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I have a 2.5 gallon tank that I would like to set up. It is made by All-Glass and measures 12in long, 8in high and 6in wide. It has a glass top. I would like to set it up and plant some plants in it.

One problem is that I dont know where you find lights for it. http://www.all-glass.com/products/hoods/index.htmlWould the 12in light on the site fit it??? Or are there any other lights that you can buy for small desktop aquariums???

Are there any small filters and heaters for this size of aquarium??? Where could I find some???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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Here's a link for lights designed for smaller tanks.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8154&Ntt=azoo%20lights&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

Also, WalMart has a small heater designed for small tanks, it doesn't have a temperature control, but is designed to maintain the temperature between 75 to 80 degrees. I've used one before and it seemed to work okay, but it did fluctuate a bit, so that might be an option for you.

Here's a link for the Azoo Palm Filter. It works really well and the flow adjustable so it's very useful in smaller tanks.

[/link]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821&Ntt=azoo%20palm%20filter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1[link]

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

What about this heater: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3852&N=2004+113767???

Or this 25 watt heater: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11368&N=2004+113767

Or this mini heater: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12087&N=2004+113767

I think that the Azoo Palm Filter will work the best. Do you have to buy filter pads off the site or can you find them in stores???

I think I will get the Galaxy Light which is 9 inches long and the tank is 12 inches long.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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Kayla,

To your questions:

"What about this heater" - being fully submersible is a good thing as you could place it flat in the back of the tank. I am not sure if 50W are good though, it may be a little overpowering. With this I mean that it could be that the time period between switching on and off is long enough to produce too much heat.

"Or this 25 watt heater" - Wattage wise and also being fully submersible wise this seems to be the best option. What I do not know is how reliable the Hydor brand is.

"Or this mini heater" - Nah, did you read the fine print? "Helps increase water temperature by a few degrees – up to 5F in 2 gallons" - this means it would not be able to maintain 75F if the room temperature is below 70F. I would assume that you would need at least 2 of them.

"I think that the Azoo Palm Filter will work the best" - It also looks very nice. I don't have this filter, but based on the description it seems that the filer media is some prepackaged block and that would be something that I don't really like. I am a fan of sponge-only HOBs, at least after the settle-in phase of a tank. This way, all I have to do is to clean the sponge and never ever have to buy new pads and in the process lose all bacteria that have settled in the old ones.

"I think I will get the Galaxy Light which is 9 inches long " - Reading about these lights reveals that they have 13W, meaning about 5wpg over a 2.5G tank. Now, maybe you know that, this would be considered low light in such a small tank, IMHO. I would say that you shoud have an idea of what kind of plants (not species but light requirements) you want and then decide on what light to get for it.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I bought a 2.5g kit that includes a Galaxy light and an Azoo Mignon filter which has a higher GPH rate than the Palm. Here's a quick pic I took of the tank this morning:



The Galaxy light is nice but it does tint the overall look of tank a bit depending on which you choose. If you're going for a natural look I'd go with either the yellow or blue for that reason.

Another option is a Coralife Mini Clamp Lamp. This is a 5W halogen so the look is similar to incandescent lighting. I have one of these on my 5.5g:



I had a mini-heater from Wal-Mart (not sure of the brand). The size was nice but I quickly stopped using it because it did not maintain a consistent temp. Do you have any thoughts about stock for your tank? I have a betta in my 2.5g and am fortunate that even without a top or heater the water stays at a steady 74°. Maybe a bit on the low side for a betta but it's consistent and he's quite a happy fish.

I personally haven't seen the Azoo replacement pads in lfs. When I ordered extras when I purchased my kit. The Mignon has both a sponge and small cartridge. I've noticed that since it's a low bioload tank neither gets overly dirty. Another option you might consider is a sponge filter.




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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Besides the Azoo Mignon Filter what would you suggest as the best sponge filter for a 2.5 gallon tank???

I have not thought about fish or plants yet. I will once I know what light, filter and heater I am going to get for the tank. The basics first.

What fish would you suggest as being good to keep in a 2.5 gallon???

LITTLE_FISH:

Now, maybe you know that, this would be considered low light in such a small tank, IMHO. I would say that you shoud have an idea of what kind of plants (not species but light requirements) you want and then decide on what light to get for it.

What do you mean by low light in a small tank and that I should have an idea about what kind of light requirements??? Could you explain this more??? Why wont the 13W bulb in the light work???

Will the Azoo Palm Filter fit on an All-Glass aquarium??? The side is wider than in the picture and All-Glass aquariums have that edge on them where the hood sits.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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Also look into a Red Sea Nano-filter. I am running one on a 2G hex. Seems to work well!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

What do you mean by low light in a small tank and that I should have an idea about what kind of light requirements??? Could you explain this more??? Why wont the 13W bulb in the light work???

Well, you do know that some plants require more light than others to grow. We usually express this with this Watts per Gallon number, like 3wpg.

We here at FP discussed a while back (don't ask me to dig out that thread ) the influence the tank size has on these wpg values, meaning "do 3wpg over a small tank grow the same kind of plants than on a large tank?" The answer is no, and the basic rule is that you need more wpg the smaller the tank is in order to grow the same plants.

This wpg rule breaks down in particular when the tank is very small, like your 2.5G or a 1G tank. Here you need easily 20wpg to grow the same plants than one does in a 125G with 3wpg or less.

For your tank, this means that the plants that most likely would succeed are Moss, Java Fern, Crypts, and Anubias (and all other plants that usually fall in the low light range).

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I had asked this earlier:

Will the Azoo Palm Filter fit on an All-Glass aquarium??? The side is wider than in the picture and All-Glass aquariums have that edge on them where the hood sits.

Would it fit??? Also would the Galaxy Light http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8154&N=2004+113345 fit onto an All-Glass aquarium side. The tanks are made with an edge where the hood sits.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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If it's an edge like in this photo then no, it won't fit. I took mine off the 2.5g to try and it's not wide enough for it.



Attached Image:


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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Ok here is a link]http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/PF0210/Class//T1/F13AX+0302+0210/EDP/3050/Itemdy00.aspx[/link] for a 2.5g glass top, and then [link=here is the 2.5g light fixture. It states that it uses an incandescent bulb, but if you don't like that you could most likely use a screw-in flourescent.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Thanks for showing me that so I know before I went and ordered that stuff.

The Galaxy light is nice but it does tint the overall look of tank a bit depending on which you choose. If you're going for a natural look I'd go with either the yellow or blue for that reason.

What do you mean by this in an earlier reply below that picture of the blue betta tank???

Also would it be fine if I were to maybe do this with the 2.5 gallon tank like in the picture of 3 bettas: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/h102smalltank2galprices.htm ??? Would that be enough room for each betta to live comfortably??? I think it would be kind of hard to plant any plants and maintain them though.

Or I was think about doing a betta and maybe like 5 neons.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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"Or this 25 watt heater" - Wattage wise and also being fully submersible wise this seems to be the best option. What I do not know is how reliable the Hydor brand is.

I have this heater in my 5G and it does the trick just fine. Completely submersible, and you can adjust the temperature with the dial on top. So far it hasnt given me any problems. Recommend it for small tanks.

kj - what do you plan on putting in the tank? Many people do not use heaters at all in planted nanos. If you're just going to have plants and maybe shrimp you probably don't need to waste room in a tank that small with a clunky heater.

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Back in the saddle!

Ihave the same exact problem....

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys

I was thinking about maybe a betta and like 5 neon tetras. But I havent really decided yet. I am still working on what I would like to do. Any suggestions on what would be good for stocking a 2.5 gallon tank are welcome.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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With a 2.5g you don't have many options, it's really too small for any schooling fish like neons. You could have a betta or an ADF, or just some unusual shrimp.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

OK so what if I were to buy the glass cover, light fixture and dividers for this aquarium then I could buy three bettas and set it up like this first picture: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/h102smalltank2galprices.htm. Would this work or could I do like a whole tank and buy three female bettas and keep them together???

The tank is going to be planted and I will post the plant list once I finish making it.

Any suggestions or ideas are more than welcome!!!

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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Here is my plant list so far, but I need to shorten it once I get suggestions and advice on it. So please any advice or comments is welcome.

Anubias angustifolia 'Afzelli' 8"
Anubias barteri var nana 4.7"
Ceratophyllum demersum 20"
Cryptocoryne beckettii 6"
Cryptocoryne walkeri var lutea 4.7"
Egeria densa 20"
Hygrophila corymbosa 20"
Microsorium pteropus 10"
Microsorium pteropus 'Red' 4-8"
Vesicularia dubyana
Cryptocoryne lutea ?"
Cryptocoryne walkeri ?"

For the taller plants that you can trim by cutting them I figured would be fine in the 8" high 2.5 gallon tank. I would just have to trim them a lot to keep them under 8". Is that OK to do???

I was thinking about doing either a male betta with ADF or 3 female bettas kept together maybe with a ADF. Any other ideas???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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Just wondering, but when you buy a betta at the store, their fins are all ragged and they are really boring. Over time will their fins grow back and look as good as some of the betta pictures you see??? They of course will get more energetic once they are in a tank and not a cup, right???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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