2.5gal test tank

[RandomKayos]

Tank: 2.5gal
Set Up Date: 10-16-2008
Substrate: Black Sand
Filter: Azoo Palm
Light: 1 GE daylight Compact Florescent
Fauna: 5x Corydoras Pygmaeus, Scuds, Ramshorn Snails, another pond snail I can't identify, several micro fauna so small I can't see more than a spot.
Flora: Java Fern, Scarlet Temple, Hemianthus micranthemoides,several local pond plants.
At this time I have no idea of my water parameters. I don't have a test kit. I use treated tap water. Temp is about 72F.

This tank is more of a testing ground at the moment. It started because I wanted to see if a local pond plant would stay the size I found it. That's the most common plant scattered around the sides and back of the tank.

I have ordered a test kit and will update when I get it. The first pic was taken 10-16-2008 and here is a pic from yesterday.

[epicfish]

Nice. The background is trippy.

[RandomKayos]

HEHE, thanks, That's a left over from my 10 gal glofish tank. I figured with the glofish I might as well do a bit of a flashy tank. I plan to replace that once I find something I like. Not a big fan of standard backgrounds.

[PROLINKer]

The background kinda get me dizzy hehehehe. Is that a cloth?

[RandomKayos]

Not a cloth, It's a manufactured background I got from PetSmart about a year ago. I would love that design in black though.

[RandomKayos]

Got a call from my local fish store and went and picked up 5 more Pygmy Coreys for this tank. Didn't realize how much my initial 5 had grown till I added these. The initial stock is at about an inch long. these new ones are about 3/4 of an inch and a third the diameter. The new and old bonded right away and I have a nice school of 10 going now. Also found a Maylaisian trumpet snail in one of the bags of fish. Added that here to see how it does. That gives me 3 types of snails in here now.

[kalabreeze]

Hi, I am a newbie, and I have 2.5 gal newly planted tank myself (my first nano). I love cories, let me ask you, would 10 pygmy cories for 2.5 gal be ok? It totally throws the 1 inch per galon rule. I would be if I suggested it on my fish forum.
Sorry, just asking, not criticizing. I would love some cories for my 2.5 gal

[RandomKayos]

Originally Posted by kalabreeze

Hi, I am a newbie, and I have 2.5 gal newly planted tank myself (my first nano). I love cories, let me ask you, would 10 pygmy cories for 2.5 gal be ok? It totally throws the 1 inch per galon rule. I would be if I suggested it on my fish forum.
Sorry, just asking, not criticizing. I would love some cories for my 2.5 gal

Hmm, where to start. I guess first I should clarify the 1 inch per gallon rule. It is not a rule, it is a guide line. And it refers to 1 cubic inch of fish per gallon of water. In a tank with with a box filter, no plants and no air stones. Based on that, 10 Pygmy Cory's would only be about 3/4 of a cubic inch. So 2.5 gals would be several times the space needed. And with the size of the Pygmy, they have lots of room to school or find a quiet spot if there own if they wish.

I left one forum already because they seemed to think a betta needed a 75 gal tank to itself so the 1 inch rule really gets me.

I can say this from experience. I have kepts aquariums for 40 years now. I have a clue when a tank is to croweded. I watch my Pygmy's and they are happy, show good growth, good color, plenty of social interaction. I tested the water today in my tank and found PH: 7.6, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 30.

Since I have not done a water change since the tank was set up I will prolly do a 25% in the next day or two but I am also getting some Anubis Nana Petite that I plan to put in here so that would lower the nitrates. Until I added the second 5 Pygmy's this tank ran at Nitrate: 20 very consistantly so the balance should come back with the addition of the new plants.

I have found that a balanced tank will not need water changes unless you over feed or have to worry about trace metals. I clean debris with a small siphon every couple weeks and top off evaporation and let the tank be. The fish do very well. I plan to set up another duplicate tank with Hasbroses as soon as I can get another tank.

[kalabreeze]

Thanks for your reply Yeah, I couldn't tell on that forum about my new nano addiction. Even for shrimp they do not recommend anything less than 5 gallon. I am glad I found this forum. I wish I could find some dwarf cories, but they are not sold at LFS here. I have 2 julii cories in my 2.5 gal but they will be too big soon and I will have to move them to my 29 gal.
Sorry for getting off topic, this site is great, I learned so much already

[RandomKayos]

I had a hard time finding pygmy corys until I found out how small they really are. If you look at the first picture I posted you can see the 5 I started with in the back right corner about half way up. I have found they like to hide if other fish are around so if you are just browsing a LFS you may go right past them and not know it. Check with someone in the store to see if the actually do stock them. Many times even if they don't, they may order them for you.

By the way. That first pic is a good perspective of these fish in a 2.5 gal tank. You can see they have plenty of room in there.

[RandomKayos]

Well it's been a month. I did a trim last week but couldn't get my camer to work till last night.



I've added a couple dwarf Platties that didn't seem to like my big tanks But I'm thinking I'll move them to a different tank because they just don't seem to fit in here. I'm still wanting to get some MicroRasboras or something simular but that has to be ordered online and with the cold setting in I don't see it happening for awhile.

Anyway, comments and questions always welcome.

[connordude27]

wow nice jungle i like it looks nice!

[fish_fasinated]

very nice, that background its deffidently trippy, lol then add 10 pygmies to this would be crazy! lol could make for a fun night

[RandomKayos]

There are 10 pygmies in there. They love the jungle end of that. I've only been able to count 7 at any given time but that plant is almost a solid mat about a half inch above the substrate over a third of the tank. I'm hoping so see some little pygmies one of these days. The keep laying eggs so I'm hoping.

[FrostyNYC]

Only one month, and your pygmies are already laying eggs? That is awesome.

That's also a LOT of HM in that tank. Have you considered adding plants for some height in the tank?

PS - I think removing the platies was a good idea. Also, if your cories are breeding, Id leave well enough alone and not even add the microrasboras. I've read of shrimp eating cory eggs as well.