Thinking about starting a picotope :)

I have some SW tank experience, and am thinking about starting up a picotope..Its been almost a year since I have posted on 3reef, so im glad to be back for the time being!

I had to take my last tank down due to moves, changes in career, advanced edu, etc.

Anyways, I was thinking maybe a 3 gal tank. The only one that caught my eye was the jbj 3 gl. I was thinking about just putting maybe a shrimp...or whatever else I could put in there. The goal is simplicity. I do have a 14 gallon biocube, but the ballasts were thrown away, and i dont think its worth replacing them...Plus, I ran into many problem with the bc14. I do understand the extreme sensitivity of these tanks, so i am looking for things that are more capable of enduring the anticipated changes.

My Questions:
*What is a good tank brand?
*I live in a warm environment, will the temperature fluctuations be to harmful
on the tank? The house is air-conditioned, but there still is that 4-6 degree change in temp throughout the day.
*Substrate? I am a fan of live sand, but I dont know is that the best for it.
*Lighting? Is the lighting on the jbj 3gallon sufficient for very very basic coral/etc.
*Any other suggestions?? Thing I might have missed??



Thanks for any help! I remember you all being of great assistance on my last tank!

 

I've heard they are great! the only thing that would worry me is temp changes and creatures jumping out. The lighting is good. I had a encrusting monti in my 6 gallon nano cube.

 

Any other ideas/tips/warnings?

 

use a aquaclear 70 with a DIY fuge
use mesh top from BRS

 

The lighting on the picotope is good for only mushrooms and zoas at best. I have one and upgraded to a PAR30 and it works great for zoas and higher light demanding stuff.