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 Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:13 pm
I'm thinking of turning my 2.5 into a nano saltwater tank. Any advice would be great. It's already cycled, so would it be as simple as mixing some saltwater, letting it age and then replacing all of the old water with that? Or would I have to completely recycle it in some magical salty way? Are there any plants that do well in salt water aquariums? I already have about a 2 inch layer of sand, should I increase that to 3 inches? Do they make protein skimmers for tanks that small? Would I actually need one? Is a weekly water change a good idea?
I would love to put dwarf seahorses in it, but before I attempt that I think I should practice with a snail or some shrimp or small goby or something like that.
What equipment would I need for this? Let me know and I'll add it to the list.
- Heater
- Hood
- Lights
- Saltwater mix
- Saltwater Test Kit
- Hydrometer
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:50 am
that would actually be a pico tank and it will be THE HARDEST saltwater thing you will EVER take on...seriously D:
the smaller the tank the more likely you will have problems. do you have any saltwater experience?
if you STILL want to take this on you will need to start with fresh mixed saltwater. put a layer of sand (maybe 1 inch) and a few small pieces of live rock and let the tank cycle.
i'd suggest you ONLY ever keep in there maybe a few small hermit crabs. they are pretty hardy and will eat just about anything including any algae that will grow in your little tank. also invertebrates do not foul up water like fish will so it will be more stable.
OR if you dont do crabs you can maybe do mushroom polyps or zoo polyps (no crabs because they crawl ALL OVER the coral and the polyps will never open especially in such a small space)
also hydrometers are not the best for testing the salinity. a refractometer is the way to go. we have had a 34 gallon display for over a year and found out in the middle of our adventure that hydrometers are usually off by .003 which is a lot to saltwater
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:08 am
If you really want to keep a fish in there I'd upgare to a 5 gallon and keep one Blenny or Gobby. In a 10 gallon you can keep both of them, provided that you have enough live rock so that they can get away from eachother.
You could also try a damselfish, they are pretty hardy, just research before buying; some of them look cute and sparkly as a juvinile, but grow up to be large and brown. Some are very territorial, and some are schoolingfish, but often they are diggers too.
This also goes for gobbies and blennies, they can also be territorial and especially gobbies like to dig, so make sure everything is secured. Oh and crabs also dig. Which reminds me, you can try a small brittle star or an arrow crab.
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:09 pm
actually ALL commonly found damsel fish are aggressive and you need tanks 55gallons or larger for more than one...even chromis fish will kill eachother. damsels also swim lots and some can get pretty big (5+inches) would be unhappy in even a 10 gallon.
in 5 gallons gobies are not the best (unless its a clown goby or other perching goby) because they dig and need deeper sand...a 5 gallon doesnt give enough room for sand and rocks.
in a 10 gallon you cannot keep a goby AND a blenny because they WILL fight. they look too similar
all this is from experience @_@
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:06 am
Yes, although I'm in freshwater at the aquarium, I've also learned how to help maintain saltwater tanks because the day of the week I'm there is the day most people are off, they usually need help in other galleries. So I know a little about saltwater. Obviously it's a drastically different scale I'll be working with, but I think I've got the basics down. Plus, I would keep it without any living things until I'm absolutely sure I can keep it stable. I'm not into animal abuse, even something so small as a shrimp or a polyp.
Someone suggested a sexy shrimp as a good starter 'vert. I'm not even going to attempt coral or anything like that. Not unless I had a bigger tank to work with. I am also moving, and depending on how much space I have, I may be selling my bigger tanks (if I can force myself to) so it would be my only focus.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:33 am
my advice; get a bigger tank. "seahorese want at least 10 gallons to themselves." but in all honesty, to sustain a healthy saltwater tank, you need live rock. i will allow you to build a functioning ecosystem that is very easily sustained. and you don't have enough room in a 2.5g for much more than 1 clown fish or a sexy shrimp...
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:33 am
Actually, most seahorses need a lot more space than that. Dwarf Seahorses are Recommended for anything between 2.5-10g, 5g being more common because they are very tiny, and the more space there is, the harder it is for them to find their food and the more you have to put in. It is recommended to make your own live rock, because as they are small and delicate, many of your more common hitchhikers can kill them or out compete them for food. So this is one of the situations when bigger is not always better.
I'm not looking to have some complicated reef tank with tons of fish or anything like that. I fully understand that I won't be able to have more than 1 small shrimp or fish or something in this tank. That's perfectly fine with me. Quality, not quantity ftw.
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Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:01 am
For a 2.5 gallon tank I have two recommendations:
DON'T put fish in the tank. With a tank size that small even a little clown goby can have a lot of impact on the overall health of the tank. Just stick with snails and hermits and maybe some small shrimp like sexy or peppermint shrimp. 3nodding
Also, there is a nifty little system called the Auto Top-Off. In small tanks evaporation can make the salinity change quickly, which will stress out your corals. The ATO has a sensor that activates a pump the will automatically add fresh water to the tank when it senses that the water level is too low. It's expensive but worth it.
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Ammonia Spike Vice Captain
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