Desktop Tank
- Thread starter fishy408
- Start date
I use to have a small pico on my counter at work for years and years. Kept 1-2 small clowns. No skimmer no wc no light. Just live rock and sand.
Steve at lucky ocean had a 20 on his counter for over 25-30 ? Years. He had all easy stuff but it was doing well all they way up until he closed. No skimmer. Just a light and wc once in a while.
Steve at lucky ocean had a 20 on his counter for over 25-30 ? Years. He had all easy stuff but it was doing well all they way up until he closed. No skimmer. Just a light and wc once in a while.
Most of the budget contest tanks run into this category. Having a good fitting lid assuming your office doesn't get hot will make it way easier not having to top off. If you don't have fish, there's really little you have to do.
Gonna have to call the tang police on the AI that made that picture though haha
I Definitely recommend a rock from existing tank. New ones expect crazy alage to the point you will wanna tear it down. I’ve had a few smaller 15-5 gallons ones. So speaking first hand on new structures are the worst in smaller tanks much more than bigger ones.
The times I used rocks from another tank made big difference like instant cycle. I imagine existing sand would help as well especially if you start the tank with more existing rock and substrate than new stuff.
The times I used rocks from another tank made big difference like instant cycle. I imagine existing sand would help as well especially if you start the tank with more existing rock and substrate than new stuff.
Pros:
Water changes are super easy
Cons:
A lot of nuisance algae has to be removed by hand
I have a 7.5 gal, which is a cubic foot. Mine is a little overbuilt with a skimmer, ATO, and oversized lighting. The super small tank has been really good to me. My tank journal is way out of date (update soon!), but I've had it over two years and I've had a lot of success.
Some things depend on how often you want to mess with it. IMO, a skimmer and ATO can help there.
I don't have a lid and honestly can't imagine having a tank like this without an ATO. The evaporation rate is pretty high.
A skimmer might not be necessary for softies, but in my case, I think it's been the secret sauce to keeping acros and other "difficult" corals. FWIW, I have more trouble with LPS in my tank than zoas and SPS.
I don't have any fish, just a blood shrimp, some snails, and a tuxedo urchin - the only actually useful creature in the tank, highly recommend.
Design-wise, I would say, don't put too much rock in. You have to clean the tank (no tangs, etc.), so you need to be able to reach into every part. It seems easy in principle, but the tradeoff is more rock, more corals...
For maintenance, I buy saltwater - skipping that whole fun process and its equipment - and I have a battery-powered submersible pump. A 20% water change takes less than 5 minutes. Scrub out the skimmer cup a couple times a week. Razor the glass every few days. Feed pellets to the shrimp everyday if I can/remember or else a few times a week. Consistency of the inputs could be important, its why things like pellets are better than frozen foods, IMO. I pull algae with a variety of tweezers and small trimming scissors before a water change maybe once a month, depending on if its going on a hot streak or not. Sometimes the algae seems unstoppable and other times it's very minor for months.
Having it on the desk does seem like a distraction. There's also the issue of having a bright light at eye-level. Maybe someone who has actually done this can chime in.
Water changes are super easy
Cons:
A lot of nuisance algae has to be removed by hand
I have a 7.5 gal, which is a cubic foot. Mine is a little overbuilt with a skimmer, ATO, and oversized lighting. The super small tank has been really good to me. My tank journal is way out of date (update soon!), but I've had it over two years and I've had a lot of success.
Some things depend on how often you want to mess with it. IMO, a skimmer and ATO can help there.
I don't have a lid and honestly can't imagine having a tank like this without an ATO. The evaporation rate is pretty high.
A skimmer might not be necessary for softies, but in my case, I think it's been the secret sauce to keeping acros and other "difficult" corals. FWIW, I have more trouble with LPS in my tank than zoas and SPS.
I don't have any fish, just a blood shrimp, some snails, and a tuxedo urchin - the only actually useful creature in the tank, highly recommend.
Design-wise, I would say, don't put too much rock in. You have to clean the tank (no tangs, etc.), so you need to be able to reach into every part. It seems easy in principle, but the tradeoff is more rock, more corals...
For maintenance, I buy saltwater - skipping that whole fun process and its equipment - and I have a battery-powered submersible pump. A 20% water change takes less than 5 minutes. Scrub out the skimmer cup a couple times a week. Razor the glass every few days. Feed pellets to the shrimp everyday if I can/remember or else a few times a week. Consistency of the inputs could be important, its why things like pellets are better than frozen foods, IMO. I pull algae with a variety of tweezers and small trimming scissors before a water change maybe once a month, depending on if its going on a hot streak or not. Sometimes the algae seems unstoppable and other times it's very minor for months.
Having it on the desk does seem like a distraction. There's also the issue of having a bright light at eye-level. Maybe someone who has actually done this can chime in.
fishy408
Supporting Member
Thanks for all the info! I read your tank journal and will follow along.
Alexander1312
Supporting Member
Can I have this? Or borrow this for a side project I am working on?
SupraSaltyReefer
Supporting Member
Now the office is a offish