2.5 gallon tank?

[TonyGee29]

I just got a 2.5 gallon tank from a friend.i let it sit for a bout a week with some live rock in it then i put my chromis in and it died in a couple of days. but he was fine in my 10 gallon. i have a 50 watt heater in there( on VERY low) do you think he died becuase the water got to cold at night? Also i was thinking of purchasing either a 13 watt power compact light OR a 12 " fixture with a 20 watt bulb. What lighting do you think i should do? ALSO will it get to hot having it on? and if it does what should i do for it getting to hot.
Thanks in advance
Tony
P.S sorry for all the questions just have a lot to ask:D

[Amphiprion]

Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to put that much fish mass in a 2.5 gallon tank. It is too small to support it. My suggestion for such a small tank is to go without fish. Does it have any circulation or filtration? A small pump will keep the water plenty warm. As far as a light goes, I would suggest the Coralife 2x 13 watt fixture, which would allow you to keep a variety of polyps. I would either securely suspend the light slightly above the tank, or raise the lid along with the light. Out of experience, if you put the lid on completely with the light on top, it will get far too hot.

[bertoni]

I would just use a thermometer, and set the heater to around 82 F. The temperature scales on heaters can be hugely inaccurate.

I agree that the tank is too small for most any fish.

[TonyGee29]

i was thinking of just doing like 1 maroon clown because i have always wanted one but i have a percula in my 10 gallon. i have just a small filter on it i think it is like 10 GPH or something. How much live rock too? i have about 2 pounds in now. and a crushed coral bed.

[Amphiprion]

Sorry my friend, NO fish in that tank. It will not work out well in almost any circumstance.

[TonyGee29]

ok so not even like shrimp or anything? nothing living? just corals and stuff? i guess thats cool still
any suggestions on which ones?
P.S i wont be back to this post untill tommorw because its bed time for me

[Amphiprion]

If the water is stable, you could keep some tiny shrimp in there (like anemone shrimp and the like).

[kingtoad]

Can't he put in a clown goby? Those are small.

[bertoni]

A small shrimp should be fine. Even a cleaner might be okay in that size tank. Maroon clowns get large (over 6-7").

The crushed coral bed will get messy pretty quickly, but the amount of live rock sounds reasonable.

[ACBlinky]

I'd leave it fishless. I have a 5.5g reef and tried a clown goby, thinking a 1" fish wouldn't produce much bioload, but there were algae blooms galore. He died unexpectedly, and I decided to leave the tank empty for six weeks in case it was a parasite that killed him. Long story short, the tank now has a lot less algae and the corals just look better - it seems to prefer being fishless.
2.5g is REALLY tiny, when you take the substrate and rockwork into account the water volume is incredibly small. Little inverts would probably be fine, but I think a fish will put too much load on a system that size.

[TonyGee29]

So should i just make it a reef? A REALLY COOL ONE

[TonyGee29]

yeah my friend said a clown goby might be good and should i change it to sand? the bed

[swoop_ds]

If you added to the overall water volume (ie sump, refugium, etc) then you might be able to put more livestock in there. You could even use a canister filter to add to the volume of the water as it's only 2.5 gals right now even another filter would add a lot of extra water.
-Dave

[TonyGee29]

I have a filter and it has about a 1/4 gallon in it i want to buy/make something so i can get more volume in there. any suggestions? thanks tony

[bertoni]

I would take out the crushed coral and put in an inch or so of sand. I don't think that a fish will work in the tank even with a refugium, though.

[TonyGee29]

Can i do an eel? i want something alive and moving

[swoop_ds]

I've never kept an eel but I think that they are quite messy(being carnivores) and get very large.

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7122842#post7122842 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by swoop_ds
I've never kept an eel but I think that they are quite messy(being carnivores) and get very large.

Right. I would not put an eel in there. I thought you didn't mind putting a small shrimp in there. They move, too.

[FavaBean]

sorry but to me it seems like maybe you do not understand what can go into what size of tank....a eel in a 2.5 gallon...i think that being said maybe you should look into buying a bigger tank or turning that fresh into salt....

[infrared69]

i have a 2.5 nano and i have kept a marron clown, camel shrip, and a serpent star now for almost a year. i have 1/2 of crushed coral substrate, and 4 lbs of live rock rubble. i have a hagen power head for circulation and an aquaclear hang on back filter. also a very small heater and 13w PC light. i even have a few zoas and rics in there.

[infrared69]

oh, also 3 snails, 3 hermits, and a feather duster. it is important to top off 3x a week and water changes 2x month. id post a pic but im recovering from an cyno outbreak after my daughter put a lollipop in there. no losses tho :)

[tkenm377]

I have a yasha hase in my 2.5 paired with a tiger pistol shrimp and they seem to be working really well... another possible fish if any might be a clown goby they're pretty interesting fish

[sandsmarc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7123403#post7123403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by infrared69
i have a 2.5 nano and i have kept a marron clown, camel shrip, and a serpent star now for almost a year. i have 1/2 of crushed coral substrate, and 4 lbs of live rock rubble. i have a hagen power head for circulation and an aquaclear hang on back filter. also a very small heater and 13w PC light. i even have a few zoas and rics in there.

God, this seems cruel. Fish like to swim, don't they? A maroon in a 2.5 gallon? That seems very wrong to me.

[infrared69]

he does swim,, straight into the current of the power head. its like a fishy treadmill. clownfish dont reall swim that much anyway, most just host in an aneonome all day. i have had clowns in my 55g and 95g, they looks as happy as him. i actually think he likes having his own pad. a T percula might have been a better choice, but i never had one with a personallity that i liked.

[kingtoad]

Put a pair of clown gobies. :hs:

[JRPhd]

I have a 2.5 gallon up and running with animals "that move." It's called a copepod culture. Always wanted a lemon shark, so maybe I can squeeze one of them in there too.

[davidhughes85]

yes i would go with the shark....i have a shark in my 20 gallon....and another in my bathtub

[bertoni]

Maroon clowns should grow to more than 6". I wouldn't put one in a tank less than 50g or so.

[angelsj247]

i couldnt imangine keeping any fish in a 2.5 gallon.. i feel bad for my 2 fish i have in my 20 gallon, that they dont have enought room to roam, as soon as i get money i want to get a huge tank to make them happier.. i mean think of it this way.. they had the HOLLLEEE ocean to swim in and now your putting them in a 2.5 gal. its like putting you in a small bathroom for the rest of your life.

[infrared69]

much like a jail cell. but we dont need to get in a moral debate. bertoni is going to think im a real [profanity]. the last thread i answered i told the kid it was ok to kill a damsel. keeping exotic pets is a easy issue to have strong feelings. i mean goldfish can get pretty big, but we keep them in small bowls. 98/100 parrots die on the container ship from africa to the usa. but they are kinda cool to have cuz they talk. im just rambling now. back to the point of the thread. you asked what type of fish can you keep, i have kept my marron clown i think for almost a year, and he is doing fine. i also concidered a dart fish or a watchman goby. i have a watchman in my 95g and he never moves more than 6". just hides in the rock all day, and i dont even see him come out at night. so there are some possibilites. maybe a cardinal, chromis, or small damsel.

[REEFKEEPA]

Why not just make a nano out of a betta bowl.
you could DIY a mini powerhead and skimmer and do 2 drop per day water changes.
You could keep a live brine shrimp in it if you keep up the WC
and keep salinity high.

[JRPhd]

That's been done already Dio...They call 'em Sea Monkeys :)

[Joshthenosh]

may i ask why do u have to have a 2.5 gal? why not a 5 or 10 or 15.

2.5 is just pointless i lose that much in evaporation in a few days

[Zach117]

I have a whale shark in my 55 gal.

[MarkD40]

The stability of such a small tank is so precarious that I don't understand the attraction of nano tanks. Even an experienced reefer would have problems keeping parameters in balance. If you are going to all of the trouble and expense of a saltwater tank why not go a bit larger. IMO a 29 gallon is the smallest size that is really doable for the less experienced reefer. Trying to cram inappropriate animals into such a confined space just because you think it will look cool is cruel IMO. Just because you have a 2 1/2 gallon tank does not mean you have to use it for a mini reef!

[infrared69]

well i have a 55g softie and a 95g sps/lps reef tank. my 2.5 nano was for my daughter. as a baby she loved my fish (still does). i bought the 2.5g to go on her dresser by her crib so she didnt feel lonily at night. plus when going to sleep or waking up would start talking to the fishie, instead of screaming and crying. also, the runnig water sound is quite soothing and the moonlights make a perfect night lite. why did i pick the size, just random. my LFS sold a ton of those 2.5g DECO tanks. he even went as far as setting them up,stocking them and selling them fully loaded corals/water/fish and all. i bought just a standard 2.5g aga. i searched it on reefcentral and on another.nanoreef.com. did my homework. read 100 threads of sucessful 2.5g tanks. bought the proper equipment and carry out the regular maintaince. its really not that hard. sure the system is small but daily freshwater topoffs are only about 1 cup a day and %50 water changes bi-weekly. i think next i will try a 5 or 12 gallon reef with a snowflake eel.

[REEFKEEPA]

He said SEA MONKEYS! Heh Heh, yea SEA MONKEYS heh heh heheheh!