Will’s Accidental 1g Pico Reef

[willwoo]

Bought this 1 gallon tank a few weeks ago in hopes of setting up a pod culture system. I had some leftover plants/macros and a half-dead mangrove prop after stocking my Caribbean biotope and threw them in here temporarily because I didn’t have the heart to throw them away. Well, one thing led to another, went down an Amazon rabbit hole and I bought a $30 LED light, a small circulation pump, mini heater, and here we are. Now I have an accidental 1g pico reef tank I guess. Will be adding some rubble from the other tanks to avoid a cycle.

I would say the possibilities for what this tank becomes are endless, except that… it’s 1 gallon haha. Let’s see what happens.

 

[siege]

Interesting - how much do you think you've got in this, all together?

I've been thinking I'd love to do a pico of some sort on my kids' desks, if I can do it cheaply enough.

 

[willwoo]

Here’s a breakdown:

1) Tank - $40 - https://a.co/d/5vHzDRm
2) Light - $35 - https://a.co/d/aSfov3p
3) Powerhead - $10 - https://a.co/d/hU5x83M
4) Heater - $7 - https://a.co/d/63ZAzy3
5) Timer for Light - $8.50 - https://a.co/d/3B1flEZ
6) Aragonite - $7 - https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/caribsea-aragonite-aquarium-sand

All the livestock so far is collected from Florida or from my other tanks. Still to get a cover for evaporation, can’t imagine that will be more than $10 or so for a custom cut piece of glass or acrylic. Without the cover, total so far is a whopping $107.50 plus tax.

 

[willwoo]

Went a little DIY crazy and just glued together some rubble to make some rock work. Gonna let it cure for a bit then plop it in the tank and see how it looks.

 

[willwoo]

 

[aquaworld75]

This is tempting! I have a 2g, 5g, 10g standard glass tanks sitting around… waiting to be an accident tank setup . I also fell into the trap of buying a quick light, heater to setup my 2g one day.. but broke it down until I really decide what to do. Maybe I’ll throw up a build thread one day for another tank..

 

[Reid]

That's an adeptly made cove. Probably one of the best configurations for a tiny space.

 

[willwoo]

Thanks y’all. I dropped two hermit crabs in just to see how they do and seem to be doing well. It does tend to lose water pretty quickly and needs to be topped off, so I’ve ordered a tight fitting acrylic cover and waiting for that to come in before I add anymore livestock. Also may have to move it from the window. Seems like the temp swings up quite a lot during the day & probably will swing down in the winter.