Well I kicked the idea around for ages now of what to do, what size tank, what this what that... finally my Girlfriend was so fed up with it she said if I didn't do something by the first of the year...well, lets just say it wasn't going to be good.
So, I did what any person in my situation would of done. I used what equipment I had laying around and threw something together. So far, I'm pleased with the way it has turned out. Whether or not it will last is another matter.
A little about what I was trying to achieve. Well, I wanted something low maintenance and easy to take care of. I do aquarium maintenance as my job...not something I want to do when I get home too. So I had a spare 2.5 gallon Aqueon tank sitting in the closet. I think it had a snake in it at one time...hard telling with my house. I decided I was going to use it for my little planted window to the watery world. After picking the tank I was thinking I'd need a filter...I would of loved to have gone with an external canister filter with glass lily pipes and the sort - but time was against me. So I happened to be at Petsmart and say a little whisper i3 filter. Runs off an air pump, was very small, I thought that this would do the trick. Gives just enough flow for the water to move around and the plants to sway slightly. I also picked up a piece of wood that was in a pretty neat shape as well as a few plants. The problem I am having with the plants is...I am not 100% sure what they are! I'm pretty sure I have dwarf hair grass as one...but if anyone can ID the other two that would be much appreciated. I'll have pictures after my long winded letter here...
Last thing I needed was substrate and a light. Well, I had some clay substrate left over from a clients build - just enough to give me about a 1" layer on the bottom of the tank. I capped this off with another 1" layer of fine sugar sand from one of my old reef systems. The light I had sitting in the closet, its a little desk goose-neck halogen light. I think its around 20w? I have it pretty far off the top of the water, I don't want it to super heat it up.
So I threw everything together about 2 weeks ago. So far, I've had the ammonia spike, than a very small spike in nitrates. I've been reading 0 on both those parameters for 3 days now. So tonight, while I'm at petsmart picking up food for the dozen other animals my house holds...I say a Julli Cory Catfish... nice little small one, maybe 3/4" long. so I picked her up and she's now the sole resident of my tank. I was thinking of adding another fish - possibly a Betta but plan on waiting at least a few months for things to grow out and the tank to mature a bit more.
So, now that you've read my ridiculously long post... here are the pictures I know everyone is dying to see :icon_surp
Mandatory full tank shot.
Dwarf hair grass?
Bacopa? this is one I could use some help with.
another one I need help with, I think its Crypto something or other.
And finally, Juli...the Cory Cat
I apologize for the pictures - my Iphone is not the best camera and I was getting a lot of reflection from all the other aquariums in the room.
So, I did what any person in my situation would of done. I used what equipment I had laying around and threw something together. So far, I'm pleased with the way it has turned out. Whether or not it will last is another matter.
A little about what I was trying to achieve. Well, I wanted something low maintenance and easy to take care of. I do aquarium maintenance as my job...not something I want to do when I get home too. So I had a spare 2.5 gallon Aqueon tank sitting in the closet. I think it had a snake in it at one time...hard telling with my house. I decided I was going to use it for my little planted window to the watery world. After picking the tank I was thinking I'd need a filter...I would of loved to have gone with an external canister filter with glass lily pipes and the sort - but time was against me. So I happened to be at Petsmart and say a little whisper i3 filter. Runs off an air pump, was very small, I thought that this would do the trick. Gives just enough flow for the water to move around and the plants to sway slightly. I also picked up a piece of wood that was in a pretty neat shape as well as a few plants. The problem I am having with the plants is...I am not 100% sure what they are! I'm pretty sure I have dwarf hair grass as one...but if anyone can ID the other two that would be much appreciated. I'll have pictures after my long winded letter here...
Last thing I needed was substrate and a light. Well, I had some clay substrate left over from a clients build - just enough to give me about a 1" layer on the bottom of the tank. I capped this off with another 1" layer of fine sugar sand from one of my old reef systems. The light I had sitting in the closet, its a little desk goose-neck halogen light. I think its around 20w? I have it pretty far off the top of the water, I don't want it to super heat it up.
So I threw everything together about 2 weeks ago. So far, I've had the ammonia spike, than a very small spike in nitrates. I've been reading 0 on both those parameters for 3 days now. So tonight, while I'm at petsmart picking up food for the dozen other animals my house holds...I say a Julli Cory Catfish... nice little small one, maybe 3/4" long. so I picked her up and she's now the sole resident of my tank. I was thinking of adding another fish - possibly a Betta but plan on waiting at least a few months for things to grow out and the tank to mature a bit more.
So, now that you've read my ridiculously long post... here are the pictures I know everyone is dying to see :icon_surp
Mandatory full tank shot.
Dwarf hair grass?
Bacopa? this is one I could use some help with.
another one I need help with, I think its Crypto something or other.
And finally, Juli...the Cory Cat
I apologize for the pictures - my Iphone is not the best camera and I was getting a lot of reflection from all the other aquariums in the room.