Hello guys, as mentioned before in a thread, I decided to set up a Pico tank using the extra equipment that I have laying around just for fun. How much flow would I need in a 2.5MB? Currently I am using a power filter which I purchased from Wal-mart a year ago. Theres no rated GPH on the box. It only says 5-15. I presumed it to be at the most 100GPH. And I also have a MicroJet-450 (adjustable:47, 79, 117) rated at 117GPH. If I used the MJ-450 in conjuction to the powerfilter but adjusted it below 47GPH, assuming its set at 35GPH, plus the 100GPH, total of 135GPH more or less. Would this be too strong for the 2.5MB? I already installed both and by the looks of it, it seems okay from my point of view. But I would rather have some advice on this. Thanks in advance.
Water Flow Question
- Thread starter Master Er
- Start date
A
Anonymous
Guest
IMO never too much flow - but very easy to have improperly placed flow, a very common problem in many tanks.
but it does depend on what you put in there, if you stick with zoas and polyps they (many of them that is) like flow
the trick with flow is to avoid laminer flow and direct laminer flow for sure. Bounce your PH off the glass or shoot it toward the return stream so you have random water motion. But this is an "in general" type answer as I have never owned a tank that small so......... maybe one of the pico owners out there could chime in and help you more.
but it does depend on what you put in there, if you stick with zoas and polyps they (many of them that is) like flow
the trick with flow is to avoid laminer flow and direct laminer flow for sure. Bounce your PH off the glass or shoot it toward the return stream so you have random water motion. But this is an "in general" type answer as I have never owned a tank that small so......... maybe one of the pico owners out there could chime in and help you more.
I see....what I did was point the PH towards the front of the tank just as the HOB. So both are spurtting water towards the front. So far I dont see any ravageing currents based on the micro bubbles coming from the HOB....the bubbles look kinda cool, probably adds oxygen to the tank too. For now I really dont have any ideas on what to put in the tank except for a cleaning crew. I started the tank 4 days ago and as of yesterday, copepods have shown up already and a worm of some type on the glass (acrylic). I may put a yellow polyp (if appropriate) since the one I have in my other tank has been multiplying so fast, 6 new polyps. To think I only had it for a little more than a week.
Hey Master
we have a 2 gallon aga pico and what we did is placed one ph on the
back and the other on the side we have a flow of about 250 gph in our tank
I have found that by placing the ph on the side of the tank that we get a more
random pattern of h20 flow I will be upgrading the ph to 2 100 gph phs
as for the placement on the back yes it will shoot to the front but placing them at diffrent heights will allow more h2o to shoot back to the filter imo it also helps prevent dead spots , as for adding the polyps go for it if you are at all 0s we have a single clown in ours and a clean up crew as well as some polyps ours has been up since around march of this year. As for too much in the pico yes you can have to much because you can shoot it out of the tank :roll: :lol: but if it dosent shoot out then their is not too much flow , we are also looking to put a goby in our 2 gallon
we have a 2 gallon aga pico and what we did is placed one ph on the
back and the other on the side we have a flow of about 250 gph in our tank
I have found that by placing the ph on the side of the tank that we get a more
random pattern of h20 flow I will be upgrading the ph to 2 100 gph phs
as for the placement on the back yes it will shoot to the front but placing them at diffrent heights will allow more h2o to shoot back to the filter imo it also helps prevent dead spots , as for adding the polyps go for it if you are at all 0s we have a single clown in ours and a clean up crew as well as some polyps ours has been up since around march of this year. As for too much in the pico yes you can have to much because you can shoot it out of the tank :roll: :lol: but if it dosent shoot out then their is not too much flow , we are also looking to put a goby in our 2 gallon
Sadielynn- Wow, you've got a fish in a 2 gallon tank........a clownfish or a clown goby? Thats a small tank, even for a goby isnt it? Well I was thinking of putting a red headed goby in my tank since my LFS were selling a couple. Just have to find out how they eat if they're bottom dwellers or mid level swimmers. But thats far from now.
Back to the flow issues, I placed my powerhead by about 3 inches below the HOB on the opposite side of the tank. The water output from the PH crashes onto the mid to bottom part of the live rocks while the HOB splashes water on top. My rocks are all on the left side of the tank thus the water current gets diffused (based on the micro bubble action) on the left and flows towards the right then back. The surface gets aggitated but not to a degree that water shoots out....surprisingly mild. I thought it would be wild like a washing machine.
Lastly, my tank params are all zero, does that mean i'm done cycling? It only took 3 days for copepods to appear? Sorry for the ignorance, but with my first tank I didnt do anything for about 7 weeks. I did test the water but it always came out as zero, so I really didnt learn much from my past cycling. My LFS said that I probably missed the ammonia spike which would be very minute since the liverocks I have are fully cured to begin with. And its happening again with my Pico. Again I missed out on hands on experience.
Back to the flow issues, I placed my powerhead by about 3 inches below the HOB on the opposite side of the tank. The water output from the PH crashes onto the mid to bottom part of the live rocks while the HOB splashes water on top. My rocks are all on the left side of the tank thus the water current gets diffused (based on the micro bubble action) on the left and flows towards the right then back. The surface gets aggitated but not to a degree that water shoots out....surprisingly mild. I thought it would be wild like a washing machine.
Lastly, my tank params are all zero, does that mean i'm done cycling? It only took 3 days for copepods to appear? Sorry for the ignorance, but with my first tank I didnt do anything for about 7 weeks. I did test the water but it always came out as zero, so I really didnt learn much from my past cycling. My LFS said that I probably missed the ammonia spike which would be very minute since the liverocks I have are fully cured to begin with. And its happening again with my Pico. Again I missed out on hands on experience.
we have a clarkii clown and are looking to add a goby too however not finding one that I like... I keep up with h20 changes 8 oz a day I do over filter and also have some corals in it .
as for the flow your good .... the tank is probably done cycling give it a day or two test again if all 0 appear you are done !! a side note if you have been hanging on to all 0 for a few days you should be safe to add fish .. you used some old tank h20 right so you were probably spared a huge cycle
:!:
as for the flow your good .... the tank is probably done cycling give it a day or two test again if all 0 appear you are done !! a side note if you have been hanging on to all 0 for a few days you should be safe to add fish .. you used some old tank h20 right so you were probably spared a huge cycle
:!:You might be finished with your cycle. Then again your test kit could be bad.
I'd be suspicious if this is the second tank you've setup and you haven't read anything in ammonia, nitrite, nitrates in either one.
Is this the same test kit you used for the last tank?
What test kit are you using?
B
I'd be suspicious if this is the second tank you've setup and you haven't read anything in ammonia, nitrite, nitrates in either one.
Is this the same test kit you used for the last tank?
What test kit are you using?
B
Incysor-Pardon me for the incomplete info....nitrite and ammonia are zero, but my nitrates are 25. I'm using the Saltwater Master Test kit. I dont know how accurate they are but am planning to purchase a new test kit made by Salifert....I heard they were very accurate. Unless there are others that anyone could recommend for me to use. That would be a big help for me.
Sadielynn-Yup, I did use some old tank water, about half a gallon is my estimate. But I guess that would be alot for a 2.5 gallon Pico. I did spot a gigantic amphipod (1/4 on an inch)...and a dozen or so of copepods. Would you or anyone know what would be needed in terms of care for a goby (red headed)? I read in a thread somewhere that gobies have been dying and I did experience that and so did a friend of mine. (it wouldnt eat anything at all)
Sadielynn-Yup, I did use some old tank water, about half a gallon is my estimate. But I guess that would be alot for a 2.5 gallon Pico. I did spot a gigantic amphipod (1/4 on an inch)...and a dozen or so of copepods. Would you or anyone know what would be needed in terms of care for a goby (red headed)? I read in a thread somewhere that gobies have been dying and I did experience that and so did a friend of mine. (it wouldnt eat anything at all)
the not eating usually indicate cyanide poisoning for capture . Also a half is not that much we used1.5 or so in our 2 gallon and did an h20 change the day that we put in a fish this is probably why you did not experience a huge cycle try to keep your nitrAtes as low as possible 25 is not that bad
mastere
this is what I was origionally looking for this comes from drsfoster smith
Red Head Goby
(Elacatinus puncticulatus)
Quick Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Color Form: Black, Red, White, Yellow
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Central America, Ecquador
Family: Gobiidae
The Red Head Goby, or Redhead Goby, formerly classified as Gobiosoma puncticulatus has a head that is distinctly bright red with intricate yellow and white markings, and dark spots run along the sides of its body. This cute species adds a playful companion to your aquarium.
It requires a 10 gallon or larger aquarium with a mixture of loose coral rubble as substrate. It is rarely aggressive towards other fish, but is territorial, and may fight with members of its own kind unless they are a mated pair. It may work as a cleaner species that services tank mates, helping to control some diseases.
It is common for the Red Head Goby to spawn successfully in an aquarium, laying eggs in a crevice or empty shell.
The diet should consist of a variety of live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, table shrimp, and frozen food preparations for carnivores. If kept in a reef tank, it should be fed once per day.
Approximate Purchase Size: 3/4" to 1-1/2"
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pCatId=202
this is what I was origionally looking for this comes from drsfoster smith
Red Head Goby
(Elacatinus puncticulatus)
Quick Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Color Form: Black, Red, White, Yellow
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Central America, Ecquador
Family: Gobiidae
The Red Head Goby, or Redhead Goby, formerly classified as Gobiosoma puncticulatus has a head that is distinctly bright red with intricate yellow and white markings, and dark spots run along the sides of its body. This cute species adds a playful companion to your aquarium.
It requires a 10 gallon or larger aquarium with a mixture of loose coral rubble as substrate. It is rarely aggressive towards other fish, but is territorial, and may fight with members of its own kind unless they are a mated pair. It may work as a cleaner species that services tank mates, helping to control some diseases.
It is common for the Red Head Goby to spawn successfully in an aquarium, laying eggs in a crevice or empty shell.
The diet should consist of a variety of live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, table shrimp, and frozen food preparations for carnivores. If kept in a reef tank, it should be fed once per day.
Approximate Purchase Size: 3/4" to 1-1/2"
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pCatId=202
Since we're on the goby topic for my 2.5, would you say that its easy to care for? And are gobies tank raised or tank bred? I would prefer a tank bred goby...if there is such a thing. I really havent asked my LFS about it since I bet they would say anything to satisfy me and make a sale.
Mine have been very easy. They've eaten everything I put in the tank, and get along with anyone that isn't the same species.
Gobies are one of the largest classification of fish in the hobby, so no, not all gobies are captive bred. However the red-headed ones are among the ones that have been tank bred.
http://www.proaquatix.com/speciesselect.asp?GROUPID=600
http://www.orafarm.com/gobies.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/neongobies.htm
B
Gobies are one of the largest classification of fish in the hobby, so no, not all gobies are captive bred. However the red-headed ones are among the ones that have been tank bred.
http://www.proaquatix.com/speciesselect.asp?GROUPID=600
http://www.orafarm.com/gobies.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/neongobies.htm
B
That was very informative. I guess everything is a go. But aside from that, based on YOUR first hand experience, are they easy to take care of? I really dont like the idea of feeding it brine shrimp or anything that could pollute the tank since i'll be housing it in a Pico. Could I get away with pellets instead....only one link mentioned pellets. Reason is, I have a maroon clown and the only thing I feed it is Hikari Marine-S....my clown likes it very much and looks healthy (I feed him one pellet at a time, ritual lasts me 5 minutes tops) and keeps my tank clean. So I was wondering if I could get away with the same type of food for the goby.