Pico experiment

[funkngroovy]

The world economic crisis is responsible my latest ebay purchase, 2x2 gallon tanks that an online shop was letting go cheap as it had closed down.

I picked them up for 2 bucks each.

I have also have 2 hang on filters 500l/per hour ($4)

I don't have any experience with pico's so here is my plan, Tell me what you think.

In one tank, I will fill with New Substrate, New LR, new filter media (what do I use???)

In the other, I will use beach sand substrate, cured LR and the same filter media??? don't know what that will be.

The aim will be to examine which system cycles faster and operates better.

I will put a small hermit, a duncan polyp during the cycle and a small frag of zoas in each tank when the cycle is complete.


The main thing I need to know is, what to place in the hang on filter.

I was thinking some carbon, although there will be no livestock apart from the crab. Would a mini DSB work? or broken up LR>

 

[TimSchmidt]

A DSB generally has to be several inches thick so I don't know how feasible it will be on that small of a tank. I generally like running carbon to help keep the water clear, but other than that maybe a bit of floss in the beginning to help clear out some of the finer particulate matter? Or you can see if a macro algae in the filter is any help in that small of a tank (I don't think so, but looks like you have a great setup to test it first hand).