Micro Pico Itti Bitti Small-In-One

[jabberwock]

A tip I have heard of for pico water changes (but never tried), is to change a small amount everyday. Red Cup out, Red Cup in... It makes sense.

 

[AtlantiCat]

A tip I have heard of for pico water changes (but never tried), is to change a small amount everyday. Red Cup out, Red Cup in... It makes sense.

I like the idea, but I think the tank is just too small. It's only a gallon including the filter section. I mix up a gallon jug of saltwater every few weeks and it gets pretty cold between water changes. I would worry that I'd shock everybody dumping cold water in daily.

Also, in purely practical terms, a Dixie cup would struggle to fit into this tank. Here's a size comparison with a standard Solo party cup (16oz). If you could get that in the tank without banging into the rocks and knocking everything over, I'd be impressed!

 

[jabberwock]

Try a shot glass!

 

[jabberwock]

Try a shot glass!

But don't drink it!

 

[AtlantiCat]

But don't drink it!

I'll probably need a drink after doing a week's worth of daily water changes with a shot glass.

 

[AtlantiCat]

Update Week 5

My three final polyps arrived from SunnySide Corals: Froot Loops, Rasta, and Radioactive Dragon Eye. I got them all attached and they seem to be happy except for the Rasta, which won't open all the way for me just yet. The only problem is that now I need to rearrange the rocks because the colors are unbalanced! I will do that next weekend and post pics.

Polyps awaiting attachment.


All parameters are nominal and I'm continuing dosing Phyto (and successfully cultured my own!) and doing weekly water changes.

The apparent Sexy Shrimp breeding has not resulted in a berried female that I can discern, so I guess we'll see if it happens again in the coming weeks. I have decap artemia and eggs waiting to go if it does....

Here are the gorgeous Dragon Eyes, which are easily the brightest polyps in the tank.

Having work done on the house this week, so I gotta run.

Until next week!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I like the idea, but I think the tank is just too small. It's only a gallon including the filter section. I mix up a gallon jug of saltwater every few weeks and it gets pretty cold between water changes. I would worry that I'd shock everybody dumping cold water in daily.

Also, in purely practical terms, a Dixie cup would struggle to fit into this tank. Here's a size comparison with a standard Solo party cup (16oz). If you could get that in the tank without banging into the rocks and knocking everything over, I'd be impressed! View attachment 2966627

Wow, that really is a small tank, pretty cool-looking tank though!!

 

[AtlantiCat]

Update Week 8

Wow, real life really interferes with reef updates sometimes. I even missed a water change last week. Fortunately, everybody seems to still be doing well and the Sexy Shrimp forgave me.

Introducing the latest from Sunnyside Corals:

Radioactive Dragon Eye


Froot Loops


Rasta


Once I got all my polyps, I felt I had to rearrange the rocks a bit as the Aoi looked bad in the corner, but I'm not certain I improved the situation. I removed a piece of rock (and tucked it in the filter section), but the Aoi is still just too blue to look good with the rest of the polyps.

No Filter


Filter


Clockwise starting roughly at Midnight, they are: WWC Aoi, Safecracker, Bob Marley (tiny), Gatorade, Radioactive Dragon Eye, Sunny D, Froot Loops, and Rasta.

I think it needs something next to the Aoi, but I'm not sure what would look good and make the Aoi pop. There's a lot of orange and green in this collection and not sure I should add more. Ideas?

The only disappointment is that I have no new polyps. I add a couple drops of iodine with water changes, target feed Reef Roids, Reef Snow, and occasionally frozen Rotifers or Baby Brine one or twice a week. The Aoi is especially disappointing as it's been 2 months and not even a hint of growth. Patience, I guess....

For the record, all polyps are open, but it is impossible to get a photograph with all polyps open because the Sexy Shrimp enjoy dancing on them.

Finally, have to throw out a shoutout to my favorite polyps, the Rastas:

Until next update (I'd say next week, but there may be nothing to update )!

 

[LeannaBanana]

Looking great! Keep on keeping on. My "zoa garden" took a long time to hit its stride, but slow and steady wins the race! Did you ever sort anything out for the water changes? My first thought would be a 5g bucket with a lid on it with a small 25W heater, but that may or may not be ideal for you.

 

[AtlantiCat]

Looking great! Keep on keeping on. My "zoa garden" took a long time to hit its stride, but slow and steady wins the race! Did you ever sort anything out for the water changes? My first thought would be a 5g bucket with a lid on it with a small 25W heater, but that may or may not be ideal for you.

Thanks! I'm really enjoying the journey, it's a unique experience.

I just mix up a 1-gallon jug of salt water once a month and store it. When I do my weekly water change, I heat it with a tiny 10-watt heater and a nano air pump to keep the water circulating. Then I break out the Triple-Ts: Turkey Baster, Tooth Brush, & Terrycloth, and go to town.