Office Pico?

[Andy Aquariums]

Sorry to bring up an old thread. I'm contemplating starting a pico tank in my office (office office, not home office). Looking for advice from those that have made these setups? How much a headache is it going to be? I don't want to be chasing perameters or constantly toping off and doing water changes, and obviously don't want to flood my place of employement. I don't come in on the wekeends and usually am out 1-2 days a week traveling or at another office. So the tank needs to be able to carry on without every day attention.

Essentially, I am looking for an easy system to replace my current 1gallon betta bowl and make things a little more interesting.

Thoughts?

 

[radiata]

No water changes? Once upon a time, like 55 years ago, there was a pet store on Nassau Street in Lower Manhattan. They had a small Black Molly and Sagittaria tank in the window that got some direct sun daily. There was a sign on the tank saying that it hadn't had a water change in 10 years. The tank was only half full of water, and that water was piss-yellow.

Whether or not your office building turns down/off the heat on weekends could be an issue. Some places probably turn off the electricity.

I wouldn't let any fellow employee feed it in my absence, unless that person was also a reefer.

If I was doing this, I'd feel more comfortable with an Apex controller that would email me if something goes amiss. But you'd need access to the building's internet to make that happen.

 

[Andy Aquariums]

I don’t mean suggest I would never do water changes. I just meant I don’t want to be doing them multiple times a week (lugging saltwater to the office is going to be a pain) and having to top off twice a day every day.

 

[DangerDave]

I thought about this for my office desk. I was concerned about the nightly cleaning crew, they use some type of chemical when dusting. The day people are great, and I could talk to them about it. The night crew is a service, they clean and dust (with some chemical) and it’s not always the same people.

I was thinking a couple shrimp, crabs, and maybe some super hardy coral in a 5 gallon.

 

[Andy Aquariums]

I thought about this for my office desk. I was concerned about the nightly cleaning crew, they use some type of chemical when dusting. The day people are great, and I could talk to them about it. The night crew is a service, they clean and dust (with some chemical) and it’s not always the same people.

I was thinking a couple shrimp, crabs, and maybe some super hardy coral in a 5 gallon.

I’m less worried about our janitorial contractors (unfortunately, I’m usually still in my office when the night crew comes) than I am about the amount of time maintenance would take.

Im thinking of a reef jar.

 

[Sponge]

Simply put I am certain you can do it. There are a thousand of them out there. And there are a lot of beautiful hardy coral systems. But I would definitely rely on as much automation as possible. I say go for it. And consider among all things some sort of UPS. Don’t know where you work. But a lot of office buildings shut down power for maintenance reasons in the middle of the night.

 

[Andy Aquariums]

I have an extra Jbao DP-3 laying around. You think I can use that to run auto water changes?

 

[DangerDave]

I don't think you'll have much maintenance, aside from water changes. Water changes wouldn't take much, how much water would really need to be replaced in a jar system? Even if it was a one gallon jar, you could bring a gallon a week to the office and change it out fully each week.

 

[Andy Aquariums]

I don't think you'll have much maintenance, aside from water changes. Water changes wouldn't take much, how much water would really need to be replaced in a jar system? Even if it was a one gallon jar, you could bring a gallon a week to the office and change it out fully each week.

Looking at a 2 gallon jar. Agree, not a lot of water. My bigger concern is that I manage to spill some water on the floor/counter every single time I do a water change/stick my hand in the tank. Doing that in my tiled fish room is one thing. In my carpted corporate office, it is quite another...

 

[DangerDave]

Think of all the napkins they have available in the café...

 

[Andy Aquariums]

Ok, I'm going to do it. Anyone have some hardy, weed like coral they need to prune back? GSP, Xenia, Kenya Trees, Mushrooms,etc.?

 

[Kovacjr]

Andy, I have some corals to kick in. Green birdsnest, 3 different color GSP and macro algae. I would def put in macro algae to help maintain your nutrients. And as to top off water you can use kalk in the water and maintain your KH/Cal that way as I am very pleased how it works on my simple 20G.

As to the water topoff. Id invest in the Smart Micro ATO I use in my 20g. its really good and never has overfilled. it has a overflow built in where it will only refill 3 x at the average volume and the alarm goes off until you reset it. did that a few times when a section of sea lettuce or a snail stays in the intake too long.

I'm in Hazlet BTW

 

[Andy Aquariums]

I'm finally ready to set this up tomorrow in what should be a slow day at the office. Do you still have Coral and macros?

 

[Andy Aquariums]

One of the greatest things about reefing is that you can constantly learn new things, refine your skills, and tackle new challenges at your own pace. Speak with any hobbyist and you are likely to hear tales of tank upgrades and endless fiddling. As, reefers, we are rarely content with our accomplishments and instead we are always looking to push the envelope.

So, I went from my BioCube to my entire 100+ gallon system (a 65 gallon “predator” reef, a 10 gallon frag tank and my trusty BioCube, all plumbed together). I went with the Triton system for its promise of lack of water changes and maintenance. After a few months, that system is—knock on wood—on autopilot.

Time for the next challenge.

I decided to spruce up my office—after all, I do spend most of my time at work—with a pico reef. Take a look around the internet and you’ll see some stunning pictures of reef jars. The idea is easy enough: maintain a mini-reef of hardy corals in a cookie jar that holds about 2 gallons. Sure, the bigger the system volume, the easier the tank is to maintain (more water = more stability), but the perpetual reefer wants a new challenge. Also, nearly everyone who has a reef tank heroically claims it is “super easy” and just requires “weekly 100% water changes.” Since I have my water changing station and always have 30 gallons of water ready to go, I figured weekly changes would be no big deal. I picked up a couple of 2 gallon water jugs from Walmart that I could easily fill up on my way out the door to work.

Before I purchased the setup, there were a number of concerns I had. First, I wanted to keep evaporation to a minimum because I do not have time during the work week to perform constant top-offs on a tiny tank. There are some weeks where I am not in my office for most days rendering an open jar impossible to take care of. Second, I wanted to regulate the temperature for the same reasons. How to solve these problems? In this hobby, it is always research, research, research. If you are thinking about doing it, chances are someone else already has tried it.

Turns out that regulating the temperature is super easy. You can get an Inkbird controller for under $40 and that will keep your temperature within whatever small range you choose. They even sell ones that can give you alerts if something is wrong. (I did not opt for that version, because I knew I would never run into the office on a Sunday to fix whatever issue was plaguing a 2 gallon jar with no expensive coral.)

The evaporation took a little more time to tackle, but I ended up discovering the ReefSmart light. It fits over the jar perfectly, blocks evaporation, and has controllable channels. And it looks damn cool! Also, Steve from ReefSmart is the absolute best! He answered all my questions within minutes and even provided advice on how to make the system work. (I get no affiliate marketing for this, I am just a big fan of the product and Steve’s customer service.)

So how is it coming out?

Here’s a picture of what it looked like on Day 1.

I’m almost a month into it now and things are a little rough. I was able to avoid the “ugly phase” of the nitrogen cycle by using some MicroBatter and seeded live rock from my sump. My cloves are doing great, GSP seems to be living but not growing. I had trouble with some small zoa frags, so I replaced them with a bigger frag that seems to be doing ok. But my Xenia seems to be dying! Did I find the only thing that can kill Xenia? Luckily, my mother colony of Xenia is constantly growing, so I have a near endless supply.



Basic parameters are fine (ph, Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate). I am thinking it could be not enough alkalinity, calcium or magnesium. I haven’t tested for that yet because I was simply doing weekly water changes. But, I was using Tropic Marin salt. I use that for my main reef that runs the Triton system precisely because it does not have elevated levels. I have a strange feeling if I use some reef crystals I have sitting around and “dirty up” the water, these softies may actually do better.

So that is next week’s project. I’ll be sure to report back on how that worked (or didn’t). Do you have tips or questions? Please let me know!

 

[motortrendz]

What are your actual nitrate numbers? These corals are pretty much dirty water corals. And tend to act like a filter in large volumes (compared to the size of the tank they're in) so if your nitrates are near zero as well as your phosphates you could just be starving them out. Dry adding some type of food, reef roids, or coral snow. Should help

Edit: just looked at the pico jar again.. is the top sealed? You may not have good 02 exchange and high co2 can drop your ph drastically

 

[Andy Aquariums]

What are your actual nitrate numbers? These corals are pretty much dirty water corals. And tend to act like a filter in large volumes (compared to the size of the tank they're in) so if your nitrates are near zero as well as your phosphates you could just be starving them out. Dry adding some type of food, reef roids, or coral snow. Should help

Edit: just looked at the pico jar again.. is the top sealed? You may not have good 02 exchange and high co2 can drop your ph drastically

According to the API test kit they are near 0, but as with all API test kits, YMMV.

I feed Reef Roids once a week, the morning of a scheduled water change.

It is not fully sealed as it pops up a bit due to the wires. And I have an air pump that gives some serious surface agitation. Ph tested fine.

 

[motortrendz]

Gotcha so ph and o2 isnt your issue. Od say your starving them out. Maybe get one of those little scoopers, like the ones that come with the test kit powders. They're like 10mg scoops I think. I'd feed more often. Dirty the water up a bit, and maybe use your main tanks water from a water change as the replacement water in the pico. That should liven them up.