Llj's 2.5g Planted Tank Journal

[lljdma06]

EDIT: I've decided to go ahead and make a journal out of this. It began with the question below. The 8g stabilized quicker than I expected it to. Hehe, more tanks for me....

I found a 2.5g All-Glass aquarium at Petsmart. Pretty cheap, lucky me! It's 12"x6"x8". Eventually, I'd like to plant it, but I'm just doing some research right now and stabilizing my 8g first. I don't want anything fancy, Anubia petite nana, java fern, moss, maybe some HM for the background. It's not like I don't have any. Does the fixture below come with two switches? It's 9w each light, which I think would work well. I just want the option of not having both bulbs on.

<a href="http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...niaqualight2x9w" target="_blank">http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...niaqualight2x9w</a>

Or would this fixture be better for what I want?

<a href="http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...gonflylightblue" target="_blank">http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...gonflylightblue</a>

I think either would be alright, I'm leaning towards the Coralife, especially if it has two switches. It would give me the option of switching this tank to hight tech if I wanted to later on when I have a better handle on things. Substrate would be gravel with laterite with the option to switch later. Again, nothing special. Just something for my desk.

Thank you for reading,

llj

The Coralife only has one switch, and the other light was too small. I was pointed in another direction. To either go with a 13W desklamp or to go with these fixtures from Drs Foster and Smith.

<a href="http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113345" target="_blank">http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113345</a>

Both give me 13W, which is pretty good to grow what I want. I may have to dose with Excel, but I'll see. Perhaps not. I'll update as soon as I check out Staples or OfficeMax today. I'm leaning towards cheaper and not having to pay shipping.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

2.5g is considered Pico, right?

llj

PS. This tank is for a betta. I have plastic tanks that I'm working to get rid of. One especially has a tendency for any water it holds to get an annoying film that looks totally gross. It doesn't bother the betta, but it bothers me and it's yucky. I don't like cleaning it. Glass tanks tend to not have this problem. Then I figure, might as well make something pretty out of it!

 

[dasmall1]

I saw that 2.5g too! I was going to get it but didn't know where to get a nice light for it. The coralife looks really good for your "pico" ( I don't know if that's what it is either ). The 7.2 wpg is probably better for the size. You probably can't resist going hi-tech anyway! Your idea sounds great so keep us posted!

 

[lljdma06]

I've seen those 2.5g tanks at petsmart as well. The size makes it quite challenging, but they'd definitely make a cool pico tank

p.s. What are you doing checking out office supply stores on halloween? Get some candy, woman!

I found a nice little desklamp at Officemax. I already have candy, Reese's peanut butter cups, yummy! Well, back to the lamp. It has 13W, so the low-tech is here to stay. It was also $15, so quite a bit cheaper. It was a tad too tall, but it wasn't anything that a well-placed old college textbook couldn't fix. Not happy with the layout. The piece of wood I had covered with your moss is too big and I don't like the HM at all. I'm going to play with it now. But here are a few pictures of the initial setup and equipment.

Empty tank


Setup. Lamp is way too tall. Added a very thick Biology book and it's much better. May need to get out the Calculus book too...


Full tank shot for now, very ugly.


Tank has a lot of potential, I think. I'll update with the new layout as soon as I'm done.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

Removed HC and added another wood piece. Also added some Egeria densa and java fern. The layout is better, not good, but better. All this trouble for a betta.



I think some colorful stones are in order and perhaps another small crypt or two. Also need a background. Should I go light or dark? I'm kind of liking the light green created by my bedroom wall right now. I need to trim the moss. So many random thoughts, I apologize.

All in all, not too shabby. Tank was $10, light was $15, filter was $10 (on sale!). Plants, hardscape, and gravel were free. A pretty good effort for the price. This is the last tank for a while. But I thought a pico project would be fun, a great way to house a betta, and a nice option for a desk lamp. I cheaped out on the substrate. No laterite. They only had the big box at Petsmart, and I wasn't dishing $20 for it! Good old rootabs!

 

[Themuleous]

ANOTHER TANK!!! I want another one now! looking good Llj, Im sure the betta will love it

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

ANOTHER TANK!!! I want another one now! looking good Llj, Im sure the betta will love it

Sam

Yeah, another tank. All this because I think scum in a plastic tank is gross. The glass tanks and bowls don't get this film. The bettas are getting switched around today. I have a plakat from Synirr's first spawn that may get the new home. But there were very pretty double tails at a LFS...

It wasn't expensive at all to setup. I guess I don't invest much in equipment or plants. I use what I can find around Miami. I sacrifice some of the quality that I find in your tanks, Sam, and those of others at TFF, and I come up with what I can. I kind of like the lack of pressure. I'm pretty satisfied with what I keep.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

I sacrifice some of the quality that I find in your tanks, Sam

Haha whatever!

 

[RadaR]

Im really liking this tank. Would be good for shrimps too but i dont know how your betta would think of them.

 

[dasmall1]

Very nice for $35 (it would be nice for $200, too, but you know what I mean)! I don't think my calculus teacher would be very happy if I had that setup!

 

[lljdma06]

Very nice for $35 (it would be nice for $200, too, but you know what I mean)! I don't think my calculus teacher would be very happy if I had that setup!

I made a background for this tank. I took the shot below and printed it for a background. I will experiment with a lighter background as well. It's a macro shot of some Selaginella kraussiana that I have growing near my window. It's in a pot.


The tank is settling nicely and I purchased a betta for it today. A lovely marble DT. He may not be a permanent resident, since I really enjoy rotating my bettas once every 1-2 weeks. The filter has adjustable flow, so the current won't bother even the types with the most delicate tails.





The tank is pretty much done, other than some minor tweaking. An advantage of going low-tech, I guess. I just have to make sure my water parameters are stable, trim the moss, etc. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

Looking good Llj and for something you 'threw together' the scape looks good, the java moss certainly looks healthy enough and the background works well.

Sam

 

[K-Hulk]

great lil tank

 

[stang1]

Your tank looks great!

 

[lljdma06]

I suspect he's a regular VT DT, but I could be wrong. If anything a Delta tail, and not a full HM. He's not too small, I have plakats from Synirr that are 2/3 his size, and they are over a year old.

You know everybody over at bettas thinks the tank is larger too. Made me check with a tank calculator and it is 2.5g. I'd like to add a few small crypts for the front and possibly a little more E. densa to close the gap temporarily while the tank stabilizes. Otherwise, it's done, barring trimming.


Thanks for the complements. They are appreciated.

llj