Hypes 3 gallon Pico

[Rehype]

so i ordered the cpr 3 gallon pico a few days ago and it came in today. I like the dimensions of this tank,thought it would be cool right next to my bed and havent seen anyone with it as of yet. So far i have everything except water...go figure. The company i bought another ro/di unit from forgot to pack my order so i wont get it until next week some time. Well they apologized and threw in some free filters..cant argue with that. So this morning i picked up some distilled water/salt and began to fill this baby up. Im not certain what im going to put into this tank.Its still up in the air.Well i got a few weeks to get that ironed out but im sure ill keep it simple since im setting up another tank in a month or so.

 

[Hawkeye]

not like the zero edge you used to have but cool nonetheless!

 

[Rehype]

Thanks. Yea the Zeroedge turned out it be a real pain in the rear..

 

[Big_Suki]

Thats a nice little tank. Do you have the specs on the tank?

 

[vangvace]

Holy baby jeebus that's a lot of flow.

Oh and I want one too.

 

[Rehype]

Thats a nice little tank. Do you have the specs on the tank?

Thanks.
The Pico-C comes complete with an 18 watt CPR light fixture, Bio-Bale™ biological filter media, and return/circulation pump
Dimensions: 13.5" x 5.5" x 12.25"

 

[Rehype]

Holy baby jeebus that's a lot of flow.

Oh and I want one too.

Its actually not that bad when i have the koralia aimed at the surface.Just some updates. Tank finished cycling a few weeks ago and within that time i decided to make this pico for dwarf seahorses. I added a few different species of macroalgae in the meantime. Imgoing to wait a while before adding the seahorses. Mainly because im going to give the tank a chance to develop a breeding population for pods. Of course they wont be the main source of food but i would like them to be serve as supplement to their diet. The overflow area is going to house just cheato to help accomplish that goal. I also upgraded the 18 watt CF to a 70 watt Metal Halide. Love the look of halides on this tank. Evaporation hasnt been a problem as of yet but im going to add a tunze ato and chiller to keep temps in check.Speaking of which i found the smallest chiller ever made! Its pretty awesome because it can fit in the palm of your hand and not only does it chill but it heats as well. Too bad they dont make these anyomore because its perfect for picos. Theres a pic of it in the first photo. Im also going to get rid of the koralia when i add the seahorses but in the meantime im going to let it be.

Front

Left

Right

 

[panmanmatt]

If you plan to add dwarf seahorses, ditch the Koralia and cover the filter intake. Do you have any idea just how small the dwarfs are? Maximum adult size is barely 1 inch. How many do you plan on adding? Where are you getting them from?

Also you have to be extremely aware of the high possibility that there are hydroids on your live rock, sand and macro algaes. You may not see them now, but once you start adding artemia to feed the dwarfs they will most likely pop up. They love to feed on artemia too. Hydroids can/will sting a dwarf seahorse. The sting isn't always fatal but the resulting secondary infection usually is.

I am sorry to say this, but dwarf seahorses are NOT a good choice for someone that hasn't kept any type of seahorses before. Most folks that start off with them usually lose them all in about 6 months time. You are going to have to do daily water changes, hatch and enrich artemia daily, feed 3-4 times a day every day. The specimens you are going to get will most likely be wild caught so even though the up front cost is minimal, the up keep cost for constantly supplying live foods, the cost of the enrichments and the time involved all add up to a hefty cost. Factor in the fact that you are extremely limited on the amount of time you can spend away from home, even weekend trips are out of the question unless you have someone that can feed them 3-4 times a day for you.
Yes I am trying to discourage you from going this route by making you aware of what is involved with keeping this species of seahorse.

 

[Rehype]

Thanks for the concerned feedback panman.Ive done quite a bit of research on dwarfs over at seahorse.org and im very aware of everything you stated but id still like to give it my best effort. They have very specialized needs but im willing and able to meet them.

 

[panmanmatt]

Glad you researched. I am familiar with seahorse.org, lots of good info there. lol

If I can be on any assistance let me know.

 

[Rehype]

Thanks alot panman.