Inquiring about a pico

So I just realized something, in a few months I'll have some leftover stuff from my biocube. I'll have rock, sand, a filter, salt, and water! Why let all those things go to waste? So I think in February I'll start a pico.

I've narrowed it Dow to two choices

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001EUL4DM/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002SZMB8Y/ref=aw_d_detail?pd=1

I'm leaning toward the finnex more because it has a better light.

I'd like this to be sps dominated. Is that possible with those lights?

As far as stocking I was thinking...

1 fire shrimp
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
3 sexy shrimp
1 yellow tang

Whadya think? The tanks are only about 50$ so I'm thinking february ish.

Ps- I was kidding about the tang. Tang police, you may rest easy tonight.

 

i really want sexy shrimp

but what about fish??

put a clown goby or something really small in there

 

Yeah that would be cool! Could a citron goby go in there?

 

Bump

 

If you are wanting to go sps dominated in a small tank, 3-4 gallons i wouldnt get a fish. Thats an awful lot of waste for such a small space. I like the look of the 2nd option better than the 1st.

As for the light, im not sure that it would support a full blown sps tank. I would opt for maybe a par30 or par38 either from boostled, rapid, or wherever. Those are just the brand i prefer for those types of bulbs.

 

Alright I'll look into the 30 and keep it at inverts only.

 

i have a 5 gallon minibow tank and i think it was about 40 dollars. it needed alot of upgrades but now i can put anything int here. its more stable than alot of the larger tanks ive had and i have one fish in it. i have sps in there now.

 

I am going to be brutally honest here.

Unless you plan only zonathids, mushrooms and easy soft corals with no inverts or fish pass on the pico until you have a few years of SW under your belt.

The parameter swings are a nightmare and that is just one significant issue.

They can be amazing tanks, but the devotion you need to keep one longer than 3 months is an undertaking.

 

you could always add a sump or fuge so it adds the extra stability while still having the pleasures of a pico tank? that looks like a very good option to me.
a friend of mine has a 10 gallon sps tank thats the coolest pico ive ever seen but he secretly has a 55 gallon sump that it is connected to in the opposite room.

 

How does this sound...

Zoas and shrooms only.
No inverts or fish of any kind.

I would imagine that it won't be that hard with easy corals and no livestock because there's no ammo source.