Bear's Tiny Tank

[bearwithfish]

Well i said i was going to jump back into the salty world so here is my 2.5 AGA tank thread.

 

This is going to be a SUPER simple tank that is going to be build with as little expense as possible.

 

the list:

 

2.5 AGA tank with glass cover

1 off brand water pump (95 gph. variable speed possible)

1 petco heater (the preset type)

fixture from a previous 3 gallon hex tank for a 50/50 bulb.

 

Here is a pic with the gear inside and my light fixture on top

 

 

potential stock plans

some snails

an emerald crab

possibly a couple hermit crabs

and a few easy corals (zoas, mushrooms, etc.)

 

because of how high powered the pump is for this small of a tank i am considering going bare bottom and letting my rock do all the filter work.

 

no other equipment is planned at this time and weekly to bi-weekly water changes are scheduled.

 

i am blacking out the back of the tank with a heavy construction paper since there is no filer on the back i am not worried about it getting wet (even is minor creep)..

 

i have 5 pounds of rock coming in from BRS and i will need to get hold of a small bit of LR to get things started.

 

Water is a concern as i am unable to get an RO unit at this time and no one near me sells it. I am considering using bottled distilled water (I have used this in the past with great success)

 

I am also planning to use reef crystals (orange bag) salt mix for this tank as i love how my corals grew with this last time around.

 

 

ok folks time for your thoughts and feedback please. ....

[Xenia2]

Interested to see how your tank's going to look like, I am in process setting up a 3 gallons myself.

[bearwithfish]

here is a pic i just took with the gear in place

[bearwithfish]

Checked my tracking from BRS and everything looks good for a delivery tomorrow.. I also noted that the package weight reads 2 pounds more than I ordered. That seems like a lot of packaging for rock.. but we will see.

 

I am so excited to start messing with the rockscape in this tank!!!

 

man the wait is the worst!! I at least want to get this thing running so i can have a visible reason to wait.

[bearwithfish]

My rock arrived! They sent 7 pounds... and they are beautiful pieces... only one made the tank but the other will be on standby "in case" i upgrade later .....pix later

[bearwithfish]

PIX!!!

 

 

 

Thoughts on this?? Personally i like it.

 

[ReefJar]

Great! Fill it up!

[bearwithfish]

Great! Fill it up!

LOL not yet!!

 

i am debating busting that rock up a bit and messing with the aquascape ... just not sure yet. i am taking a few days to look at it and see if i really LOVE it or not.

 

that said i am also going one step at a time. the next purchase will likely be salt mix, after that water and get it rolling. this will give me time to get my 50/50 bulb and decide if i really want to use the current fixture or if i want to make something a little better looking.

 

for now its just deciding on the rock formation.

 

I forgot how really small a 2.5 is until that chunk of rock was in there LOL. i am not used to working on a small scale and i realy neew to go slow so i can get this right.

[Weetabix7]

I think in your shoes I would carefully break the rock up and rescape.

Take a flat head screwdriver and hammer and use that to break it at strategic points.

Then use putty or something to reshape it into a more pleasing configuration.

[bearwithfish]

I think in your shoes I would carefully break the rock up and rescape.

Take a flat head screwdriver and hammer and use that to break it at strategic points.

Then use putty or something to reshape it into a more pleasing configuration.

That is my thought as well .. perhaps get a little more height out of it and open up the center some for flow.

 

At this moment i am still leaning towards staying bare bottom so the additional flow can only do good in this tank.

 

as i am planning on Zoas and mushrooms primarily i think getting more "shelf" like will create more spaces for the corals. and more places for crabs etc to crawl around.

[Weetabix7]

I have this weird aversion to sand and prefer BB tanks myself.

 

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this!

[bearwithfish]

I have this weird aversion to sand and prefer BB tanks myself.

 

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this!

Interesting.. I have always had sand and i feel kind of weird NOT using it this time around!! LOL.

 

going to go read more threads (typically 5 a day at this point) for inspiration. I see oyu have a link in your signature.. I guess i will start there..

[Weetabix7]

Go for it!

That tank was also a pico and def low-budget, but I think I enjoyed that build more than any other I've done.

Hope it helps.

I read tank threads for inspiration and ideas too.

[bearwithfish]

Took a little time and reworked the rock.. thoughts???

 

[TFish77]

Took a little time and reworked the rock.. thoughts???

 

 

Much much nicer. You gonna add sand as well?

[Weetabix7]

Yup, better.

[bearwithfish]

Yup, better.

Thanks!! :-)

 

Much much nicer. You gonna add sand as well?

Thank you! No i am planning to stay bare bottom right now..

[TFish77]

Thanks!! :-)

Thank you! No i am planning to stay bare bottom right now..

 

Cool. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[bearwithfish]

This is the worst part. I am literally only waiting on salt mix and a hydrometer.

 

i have my rock, a source for a bit of rubble to seed with, 4 bottles of distilled water AND I AM GOING OUT OF MY MIND!!!! LOL

 

the light will be a few weeks since i really dont need it to get this curing/cycleing and i figure that will give me about 6-8 weeks to decide if i am certain on the 50/50 set up or if i want to explore something else. (not likely but this helps me keep calm about it!!)

[Langer6]

Looking good, we have very similar tanks so I'll be following along.

[bearwithfish]

Looking good, we have very similar tanks so I'll be following along.

I was reading your thread earlier today!! nice job thus far... I will go comment so i can follow along.

 

I love your recent FTS.

[teenyreef]

Looks like a great start! I like the rockscape and the super simple approach. I think you've got the right approach for stocking to keep it simple with no filtration, too.

 

There's nothing wrong with using distilled water, btw, other than the cost and inconvenience of having to buy them

[bearwithfish]

Thank you @teenyreef - when i took into consideration the cost of an RO unit, the waste water produced (i own the house so i pay the water bill) it actually turns out that buying the distilled water works out cheaper over the short and long terms.. not to mention that at under $1 per gallon the Wife wont flinch as much

 

I think that the KISS concept is one i really want to stay with. not only because it is effective (from the research i have done), but because i have attempted a larger more complex tank before and after taking out a credit card just for the tank the better half is a little gun shy LOL.. .

 

Once i show that it can be successful on a small scale (and once she realizes that all the large items she wants will not work in here) she may be more likely to let me run a second larger tank using the same concept.

 

Thanks for the feedback on this tank thus far. I am really looking forward to learning a lot with this tiny tank..

[Beer]

I like the second look much better.

What about keeping the left piece how it is, but standing up the right piece? Might be too tall, but I tend to prefer having the highest point offset to one side and have everything slope away from there. Personal preference.

 

I've got a 1/2 gallon cube vase with a sump that brings total water volume to about a gallon. I do 100% water changes and I use a Zero water pitcher for my tank water. My tap (well) is around 147 TDS. I've been using the same cartridge for about a year. I've run about 44.5 gallons through it and it's still putting out 0 TDS. It's the 23 cup version or something like that; it holds over a gallon. I keep a few gallon vinegar jugs full of extra water, just in case (I cycle those through when making salt water so they don't go stale). I think the replacement cartridges are $14 or something like that. If I only get 4 more gallons out of it, I'd be looking at 50¢ a gallon and I can make new water as I use it.

 

I recently removed the sand in my display. It was getting to be a pain and was the source of some algae issues after losing my nassaraus snails (in addition to lack of water changes during a hectic semester). Not really a fan of the look, but getting detritus from around and under the rock work is easier. I can also bump up the flow rate and hopefully prevent stuff from settling in the first place.

 

 

Good luck with the tank. I remember when the 2.5s used to be under $6. Great little tanks for side projects and Bettas.

[ndrobey]

I paint the back of the tank with mirror paint. This makes the tank look twice as big and reflects the light into the back of the tank. You can also put nice corals on the back of the rock, as they will be seen in the reflection.