Small Tank Possibilties

[fifefish]

This tank holds 12 litres in volume
I'm wondering what:
I should use this tank for?
What I will need substrate-wise
whether i will need a heater..

 

[lljdma06]

This tank holds 12 litres in volume
I'm wondering what:
I should use this tank for?
What I will need substrate-wise
whether i will need a heater..

This size makes a very planted tank. You have to be careful of a few things, however...

1. Light: a challenge in small tanks because it takes a higher light ration to achieve the same lighting effects. For me, to get the same affect with 1.4WPG of T5s over a 20g, I needed 5-6WPG of Compact flourescents for my 2.5g. Both of them are considered low-light tanks.
2. CO2: should you chose to add it, you'll have to consider nano difusers (sp) as a standard one would take away too much from your available planting space. Is it worth it to add it? There are options. Some choose pressurized, some chose DIY, others chose, with tanks this small to dose CO2 in liquid form.
3. Ferts: Have to be adapted for a smaller water volume, so standard recipes will need to be adjusted.
4. Substrate: Go for a small grain substrate
5. Plants: One aim for planting a small tank is to create the illusion of a larger system. This can be done by deliberately chosing plants with smaller leaves and finer stems.
6. Livestock: Again, aim for smaller species which work better for the scale of the system. Very small minimal-waste producing fish are the best fish, bearing in mind that you have to consider the welfare of the animals you chose. Is a schooling fish going to be happy in this situation? Other choices include shrimp.
7. Heat & Maintenance: Depends on the ambient temperature of your room. Smaller systems experience more rapid fluctuations in temperature and water quality. Many things can go wrong with these systems and there is not much room for error. You will need to be more on top of a system like this rather than say a 20 or 20g aquarium.

If you are careful and take the above into consideration, there is no reason why you can't enjoy a lovely nano planted aquarium. There are quite a few journals that feature tanks roughly this size. Browse through them.

Hope this helps a bit.