there are hardly any pico reefs from years ago on youtube that are still running without major change, check around and post back if you find some! With continued luck in home electricity constant the reefbowl is designed to live indefinately on a biological scale. detritus is exported from the bowl regularly and growing corals are fragged...just hit sixth year
but it has no room for error. If a power outage ever happens while Im gone and Im not there to do cpr on the reef then its toast. Ive had no toast since 2001 :)
The vase reef has a 50 watt heater in it, so there is no external room temp thats too cold. When away on vacation in winter I can turn down my house heating and it still keeps the vase at 78 easy.
In the summer, I use my air conditioner to keep the house max 78 degrees, usually 74 for comfort. The bowl runs one degree above ambient temp, its really efficient. So that means if my house never gets above 78 my reef never gets above 79. The vase is highly temp and salinity stable
hey thank you for stopping by. I sold that cherry wood tank and made a killing on it...it ran hot and had to be fanned constantly so I didn't set up a third one but Ive kept the reefbowl vase ...
the update vid is Reefbowl 2011 update in my vid list, I'll try to get a more hd version soon. that was shot w a cell phone a few months ago
I've always wanted to try something tiny like that. I've been trying to find one of those tiny tanks you have in your video. The one with the wood stand and hood. I favor that finished clean look. Would love to see updated vid's of them if you have em.
Hi! nice to meet you. I have not tested any water param except temperature and salinity since 2002. Not once.
We have been grossly mis informed about pico reefs from large tank experts who made untested assumptions about the chemistry and biology of these completely unique systems (anything under two gallons growing sps long term)
I have several online contacts keeping these picos as their first tanks, not testing for anything but sg and temp, the science is repeatable.
@brandon429 Hi! Nice to meet you too! I started a pico reef vase a few months ago but after a month or two of good coral growth and polyp expansion, everything started dying! I have recently restarted. Do you know what might have went wrong?
They will not die unless externally poisoned or the care methods are not followed. Change out most or all of the water each week, that is probably your main culprit. Most people apply the water change principles of the 90's (a little bit every two weeks) and this is why most pico reefs of any size don't last very long nowadays.
You need to dose the bowl with c balance. down this list a few pages of my comments there is a dosing
also there are many variables that can bring down a reef tank, we don't know enough to pinpoint your tank's issue. certain corals can wipe out the system
salinity fluxes can wipe out the system. if you seriously want to make it run, join nano reef.com and make a tank
thread and alert me here about it, then we will manage it point by point on nr.com and it will work fine. I need to know all variables before we can fix this next round. pics, stocking list, care maintenance etc
the reason why is simple! in small pico reefs big water changes weekly reset the ion balance. big tank keepers try to avoid water changes and choose to re dose individual params instead of just replenishing them with a huge water change which is easy to do in the tiny pico reef. change out most or all of the water once a week, and feed the tank only just before that water change. that timing adjustment alone removes all water testing for calcium/alk/pH etc.
as the reef progresses in age its easy to tell when dosing needs to start in order to keep up with the alkalinity/calcium usage within the bowl just by the looks of your coralline algae/corals. Several processes exist to consume ion outside of coral skeleton building...a certain weekly dosing method for C Balance adjusts all that. Again, no testing is needed, it was easy to track and learn the ion consumption of the aging gallon reef after keeping them for ten years. its so repeatable, test free
look around youtube for Cichlidmania26 and see what he did with the reefbowl he's really smart.
Search youtube for Mark Krieg's reefbowl it looked great, he drilled the glass in from the side! There are several more variants of the bowl but each enjoys the limited evaporation that rivals a 100 gallon aquarium! the science is easy to replicate in any container, holler back if you ever want to start something small.
CARL SAGAN - "Almost no one attempts to educate themselves on the basics of science and technology, yet our society is based on these. TV takes up far too much of our time and is apparently much more attractive to most of us than the beauty and wonder of science. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces." - CARL SAGAN
You know thats not the first time Ive heard that. What I'll do real soon is upload a water change vid it should have already been done to at least show the heart of the system, why so much coral can live together in a gallon
I'll drain it into an empty milk jug, gimme a couple days just ran a water change this weekend thanks for the idea
@brandon429 lol no im not talking about the water you remove, but the amount of water that will fill the vase without the coral, like the volume of the vase itself
Love the tank! By adding c balance A and B there's no need for additional additives? I was recommended iron, iodine, trace elements, etc. For my 55 gallon reef. I would love to hear what you recommend and the difference on sustaining a pico to and average reef aquarium
The dynamics between large and small systems are different so comparisons between the two are rarely accurate, all of my science is aimed at gallon reefs. That being said, its quite possible to upscale this method into any size tank, corals will grow where minimal conditions exist and those can be met and sustained through water changes, feeding of the ideal frozen or live foods, correct lighting, circulation and ion dosing in addition to water changes if needed.
Whether or not to use X doser is hotly contested in forums and in person, as great results exist in both ways of running a tank (mixed additives or just one additive, same coral growth...)
one benefit of the vase reef experiment and the length of time its been running was to test the real needs of corals in an environment not seen as likely to support growth. Iodine is needed, but it comes from the astaxanthin pigment in frozen cyclopeeze. we can use alternatives to store bought as needed...
Im so mad at myself for not editing the final video better there is a mistake, the bobbit worm is genus eunice not eunicea thats a knobby sea fan. misspelling locked in time~
Cheese thanks so much for stopping by! Id love to chat about any aspect of the systems, hit me up with some questions it will blow your mind how simple it is. These tanks are the easiest, and most stable reef tanks one could set up. It has been wrong and misleading for past authors and marine researchers to assume small tanks were unstable, I thought that too before setting these up 10 years ago. Here is my exact schedule on the vase, year after year, no hidden secrets, this will grow anything:
Sundays: feed heavily with cyclopeeze frozen, wait two hours then change out all the water. The first lie they told us was that large water changes make things unstable
monday, dose half a capfull of C Balance Yellow bottle in the mornings before lights on
tuesday, dose half a cap of blue bottle in the a.m. before lights on
@brandon429 hey thanks a heap for this schedule but what is yellow and blue bottle ive never heard of it before? is there a different name for them? thanks a heap
did you get my reply man? the yellow and blue bottles are C Balance, from marinedepot, what we use to maintain our calcium and alk in these tiny tanks.
Thank you for watching I have been equally inspired my whole life with animals it started when my stepdad bought me a green tree frog terrarium in 1985. That changed my life
i really want to do something like your pico reef and i wondered if u could give me some basic tipps which u think are important for setting up a tank like that. i would love to know where you got all those beautiful corals from, because there are a lot of different ones in there. did you buy each and everyone of them seperatly ?
corals, just a few common colonies that won't even fill much space will be $100. to fully stock the bowl it will cost a grand over a years time.
another approach is to stock with all cheap corals like mixed mushrooms, amazing colors. and zoanthids. filling the tank with them isn't too costly for that full look, still, about 100 dollars either way.
I did buy the corals in separate little frags and grow them out. Each was about $25 average. some are very tiny and there are at least 100 frags in the vase precisely glued into place with super glue gel
I would estimate the corals in my vase are worth 900 or 1000 if re sold at the same price I paid for them.
@brandon429 well i was looking around and i found this Dymax iQ3 nano tank. i ordered it and now i will wait. i will buy some little frags one after another till i will have a nice collection. i will just spend 200 in the beginning maybe later if everything will work out i will buy more corals.
Exquisite! Art and science quite masterfully merged into one. You, dear sir, are a Da Vinci in what I guess I'd call either eco- or bio-art. Sorry to hear about your plants and drum set. @dantheman06111989 Easy now, it's not as if he's gone and created a human centipede, lol. His ecosystems are flourishing! But thank you for your comment about the vase; it really had me cracking up. :)
thanks man yes I crack up too sometimes people get might mad!! the problems come into play when they find out the vase is twice or five times as old as their oldest tank lol thanks so much talk to ya laters
how do u cope with temperature fluctuations?? Are water parameters constantly stable, with such a small tank do the nitrites, nitrates sky rocket because of the such small volume of water to number of inhabitants.I would be interested in knowing exactly how many species you have living in there and if they are actually "comfortable" in that size and shape aqaurium? How does the water flow in such a way to promote healthy growth?? Is it cylclonic due to the shape of the vase??
The water flow is random and must be tuned down to not overrun the system, its plenty of power. Nice inquiry on the nitrogen levels, this is taken care of with weekly 100% water changes. Where most people change 20% of the water, I just do 99%. plus I only feed just before the change, giving the dissolved nutrients less time to accumulate vs the current methods. Water params are perfect, hence the sps grown across the glass into a tabletop lol
additional reference can be found by googling the article "the history of pico reef biology" and by searching for vase reefs here on youtube, its a very repeatable system and each builder is improving upon the original design, but the same basic mechanics of evaporation control, heating and circulation are still at work
So what.... It's in a VASE... It's cruel!! That's what I'm saying. What's so good about having a vase reef??? I don't think you'd be liked to be kept in a vase would you.. There's not point arguing about it. If you are going to post videos then expect critics.
Dan just now I got your pm message thanks for sending. The heating is controlled by an internal 75w heater, a preset tetra heater to 78 degrees. the live rock is stacked around it to hide~plus the tank is five years old and is the longest continually running pico reef worldwide just as a backup to the temp stability
the flow is created by using two powerful airstones, no pumps in this tank. We did it w less technology so it would last longer. The special lid design prevents saltcreep and evap
I started my hobby 32 years with a plastic box of BRUT perfume , my father used to use. No I have 4 aquariums all slatwater 6,5,3 & 2.5 feet. But honestly I was never facinated to them all than watching your Peco Reef. Perhaps that's that best growth acheived ever in comparison to the system voulme; everything thing is flooding out!. I am amazed and can confidently say that it's the luck which a man is born with that's bring up the wonders.
I thank you for stopping in Hasan you are welcome to post pics of any of your systems here or on my page anytime. This summer an article was posted/linked from "the history of the parlour aquarium" which references pico reef work back in the 1800's, but they weren't working with circulated systems and their drawings depicted the full ecosystems as well, now thats intriguing!!
Wow very cool video and very inspirational! I was getting put done about my 29g reef tank by all these 200g guys but man that is so cool and makes we exited about mine now!!! THX
Hi just wondering what lighting your using, also when your structuring with small coral dose that need to be well planed or do you just put a dozen in and wait for an equlibrium? cheers
hi there. its actually quite forgiving in terms of timing the introduction of the corals if you stay with the popular ones we know really well. My lighting is a coralife mini aqualight, there's new t5 versions out now which are better than what I use. Several corals can be included on day 2 of the build, something argued against by the current reefkeeping masses. If you want to do a build just comment here and we'll coach through one, Ive done about 100 through pms + emails
How badass!!! Everything in this video is very impressive. You almost make me want to downsize my 10gal reef tank vs. upsize.....although I'll probably just end up doing both!
Thank you for posting this well put together video.
This is amazing work your are doing Brandon! You just put to shame all the reefers out there who swear that pico reefs can't be done. I am still in awe at it. Great work!
i tried a larger nano once and it didn't work well I couldn't keep any of the params stable lol irony huh. sorry I can't recall the name my friend Steve told me once but i have lost it
Hello I just got lucky and found mine at a local store. Of all the aquatic turtles its my opinion they are the best, they can be found online for overnite delivery I'd guess, they stay very small, can live on shrimp pellets alone, and never made a mess with waste it was really an amazing animal get one if you can.
they have a lifespan comparable to all smaller turtles...if one lived for 15+ years that would not be suprising but most don't stay small for long. this species really stayed small for the temp range of 76 to 78 in the planted tank.
I am so blown away! Amazing, thank you for your videos. Can I request that you build another pico reef vase like the one in this video, and post your progress step-by-step? I need to see detailed visual steps if I'm going to tackle this project myself. ...Also, I'd love to see visual step-by-step for your pico tank... detailed Visual steps are the key. Tall request, I know. :( Thank you!
hey thanks for stopping in. There is no filtration from external sources, its all in house...just the live rock, and the sand, and the circulation provided by one airstone, all this intermixes so the nitrifiers have access to the ammonia and nitrite produced in the system.
Many aquariums have an excess of surface area, a double edge sword for detritus storage...
that's a great idea with a larger tank you can keep a clownfish or something with more movement! holler back if you'd like some help and feel free to link up your video here if you make one.
I have coached a lot of these setups online and a few down this list of comments. Before we get started I need to know if you have any experience preparing saltwater or keeping saltwater tanks. Its not vital, it just determines how much detail is needed to start. These are fine beginner tanks (the vase) as hardly any weekly work is needed to keep them alive. Holler back!
Steve, if you use a vase setup there's a neat trick~since its airstone driven, you'll see it pops out little shells and waste bits on the inside neck which is actual skimmer action to wipe off occasionally. a resulting bubble froth will get thicker above the water line as the days go by, indicating protein saturation. Change water at this time, and for a new tank it will come slowly. New water changes always show no bubble frothing, then two weeks into it the froth w be an inch thick...
The weekly water changes are only required in advanced age, 1 and 2 years and beyond. for the first year or two bi-monthly 100% changes will work but as soon as green microalgae starts to form quicker on the top of the vase (something all reefs do) its time to do the weekly work, still this is only 3 minutes its nothing like keeping a larger tank.
saltcreep is caked up salt material around the lids of ~most~ marine aquariums, where saltwater is either splashed or wicked up to dry in crusty form. Doesn't happen in a vase because of the lid and the water level, which is -not touching- the lid/seal interface, its an inch below that. The best water line for a vase is -halfway- up the neck area. You got all that?
Lastly, the way to manage salinity in the vase isn't with tedious water testing. When you do a water change at 78 to 80 degrees max, you take a marker and mark the water line on the outside of your vase, just a dot to reference. Daily as the water line drops, its losing ONLY the distilled water, so if you always add back up to that dot line the salinity will always be back to 1.023~
Temperature and salinity are closely calibrated, 78 is the marker by which you interpret your tank's salinity. WIth the lid you are likely to get 2 to 3 days in between topoffs, where you will add only a small amount of distilled water back to the tank because the salinity will creep up, from 1.023 to 1.0245 by the 2nd or 3rd day, this is the maximum flux range for evaporated water.
check the salinity of your resting change water periodically, ONLY at the temperature of 78, and add distilled water back to that change water as it evaporates freshwater daily depending on your local humidities and air flow. Never take a specific gravity reading from any temp than what the average running temp of your vase would be.
make up extra change water ahead of time and store it nonsealed, open topped, preferably in one of those standard 5 gallon blue water containers but with the lid off. It does not need to be heated or stirred while sitting in your pantry waiting for water change use, just keep the lid off. Before you do a water change, once weekly 100% of the water, use a kitchen sink of water to get the change water reset to 78 degrees before adding it during a water change.
use reef crystals artificial salt or instant ocean, pm me if you have problems buying this for alternates. You only add the salt to distilled water, or water from reverse osmosis systems that are maintained accurately while you stir. Mix it up to 1.023 at room temperature just like your freshwater (buy a swingarm hydrometer). the max temp for one of these tanks at any point is 79 or 80. The water will clear up in 15 minutes keep it stirring.
its important to use only items from other aquariums, not from the ocean. ethics not withstanding, the benthic growth is too thick on natural pieces and will die off and poison a pico reef. You -have- to use aquarium life aged in any size aquarium, not just the pico reef
cut a slit in the lid to run one airline input, and the electrical cord for any small submersible aquarium heater. it just runs over the side of the vase, and live rock from an aquarium shop is stacked up to conceal it, the bubbles blow all around the tank. When you have a correct lid seal, you do this step above and set up the saltwater tank with just rock and sand, the pet store will sell these to you.
its any standard large glass vase, not the small ones. The lid is an inverted clear plastic dish, found in garden center areas, used for setting potted plants in to protect the floor. You invert this like a dome, and it has to sit in the inside diameter at any point on the inside neck of the vase.
no space to write out reasons, w just type in point format. if any of these are changed it may or may not work, but if these aren't changed, it will work certainly.
-can you get a vase and matching lid, this is the #1 question. Evaporation control is key, and nothing works like this exact combination.
I started one of these before I knew exactly how they worked, they are very stable. Do you have any marine tank experience? If not, we need to discuss water prep first but the vase is just a light, a vase from walmart, a lid from the garden center, a preset heater and an airpump. lemme know about water prep and we'll do this!
B Man, it has been about a year since I first wached one of your vids. Since then I started a 2.5 gallon, it has been up and runing for 10 months now and is thriving with life. It is filled with 12 corals 5 of them being SPS. You are so right about having to have bug life and corline alge. I just want to thankyou for showing everyone that picos can be done and thrive when everyone else said it won't work.
I really appreciate that fo sho! Feel free to vid response me if you make some snaps of your system Id like to link many small pico reefs in one big thread grouping. Thanks for the update, I assure you ten months on a 2.5 puts you in the top 10% of pico reef keeping/age. Were those test scores you'd be accepted into pico harvard thanks for posting~
Ursula thanks for stopping by. You are right, no fish are kept in the micro tanks. The corals only care about their immediate surroundings, and whether or not the nutrient load is healthy and consistent but they do not care what size the tank is. I do watch them for countless hours, thats the reason for designing such bare bones systems...same animals, minus fish, minus cost and technicality!
check around for gallon tanks with coralline and sps that are grown into place, not just glued nub. try to find one older than six months, post back if you do~
What I was providing was repeatability and certain methods for salinity control that are not found elsewhere, but yes in some form or another anyone can keep saltwater in a glass. id be curious to see the pics and documentation you know of
@blackdeath6544 hey man the smaller you get w tanks the harder it is to keep. so u dont get it man. this dude has done something not many ppl can keep or even attempt. so go bite one man.
its good you mention the animal care part Im assuming you are talking about the shrimps. my angle was to give them frequent water changes so the purity rivals that of the best-skimmed 100 gallon, and they are fed a huge amount of frozen food just before a water change, they are always full with this timing of feed/change I have utilized for all small pico aquaria. This allows animals to feed regularly, because w changes are so easy. all too often they are given size, but not knowledge of care...
the current is highly variable in each system. The vase is a makedly low current, so low no one would agree it's good for a tank. But, the corals adapt in time because it is exactly enough, this along with temperature control affects the overall metabolism and oxygen cycling in the bowl sufficiently, the key is finding the low end of life support and sustaining that. The square tank was high current by design, the sps shaped as it grew into the current. thank you both for stopping by
thats a fair opinion animal Ive heard that before. the best I can offer is that the corals physically reproduce in the bowl, and the inverts are free to molt and sustain food, and that a 15 gallon tank is no more preferable if the water params match between the two, that's my take. Just to let you know it was highly scientifically worked out, not haphazard. Like you said though I recommend starter setups have half this much, this is the turbo pro not the norm. fair call
proper tank instead of tht it is not right tokeep them in a tank like tht it would be ok if there was only a bitof caoral and 1 live rock, but u havent. Get a bigger tank man.
Im going to send you via youtube comments a tutorial I wrote for a science teacher. If any of this is unfamiliar Id say do a freshwater vase set up the same way for live plants, far simpler. But, if you know about preparing saltwater and the usual saltwater stuff, the vase is easier than a large tank because it doesn't do unpredictable things.
Strawberry thank you I feel the same, its the most you can pack in a vase lol
I did invent it, this one and about 4 or 5 others from my friends are the only ones worldwide that have been reported back to the web.
As far as just building one they are very easy in terms of marine tanks, but I believe some aquarium experience is needed or at least an in-person marine tank coach to help with things like water prep and very important little details. do you have sw experience?
That was an acropora crab that came in on the yellow scroll coral frag I think. after some research it appeared to be a destructive variety, lives on coral tissue, rather than the tiny masked ones that are commensal.
The 2 inch tank is a plastic tank with slits, it lets current flow through it for water exchange. it has a tiny sand bed and some live rock chips and living mushroom pedal tissue for coral or any other little fraglet that can be tweezed off the tank
Hey thank you nice to meet you. For the vase, it would start out with a small chunk of live rock and a simple coral, added to over time.
The filtration, from ammonia to nitrate, is handled by the live rock and the current from the airstone, nothing else. Since the water changes are weekly, and only a gallon, nitrate is exported totally and this completes all filtration better than large tanks.
my invention centers around simple timing and the size remarks of the stability in timing~
I think this is the most beautify display I've seen on the Tube and it really made my Day. Thanks. I'd love to learn more about your process ot setup as I am a naturalist with my tank and want to keep it simple.
hey thank you I worked really hard to establish the detail. had to wait for the most pristine coral frags, then pay up to $40 apiece. thank you for commenting about this unique science
I also wanted to state that I do not advocate buying a vase and then packing it like this without slow mastery. getting there is the fun.
What you are seeing is the turbo-deluxe version of what a decade in pico reefs produces, just showing my best work. Beginning versions, while equally stable due to the evap control, should only be stocked with a few maricultured corals for trial. Use farmed rock too
There have been numerous internet threads where experts refuse to believe these are real, or years old, because the current studies in coral allelopathy don't allow for 20 genera sharing one gallon of water.
These studies are not conducted in microhabitats...I feel the dilution ratios in picos strongly feedback, and downregulate, the war apparatus in scleractinian corals. Water changes occur before tissue degredation, then nettling stops (it seems)
I just started a 2 gallon reef. Been cycling for about 3 weeks now. The tank i use is a cylinder vase thats 5.5 inches in diameter and 2 feet tall. Not much going on in it for now but will post something when it gets more livestock.
the black box on top of the vase is a light called 'coralife mini aqua light' at $35 it's the cheapest reef tank light there is.
The bubbles are from a standard airstone, but don't use the regular ones they degrade in a reef tank and crumble. Only the ceramic ones are any good for duration.
the vase only uses an airstone for circulation, no powerhead. The small square sealed reef tank uses a powerhead, a minijet 14 for circulation.
Thank you so much for stopping by we are getting people who enjoy reef aquariums from all over the globe, nice to meet you! Sorry I do not have the name of the song. the wonderful piano I thought went well with a calm reef.
wow amazing man! pls send me tips on how to do these.. i want to save my pico reef in the future too and the philippines is the center of reef biodiversity, i may be able to share these in the future. thanks.God bless.....
saturdays are topoff days too, forgot to add. the vase is topped off with about two ounces of water, twice per week depending on the season and ambient humidity
here is the total maintenance routine for 4 years:
-sunday change water scrape out microalgae on glass
-monday dose in morning
-tuesday dose in morning/topoff a little
-wed can be a feed day, full water change or skip and don't feed/change/dose
-thurs dose in the morning use micro scraper
-friday dose a.m. give light target feed
-saturday skip
Variations on these intervals are set by your animals. If you don't pack the vase, it can go two weeks in between changes/feeding easily. 1 gallon/water
The risks in these systems are external, not internal. A good home or office A/C is required, max ambient temp for the vase is 79 and the sealed tank is 76. No min temp, these are 50w heaters. Also, knocking it over is a risk.
Warmer temps can be supported but this is not the right metabolism for a pico reef, 78 is ideal. these picos don't make unpredictable chemistry changes. No water testing is needed at any stage, again the size restricts variables that call for pH/no3/P04 testing.
The feeding mechanism contributes 80% to the health of the corals and inverts, and this can't be done in larger tanks so again the size of a pico reef helps, not hinders the design.
You can swirly in half a cube's worth of mixed frozen coral food/mysis and saturate the system with protein.
Then, a thorough water change a few hours afterwards rips out the degrading excess, only full polyps remain. The surface area within the rock handles the wastes from *digestion, not uneaten food.
Anthony thank you for posting. in the early days of micro marine science it would have been ill-advised to start with a system this small, but that has changed.
The vase models actually control all parameters quite well and are the cheapest way one can set up a reef. After reading the web forums about water preparation for salt tanks, a start is just as easy as getting a vase, lid, heater, airstone and a very simple coral or two to start. With mastery you can stack them this full no problem.
Saltwater life is a new interest of mine and I'm looking into starting a very small pico reef, but I don't really even know where to begin. A nudge in the right direction would be amazing : )
A lot of times on the web forums observers will comment the life expectancy must be short due to nutrient sinking, but there are ways around that where only a pico reef will excel. Again, transportability becomes a benefit...
You can set one of these in the sink and pour 10+ gallons of water through it letting the overflow carry out the wastes. You can easily get shrimp out in this way as well!
also, after working through as many different invertebrates for the pico reef I have settled on the yellow stenopus and boxer crab juveniles for many reasons
mainly because they are the slowest-growing, and least impactful to the corals of inverts tested.
No Ia is dosed, iodine is garnered through the feeding of cyclopeeze en masse just before 100% water changes weekly. Molts occur but are in the order of 3x per year, very slow and this works great.
I noticed in a Polish reef aquarium forum there were concerns about keeping the shrimp in the small container.
Thought I would note that its very easy to get them out during a water change when grown, these are juveniles. Export is a legitimizing factor in pico reef keeping, versus a consumptive approach where inverts and corals are re-bought due to dieoff.
These are dynamic environments so the keeper must continue to balance them through simple adjustments.
Mark and Gabe thank you for stopping by! if you guys have any shots of your tanks feel free to vid response and link them up if you want. as we list all the notations for running these kind of systems it will build a reference to help others
I have seen on the posting boards some freshwater systems that were only a couple ounces, and these are interesting because they can live for years at this scale whereas 1/2 gallon is about as small as can be stable for marine...
You're aquatic work has, by far, been the most inspiring to me! And this is my all time favorite video. Now that I have a nano running, after seeing your setup, I've got 3 pico tanks in the making! Two reef and one planted freshwater.
My favorites are your 1 gallon reefbowl and the half gallon sealed tank. But I gotta say, the half gallon is the sure winner for me. Absolutely amazing stuff!!!
youd be suprised, they are the least work of any saltwater tank one could own. A water change takes 5 mins, once or twice a week depending on feeding. The diatoms and algae scraping are from the mini magnet scraper, that's all. 10 mins per week, the rest is coral growth!
I can't wait to see how it turns out I'm glad you are replicating the setup. You will also see the natural skimming effect of the bubbles, they will deposit scum on the inside of the neck above the water, when you wipe it off you are exporting. crabs and snails are fine, I've used both. crabs tend to close up corals though
Thank you Brandon for all of your help. I have been keeping reefs for about 6 years but am now getting more into the tiny pico tanks. I started my own reef vase 4 days ago and have it running now. I was wondering if you have snails / hermits in your tank? I have one of each to clean the rock right now but didn't see any in your vase... What is your take on snails and crabs in the pico aquariums?
Im finding through years of trial and error that it's my opinion the doughs and fillers/binders used in pelleted feed cause sandbed accumulations in my tank. When I cease all prepared foods and go only frozen/ the bed will clear itself of deposits after a few months and the microfauna selection weighs against gammarus and more in favor of sponges and calcareous worms. In a larger tank this likely wouldn't matter, but it's funny what you see in a one gallon after 4 years now...
I will add something that may be very important, the cycling. I have never added inverts before it was aged, to make sure the chemical and physical cycles have balanced. It may work in a shorter period, but I feel it's important to make sure you can age one before putting those higher life forms inside. the way you control salinity is mark the water line with a marker, and fill up with freshwater anytime water is lower than that line, it will always go back to the original specific gravity
I am starting mine up tomorrow. My list: Vase Vase cover air pump and air stone heater light live sand r/o water and salt mix If I am leaving anything out please let me know. I plan on keeping a pom pom crab and maybe a scarlet cleaner shrimp. I was wondering if you put her
Is it possible to make a pico reef with no circulation AT ALL (No filters)?
TheRafield 1 week ago
This is awesome man..I would love to do something like this.
iNfEchelon 2 weeks ago
there are hardly any pico reefs from years ago on youtube that are still running without major change, check around and post back if you find some! With continued luck in home electricity constant the reefbowl is designed to live indefinately on a biological scale. detritus is exported from the bowl regularly and growing corals are fragged...just hit sixth year
brandon429 1 month ago
but it has no room for error. If a power outage ever happens while Im gone and Im not there to do cpr on the reef then its toast. Ive had no toast since 2001 :)
brandon429 1 month ago
how do you keep it at the right temp
Beo426 1 month ago
@Beo426
The vase reef has a 50 watt heater in it, so there is no external room temp thats too cold. When away on vacation in winter I can turn down my house heating and it still keeps the vase at 78 easy.
In the summer, I use my air conditioner to keep the house max 78 degrees, usually 74 for comfort. The bowl runs one degree above ambient temp, its really efficient. So that means if my house never gets above 78 my reef never gets above 79. The vase is highly temp and salinity stable
brandon429 1 month ago
@brandon429 wow this setup is amazing and completely puts a new prospective on the possible size for a saltwater aquarium
Beo426 1 month ago
hey thank you for stopping by. I sold that cherry wood tank and made a killing on it...it ran hot and had to be fanned constantly so I didn't set up a third one but Ive kept the reefbowl vase ...
the update vid is Reefbowl 2011 update in my vid list, I'll try to get a more hd version soon. that was shot w a cell phone a few months ago
brandon429 3 months ago
I've always wanted to try something tiny like that. I've been trying to find one of those tiny tanks you have in your video. The one with the wood stand and hood. I favor that finished clean look. Would love to see updated vid's of them if you have em.
QueenI3itch 3 months ago in playlist More videos from brandon429
the method works so well Ive been using it ten years on reefbowls.
brandon429 3 months ago
Do you ever do water testing for stuff?
waywardwind12 3 months ago
Hi! nice to meet you. I have not tested any water param except temperature and salinity since 2002. Not once.
We have been grossly mis informed about pico reefs from large tank experts who made untested assumptions about the chemistry and biology of these completely unique systems (anything under two gallons growing sps long term)
I have several online contacts keeping these picos as their first tanks, not testing for anything but sg and temp, the science is repeatable.
brandon429 3 months ago
@brandon429 Hi! Nice to meet you too! I started a pico reef vase a few months ago but after a month or two of good coral growth and polyp expansion, everything started dying! I have recently restarted. Do you know what might have went wrong?
waywardwind12 3 months ago
@waywardwind12
They will not die unless externally poisoned or the care methods are not followed. Change out most or all of the water each week, that is probably your main culprit. Most people apply the water change principles of the 90's (a little bit every two weeks) and this is why most pico reefs of any size don't last very long nowadays.
You need to dose the bowl with c balance. down this list a few pages of my comments there is a dosing
instructional/weekly schedule for C balance.
brandon429 3 months ago
@waywardwind12
also there are many variables that can bring down a reef tank, we don't know enough to pinpoint your tank's issue. certain corals can wipe out the system
salinity fluxes can wipe out the system. if you seriously want to make it run, join nano reef.com and make a tank
thread and alert me here about it, then we will manage it point by point on nr.com and it will work fine. I need to know all variables before we can fix this next round. pics, stocking list, care maintenance etc
brandon429 3 months ago
@waywardwind12
the reason why is simple! in small pico reefs big water changes weekly reset the ion balance. big tank keepers try to avoid water changes and choose to re dose individual params instead of just replenishing them with a huge water change which is easy to do in the tiny pico reef. change out most or all of the water once a week, and feed the tank only just before that water change. that timing adjustment alone removes all water testing for calcium/alk/pH etc.
brandon429 3 months ago
as the reef progresses in age its easy to tell when dosing needs to start in order to keep up with the alkalinity/calcium usage within the bowl just by the looks of your coralline algae/corals. Several processes exist to consume ion outside of coral skeleton building...a certain weekly dosing method for C Balance adjusts all that. Again, no testing is needed, it was easy to track and learn the ion consumption of the aging gallon reef after keeping them for ten years. its so repeatable, test free
brandon429 3 months ago
look around youtube for Cichlidmania26 and see what he did with the reefbowl he's really smart.
Search youtube for Mark Krieg's reefbowl it looked great, he drilled the glass in from the side! There are several more variants of the bowl but each enjoys the limited evaporation that rivals a 100 gallon aquarium! the science is easy to replicate in any container, holler back if you ever want to start something small.
brandon429 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
CARL SAGAN - "Almost no one attempts to educate themselves on the basics of science and technology, yet our society is based on these. TV takes up far too much of our time and is apparently much more attractive to most of us than the beauty and wonder of science. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces." - CARL SAGAN
TheLogicalBrain 5 months ago
looks more like a 3 gallon vase but still very nice
evothefool 5 months ago
@evothefool
You know thats not the first time Ive heard that. What I'll do real soon is upload a water change vid it should have already been done to at least show the heart of the system, why so much coral can live together in a gallon
I'll drain it into an empty milk jug, gimme a couple days just ran a water change this weekend thanks for the idea
B
brandon429 5 months ago
@brandon429 lol no im not talking about the water you remove, but the amount of water that will fill the vase without the coral, like the volume of the vase itself
evothefool 5 months ago
Love the tank! By adding c balance A and B there's no need for additional additives? I was recommended iron, iodine, trace elements, etc. For my 55 gallon reef. I would love to hear what you recommend and the difference on sustaining a pico to and average reef aquarium
rockybruno1118 5 months ago
@rockybruno1118
Hi!
The dynamics between large and small systems are different so comparisons between the two are rarely accurate, all of my science is aimed at gallon reefs. That being said, its quite possible to upscale this method into any size tank, corals will grow where minimal conditions exist and those can be met and sustained through water changes, feeding of the ideal frozen or live foods, correct lighting, circulation and ion dosing in addition to water changes if needed.
brandon429 5 months ago
Whether or not to use X doser is hotly contested in forums and in person, as great results exist in both ways of running a tank (mixed additives or just one additive, same coral growth...)
one benefit of the vase reef experiment and the length of time its been running was to test the real needs of corals in an environment not seen as likely to support growth. Iodine is needed, but it comes from the astaxanthin pigment in frozen cyclopeeze. we can use alternatives to store bought as needed...
brandon429 5 months ago
Im so mad at myself for not editing the final video better there is a mistake, the bobbit worm is genus eunice not eunicea thats a knobby sea fan. misspelling locked in time~
brandon429 8 months ago
Im speachless! please post more.
I know how hard it is to keep water paramaters stable with small aquariums.. this must be harder than looking after a new born child!
CheeseBon 9 months ago
Cheese thanks so much for stopping by! Id love to chat about any aspect of the systems, hit me up with some questions it will blow your mind how simple it is. These tanks are the easiest, and most stable reef tanks one could set up. It has been wrong and misleading for past authors and marine researchers to assume small tanks were unstable, I thought that too before setting these up 10 years ago. Here is my exact schedule on the vase, year after year, no hidden secrets, this will grow anything:
brandon429 9 months ago
Sundays: feed heavily with cyclopeeze frozen, wait two hours then change out all the water. The first lie they told us was that large water changes make things unstable
monday, dose half a capfull of C Balance Yellow bottle in the mornings before lights on
tuesday, dose half a cap of blue bottle in the a.m. before lights on
Wed, yellow bottle + topoff + light feeding + partial water change
thursday, blue bottle
friday yellow bottle + topoff
saturday blue bottle
Sunday repeat
10mins work
brandon429 9 months ago
@brandon429 wow
CheeseBon 9 months ago
@brandon429 hey thanks a heap for this schedule but what is yellow and blue bottle ive never heard of it before? is there a different name for them? thanks a heap
sk81514 9 months ago
did you get my reply man? the yellow and blue bottles are C Balance, from marinedepot, what we use to maintain our calcium and alk in these tiny tanks.
brandon429 8 months ago
@brandon429 thanks a heap :)
sk81514 8 months ago
@GearMecha
Thank you for watching I have been equally inspired my whole life with animals it started when my stepdad bought me a green tree frog terrarium in 1985. That changed my life
brandon429 10 months ago
Absolutely amazing...
You should work for NASA !!!
MrOgbologbo 10 months ago
i really want to do something like your pico reef and i wondered if u could give me some basic tipps which u think are important for setting up a tank like that. i would love to know where you got all those beautiful corals from, because there are a lot of different ones in there. did you buy each and everyone of them seperatly ?
ozzymann 1 year ago
@ozzymann
Hello nice to meet you! I do not recommend the square tank, it is a pro model that is very hard to build and keep.
the vase is simple to build and keep let me start with this advice=
google the article "the history of pico reef biology" for the build pictures of the vase reef design
-do you have a budget of at least $200 to spend? if not I don't recommend setting one up it will likely just die in a month.
brandon429 1 year ago
@brandon429
corals, just a few common colonies that won't even fill much space will be $100. to fully stock the bowl it will cost a grand over a years time.
another approach is to stock with all cheap corals like mixed mushrooms, amazing colors. and zoanthids. filling the tank with them isn't too costly for that full look, still, about 100 dollars either way.
brandon429 1 year ago
@ozzymann
I did buy the corals in separate little frags and grow them out. Each was about $25 average. some are very tiny and there are at least 100 frags in the vase precisely glued into place with super glue gel
I would estimate the corals in my vase are worth 900 or 1000 if re sold at the same price I paid for them.
brandon429 1 year ago
@brandon429 well i was looking around and i found this Dymax iQ3 nano tank. i ordered it and now i will wait. i will buy some little frags one after another till i will have a nice collection. i will just spend 200 in the beginning maybe later if everything will work out i will buy more corals.
thx for reply it helped me a lot.
all the best
ozzy
ozzymann 1 year ago
@ozzymann
hey man I missed this update glad you found something Ive seen those they are sharp. can't wait to see your updates post them up if you'd like
brandon429 1 year ago
Exquisite! Art and science quite masterfully merged into one. You, dear sir, are a Da Vinci in what I guess I'd call either eco- or bio-art. Sorry to hear about your plants and drum set. @dantheman06111989 Easy now, it's not as if he's gone and created a human centipede, lol. His ecosystems are flourishing! But thank you for your comment about the vase; it really had me cracking up. :)
joules143 1 year ago
@joules143
thanks man yes I crack up too sometimes people get might mad!! the problems come into play when they find out the vase is twice or five times as old as their oldest tank lol thanks so much talk to ya laters
B
brandon429 1 year ago
@brandon429 what airstone are you using?
RaffleReefer10 1 year ago
1.4 years later and the vase is doing fine looks the same only more coralline and the neck is snarled in montipora growth
brandon429 1 year ago
***Urgent Update
It is with a sad tone that I report
the drumset has been moved out of the living room and the plants cleaned up. part of my mojo is gone
brandon429 1 year ago
this is very nice...I swear i can't find the word in the dictionary to describe it.
lifehousemp3 1 year ago
how do u cope with temperature fluctuations?? Are water parameters constantly stable, with such a small tank do the nitrites, nitrates sky rocket because of the such small volume of water to number of inhabitants.I would be interested in knowing exactly how many species you have living in there and if they are actually "comfortable" in that size and shape aqaurium? How does the water flow in such a way to promote healthy growth?? Is it cylclonic due to the shape of the vase??
dantheman06111989 1 year ago
The water flow is random and must be tuned down to not overrun the system, its plenty of power. Nice inquiry on the nitrogen levels, this is taken care of with weekly 100% water changes. Where most people change 20% of the water, I just do 99%. plus I only feed just before the change, giving the dissolved nutrients less time to accumulate vs the current methods. Water params are perfect, hence the sps grown across the glass into a tabletop lol
brandon429 1 year ago
additional reference can be found by googling the article "the history of pico reef biology" and by searching for vase reefs here on youtube, its a very repeatable system and each builder is improving upon the original design, but the same basic mechanics of evaporation control, heating and circulation are still at work
brandon429 1 year ago
So what.... It's in a VASE... It's cruel!! That's what I'm saying. What's so good about having a vase reef??? I don't think you'd be liked to be kept in a vase would you.. There's not point arguing about it. If you are going to post videos then expect critics.
dantheman06111989 1 year ago
Dan just now I got your pm message thanks for sending. The heating is controlled by an internal 75w heater, a preset tetra heater to 78 degrees. the live rock is stacked around it to hide~plus the tank is five years old and is the longest continually running pico reef worldwide just as a backup to the temp stability
the flow is created by using two powerful airstones, no pumps in this tank. We did it w less technology so it would last longer. The special lid design prevents saltcreep and evap
brandon429 1 year ago
I started my hobby 32 years with a plastic box of BRUT perfume , my father used to use. No I have 4 aquariums all slatwater 6,5,3 & 2.5 feet. But honestly I was never facinated to them all than watching your Peco Reef. Perhaps that's that best growth acheived ever in comparison to the system voulme; everything thing is flooding out!. I am amazed and can confidently say that it's the luck which a man is born with that's bring up the wonders.
Hasans01 1 year ago
@Hasans01
I thank you for stopping in Hasan you are welcome to post pics of any of your systems here or on my page anytime. This summer an article was posted/linked from "the history of the parlour aquarium" which references pico reef work back in the 1800's, but they weren't working with circulated systems and their drawings depicted the full ecosystems as well, now thats intriguing!!
brandon429 1 year ago
Wow very cool video and very inspirational! I was getting put done about my 29g reef tank by all these 200g guys but man that is so cool and makes we exited about mine now!!! THX
DiZzYNatiOn 1 year ago
Hi just wondering what lighting your using, also when your structuring with small coral dose that need to be well planed or do you just put a dozen in and wait for an equlibrium? cheers
stoopefy 1 year ago
@stoopefy
hi there. its actually quite forgiving in terms of timing the introduction of the corals if you stay with the popular ones we know really well. My lighting is a coralife mini aqualight, there's new t5 versions out now which are better than what I use. Several corals can be included on day 2 of the build, something argued against by the current reefkeeping masses. If you want to do a build just comment here and we'll coach through one, Ive done about 100 through pms + emails
brandon429 1 year ago
sell some frags it looks to crowded in there is the any filter or a water change
reefstarters 1 year ago
@reefstarters
also there is no filter, you don't need filters for saltwater aquariums. these are bare bones setups, rivaling reefs with the best filters :)
water change is any time I feed, usually once a week.
brandon429 1 year ago
Absolutely stunning
lifehousemp3 1 year ago
This is so neat!!!
whinny4me 1 year ago
All I got to say is wow!!!!!!!!! Good job
Reefkeeper2010 1 year ago
How badass!!! Everything in this video is very impressive. You almost make me want to downsize my 10gal reef tank vs. upsize.....although I'll probably just end up doing both!
Thank you for posting this well put together video.
bfam4t6 1 year ago
This is amazing work your are doing Brandon! You just put to shame all the reefers out there who swear that pico reefs can't be done. I am still in awe at it. Great work!
RipariumGuy
RipariumGuy 1 year ago
congrats, you know how to keep a beautiful, healthy pico tank. i love it!
crystalclearwolf 1 year ago
man how much time and effort did u put into this stuff
kevin3180 1 year ago
where did you get the invisible fish
smuggeler 1 year ago
I might start a small tank someday. Got a 37gal. right now. What the name of the song you have playing in this video?
bludra23 1 year ago
@bludra23
i tried a larger nano once and it didn't work well I couldn't keep any of the params stable lol irony huh. sorry I can't recall the name my friend Steve told me once but i have lost it
brandon429 1 year ago
where can i get a stinkpot turtle?
FTWlife 1 year ago
@FTWlife
Hello I just got lucky and found mine at a local store. Of all the aquatic turtles its my opinion they are the best, they can be found online for overnite delivery I'd guess, they stay very small, can live on shrimp pellets alone, and never made a mess with waste it was really an amazing animal get one if you can.
brandon429 1 year ago
@brandon429 How long does the species live for?
FTWlife 1 year ago
@FTWlife
they have a lifespan comparable to all smaller turtles...if one lived for 15+ years that would not be suprising but most don't stay small for long. this species really stayed small for the temp range of 76 to 78 in the planted tank.
brandon429 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I am so blown away! Amazing, thank you for your videos. Can I request that you build another pico reef vase like the one in this video, and post your progress step-by-step? I need to see detailed visual steps if I'm going to tackle this project myself. ...Also, I'd love to see visual step-by-step for your pico tank... detailed Visual steps are the key. Tall request, I know. :( Thank you!
BrackAttacken 1 year ago
Comment removed
BrackAttacken 1 year ago
what kind of filtration
manunitedfan117 1 year ago
@manunitedfan117
hey thanks for stopping in. There is no filtration from external sources, its all in house...just the live rock, and the sand, and the circulation provided by one airstone, all this intermixes so the nitrifiers have access to the ammonia and nitrite produced in the system.
Many aquariums have an excess of surface area, a double edge sword for detritus storage...
brandon429 1 year ago
what kind of turtle???
boabab95 1 year ago
@boabab95
its called a stinkpot turtle!
brandon429 1 year ago
This is beautiful, you've really inspired me.
ConcurrentContrast 1 year ago
@MSCaachen1
that's a great idea with a larger tank you can keep a clownfish or something with more movement! holler back if you'd like some help and feel free to link up your video here if you make one.
B
brandon429 1 year ago
@MSCaachen1
I have coached a lot of these setups online and a few down this list of comments. Before we get started I need to know if you have any experience preparing saltwater or keeping saltwater tanks. Its not vital, it just determines how much detail is needed to start. These are fine beginner tanks (the vase) as hardly any weekly work is needed to keep them alive. Holler back!
brandon429 1 year ago
Ace tanks mate. one tip for you tho...get that seagul out of the room or you will have bird shit all over that lovely furniture lol
Keep up the good work bro :D
kevkapawski 1 year ago
@kevkapawski
ha lol there's chameleon sht
B
brandon429 1 year ago
Steve, if you use a vase setup there's a neat trick~since its airstone driven, you'll see it pops out little shells and waste bits on the inside neck which is actual skimmer action to wipe off occasionally. a resulting bubble froth will get thicker above the water line as the days go by, indicating protein saturation. Change water at this time, and for a new tank it will come slowly. New water changes always show no bubble frothing, then two weeks into it the froth w be an inch thick...
brandon429 1 year ago
The weekly water changes are only required in advanced age, 1 and 2 years and beyond. for the first year or two bi-monthly 100% changes will work but as soon as green microalgae starts to form quicker on the top of the vase (something all reefs do) its time to do the weekly work, still this is only 3 minutes its nothing like keeping a larger tank.
brandon429 1 year ago
Hi Brandon,
I continue to be blown away by this idea.
Is there anyway to avoid the weekly water changing though ?
steveastrouk 1 year ago
saltcreep is caked up salt material around the lids of ~most~ marine aquariums, where saltwater is either splashed or wicked up to dry in crusty form. Doesn't happen in a vase because of the lid and the water level, which is -not touching- the lid/seal interface, its an inch below that. The best water line for a vase is -halfway- up the neck area. You got all that?
brandon429 1 year ago
Lastly, the way to manage salinity in the vase isn't with tedious water testing. When you do a water change at 78 to 80 degrees max, you take a marker and mark the water line on the outside of your vase, just a dot to reference. Daily as the water line drops, its losing ONLY the distilled water, so if you always add back up to that dot line the salinity will always be back to 1.023~
brandon429 1 year ago
Temperature and salinity are closely calibrated, 78 is the marker by which you interpret your tank's salinity. WIth the lid you are likely to get 2 to 3 days in between topoffs, where you will add only a small amount of distilled water back to the tank because the salinity will creep up, from 1.023 to 1.0245 by the 2nd or 3rd day, this is the maximum flux range for evaporated water.
brandon429 1 year ago
check the salinity of your resting change water periodically, ONLY at the temperature of 78, and add distilled water back to that change water as it evaporates freshwater daily depending on your local humidities and air flow. Never take a specific gravity reading from any temp than what the average running temp of your vase would be.
brandon429 1 year ago
make up extra change water ahead of time and store it nonsealed, open topped, preferably in one of those standard 5 gallon blue water containers but with the lid off. It does not need to be heated or stirred while sitting in your pantry waiting for water change use, just keep the lid off. Before you do a water change, once weekly 100% of the water, use a kitchen sink of water to get the change water reset to 78 degrees before adding it during a water change.
brandon429 1 year ago
use reef crystals artificial salt or instant ocean, pm me if you have problems buying this for alternates. You only add the salt to distilled water, or water from reverse osmosis systems that are maintained accurately while you stir. Mix it up to 1.023 at room temperature just like your freshwater (buy a swingarm hydrometer). the max temp for one of these tanks at any point is 79 or 80. The water will clear up in 15 minutes keep it stirring.
brandon429 1 year ago
its important to use only items from other aquariums, not from the ocean. ethics not withstanding, the benthic growth is too thick on natural pieces and will die off and poison a pico reef. You -have- to use aquarium life aged in any size aquarium, not just the pico reef
brandon429 1 year ago
cut a slit in the lid to run one airline input, and the electrical cord for any small submersible aquarium heater. it just runs over the side of the vase, and live rock from an aquarium shop is stacked up to conceal it, the bubbles blow all around the tank. When you have a correct lid seal, you do this step above and set up the saltwater tank with just rock and sand, the pet store will sell these to you.
brandon429 1 year ago
its any standard large glass vase, not the small ones. The lid is an inverted clear plastic dish, found in garden center areas, used for setting potted plants in to protect the floor. You invert this like a dome, and it has to sit in the inside diameter at any point on the inside neck of the vase.
brandon429 1 year ago
no space to write out reasons, w just type in point format. if any of these are changed it may or may not work, but if these aren't changed, it will work certainly.
-can you get a vase and matching lid, this is the #1 question. Evaporation control is key, and nothing works like this exact combination.
brandon429 1 year ago
@AnubisTheMystic
I started one of these before I knew exactly how they worked, they are very stable. Do you have any marine tank experience? If not, we need to discuss water prep first but the vase is just a light, a vase from walmart, a lid from the garden center, a preset heater and an airpump. lemme know about water prep and we'll do this!
brandon429 1 year ago
SIckkkkkkk i love it ....
NYREPS 1 year ago
B Man, it has been about a year since I first wached one of your vids. Since then I started a 2.5 gallon, it has been up and runing for 10 months now and is thriving with life. It is filled with 12 corals 5 of them being SPS. You are so right about having to have bug life and corline alge. I just want to thankyou for showing everyone that picos can be done and thrive when everyone else said it won't work.
MICNOLE 1 year ago
@MICNOLE
I really appreciate that fo sho! Feel free to vid response me if you make some snaps of your system Id like to link many small pico reefs in one big thread grouping. Thanks for the update, I assure you ten months on a 2.5 puts you in the top 10% of pico reef keeping/age. Were those test scores you'd be accepted into pico harvard thanks for posting~
B
brandon429 1 year ago
Ursula thanks for stopping by. You are right, no fish are kept in the micro tanks. The corals only care about their immediate surroundings, and whether or not the nutrient load is healthy and consistent but they do not care what size the tank is. I do watch them for countless hours, thats the reason for designing such bare bones systems...same animals, minus fish, minus cost and technicality!
brandon429 1 year ago
google:
"The History of Pico Reef Biology"
brandon429 1 year ago
check around for gallon tanks with coralline and sps that are grown into place, not just glued nub. try to find one older than six months, post back if you do~
What I was providing was repeatability and certain methods for salinity control that are not found elsewhere, but yes in some form or another anyone can keep saltwater in a glass. id be curious to see the pics and documentation you know of
thanks
B
B
brandon429 1 year ago
just to ask what is so hard about keeping a little reef tank but it still looks awesome youo make it seem like no one has one and can keep it up
blackdeath6544 1 year ago
@blackdeath6544 hey man the smaller you get w tanks the harder it is to keep. so u dont get it man. this dude has done something not many ppl can keep or even attempt. so go bite one man.
davethehorrorexpert 1 year ago
its good you mention the animal care part Im assuming you are talking about the shrimps. my angle was to give them frequent water changes so the purity rivals that of the best-skimmed 100 gallon, and they are fed a huge amount of frozen food just before a water change, they are always full with this timing of feed/change I have utilized for all small pico aquaria. This allows animals to feed regularly, because w changes are so easy. all too often they are given size, but not knowledge of care...
brandon429 1 year ago
the current is highly variable in each system. The vase is a makedly low current, so low no one would agree it's good for a tank. But, the corals adapt in time because it is exactly enough, this along with temperature control affects the overall metabolism and oxygen cycling in the bowl sufficiently, the key is finding the low end of life support and sustaining that. The square tank was high current by design, the sps shaped as it grew into the current. thank you both for stopping by
B
brandon429 1 year ago
thats a fair opinion animal Ive heard that before. the best I can offer is that the corals physically reproduce in the bowl, and the inverts are free to molt and sustain food, and that a 15 gallon tank is no more preferable if the water params match between the two, that's my take. Just to let you know it was highly scientifically worked out, not haphazard. Like you said though I recommend starter setups have half this much, this is the turbo pro not the norm. fair call
B
brandon429 1 year ago
Dou you have to have such a high current running thru it?
UNIVERSALCONSOLE 1 year ago
y don't u get a:
proper tank instead of tht it is not right tokeep them in a tank like tht it would be ok if there was only a bitof caoral and 1 live rock, but u havent. Get a bigger tank man.
animalsrule2010 1 year ago
Im going to send you via youtube comments a tutorial I wrote for a science teacher. If any of this is unfamiliar Id say do a freshwater vase set up the same way for live plants, far simpler. But, if you know about preparing saltwater and the usual saltwater stuff, the vase is easier than a large tank because it doesn't do unpredictable things.
brandon429 2 years ago
Strawberry thank you I feel the same, its the most you can pack in a vase lol
I did invent it, this one and about 4 or 5 others from my friends are the only ones worldwide that have been reported back to the web.
As far as just building one they are very easy in terms of marine tanks, but I believe some aquarium experience is needed or at least an in-person marine tank coach to help with things like water prep and very important little details. do you have sw experience?
brandon429 2 years ago
awesome!! where can i get one?! the coolest kitchen decoration ever by far. if u made this your amazing! :)
STRAWBERRYHEAD555 2 years ago
wow its pure art ive never seen anything like it amazing 100 stars
666psychadellic 2 years ago
Wow.. very cool dude
buttlord123 2 years ago
That was an acropora crab that came in on the yellow scroll coral frag I think. after some research it appeared to be a destructive variety, lives on coral tissue, rather than the tiny masked ones that are commensal.
The 2 inch tank is a plastic tank with slits, it lets current flow through it for water exchange. it has a tiny sand bed and some live rock chips and living mushroom pedal tissue for coral or any other little fraglet that can be tweezed off the tank
brandon429 2 years ago
do you have that crab inside the sub gallon tank in order for your corals to not over grow?
Axel1238 2 years ago
so sorry don't know the name just a calm piano tune
brandon429 2 years ago
So beautiful. What is the song called??
aWiibitcrazy 2 years ago
Hey thank you nice to meet you. For the vase, it would start out with a small chunk of live rock and a simple coral, added to over time.
The filtration, from ammonia to nitrate, is handled by the live rock and the current from the airstone, nothing else. Since the water changes are weekly, and only a gallon, nitrate is exported totally and this completes all filtration better than large tanks.
my invention centers around simple timing and the size remarks of the stability in timing~
B
brandon429 2 years ago
what do you use for filtration/ set up in a tank this small?
astchiefy 2 years ago
I think this is the most beautify display I've seen on the Tube and it really made my Day. Thanks. I'd love to learn more about your process ot setup as I am a naturalist with my tank and want to keep it simple.
astchiefy 2 years ago
This is absolutely amazing!
lindadenmark 2 years ago
thank you miss
those drums are my pride and joy
:)
B
brandon429 2 years ago
absolutely beautiful
missonetwo 2 years ago
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
funkmaster100 2 years ago
hey thank you I worked really hard to establish the detail. had to wait for the most pristine coral frags, then pay up to $40 apiece. thank you for commenting about this unique science
B
brandon429 2 years ago
The tiny square tank is probabile one of if not the most bad ass tanks i have ever seen!!
M1lesPerHour 2 years ago
I also wanted to state that I do not advocate buying a vase and then packing it like this without slow mastery. getting there is the fun.
What you are seeing is the turbo-deluxe version of what a decade in pico reefs produces, just showing my best work. Beginning versions, while equally stable due to the evap control, should only be stocked with a few maricultured corals for trial. Use farmed rock too
B
brandon429 2 years ago
Im glad you already have experience, that makes it completely easy. pm sent
brandon429 2 years ago
Please help me set one of these up! I have a SW fish tank already and I want to set these up very badly because we cannot do a reef with my mantis
Zombomofo 2 years ago
There have been numerous internet threads where experts refuse to believe these are real, or years old, because the current studies in coral allelopathy don't allow for 20 genera sharing one gallon of water.
These studies are not conducted in microhabitats...I feel the dilution ratios in picos strongly feedback, and downregulate, the war apparatus in scleractinian corals. Water changes occur before tissue degredation, then nettling stops (it seems)
coral health means something~
brandon429 2 years ago
@brandon429
I just started a 2 gallon reef. Been cycling for about 3 weeks now. The tank i use is a cylinder vase thats 5.5 inches in diameter and 2 feet tall. Not much going on in it for now but will post something when it gets more livestock.
Axel1238 2 years ago
hello
the black box on top of the vase is a light called 'coralife mini aqua light' at $35 it's the cheapest reef tank light there is.
The bubbles are from a standard airstone, but don't use the regular ones they degrade in a reef tank and crumble. Only the ceramic ones are any good for duration.
the vase only uses an airstone for circulation, no powerhead. The small square sealed reef tank uses a powerhead, a minijet 14 for circulation.
brandon429 2 years ago
is that a powerhead on the top? also where are the bubbles coming from.
Axel1238 2 years ago
Thank you so much for stopping by we are getting people who enjoy reef aquariums from all over the globe, nice to meet you! Sorry I do not have the name of the song. the wonderful piano I thought went well with a calm reef.
brandon429 2 years ago
Brandon. I am glad to find this clip.
Very amazing.
Also love the music, what is the name of this song?
Thanks.
Chingchai
peakmaxbest 2 years ago
sent you a pm, thanks for commenting and stopping by!
Brandon
brandon429 2 years ago
wow amazing man! pls send me tips on how to do these.. i want to save my pico reef in the future too and the philippines is the center of reef biodiversity, i may be able to share these in the future. thanks.God bless.....
coolice1112 2 years ago
saturdays are topoff days too, forgot to add. the vase is topped off with about two ounces of water, twice per week depending on the season and ambient humidity
brandon429 2 years ago
here is the total maintenance routine for 4 years:
-sunday change water scrape out microalgae on glass
-monday dose in morning
-tuesday dose in morning/topoff a little
-wed can be a feed day, full water change or skip and don't feed/change/dose
-thurs dose in the morning use micro scraper
-friday dose a.m. give light target feed
-saturday skip
Variations on these intervals are set by your animals. If you don't pack the vase, it can go two weeks in between changes/feeding easily. 1 gallon/water
brandon429 2 years ago
The risks in these systems are external, not internal. A good home or office A/C is required, max ambient temp for the vase is 79 and the sealed tank is 76. No min temp, these are 50w heaters. Also, knocking it over is a risk.
Warmer temps can be supported but this is not the right metabolism for a pico reef, 78 is ideal. these picos don't make unpredictable chemistry changes. No water testing is needed at any stage, again the size restricts variables that call for pH/no3/P04 testing.
brandon429 2 years ago
what is shown on the vid is just a light spot feeding for the dendros and to bring out the animals who smell it!
Full water changes are not harmful to corals that had time to adapt, this is a common reef tank misnomer.
brandon429 2 years ago
The feeding mechanism contributes 80% to the health of the corals and inverts, and this can't be done in larger tanks so again the size of a pico reef helps, not hinders the design.
You can swirly in half a cube's worth of mixed frozen coral food/mysis and saturate the system with protein.
Then, a thorough water change a few hours afterwards rips out the degrading excess, only full polyps remain. The surface area within the rock handles the wastes from *digestion, not uneaten food.
brandon429 2 years ago
Anthony thank you for posting. in the early days of micro marine science it would have been ill-advised to start with a system this small, but that has changed.
The vase models actually control all parameters quite well and are the cheapest way one can set up a reef. After reading the web forums about water preparation for salt tanks, a start is just as easy as getting a vase, lid, heater, airstone and a very simple coral or two to start. With mastery you can stack them this full no problem.
brandon429 2 years ago
Saltwater life is a new interest of mine and I'm looking into starting a very small pico reef, but I don't really even know where to begin. A nudge in the right direction would be amazing : )
This setup is jaw-dropping, extremely impressive!
AnthonyJB88 2 years ago
A lot of times on the web forums observers will comment the life expectancy must be short due to nutrient sinking, but there are ways around that where only a pico reef will excel. Again, transportability becomes a benefit...
You can set one of these in the sink and pour 10+ gallons of water through it letting the overflow carry out the wastes. You can easily get shrimp out in this way as well!
brandon429 2 years ago
BOXING CRAB! LOVE IT!
DigiShark990 2 years ago
wow great vid plz subscribe to me i am trying to reach youtube partnership
lopsideful 2 years ago
also, after working through as many different invertebrates for the pico reef I have settled on the yellow stenopus and boxer crab juveniles for many reasons
mainly because they are the slowest-growing, and least impactful to the corals of inverts tested.
No Ia is dosed, iodine is garnered through the feeding of cyclopeeze en masse just before 100% water changes weekly. Molts occur but are in the order of 3x per year, very slow and this works great.
brandon429 2 years ago
I noticed in a Polish reef aquarium forum there were concerns about keeping the shrimp in the small container.
Thought I would note that its very easy to get them out during a water change when grown, these are juveniles. Export is a legitimizing factor in pico reef keeping, versus a consumptive approach where inverts and corals are re-bought due to dieoff.
These are dynamic environments so the keeper must continue to balance them through simple adjustments.
brandon429 2 years ago
Mark and Gabe thank you for stopping by! if you guys have any shots of your tanks feel free to vid response and link them up if you want. as we list all the notations for running these kind of systems it will build a reference to help others
I have seen on the posting boards some freshwater systems that were only a couple ounces, and these are interesting because they can live for years at this scale whereas 1/2 gallon is about as small as can be stable for marine...
brandon429 2 years ago
You're aquatic work has, by far, been the most inspiring to me! And this is my all time favorite video. Now that I have a nano running, after seeing your setup, I've got 3 pico tanks in the making! Two reef and one planted freshwater.
My favorites are your 1 gallon reefbowl and the half gallon sealed tank. But I gotta say, the half gallon is the sure winner for me. Absolutely amazing stuff!!!
markkrieg 2 years ago
amazing little tank! very very nice!
liener14 2 years ago
You must be a very interesting person. I am impressed.
NicoCatrix 2 years ago
youd be suprised, they are the least work of any saltwater tank one could own. A water change takes 5 mins, once or twice a week depending on feeding. The diatoms and algae scraping are from the mini magnet scraper, that's all. 10 mins per week, the rest is coral growth!
brandon429 2 years ago
Sweet setup.. Way too much work though.. Would have less maintenance on a larger setup (if you have room for one)..
Glad to see this flourishing! Un-freakin-real!!!
StonedPlanet 2 years ago
Biology is so not my thing, but let me say your collection is amazing. Very inspiring. . . even to those who have other studies!
higheddy89 2 years ago
very very nice tanks you got there. wow!!
vardesigns 2 years ago
I can't wait to see how it turns out I'm glad you are replicating the setup. You will also see the natural skimming effect of the bubbles, they will deposit scum on the inside of the neck above the water, when you wipe it off you are exporting. crabs and snails are fine, I've used both. crabs tend to close up corals though
brandon429 2 years ago
Thank you Brandon for all of your help. I have been keeping reefs for about 6 years but am now getting more into the tiny pico tanks. I started my own reef vase 4 days ago and have it running now. I was wondering if you have snails / hermits in your tank? I have one of each to clean the rock right now but didn't see any in your vase... What is your take on snails and crabs in the pico aquariums?
KevinStan3 2 years ago
Im finding through years of trial and error that it's my opinion the doughs and fillers/binders used in pelleted feed cause sandbed accumulations in my tank. When I cease all prepared foods and go only frozen/ the bed will clear itself of deposits after a few months and the microfauna selection weighs against gammarus and more in favor of sponges and calcareous worms. In a larger tank this likely wouldn't matter, but it's funny what you see in a one gallon after 4 years now...
brandon429 2 years ago
thanks for stopping in ipsf!
the music was just a freeware track I got off a "soothing music" search from a massage training site about 5 years ago
called relaxing waves i think
brandon429 2 years ago
Great work, Brandon. The future of reefkeeping, imho. BTW, what is the music on your other vid, with the crashing waves? Thx!
ipsfdotcom 2 years ago
I will add something that may be very important, the cycling. I have never added inverts before it was aged, to make sure the chemical and physical cycles have balanced. It may work in a shorter period, but I feel it's important to make sure you can age one before putting those higher life forms inside. the way you control salinity is mark the water line with a marker, and fill up with freshwater anytime water is lower than that line, it will always go back to the original specific gravity
brandon429 2 years ago