Question About Heater, Light, And Tank Lid...?

[skim4lyfe]

Hello all! I recently got a 2.5 gallon tank (no hood and extra stuff, just a plain rectangle tank) and I have a few questions about it:

1) The tank came with a glass lid for it, and I know you want the air right above the tank to be warm and moist. Would putting the glass cover on like 3/4 of the way create this environment as opposed to using plastic wrap with holes in it as was suggested to me before?

2) I want to put some live plants in the tank but currently I don't have a light for it yet. A local hardware store as both 9W and 13W Daylight (6500k) CFL bulbs. The tank is right up against a wall and I found a wall mounted spotlight lamp in my garage like the one pictured that I can put above the tank:

I've read that you want 2-3W per gallon. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to get a 13W bulb as opposed to the 9W so it doesn't have to be right on the tank, but how high up do you think I should put the 13W bulb to maintain the 2-3W per gallon in my 2.5 gallon tank? Having the light go through a glass cover (that's only about 3/4 covering the top) won't make a difference, will it?

3) I have a 25W adjustable heater in the tank and right not it is laying down along the back wall. I want to get a couple suction cups so I can mount it on the wall (side question: is this a good/bad idea, or does it not matter?). If the plants are touching the heater will they get damaged/die from the heat? In other words, should I position the plants in a place that they don't come in contact with the heater?

Thanks in advance for you help! And let me know if you need more info.

 

[waterdrop]

A 2.5G is a very small tank and limiting in the stock you can have. I'll try to make comments on a few of your questions however. Yes, a glass lid is very good. Yes, you want air to be able to be fresh however (I leave large cracks around my glass lids, but try to make the cracks small enough that my fish couldn't jump out.)

You want 1 to 1.5 watts per US gallon, or -maybe- has high as 2 w/g but not really higher than 2 or you will have major problems with algae. 6500K is a great color for freshwater plants - highly recommended.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[skim4lyfe]

A 2.5G is a very small tank and limiting in the stock you can have. I'll try to make comments on a few of your questions however. Yes, a glass lid is very good. Yes, you want air to be able to be fresh however (I leave large cracks around my glass lids, but try to make the cracks small enough that my fish couldn't jump out.)

You want 1 to 1.5 watts per US gallon, or -maybe- has high as 2 w/g but not really higher than 2 or you will have major problems with algae. 6500K is a great color for freshwater plants - highly recommended.

~~waterdrop~~

So it sounds like the 9W would do it for my needs then?

 

[waterdrop]

yes, so what happens (makes sense if you think about it) is that when you provide stronger light, the plant grows more vigorously. This creates demand for all 17 nutrients that plants use (hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, carbon, iron, calcium, magnesium and on and on) and (here's the sort of non-intuitive part in my opinion) if any one particular nutrient happens to run out or be in short supply then the plant will have some sort of related problem. If you crank up the light brightness you run into one of these problems much, much sooner as it is quite difficult to deliver all these nutrients unless you know what you're doing (the different major approaches to keeping plants solve this in different ways.)

So by staying around 1.5 w/g, you are keeping this nutrient demand from getting beyond your control (meaning you can dose fertilizers in a reasonable way (you'll learn that.)) And you also allow yourself to give the plants more hours of light, thereby simulating a day and night period that is natural to them more closely and coaxing them to respond with reasonable growth (hopefully!)

So, the "low-light technique" (this is one of the three largest approaches, out of maybe 5 or 6 and one I often recommend for starters but I don't mean it to limit anyone) involves using this 1.5w/g light in 4-hour minimum stretches (1 period, 2 periods, maybe a few more hours beyond that in good circumstances where no algae is seen) and doing daily (or less) dosing of a liquid carbon product (depends on your continent) and a macro-nutrient and micro-nutrient regimen in advised amounts (technically called "reduced EI" dosing.)

[In the UK this can be achieved with EasyCarbo or a couple of other liquid carbon products and a Tropica fertilizer mix called TPN+ (the plus being important.) In the USA it can be achieved with a liquid carbon called Seachem Flourish Excel and either a single other bottle called Flourish (plain) or a set of 5 other bottles that allow more detailed experimentation but of course are a little more irritating to dose frequently. Or you can even whip up your own liquids from powders but this necessarily requires some up-front research and work on your part.]

Another aspect which will be a big part for you is that of course species vary widely and there's a good chance that a few species will do particularly well in the small tank and that will be "it" for you whereas others may die. So you just have to be willing to do some trial and error in the beginning.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[raptorrex]

great information from WD


just one thought. live un sealed 240 volt electrics above an evaporating fish tank???

i fully understand the cost prerogative. but you will be far safe with an Aquarium ballast unit and a tube. cost is also high this way. the incandescent bulb burns a lot more power, vs the brightness, than a fluorescent will. you will also have to change the bulbs, regularly.

@WD, though i am sure you know. 110v shouldn't kill, 240v will.