Mini planted tank

[bazil323]

I have this 2.5 gallon bowfront that I used to keep a betta in at work. The betta has since passed on, and I don't want the hassle of keeping a fish at work anymore. Especially once we build the new hospital, it'll be a real pain to change water. Anyway, I was thinking that having a nice little low light planted tank would be really cool.

I was thinking that something small and bushy like subwrasstertang (sp?) would be nice for the bottom along with a taller bunch plant for some spacial/texture variety. I also am thinking about having a small piece of driftwood. I have a nice piece that would work well that is in my 75g tank with some Java moss and an anubia on it. I'll have to check if the anubia would be too tall, though.

I'm thinking of using Eco Complete for the substrate as it's a nice black color, and it's available at my lfs. Otherwise, they do have Flourite, but it's only in red. I think I'll like the black better.

Anyway, my main question at this time is: Do I need to change the water other than topping up?

[inkyjenn]

thats a really good question. i would think top offs would be ok since there are no livestock

[Kashta]

On a regular basis, no. The main reason we do partial water changes is to remove fish waste and food waste. Over a longer period of time, you would need to do some changes, but only due to evaporation. Pure water evaporates, leaving behind it's TDS component. So you would gradually see a buildup in heavy metals and dissolved mineral content.

I was running a 40 gallon tank with nothing but plants in it. It was lit up and had a HOB running so it would circulate. Didn't want stagnant water. I did a 50% water change after about 4 months. But I didn't measure anything, just wanted to freshen it up.

[crimsonmoon]

you will have some extra eco left over...im thinking you could set up another small planted at home :D a betta would love you forever in there

[bazil323]

I was thinking of boosting the substrate of one of my tanks at home. I've got a 20g long planted as well as a 75g planted. Both with creatures. This would be my first plant only tank.

I did think about maybe adding a couple cherry shrimp or amano shrimp to the tank, but then I guess I'd have to do some WCs.

Would I need some water movement in that small of a tank? I know it's a good idea for larger ones, but for such a small one, I'd think that it would be fine.

[tanker]

No water movement and the water would become stagnet. You can have a small UGF or a small AZOO filter.

[bazil323]

I've got a small Tetra Whisper filter that came with the tank kit. That I could use.

[bazil323]

Had another thought. If I use the Whisper filter I have, that would create surface agitation all the time. Would I want any agitation on the surface?

Also, I wouldn't have to run the filter pads in it, just empty for movement, right?

Does anyone know of a small powerhead that would give me some movement without overpowering such a small tank?

Umm, had another question but can't think of what it was...

[Kashta]

I'd still use a cartridge or some floss in the filter to collect plant debris. Even under ideal conditions, live plants are naturally going to drop a dead leaf now and then.

[bazil323]

Good point. Thanks!

[Raithan Ellis]

Had another thought. If I use the Whisper filter I have, that would create surface agitation all the time. Would I want any agitation on the surface?

Also, I wouldn't have to run the filter pads in it, just empty for movement, right?

Does anyone know of a small powerhead that would give me some movement without overpowering such a small tank?

Umm, had another question but can't think of what it was...


Bazil,

Surface agitation will be good for the plants, presuming you aren't going to be running any CO2 to the tank. Reason being, you will want to prevent water stagnation, remove the film on the surface of the water that will build up, and to allow the water have some sort of gas exchange (outgassing oxygen during the day and CO2 by night, as plants respire).

Also, water changes are always a good thing... no reason to be lazy on such a small tank, only takes a minute to do. Plants can use the addition of dissolved minerals, presuming you aren't going to be dosing on any sort of standard cycle. And, if you are dosing, then it wouldn't hurt to do a water change either, as you will want to remove any excess buildup of nutrients.

I would personally run some sort of small floss media in the filter, just to give the surface film something to cling to and keep the water clear, as you will eventually have some plant debris breaking down.

For a 2.5 gallon tank, a small box filter or sponge filter driven by an airpump would be about perfect. No point in a hang on back type, nor any impeller driven filters on that small size of tank.

Kind regards,
Raithan O. Ellis

[bazil323]

Thanks for the info. Just curious, why is there no point in having the HOB type filter? I was going to use it as I already have one, and I don't want to spend money I don't have to. Also, it would be good to run 24/7 for the agitation? That shouldn't be a problem, just again not that experienced with plants.

The reason I was worried about water changes, as I said before, is that it would be difficult to accomplish at work. It's fine in the office we are in right now, but we are going to be moving into a new hospital building, hopefully, within the next 2 years. At that time, I will be much farther from a sink and lugging water buckets around or the tank around is just not an option. It's not a matter of laziness, but rather it is a matter of logistics.

[Raithan Ellis]

Thanks for the info. Just curious, why is there no point in having the HOB type filter? I was going to use it as I already have one, and I don't want to spend money I don't have to. Also, it would be good to run 24/7 for the agitation? That shouldn't be a problem, just again not that experienced with plants.

The reason I was worried about water changes, as I said before, is that it would be difficult to accomplish at work. It's fine in the office we are in right now, but we are going to be moving into a new hospital building, hopefully, within the next 2 years. At that time, I will be much farther from a sink and lugging water buckets around or the tank around is just not an option. It's not a matter of laziness, but rather it is a matter of logistics.

Bazil,

If you have a HoB that is low-flow or can be adjusted back for a tank that small, it's absolutely fine. My only concerns are the amount of flow in a small tank if you have tall thin plants... vals, etc. or the cost. But since you already have one on hand, that's a perfectly viable alternative.

Regarding the water changes... understanding your situation, I wouldn't expect one to carry buckets with them. When I worked in a corporate environment (cubicle), I had a similar scenario. You can always use a 32 or 44oz styrofoam cup to do your changes. Just dip the empty cup into your tank, toss a lid on it and haul it to the restroom on a break. Dump, refill, go back to your tank and top it off. Simple. :) I had a habit of doing it once a day... for plants only, you certainly don't need to do it so often.

Kind regards,
Raithan O. Ellis

[bazil323]

Okay, so small amounts changed daily is enough. That should be easy enough.

Now my next question is: What water supply should I use? If I use the city tap water, I should use a dechlorinator, yes?

Or should I bring a bottle of tank water from home to replace the water?

Or should I have a bottle of distilled water?

I don't plan on doing any high tech or high light plants, so I don't want to do anything with ferts or CO2.

[Paladinpress]

I agree with Ellis that you could cut the water changes to bi-weekly or monthly with plants only. If you wanted to dose Prime to get rid of Chlor/Chloramine I think the normal dose is 2 drops per gallon, so you could do just 1 drop for your small cup. My bottle of Prime did not come with a dropper, so you have to get one. I found a neat little fish-shaped bottle of another dechlor product from Wawl-mart that was really small and easy to keep in a desk drawer. I just emptied the contents of it and refilled with Prime.

[bazil323]

Though of yet another thing. Should I have a heater in there? When I had the betta, the heater kept it between 80 and 82. Would that be too warm for subwrassertang, etc.? I was thinking of some type of moss for driftwood, probably Java moss or flame moss. I'm not sure what to get for a low light stem plant though.

Without a heater, I think the tank will vary between low 70s to 80. Might even drop into the high 60s.

[Kashta]

Shouldn't need a heater to the best of my knowledge. These are safe temp ranges I have for those mosses.

Java Moss - 68 to 86 degrees
Flame Moss - 59 to 82 degrees
Subwassertang - 68 to 82 degrees

Mosses generally prefer cooler temps, but you're still within their range either way.

[bazil323]

Excellent. I'll try to pick stem plants that will be okay in this range also. Btw, just won an auction for subwrassertang (round pellia). It was $7 plus $6 for shipping for enough to cover your hand. Good price? Can't find much info on it.

[bazil323]

One more thing. I'm not sure how many watts to put over this tank. I've heard that the watts per gallon "rule" doesn't apply for tanks less than 10g.

I'm not sure what the watts are on the incandescent lightbulb that came with the kit, but I want to replace it with a compact flourescent. I just want to make sure that I've got the right amount before I buy it. I know that I should get in the 6500-10000K range, and I'll try to look for that when I finally buy a replacement bulb.

[bazil323]

I'm going to revise my earlier goal of a low-light, low-tech tank and open it up to higher light. I still want it to be lower tech and a minimum of fuss. Remember, it's going to be at my workplace where I can't really spend a lot of time on it, and it also has to look fairly nice and professional.

Anyway, would 18-25 watts be okay? Would that be considered medium?

If I can't find a suitable replacement bulb, I might look for a nice desk lamp to put over the tank.

[bazil323]

Bump. No opinons at all?

[bazil323]

'Nother bump...