Pico Pic

[Donya]

Here is where I'm at so far with my non-reef pico:

Ugly and tacky, especially with the experimental home-made skimmer intruding at the corner, but it was never going to be a display tank anyway. It got built by adding things in completely the wrong order since I had the Nerite snails first in freshwater in the empty "tank" (tub). It got taken to saltwater over a month to keep the snails alive, which has made subsequent steps to add things difficult.

The pic is rather washed out and the LR is farily bare on the top...a couple pieces are carpo quality because I didn't know what I was looking for when I got them, but they are growing some stuff. I am not sure why, but the coraline is preferentially growing on the back/bottom of the rocks. I thought it was cyanobacter when I found it on the undersides, but it's calcareous and exactly like the other coraline in there. Any particular reason it isn't liking the top?

Please excuse the heater--it's a temporary measure because of a cold snap here in Dallas that the electric heating couldn't keep up with. Also the water is actually crystal clear; it's the substrate/rocks reflecting and bad lighting.

 

[Donya]

Well no one's said it sucks yet so I guess that's good lol not the most beautiful setup but not bad for a tub.

The macro algae has finally grown enough for a photo:

I'm actually having difficulty getting it to grow at more than a very slow rate, because somebody's eating it periodically (probably the Nerites). There are at least 2 species in there, the grapes and a flat blade-like species. I think the grapes are C. racemosa? Even though it's usually a pest, I think it's pretty interesting from a biological standpoint.

Those species seem to be the only stuff I can find locally. Do you have to order it online to get other types or just be opportunistic with hitchhiking species?