2.5G nano SW tank

justintrask · 07-15-2008, 01:31 PM

So I decided to make a journal for this. Only camera I have is my cameraphone, so picture updates will be slow, but I will try to whenever I can.

I had a 2.5G tank left over from a betta breeding experiment, so I decided to try my hand on a nano SW setup. I cleaned out the tank and went out to PetCo (ugh) and bought a 10lbs bag of bio-activ live aragonite. I put about 1/4 of the bag into the bottom of the tank, and ended up using the premixed salt water that petco has, for now at least.

The water was really really cloudy as expected, but hey, what else can be expected?

I currently have two powerheads going on it, an aquaclear 301 and an aquaclear 201 that I aquired for the undergravel filters for my 75G that I don't use. I bought a filter attachment for the 301 to try to remove the cloudyness, but I am going to experiment once the tank gets up and running with just using live sand and live rock filtration. If it doesnt work out, I will be making a fluge. The powerheads are staying.

I also put a 25W heater in the tank, and it's about 78F now.

For lighting, I just went out and bought a white and a blue 15W 120V marina light bulb that plugs into any old light fixture. I don't know what I plan on doing for this tank, but nothing that needs high intensity lighting.

I'm going to pick up some LR tonight, and unlike most, I'm hoping i have a lot of hitchhikers. A really small mantis shrimp would be what I would ultimately want for this tank.

Pictures up soon!

Any suggestions? I can feel I will get critisism and comments on this tank, but I am open for all. I have never experienced SW before, and I know I am in for a big world of hurt with this 2.5G

wifishman · 07-15-2008, 02:16 PM

i had a 5 gal nano for 5 years the best advice i can give is keep up on the top off so your salinity doesnt fluctuate. as far as hitchhikers go... a 5lb rock isnt going to give you enough mass to score an awsome aray of hitchhikers. ull get some little tiny star fish, some bristle worms, pods ect.

you you want a masher or a piercer as far as the mantis shrimp is concerned?

justintrask · 07-15-2008, 02:48 PM

pircer, but i dont necessarily want a pea**************** for friggin $50. i'm willing to pay $10 max for one. hopefully i can snag an unwanted one for free

wifishman · 07-15-2008, 02:57 PM

i will just add this.... the enjoyment u get from watching the mantis do its thing is so worth 50 bucks

karazy · 07-15-2008, 03:18 PM

a peac0ck would get to big for a 2.5

u'd need a different kind

**Scuba Kid** · 07-15-2008, 06:42 PM

A peac0ck isn't a spearer anyway, its a smasher.
http://www.stomatopod.com/

Look around there. I personally don't think many, if any, mantises would work long term in a 2.5 gallon...
Smallest commonly found mantis I can think of is wennerae, and even they get 3 inches...too big for a 2.5 gallon IMO.

justintrask · 07-15-2008, 10:01 PM

I was looking into a wennerae. My LFS said they could get one in for me, and since they really hate having them around, he'd just give it to me as long as i bought some live rock from his since his stuff doesnt really sell, they focus more on FW. Sounded like a deal to me.

So update.

The filter has completely cleared out the cloudyness from the live sand. Right now it's just a small ugly tank because the filter is literally taking up the whole tank since it's attached to a powerhead.

I talked to the guy from the LFS i deal with (Fintastic Fish in Plainville MA). He said that going with a 2.5G for a mantis is what they usually recommend for anyone wanting a mantis shrimp, since anything over 10G is just dumb if they happen to break the glass, which hey, it happens. We talked about different corals and mushrooms that would work well with it, and definately got me more excited than ever about this project. I'm going to start looking around for some really active looking LR, including craigslist as suggested by the guy at the LFS.

Pics up tomorrow.

karazy · 07-15-2008, 10:50 PM

yay! pics!

also Odontodactylus Havanensis stay very small

wifishman · 07-15-2008, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justintrask

I was looking into a wennerae. My LFS said they could get one in for me, and since they really hate having them around, he'd just give it to me as long as i bought some live rock from his since his stuff doesnt really sell, they focus more on FW. Sounded like a deal to me.

I'm going to start looking around for some really active looking LR, including craigslist as suggested by the guy at the LFS.

once again i am confused.. so u getting it for free by buying lr from your lfs or are you going to be buying lr from someone else?

justintrask · 07-15-2008, 11:13 PM

they're giving me the shrimp for free if i buy a piece or two of LR from them, but their LR isnt very lively looking, so i am still deciding. I told them i'd pay a few bucks for a mantis shrimp if I found some better LR somewhere else in the area

**Scuba Kid** · 07-16-2008, 04:51 PM

Ask Boston Reefers if anyone has an unwanted hitch hiker. I see those threads occasionally on their forums.

I completely disagree with the lfs owner on the mantis tank information though. First of all, it is a huge rarity that any smasher mantis breaks glass, but when it does happen this is usually only with very large smashers like zebras and peac0cks and with tanks with thin glass. (Acrylic tanks make great smasher mantis tanks

) With a wennerae, you really don't have to worry at all, so down the line you should consider upgrading the tank. Really, I don't think a 2.5 gallon is large enough for one. They are fairly active, especially during feeding time.

justintrask · 07-17-2008, 12:37 AM

Update:

I beat the PetCo system haha.
I went in to get a small piece of LR, and found a piece that had a small pink tipped anemone on it (I know, tanks too small, etc, but hear me out). The anemone was in a different tank than all the others, and was gripped to the LR. I told the lady, who was new, that I wanted that piece, and when she brushed the anemone off of the LR when I ordered it, I told her if that wasnt included I didnt want the piece anymore, so she threw it in there.

To start/finish/whatever the cycle, I also bought a yellow tail blue damsel, and a red sea nano filter.

The tank's clearing up well and it looks great right now, I'm excited for what's down the line!

nvsbandit · 07-17-2008, 06:55 AM

your live rock probably started your cycle btw so the damsel was un needed.

at least your not gonna have a hard time getting him out.

justintrask · 07-17-2008, 08:17 AM

i figured the LR did, along with the live aragonite, but I got the damsel just in case.

karazy · 07-19-2008, 05:10 PM

can we see some pics??

justintrask · 07-19-2008, 05:14 PM

they're coming, the only camera I have is my phone, and with ym work schedule, by the time I get home, I just want to sleep. Tonight I promise.

karazy · 07-19-2008, 05:17 PM

yay!

if not imma yell at chu! :P

how many lbs or LR do u have in all again?

justintrask · 07-19-2008, 05:20 PM

right now in the actual tank there are about 2 lbs, I have a good 15/20 lbs, but I have to break some of them to fit in the tank since it's so small, so the pics wont have a lot, but it'll give you an idea. And I got a free anemone from petco

karazy · 07-19-2008, 05:23 PM

lolz. u nkow all 15-20 lbs wont fit, right?

what lighting do u have on this tank?

justintrask · 07-19-2008, 08:27 PM

I have two 15W bulbs, one blue, one clear. Not sure anyting else, as lighting is new to me.

Only a few bad pics right now, as the others didnt save to my phone.

First is of the lighting I have so far for this tank. It's in a 10G hood because right now I dont have anything else.
The Second is the filter I attached to my powerhead the first day to get the dust out. that's long since gone.

And then one of my HRP just for kicks

07-15-2008, 01:31 PM	#1
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	2.5G nano SW tank So I decided to make a journal for this. Only camera I have is my cameraphone, so picture updates will be slow, but I will try to whenever I can. I had a 2.5G tank left over from a betta breeding experiment, so I decided to try my hand on a nano SW setup. I cleaned out the tank and went out to PetCo (ugh) and bought a 10lbs bag of bio-activ live aragonite. I put about 1/4 of the bag into the bottom of the tank, and ended up using the premixed salt water that petco has, for now at least. The water was really really cloudy as expected, but hey, what else can be expected? I currently have two powerheads going on it, an aquaclear 301 and an aquaclear 201 that I aquired for the undergravel filters for my 75G that I don't use. I bought a filter attachment for the 301 to try to remove the cloudyness, but I am going to experiment once the tank gets up and running with just using live sand and live rock filtration. If it doesnt work out, I will be making a fluge. The powerheads are staying. I also put a 25W heater in the tank, and it's about 78F now. For lighting, I just went out and bought a white and a blue 15W 120V marina light bulb that plugs into any old light fixture. I don't know what I plan on doing for this tank, but nothing that needs high intensity lighting. I'm going to pick up some LR tonight, and unlike most, I'm hoping i have a lot of hitchhikers. A really small mantis shrimp would be what I would ultimately want for this tank. Pictures up soon! Any suggestions? I can feel I will get critisism and comments on this tank, but I am open for all. I have never experienced SW before, and I know I am in for a big world of hurt with this 2.5G

07-15-2008, 02:16 PM	#2
wifishman Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Age: 29 Posts: 41	i had a 5 gal nano for 5 years the best advice i can give is keep up on the top off so your salinity doesnt fluctuate. as far as hitchhikers go... a 5lb rock isnt going to give you enough mass to score an awsome aray of hitchhikers. ull get some little tiny star fish, some bristle worms, pods ect. you you want a masher or a piercer as far as the mantis shrimp is concerned? __________________ 950 gal planted currently being set up stocking list to include 20 cardinal tetras 10 cherry barbs 15 glo lite tetras 15 head and tail light tetras 15 rummy nose tetras 11 harlequin rasboras 15 penguin tetras 7 albino corys 7 zebra dainos 11diamond head neon tetras 11 x-ray pristella tetras 17 galaxy rasboras 10 bloodfin tetras 13 gold tetras 10 siamese alage eaters

07-15-2008, 02:57 PM	#4
wifishman Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Age: 29 Posts: 41	i will just add this.... the enjoyment u get from watching the mantis do its thing is so worth 50 bucks __________________ 950 gal planted currently being set up stocking list to include 20 cardinal tetras 10 cherry barbs 15 glo lite tetras 15 head and tail light tetras 15 rummy nose tetras 11 harlequin rasboras 15 penguin tetras 7 albino corys 7 zebra dainos 11diamond head neon tetras 11 x-ray pristella tetras 17 galaxy rasboras 10 bloodfin tetras 13 gold tetras 10 siamese alage eaters

07-15-2008, 03:18 PM	#5
karazy bammin like salmon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 563	a peac0ck would get to big for a 2.5 u'd need a different kind __________________

07-15-2008, 06:42 PM	#6
Scuba Kid Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 17 Posts: 4,165	A peac0ck isn't a spearer anyway, its a smasher. http://www.stomatopod.com/ Look around there. I personally don't think many, if any, mantises would work long term in a 2.5 gallon... Smallest commonly found mantis I can think of is wennerae, and even they get 3 inches...too big for a 2.5 gallon IMO. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks Last edited by Scuba Kid; 07-15-2008 at 06:49 PM.

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07-15-2008, 02:48 PM	#3
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	pircer, but i dont necessarily want a pea**************** for friggin $50. i'm willing to pay $10 max for one. hopefully i can snag an unwanted one for free

07-15-2008, 10:01 PM	#7
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	I was looking into a wennerae. My LFS said they could get one in for me, and since they really hate having them around, he'd just give it to me as long as i bought some live rock from his since his stuff doesnt really sell, they focus more on FW. Sounded like a deal to me. So update. The filter has completely cleared out the cloudyness from the live sand. Right now it's just a small ugly tank because the filter is literally taking up the whole tank since it's attached to a powerhead. I talked to the guy from the LFS i deal with (Fintastic Fish in Plainville MA). He said that going with a 2.5G for a mantis is what they usually recommend for anyone wanting a mantis shrimp, since anything over 10G is just dumb if they happen to break the glass, which hey, it happens. We talked about different corals and mushrooms that would work well with it, and definately got me more excited than ever about this project. I'm going to start looking around for some really active looking LR, including craigslist as suggested by the guy at the LFS. Pics up tomorrow.

07-15-2008, 10:50 PM	#8
karazy bammin like salmon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 563	yay! pics! also Odontodactylus Havanensis stay very small __________________

07-15-2008, 11:13 PM	#10
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	they're giving me the shrimp for free if i buy a piece or two of LR from them, but their LR isnt very lively looking, so i am still deciding. I told them i'd pay a few bucks for a mantis shrimp if I found some better LR somewhere else in the area

07-16-2008, 04:51 PM	#11
Scuba Kid Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 17 Posts: 4,165	Ask Boston Reefers if anyone has an unwanted hitch hiker. I see those threads occasionally on their forums. I completely disagree with the lfs owner on the mantis tank information though. First of all, it is a huge rarity that any smasher mantis breaks glass, but when it does happen this is usually only with very large smashers like zebras and peac0cks and with tanks with thin glass. (Acrylic tanks make great smasher mantis tanks ) With a wennerae, you really don't have to worry at all, so down the line you should consider upgrading the tank. Really, I don't think a 2.5 gallon is large enough for one. They are fairly active, especially during feeding time. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

07-17-2008, 12:37 AM	#12
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	Update: I beat the PetCo system haha. I went in to get a small piece of LR, and found a piece that had a small pink tipped anemone on it (I know, tanks too small, etc, but hear me out). The anemone was in a different tank than all the others, and was gripped to the LR. I told the lady, who was new, that I wanted that piece, and when she brushed the anemone off of the LR when I ordered it, I told her if that wasnt included I didnt want the piece anymore, so she threw it in there. To start/finish/whatever the cycle, I also bought a yellow tail blue damsel, and a red sea nano filter. The tank's clearing up well and it looks great right now, I'm excited for what's down the line!

07-17-2008, 06:55 AM	#13
nvsbandit Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Age: 20 Posts: 34	your live rock probably started your cycle btw so the damsel was un needed. at least your not gonna have a hard time getting him out. __________________ 10g Salt 2 clowns (1 black and white one oc) 1 yellow watchman goby CUC 40g planted 5 green cories, 1 generic pleco, 3 guppies, 3 tiger barbs, 1 bolivian ram, 1 male bristlenose pleco, 5 neon danios and a little frog. 90gRR cycling.

07-17-2008, 08:17 AM	#14
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	i figured the LR did, along with the live aragonite, but I got the damsel just in case.

07-19-2008, 05:10 PM	#15
karazy bammin like salmon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 563	can we see some pics?? __________________

07-19-2008, 05:14 PM	#16
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	they're coming, the only camera I have is my phone, and with ym work schedule, by the time I get home, I just want to sleep. Tonight I promise.

07-19-2008, 05:17 PM	#17
karazy bammin like salmon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 563	yay! if not imma yell at chu! :P how many lbs or LR do u have in all again? __________________

07-19-2008, 05:20 PM	#18
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	right now in the actual tank there are about 2 lbs, I have a good 15/20 lbs, but I have to break some of them to fit in the tank since it's so small, so the pics wont have a lot, but it'll give you an idea. And I got a free anemone from petco

07-19-2008, 05:23 PM	#19
karazy bammin like salmon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 563	lolz. u nkow all 15-20 lbs wont fit, right? what lighting do u have on this tank? __________________

07-19-2008, 08:27 PM	#20
justintrask Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allston, MA Age: 20 Posts: 214	I have two 15W bulbs, one blue, one clear. Not sure anyting else, as lighting is new to me. Only a few bad pics right now, as the others didnt save to my phone. First is of the lighting I have so far for this tank. It's in a 10G hood because right now I dont have anything else. The Second is the filter I attached to my powerhead the first day to get the dust out. that's long since gone. And then one of my HRP just for kicks

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