# picotope lighting



## lovemmth (Aug 30, 2010)

Just ordered a 3 gallon picotope. My questions are. 1 I am going to use the stock light ficture I know the bulb that comes with the kit is not good for growing plants is there a replacement bulb that I can purchase? 2 Is there a carpeting plant that will grow with any light that I can add to the stock ficture I was hoping to use HC and add some RCS?


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Usually you can't but a brigther bulb into the ballast unless it's rated for higher. You can check to see if its a 6500k. I believe HC is high light. RCS should be fine. GL


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

I have a 3 g Picotope and use that light with great results. I liked it so much I bought another and use it on another tank I had to replace the junk LED's that came with it.


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

demonr6 said:


> I have a 3 g Picotope and use that light with great results. I liked it so much I bought another and use it on another tank I had to replace the junk LED's that came with it.


Where did you buy the picotope light from? I could never find it outside the complege fish tank kit.


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I'm not sure if this is allowed, so please remove/report if it is.

Many nano-reefers also use the JBJ picotope and they usually discard their lighting for better ones. Check out www.nano-reef.com or other (aquarium) reefing online communities.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Okay, I have to break this out.. this is a JBJ Picotope right out of the box using the stock light and bulb. I scrapped the POS HOB filter and replaced it with a TOM mini internal tank filter. Weekly water changes but nothing else.. this tank has been at my office and in service since December. As you can see the plants do not have an issue with the lighting situation and the betta loves his home. It is on a timer, 8 hrs on and kicks on at 8 AM about an hour after I get in to work.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Quentin said:


> Where did you buy the picotope light from? I could never find it outside the complege fish tank kit.


Go straight to JBJ and buy it. I called in and asked the lady who answered the phone if I could buy the entire light assembly bulb and all directly thought her and she was more than accommodating.


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## lovemmth (Aug 30, 2010)

Thanks all my tank will be here soon. The light that comes with the kit is a 50/50. I didn't think that bulb would be good for growing plants? Demonr6 did you change the bulb I was told coralife sells a replacement 9 watt 6700k bulb


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

I have been using the light that came with the tank. You can see by the pics that the plants don't mind it at all. Java Fern blows up with that light. If I could get a better & closer pic you would see it is a beautiful green with almost zero brown. A little on the edges of maybe two leaves but those are the older growth, the rest are a spotless. I have a wisteria and that elephant ear looking plant was pulled when I was pruning the arrangement at my desk.. I tossed it in there. That was three months ago and it thrives semi submersed. The other three are relatively new to the tank, telanthera sp? and a couple of others that were extras in my larger tanks. In all it has been in that same state for about three weeks now and doing really well with that light no ferts other than fish waste which is really beyond me how they all do so well considering it is plain gravel.


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## 82nd_Airborne (Mar 28, 2012)

Thanks for the input Demonr6. I just ordered one of these set ups and was worried about the light. My only question you comment about the filter. Is it really that bad? I plan on it being a heavily planted tank with maybe an oto.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The filter isn't "bad" - just... kinda cheaply made and not entirely flexible when it comes to your options for media.

I use these small tanks as nano reefs but have one I use for Green Shrimp. I use an AquaClear 20 filter with a sponge prefilter and it's great. Well worth the $15-$20 for the AC. Though, the included filter will work fine if you play around with it.


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## 82nd_Airborne (Mar 28, 2012)

Sounds like good advice. I currently have only one other tank, a 5.5 gallon Fluval Chi that I have officially done everything wrong imaginable to. I finally replaced the center filter cube for a real light and an AQ 20 and I am much happier. This tank is going to be for work, so I am trying to go as low maintenance as possible, so plants, an otto, and some RCS probably. I will probably play around with the filter for a while and if I hate it, I'll pick up another AQ 20 and transfer media from my 5.5. BTW as a side note, I absolutely love how nice everyone on this forum is. especially with me being new( less than 6 months) into the hobby.


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## shrimpster (Jan 31, 2012)

Yeah, the light is 9 watts. I grew a carpet of HC no problem with the stock bulb. 

Just re-arrange the media from the way it comes and use the bag for the charcoal to put in some bio. It works just fine. I put the black sponge across the exit of the impeller into the media chamber, then some eheim substratpro, then the floss across the exit. The black sponge and the floss form an 'L' and leave a nice pocket for the bio. That way the black sponge filters first, then through the bio, last through the floss.


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## 82nd_Airborne (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok, so I like the tank, the light, but not the filter. I should have listened earlier. The filter was loud. I would mess with the impeller, it would stop, then start back up after another 15 minutes. I thought maybe it would stop after a day or 2 running, but that rattle drove me crazy after day 1, so now an AQ 20 is hanging on the back of it.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Started a tank journal yet, 82nd?


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## 82nd_Airborne (Mar 28, 2012)

I've got some pictures of setup, but I havent decided if im going to do a journal or not. I probably ought to since I seem to be hijacking other people's threads.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Do it! 

Love these little tanks.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

I use the coralife bulb in mine and my plants love it. I also replaced the filter but am using a Red Sea Nano filter. It's still very small but works SO much better than the stock filter. My Picotope is my favorite tank.


Jenna


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