Help with 2 gallon Mini tank?

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


dizzcat
 
Posts: 648
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am

Help with 2 gallon Mini tank?

by dizzcat

A friend of mine gave me her 2 gallon tank that she had a Betta in. I scrubbed it up and used it for a sick room for a Betta with ich one time and a guppy fry home once. I stuck a piece of sponge from a cycled filter underneath the sand (in the under gravel spot) to help and used half tank water.

What I found is that the ammonia would spike high within a couple hours! Even after a 100% water change. And, the temp would sore very high, close to 90 from the tank light.

I would like to use it for a small planted tank on my desk, with a Betta or fry, but how can I keep it from over heating and the water levels good?

It looks like the pic below. I guess its 2 gallon, has a undergravel filter thing, a tube you stick an air stone in.

Any ideas? I already poked a ton of holes in the top for the heat but it didn't help.
50fe8-pPETS-3757494t400.jpg


ChristinaBug2890
 
Posts: 299
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:15 pm

by ChristinaBug2890

chuck it. get something bigger. or use it as a mini-green house for some regular plants. lol its just too hard to maintain levels of everything in something so tiny.


Tmercier834747
 
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm

by Tmercier834747

Well..if its an incandescent bulb, get a flourescent with decent kelvin 6700 or so, I think its relatively easy to find a 10watt flourescent to fit an incandescent slot (the thin kind not the swirly round kind that goes in your lamp).

Some plants can be kind've picky about temp but you could grow a good bit of plants with a 10w bulb on a 2gal tank, and if you're having probs cause the bulb is incandescent and switch to flourescent, they give off less heat.

You could just use it as a fishless nano biotope or plant nursery perhaps.. Only prob would be buying a bag of substrate small enough to not be overkill for $20 or $30 like say black sand flourite. lol

I've seen some pretty amazing little 2gal nano cubes that people have raised all kinds of mosses and micro plants in. It's amazing how much work you can put into a 2 gallon tank. lol
Last edited by Tmercier834747 on Sun Oct 05, 2008 2:53 am, edited 1 time in total.


doomydarkdoom
 
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:00 am

by doomydarkdoom

Maybe you can cultivate some green algae in it.


dizzcat
 
Posts: 648
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am

by dizzcat

I have seen those nano cubes and that is what I am thinking, with maybe a Betta to live in it. Thanks for the info on the bulb. I don't think the one in it is actually a tank bulb.

That's an idea Doom! Does green algae like heat?

Help with 2 gallon Mini tank?

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