What to do with my 5 gal.?

So... now that I have evolved to saltwater tanks, I have a five gallon tank just sitting around, that I don't plan on using for freshwater again. What do you guys think? I would either like to breed shrimp as food for my DT, or use it as a QT. My DT is 30 gal. so I wouldn't be getting any really large fish that would need to go in a QT... is it still too small though?

Also, I don't have the room for a sump/fuge, so that is out of the question.

If it matters, it is an Eclipse corner bow, with a biowheel, heater, and basic lighting. I have some extra sand from my main setup, which I would really like to use up... should I avoid sand if I want to do shrimp breeding??

Opinions? Any other options for me?

Thanks!
Gabby

 

Gabby

take a look in the show of your fish tank forums
there are some excellent set ups in tanks of 5 gallons or even less

there are many corals that do well in smaller set ups - Zoanthids for example
you could more or less have every colour in the rainbow and combinations of colours in single colonies

and many of these are run with an HOB, a power head etc
Steve

 

Thanks Steve,

I just checked out your 5 gallon thread and it looks awesome! I was tossing around the idea of just making a mini reef... but I am very new to the hobby (my DT doesn't even have fish in it yet - been up for about a month) so I am somewhat adverse to starting two new tanks at the same time.

What if I use it for a QT while setting up my new 30 gal... and then when I am more comfortable in the hobby, try my hand at another reef?? Or is this too small for a QT, where it would stress the fish out more?

 

Its a matter of opinion
but 5 gallon was the smallest salt water I ever set up, and although I had it running for 8 months I never put a fish in it - I felt it was to small
I know there are some goby species that would be fine in it, and I know that some people would have a Damsel in there with no issues, but it did not fit right with me

but for breif stays for smaller fish whislt in QT and provided you make frequent water changes or chemical media to off set any nutrient issues, then I feel it will be suitable for that purpose for you

Steve

 

Great advice Steve. I like the mini reef idea.

It could work out as a QT, assuming yo will be keeping all small fish(like 2-3") for a very short time. I would be worried about stressing the fish out even more.

For a QT I would get a 10g. They are cheap. Or you could go to a chian store like PetCo on one of there big $1/gallon sale & buy a $20g long. That's what I am going to do.

 

I made a water change setup out of a 10 gallon i had sitting around,i just used 2 hob filters (with no filters)for flow and a heater,now i have saltwater always made up for water changes,after a water change,i top it back off with ro/di and start adding salt for the next one.Made things alot easier for me.

 

If I have the room I always keep a small tank running for those times when a fish needs a time out, working on the scape and need a place to house LR and corals. Having a small tank running has saved me many times.

 

I am doing an angler and sps with a 70w halide in a 5.5
thepanfish's 5.5 (but it really holds 7 gallons) budget nano

 

Thanks guys, those are really good ideas! Perhaps I could set it up as a nano/quarantine - with maybe just a cleaner shrimp living in there to get parasites off of QT fish? Do cleaner shrimp have to live in a tank w/ fish, or can their diet be supplemented?

The water change idea is good too, but I already have a heated 5 gal bucket set up for that And it really is a nice looking tank, I would hate to use it for something where it would never be seen.

 

Cleaner shrimp will eat normal foods like mysis.

However, if you put it in a QT, you need to take it out any time you run hypo or formalin, and you can't run copper in the tank either.