plant light it shares with another tank
substrate blend including hand dug sand
re-used mopani wood
Both tanks have been set up within days of each other, but I'll say the freshwater cube is going to be going at a different pace- the substrate came from a tank that I'd kept water in while procrastinating breaking it down. The freshwater tank basically came entirely from me helping some friends set up their first planted tank, and realizing I desperately need to actually break down some tanks from moving 2 months ago. Eventual planned livestock for freshie will be some neocardinia shrimp (color to be determined) and/or Scarlet Badis (or Peacock Gudgeon possibly). Plant wise it's primarily crypts on the left, with peacock moss and anubias on the wood. I added sneaky little substrate pockets so I can get marselia minuta to go into its emerged growth form, and I'm trying some rotala variety as well.
Salt wise, I spent time thinking of where I've gone wrong in the past, and what I can see even now is that I have trouble keeping substrate clean enough to not host a lot of debris and nitrates. The same happens in freshwater, but there at least I can use plants that will take advantage of it. So I've decided from the start to go barebottom, with the understanding I can always add substrate if I need to. In fact I'm using a setup with a false bottom to raise the rockwork up from potential debris, and this (in theory) will make it easier to clean before it becomes problematic. The whole assembly can be lifted out for through cleaning when needed
I do recognize the need for hosting bacteria though, so I have a section of the under false bottom dedicated to holding some rubble, and while the grid I used floats, zipties solve many problems. I also have some ceramic biomedia and a small bit of rubble in the filter, just to overdo things.
As far as the filter goes, that thing can move some water. The output was originally a spray bar, made from (wait for it) the body of a ball point pen. It works fine for freshwater, and despite the green end is both slim and discrete. Originally I was going to have one of the spray openings above water to avoid noticeable protein buildup on the surface, but the filter decided it wanted to jet water out the tank if I did that. Turns out that the green of the pen cap is a good fill line to use.
Overall the flow through the tank is quite nice with no dead spots, and some areas of high and low flow. As the flow goes right around the edges of the tank it goes right through the rock in the lower section with no difficulties.
The light is the only thing I'm truly grumbling about. It's just SO bright compared to the freshwater tanks, the blue is a little annoying to my eyes, and as this whole thing is in my bedroom, it can mess with my circadian rhythm (sleep/ wake cycles) which I already have a disorder of. There's some 6700k light coming from the freshwater side, which I wouldn't mind on its own, and makes me think I won't need the whites on the Lumini at all.
