capsfan September 12, 2008 September 12, 2008 I just started on my 2.5 gallon build. We had a 2.5g laying around and decided it would be cool to make a pico reef. I decided on the AIO plan because I wanted the "uncluttered" look. I don't really like the clutter of equipment in my tank. This way I won't have to look at all the equipment. Yessssss! I started out cutting the pieces of acrylic to size. Then I cut overflow grooves to the sump/refugium section and drilled a hole for the powerhead output. I then glued the two pieces of acrylic together to make the sump/refug. area. Thats about as far as I have gotten. I am going to paint the false wall black w/ krylon fusion and silicone the acrylic into the tank. Here's so far! Tank Powerhead Uncut acrylic False wall/overflow In tank Silicone :( Darn silicone is so expensive. More to come!
Smoothtriqueter September 12, 2008 September 12, 2008 I also have had a 2.5 in my face for some time asking to be used so tagging along. love the idea!! keep the pics coming
jason the filter freak September 13, 2008 September 13, 2008 seems like this may turn out a lot like my 5.5 gallon custom. good luck
capsfan September 13, 2008 Author September 13, 2008 Yeah, It was based on a lot of 5.5g plans I had seen. I just wanted a smaller look.
capsfan September 14, 2008 Author September 14, 2008 All right, I have painted the tank and siliconed it. It looks darn good to me. Next is to fill it up with water! overflow area overflow fts from top
capsfan September 15, 2008 Author September 15, 2008 WATER! Going to add saltwater tommorrow. I need to cut the grooves for the overflow deeper. \ Here is the rock I think I will put in... Yeah, I figured I would put a pic of the tub on. It gets used for nothing but aquarium stuff! Can I use the drinking water I bought for filling up the pico? I don't have a RO unit so its this or well water. Plan to fill up w/ saltwater tomorrow
Smoothtriqueter September 16, 2008 September 16, 2008 coming along nicely! what are you going to do for lighting?
capsfan September 16, 2008 Author September 16, 2008 what are you going to do for lighting? To tell you the truth, I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?
capsfan September 16, 2008 Author September 16, 2008 Today, I filled the tank with saltwater, made a acryllic lid, and picked some liverock out of my tank to put in the pico! Coming soon: Liverock and sand! and hopefully.... A LIGHT!
davelin315 September 18, 2008 September 18, 2008 Because you have such a small volume of water, I would suggest going with an auto top off (gravity fed to avoid as many problems as you can) and an uncovered tank. I think the problems you will run into with this (and I'm unfamiliar with the powerhead you are using) are that you'll have a lot of evaporation from heat generated in the water and unbalance your system fairly quickly. This leads to my lighting suggestion. I would avoid any sort of incandescent light. A small PC would do the trick. You may even want to consider some LEDs instead. Given the season, you could try out and experiment with some Christmas lights as there are bound to be TONS of inexpensive lights to try out. You can also buy some of the little lights that are available in stores as under cabinet lighting as these are more durable and will let you avoid all of the wires.
Sugar Magnolia September 18, 2008 September 18, 2008 I second Dave's suggestion to leave the top uncovered. Gas exchange and all that. Lighting is a no-brainer. (I had a 2.5 running for years) Current USA Satellite 2x18 watt. I think I got mine at the Marine Scene, but you can find them online much cheaper. The light fixture is 12" long so it fits perfectly over the tank. My husband built me a custom riser to set the light on to help diffuse some of the heat that the lights put out. You also have the option to install small fans in the vent areas provided in the light's housing. I've been thinking about setting my 2.5 up again...
capsfan September 18, 2008 Author September 18, 2008 Well, can I just have part of the tank covered? I don't really want more evaporation than I have to have.
capsfan September 20, 2008 Author September 20, 2008 For my sand, I bought some black sand and mixed it with some livesand to seed it. I also put my rocks in a couple days ago. Here are some pics (sorry about the quality) And for the 1st inhabitant... a red legged hermit (its kind of hard to see him) For lighting, my hopes are to get a current usa satellite fixture. More to come.
jason the filter freak September 22, 2008 September 22, 2008 Just for craps and giggles since you already have a large out put from your power head sticking in the tank, ahve you considered adding a Hydor rotating deflector...?
capsfan September 22, 2008 Author September 22, 2008 The problem with the rotating deflector is the powerhead is almost too strong. If it went everywhere in the tank, the sand would be everywhere but at the bottom of the tank.
jason the filter freak September 23, 2008 September 23, 2008 you'll find the rotating deflector cuts down the flow a fair amount, it adds resistance to the flow
Sugar Magnolia September 24, 2008 September 24, 2008 (edited) It does cut down on the flow, but I'd have to agree - it would still be too much in that small space. I had sand issues with just the return flow from my HOB in my old 2.5 I really like the mixed sand. Edited September 24, 2008 by Sugar Magnolia
capsfan September 25, 2008 Author September 25, 2008 I really like the mixed sand. I think that if I had black sand, it might look too dark in the tank. Soooooo, I mixed some livesand with the blacksand. Its seeding it AND it looks good.
capsfan September 26, 2008 Author September 26, 2008 LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT I have ordered my light. It is the 2x18 dual sattelite fixture. Picked it up on ebay for $30 plus shipping. B-b-b-bargain! It should come some time next week. I also fragged my zoas. Since I am pretty much broke after buying my light, I needed something to put in the pico. :wink: Here is a pick of the tiny frags... More to come soon. Oh. And THE CAPS BEAT THE CANES LAST NIGHT 5-2!!!!!!!!!!! 2-0 on the pre-season. Man, its been a while since I've heard that goal horn. It feels good to have hockey once again.
Smoothtriqueter September 27, 2008 September 27, 2008 coming along nicely. I like the look of the mixed sand a lot. Keep the picks coming.
capsfan September 29, 2008 Author September 29, 2008 Light isn't here yet. :( I got bored and decided to snap a few shots. Sorry about quality. First up, the fts closer fts I got a new glass lid. (I know people already told me to leave it off, but it really cuts down on evaporation. pretty bad picture of the hermit Hopefully the light will be here sometime next week. I am thinking Wednesday. More updates to come!
capsfan September 30, 2008 Author September 30, 2008 LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT Light is here. Funny thing was, I didn't even realize it was here. I came home, got on the computer, decided to see where the package was, and it said it was outside. Sure enough, it was on the downstairs patio. I wasn't even expecting it until tomorrow. Anyway, I realized after the fact that the legs were too wide for the tank. I just cut some rulers and painted them black. It holds the legs on the tank, and it looks good! Front Side Daylight Actinics Daylight and Actinics My 55 gallon and the 2.5 pico In other news... My favorite hockey stick broke last night. I went to take a shot, and when I hit the puck, the blade went along for the ride. R.I.P. beloved hockey stick.
st9z October 1, 2008 October 1, 2008 That's very pretty makes me want to set up my little reef. Capsfan, do you still have the ebayer that you purchased the lights from?
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