October 22 Update - I moved my pico reef from California to New York!

[ISFNick]

Jan 23, 2024 (Marineland Contour 3-gallon)


March 18, 2024


May 30, 2024


August 20, 2024 (Lifegard 3.8, The Beginning of the Brooklyn Era)


October 10, 2024 (Lifegard 3.8, The Beginning of the Brooklyn Era)


October 22, 2024 (First LPS corals, and new Black Ice clownfish)

 

[ISFNick]

Two years after starting my last build, I've decided to start another little pico reef, this time in a 3-gallon Marineland cube.
I'm going to keep this build really simple. I'm using pre-mixed Fritz Red Bucket saltwater for my weekly 1-gallon water changes, and I have a 4-year-old piece of live rock generously donated by a local reefer.
For flow, I'm running the stock Marineland pump, and for light I'm running an AI Prime 16HD with violets at 40, blues at 30, cool white at 20, and zero for everything else.
In the filter, I'm running an InTank media basket, with filter floss up top and Aquabiomics Live Reef Rubble as biological filtration in the back, pre-cycled. This and the live rock will help me kickstart my path to success and skip the nasty stage and nitrogen cycle.

For livestock, I have 1 small clownfish, a couple hermits, and a trochus snail. Simple.

For corals, I have 1 acan head and 1 zoa frag to see how LPS and softies respond, and they're already open and eating Reef Roids. I plan on adding more LPS, and lots of zoas.

Thank you for reading!

 

[ISFNick]

Little update:
Picked up 6 frags from a local reefer, including a forest fire digi, and exosphere zoas. Really hoping to see the zoas add some coverage.

Also dosed some copepods and phyto as well to support the ecology of the system.

 

[Chrisjordan004]

Awesome tank. Looking forward to watching this one grow out!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Little update:
Picked up 6 frags from a local reefer, including a forest fire digi, and exosphere zoas. Really hoping to see the zoas add some coverage.

Also dosed some copepods and phyto as well to support the ecology of the system.

Love the aquascape!

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Looking forward to watching your Pico progress.

 

[ISFNick]

So, massive update.

A lot has changed. I started my first job out of college, in New York City, moved my live rock and coral with me, and got a new tank. And it's going really well.

But, here's a quick recap of the last eight months.


(March)
I continued adding to and developing the reef. The clownfish unfortunately passed away and I got a Damselfish named "Glimmer." Glimmer liked to kick up the sand and would constantly stare at me through the glass.


(May)

I kept adding coral, and the tank kept developing. The sand was never this flat.


Eventually, I got a job offer in New York City (putting the degree to use!), and decided that it was worth taking my tank with me. But before moving to New York, I decided to move just the rock and coral, not the fish, sand, or tank.
So before boarding my one-way flight from SFO to JFK, I shipped a box containing my new tank (a Lifegard 3.8), the live rock (4 years mature), and the coral.




(August)

Not all of the coral survived the journey. The ecosystem was actually in pretty bad shape for a couple of weeks. The thing I focused on was building biological stability using calcium reactor media and live rock rubble as biological filtration in the rear filter. I kept up with weekly 1-gallon water changes (pre-mixed Fritz RPM, Alk 8.5), and the tank continued to thrive from this simple, consistent rhythm..

I didn't get many pictures of the tank. I kept it in my cousin's apartment for all of August, before finding my own in Brooklyn. I had to leave the Damselfish in the Bay, so I got a Royal Gramma Basslet when I moved to New York.



(September)

Not sure why this picture is sideways! But this is the tank right after moving into my own apartment.

About a month later, the tank is now at its best! I also finally got around to getting some iPhone camera reef lenses, so my photography will be MUCH better from now on!

 

[ISFNick]

Mandatory pictures! Can't wait till the rock is covered in coral!

 

[ISFNick]

THE UPGRADE

Since my Royal Gramma died, the tank has been feeling pretty gloomy. It’s been a couple months since I’ve bought coral for the reef, and I’ve only bought softies. They’ve grown fast, and they look great, and I’m planning to continue building a really great zoa garden. But, I decided it was time for some variety.

New Additions:
Glitter Bomb Goniopora
Holy Grail Micromussa
Teal Tip Gold Torch
2 Free Favias
1 Black Ice Clownfish

I currently have these LPS corals on 3D printed frag stands made to be secured in the sandbed. They’re thriving, and in a week or so I’ll mount them onto the rock in spots I’ve already picked out. I’ll be relying on consistent 33% water changes with Fritz RPM water in this little 3-gallon to replenish key elements, but at some point I’ll probably start adding kalkwasser to my ATO in small amounts to raise the pH as well as calcify the water.

Also the clownfish is named Bubbles.