how small can you go???

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by 1fishyguy, Jan 9, 2012.

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  1. 1fishyguy

    1fishyguy Purple Spiny Lobster

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    So our fresh water fish died and the tank just sits. This thing is tiny but got the idea to throw some sand and a few rocks in and the light has leds in it thought about replacing them with brighter ones.. could this work? Just for a frag or two?? If so what can I do for filter or water flow? Do I even need a filter? Or just do water changes every few weeks? May be a shot in the dark but thought it would be a fun little project..
    View attachment 2012-01-09 18.34.08.jpg
     
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  3. NanoMano

    NanoMano Gigas Clam

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    WC are always necessary, especially with a smaller water volume, probably once a week if your not running a filter now since that tank is so small I would do a cheap filter even one from walmart the aquatechs just for the carbon and water movement. how many gallons?
     
  4. 1fishyguy

    1fishyguy Purple Spiny Lobster

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    What about filter in pic? Guessing its like 2 gallons
     
  5. Annabana27

    Annabana27 Bristle Worm

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    I used to have that tank for a betta... I would get a diffrent filter then the one it came with since the flow on it was horrible.
     
  6. NanoMano

    NanoMano Gigas Clam

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    +1 you want to have enough flow, and internal filters are a PITA IMO. especially once you have it set up. you could get a 5-10 gallon filter or even smaller for about $15 most likely, maybe less. having that filter inside will suck once you have your rock set up, cause 1. it takes away space inside the tank, 2. its difficult to hide, 3. its going to have to be pulled out to be cleaned. if you get a HOB filter deep enough you can put a small heater inside it as well, hidden :) more visually pleasing
     
  7. Annabana27

    Annabana27 Bristle Worm

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    agree ^^
     
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  9. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    no no no no, totally skip the filter. in a small tank like this the best way to manage your water quality is water changes two times a week. if you look at my seahorse tank thread you can see i use these tanks as my main tanks to stock with seahorse pairs. i usually just pop an air pump in there to create a bit of current and that works great. i would suggest upgrading the lighting maybe you could diy like just 2 cree led's im thinking a par30 even would be overkill.

    these tanks are a great value, only 20 some dollars for an almost complete setup!
     
  10. NanoMano

    NanoMano Gigas Clam

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    2 WC a week adds up to a lot of salt very fast. 15$ on a filter cuts that in half.
     
  11. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    haha not on a 2 gallon tank, a box of salt that makes 5 gallons with biweekly 20 percent water changes can last months. that adds up to at most about 50 dollars a year. at most. im thinking more between 20-30
     
  12. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    also just replacing the filter cartridge will make that not as efficient.