4g build thread-i can never think of a clever title so i'm not going to even try

[molsen187]

i've decided i'm going to set up a 4g pico. i figured i'll document the tanks progression here. all comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

equipment
4g finnex tank
AC70 filter modded into a fuge using the stock light from the finnex for fuge light
12" coralife 36w fixture

it has about 4-7 lbs of live rock from my 55g in there and some old marco sand i had laying around. this tank is going to pretty much just coral and i plan on adding 3 sexy shrimp down the road. i'm leaning towards mostly zoas and acans for right now. would like to try a chalice possible and a monti when i upgrade the lights to leds.

 

[jtmac]

whats the tank sitting in?

 

[FOXYB]

very cool!

 

[STiTCH87]

Nice! I like the setup and rimless.

Ren & Stimpy, XBOX360, pico reef, and a shotglass.

You sir, know how to enjoy life.

 

[kams56]

looking good, gotta love nano tanks

 

[molsen187]

thanks for the replys. the tank is sitting ontop of my mini fridge. it has a compartments on the top to keep ice for drinks so i figured the pico would fit in there and if i have anything go wrong and th tank overflows it will just overflow into the basin and not spill everywhere.

 

[molsen187]

i was wondering how big of a cuc do i get for this when the time is right? i'm not a big fan of hermits i think they are more trouble than they are worth. i plan on haveing the 3 sexy shrimp in here so i figure they would do the same thing a hermit would do. so should i get like 2-3 snails to take care of the glass? or more?

 

[cilyjr]

2 or 3 turbos or margarita would be fine.. maybe a nasaraus for the sand later as well

 

[s_kelley]

That's a cool looking little rimless. Looking good so far.

 

[molsen187]

thanks everyone. i love the tank it's a finnex 4g. they have been discontinued so i'm glad i was able to get one. thanks cilyjr thats what i was thinking as well. glad i'm on the right track.

i did a test yesterday for the first time to check my levels. my results were
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-20
i know it seems fast but could this tank be cycled already? i used water from a very well established system,dry rock from my old 55, and marco sand i had laying around. i'm not in any rush with this thing but was wondering what people thought. does anyone think i should do a 50% water change and try a gsp or something like that?

 

[cilyjr]

is there anything in the tank that would start the cycle? you said you used dry rock. if one took 100% live rock from a display and took 100% water form the same tank i would say you would not get a cycle. but if all you took was water and filled it with all dry rock there is nothing to even start a cycle. does that make since?

 

[cilyjr]

if the 2nd is tha case add a single raw shrimp from the grocery store. that will have the ammonia to start a cycle. might not hurt to grab a cup of sand from your big tank and put it in to help jump start the bacteria that is needed to start breaking down the ammonias

 

[molsen187]

oh yeah i have been ghost feeding the tank to start the cycle. i know it takes awhile to cycle that is why i thought it was strange to get those readings. i got them a couple of times. i tested the water before i started to ghostfeed and all the levels were at 0. i waited a week and tested figuring that i would see some ammonia at that point but everything was at 0 and the nitrates were at 20.

 

[cilyjr]

i think you may see some more numbers in the coming days. do you have a small piece of live rock form your big tank you can plop in there for a week or 2?

 

[molsen187]

well i tested today and everything is up so i'm just going to wait it out for a month or so. its a small tank so i want to wait as long as i can to make it more stable. the ammonia was 0.50, nitrite was 0.25 and nitrates were like 40 or 80 they were crazy. do you think i should do a water change now and get those down a little or just wait and deal with it at the end with a couple of water changes?

my larger tank crashed a couple of months ago. i never really figured out why it sucked. i think it was some stray electrical current from my odyessea fixture. i don't know if i spelled that right but for anyone who reads this do not buy a fixture from them. it is a piece of junk. the led moonlights burnt out already and it was just awful. i bought it before i found any forums online and should of def just saved up and got a nicer light which is what i ended up doing anyway.i was going to set up a 40g breeder and bought a nice nova extreme pro 36" 6 bulb fixture but then decided that a pico would be better until i move out of my sisters house. it will be much easier to move when its time than a 40 breeder. i'm excited because i feel like this tank will let me hone my skills since it is all about detail and it will only benifit the larger tanks i do in the future.

 

[molsen187]

here are a couple pics of the tank now that it is cleared up a little.

 

[Cheetos]

Looking good! That tank will look great once you put your LEDs on there!

 

[molsen187]

i know i can't wait. i was reading the thread here on the ones at jays and they seem like they are pretty solid too. i'll have to go take a look and see how much they are since they were testing them on a big tank so it would probably be a lot for the pico, especially without dimmers. something to look into though.

 

[JasonandRay]

i suggest raising the tank up so you can see the sand.

 

[STiTCH87]

FWIW, I was told by a few people on ReefCentral that Odyssea and Coralife lamps are made by the same manufacturer. Which i'd believe since they have the exact same designs and "quality" though to be honest my 130w Odyssea PC hasn't given me any issues at all.