3 gal. Pico Lighting and equipment Questions

D

dustybrannum

These Picotopes come with a 9W PC light. I have been looking to upgrade. How much is too much for a tank that is only 8 inches deep. I would like the ability to keep everything from mushrooms to SPS and maybe a small clam. The largest light source I have found is at Premium Aquatics and is a 150W HQI clip on for 199.95. There are also several mixes of PC hood and retros that could work like 2x18W , 2x28W, and 2x32W. Any ideas would be great.

When I got the tank it already had maybe 2-3 lbs. LR with quite a bit of coraline. Also contained a small piece of GSP which looks in bad shape and some zoos which have not opened in two days. The tank has almost one inch of sand in it.

After two days I have noticed some film on the water. I added a small power head (126gph) with the rotating deflector to more more of the water. Do you think the film is from anything that could have died while being transported? Should I look into adding a skimmer to keep this off the water.

Thanks for you help.
 
Any ideas or opinions at all? I know nanos are a fairly new concept but someone should at least have an, "This is what I would do" comment.
Thanks,
 
What size picotope is it??

If it is one of the smaller ones you could get a 70watt HQI
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=JB9111
For the bigger ones the 150watt HQI
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=JB9111
or
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=ES53601


As far as a skimmer goes, I think they are a waste of time on small tanks like this. It is just going to take up space and add a lot of heat to the tank. If you keep up a weekly water change, the skimmer wouldn't be needed. If it was me, I would also take out most of the sand and only leave enough to cover the bottom about .5 inches. You don't need sand taking up real estate in the tank. These are just my opions and what have worked for me in my nano.

Also, are you using the HOB filter it came with? That should take care of the surface scum I've heard.
 
It is a 3 gallon. I saw the HQI bulbs but wanted some feedback on if that was too much light for such a shallow tank. Also, if I purchased the 70 W HQI, why not get the dual PC's with similar lighting and probably reduced overall heat and the PC setup is cheaper.

I do use the HOB filter, but it draws water from the bottom not the top. If i had a small box type over flow in the corner then I could capture the surface water and move it through the HOB.

Thanks for your comments. More are welcome if anyone has one.
 
Well I have narrowed it down to 5 lights:
150W hQI Clip on 199.95- Premium Aquatics
70W HQI Clip on 149.95- Premium Aquatics
2x32W Current Retrofit 14"w 94.90- Marine Depot
2x28W Retrofit 13.5"w 109.00- Reefgeek
2x18W Current w/Lunar 12"w 69.99- Drs. Foster and Smith

These prices can all be compared at different locations for 5% difference in price.
The only one that really stands out is the Current w/Lunar on sale for 69.99. It is new as a hood and would be plug and play as where the Retrofit would require a little work as it is 1" wider than the top of the tank.
All comments are welcome.
 
If you have wiring/carpentry skills, you might consider one of the kits from [Removed Link]. Their 2x13w retrofit/DIY kit is only $14.99. I'm not sure of the measurements of the Picotope, but if you laid the bulbs side by side rather than end to end, you might be able to make it work. It'd definitely be a cheaper fix, if you can build your own enclosure.

They have several other higher-watt PC sets on there, but they may be too wide.
 
I do use the HOB filter said:
Did you see the post today (maybe yesterday) of the AquaClear HOB that was modified into drawing water from the top rather than the bottom?

Here: http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=22671
Click to expand...
 
I had not seen that post. Thank you for the reference. I was considering a overflow type box in the upper corner. Like they stated though water level would be an issue if you did not have an auto topoff setup. I lose about 1/2" a day in water. I may try to do a method like that.
Thanks.
 
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