What could I do with a 3.5 gal desk tank?

[jprime84]

I have a breeding pair of african cichlids 'lamprologus multifasciatus' that I have had in here for a good 6 months, but it just doesnt make for a very interesting tank. I am giving them to a friend and then thoroughly cleaning the tank.

 

Is there anything saltwater I could put in here? Would I need any more equipment besides the heater, LED light, and Tetra Whisper filter I already have? What kind of maintenance would it need?

[junginit]

You could put some zoas in there and a clown goby. A pom pom crab would be cool.

 

I think all that will work with regular water changes.

 

I have a small species of mantis shrimp i keep in a 3 gallon. He is 3 inches long and I have a small filter and do regular water changes. He is very interesting to me.

[jprime84]

Update: this is the exact product, so 3 gal not 3.5

 

http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland...il.aspx?id=3927

 

 

You think that established live rock would work well enough as a filter on its own?

[Deleted User 6]

I'd be surprised if those LEDs could even keep anything alive coral-wise. A mantis would be cool if you find a small one.

[junginit]

That is the exact tank I have my mantis in. I have a couple pieces of live rock in there with some pvc pipe buried for him to live in.

 

It looks a bit different now...have a couple smaller pieces in there and he has moved and rearranged everything.

 

 

And yeah, with that LED you may not be able to keep much. Could buy some better ones though.

[tylernt]

You think that established live rock would work well enough as a filter on its own?

I've no experience keeping fish in a tank that small, but yes, it has been done with just LR. One small goby would be the absolute max. Keep a real close eye on nitrates and up the water changes if necessary.

 

Is this going to be a fish-only tank? If so, you can keep the light and filtration you have now. If you want to add corals, then you need more light and probably more flow.

[jprime84]

I might not have any fish at all, maybe just some snails and a small crab or something. Corals would be nice. I could replace the .11 watt LEDs with something better and keep some frags in there.

 

My plan is to ditch the whisper filter and put a small AquaClear custom refugium on the back. That will help with nitrates as well as give some flow for coral frags.

 

There is a problem though in that I think they cut off the AC in the building over the weekends.

[tylernt]

There is a problem though in that I think they cut off the AC in the building over the weekends.

Using a heater controller and a double-throw relay, you can make a computer fan blow on the water surface automatically when temperatures get high. This will require an ATO though as you'll get a lot of evaporation that way.