Tank 2: Pico Reef Build (3 Gal Contour)

ExpensiveSushi · Jul 21, 2023

Howdy! After catching the "Tank" bug in high school in the 80's (55 gallon with Pacu and Oscars and lots of feeder goldfish) then progressing to saltwater in the early 90's (fish only and loving my snowflake eel as lighting and coral was beyond my budget, with one splurge getting live rock shipped from Fiji hoping for hitchhikers), I hung up the hobby until the pandemic kept us all at home. I jumped back into the water in April 2020 with a Biocube 32 AIO for my office, rekindling the joy of reefkeeping.

I'm now ready to start a new project. I'm going PICO. I bought a 3-gal Contour and have started the setup. I see this as being a no-fish, coral & invert tank only. The hardware is:

3 gal Marineland Contour
Sicce Syncra Silent Nano replacement pump
Fluval SEA Marine Nano LED 20W
Orlushy 25W Heater
VCA Pico Random Flow Generator

I chose to upgrade the pump to get some add'l flow to support the VCA head I've been wanting to try. My first ordering mistake was getting the VCA Pico kit instead of the RFG 1/4" kit (the Contour uses 1/2" Loc Line and need the reducer). Ordered and shipped the reducer separately.

The light upgrade choice wasn't because of popularity (don't see the Fluval a ton) but because of aesthetics and control. The light sits nicely just above the surface and the Fluval Bluetooth app gives me great flexibility on light control. Plus the price is very nice...

In my Biocube I used Caribsea LifeRock, and wanted to try something new for this one. I have an order in with Tampa Bay Saltwater for their "Pico Package" - 6lbs of rock and 3lbs of sand - set to arrive Tuesday. To supplement the substrate, I have a 10lb bag of Aqua Natural coarse aragonite that I'll be rinsing the heck out of this weekend.

The TBS folks have been super communicative. First it was "tell us about your tank" so they could select appropriate rock, then a double confirm that i will be ready to receive the shipment as scheduled. Great first impression.

I look forward to the fun and sharing more as I go.

E/S

Gumbies R Us · Jul 21, 2023

ExpensiveSushi said:
Howdy! After catching the "Tank" bug in high school in the 80's (55 gallon with Pacu and Oscars and lots of feeder goldfish) then progressing to saltwater in the early 90's (fish only and loving my snowflake eel as lighting and coral was beyond my budget, with one splurge getting live rock shipped from Fiji hoping for hitchhikers), I hung up the hobby until the pandemic kept us all at home. I jumped back into the water in April 2020 with a Biocube 32 AIO for my office, rekindling the joy of reefkeeping.

I'm now ready to start a new project. I'm going PICO. I bought a 3-gal Contour and have started the setup. I see this as being a no-fish, coral & invert tank only. The hardware is:

3 gal Marineland Contour
Sicce Syncra Silent Nano replacement pump
Fluval SEA Marine Nano LED 20W
Orlushy 25W Heater
VCA Pico Random Flow Generator

I chose to upgrade the pump to get some add'l flow to support the VCA head I've been wanting to try. My first ordering mistake was getting the VCA Pico kit instead of the RFG 1/4" kit (the Contour uses 1/2" Loc Line and need the reducer). Ordered and shipped the reducer separately.

The light upgrade choice wasn't because of popularity (don't see the Fluval a ton) but because of aesthetics and control. The light sits nicely just above the surface and the Fluval Bluetooth app gives me great flexibility on light control. Plus the price is very nice...

In my Biocube I used Caribsea LifeRock, and wanted to try something new for this one. I have an order in with Tampa Bay Saltwater for their "Pico Package" - 6lbs of rock and 3lbs of sand - set to arrive Tuesday. To supplement the substrate, I have a 10lb bag of Aqua Natural coarse aragonite that I'll be rinsing the heck out of this weekend.

The TBS folks have been super communicative. First it was "tell us about your tank" so they could select appropriate rock, then a double confirm that i will be ready to receive the shipment as scheduled. Great first impression.

I look forward to the fun and sharing more as I go.

E/S

Looking forward to seeing more of this build!! I always love seeing pico builds.

7of9 · Jul 28, 2023

What a cute Pico!!! I just got a biocube 32g after a long break from the hobby. I look forward to seeing what you do with this little one.

ETA - I did the TPS package back in 2008 and I got so many cool hitchikers and at that time, they threw a ton of stuff besides a CUC in the box. I had a RFA, a brittle starfish, a decorator crab...it was so very cool. I think you'll enjoy it.

There's always a risk of bad hitchikers or a lot of die off, but you can get that anyway and it really is neat having a real piece of the ocean. Enjoy!

ExpensiveSushi · Jul 28, 2023

The @LiverockRocks Pico Treasure Chest with Rock, Sand, and 2 hermits and 2 Cerith (out of Astrea) arrived Tuesday as promised (although UPS was kind enough to make me wait until 8:15PM to deliver). Everything arrived soundly. The sand is a mix of shells and sand, bulkier than bagged substrate like Caribsea but not offputting. There was very little silt. After draining the shipping water and removing a little of the water that had been running in the tank, The bag went in. The Rocks were next. Came in two bags - one "base" rock and one "premium" rock. The base rock was clearly that, no noticeable exterior growth. The premium rock had growth, consistent with the pictures on their website. Did a smell test on every piece - all passed. The overall volume of rock was generous, and likely more than the 6 total lbs promised. I am going to have to move a couple pieces from this tank to my Biocube as right now it is too full and have no real room for coral.

Two tiny brittle star joined as hitchhikers, as did a bristleworm (he didn't make it to the tank).

After a few days a feather duster poked his head out, and another cerith appeared.

I'll be changing about a third of the water daily to avoid any ammonia spikes in case there is die off.

Overall - Tampa Bay Saltwater delivered and I got what I was expecting. Was it necessary for a tank this size? Probably not, but there's a lot of that in this hobby!

Lastly, in case someone is trying to simple-mod the return head with the VCA. The fitting that comes with the tank is not 1/2" Loc Line, but smaller. I have the 1/2 to 1/4 Loc Line reducer but had to wrap the fitting on the return that came with the tank with electrical tape to make it so the 1/2" reducer would attach. I'll get a pic for clarity. Not great but it is working. I'll have to think about a longer term solution.

Because of work I'll have to let the tank marinade for a few weeks before adding some fun stuff. Will be thinking about which premium corals to try. I think a sexy shrimp is on the list as well.

E/S

7of9 · Jul 28, 2023

Looks great so far! I had some die off with my TBS package years ago and an ammonia spike/cycle along with it, but almost everything came through. It's smart to wait a few weeks for things to stabilize with it and to watch for any bad hitchikers. It's fun seeing the little feather dusters and such come back out. Enjoy!

ExpensiveSushi · Aug 22, 2023

Month 1 Update:
The tank is humming along so far. I'm learning the nuances of how this little AIO operates. I really like the upgrades of the Sicce pump and VCA vortex. The only downside of this config is I have to run the tank full or else I get a little siphoning at the vortex to reducer union. If there was a better Loc Line adapter where the nozzle would be able to be directed downward little more, it would solve this. (Note VCA's pico kit does come with an angled adapter but it doesn't work with this tank's setup.) Running it a bit full means that when the filter starts to clog, the sump water level lowers and the tank water goes into the emergency overflow notch.

Lesson learned: be diligent about changing or rinsing the filter.

The TBS rock has been a very fun add. Some of the smaller macroalgae growth has disappeared but the fan caluerpa is growing. I'll be sure to trim the runners to try to keep that in check. There are pods all over the glass. I'm starting to get algae growth on the back wall and a little on the lower substrate, will keep an eye on that. In addition to the starfish, two new hitchhikers appeared. First, I noticed a patch of macroalgae "change spots". With the help of the fam who hang out in the Hitchhiker forum, it was ID's as a Decorator Crab:

Nice collection of other interesting critters, including feather dusters, starfish, and one sneaky surprise... a gorilla crab:

Being a Pico made it easier to isolate and remove, but that would have been a bugger to get out if otherwise.

Starting to get a little algae growth, as the tank is settling in. May be playing with fire adding the sexy shrimp!

E/S

CD_Scapes · Dec 31, 2023

ExpensiveSushi said:
Month 1 Update:
The tank is humming along so far. I'm learning the nuances of how this little AIO operates. I really like the upgrades of the Sicce pump and VCA vortex. The only downside of this config is I have to run the tank full or else I get a little siphoning at the vortex to reducer union. If there was a better Loc Line adapter where the nozzle would be able to be directed downward little more, it would solve this. (Note VCA's pico kit does come with an angled adapter but it doesn't work with this tank's setup.) Running it a bit full means that when the filter starts to clog, the sump water level lowers and the tank water goes into the emergency overflow notch.

Lesson learned: be diligent about changing or rinsing the filter.

The TBS rock has been a very fun add. Some of the smaller macroalgae growth has disappeared but the fan caluerpa is growing. I'll be sure to trim the runners to try to keep that in check. There are pods all over the glass. I'm starting to get algae growth on the back wall and a little on the lower substrate, will keep an eye on that. In addition to the starfish, two new hitchhikers appeared. First, I noticed a patch of macroalgae "change spots". With the help of the fam who hang out in the Hitchhiker forum, it was ID's as a Decorator Crab:

Nice collection of other interesting critters, including feather dusters, starfish, and one sneaky surprise... a gorilla crab:

Being a Pico made it easier to isolate and remove, but that would have been a bugger to get out if otherwise.

Starting to get a little algae growth, as the tank is settling in. May be playing with fire adding the sexy shrimp!

E/S

Any updates? I too am getting some rock from TBS and can't wait!