stocking for a 2..or 2.5

sir_dudeguy · #1 08/08/2006, 10:30 PM

ok so i've got either a 2 or a 2.5, i cant remember which (i'mthinking the latter)

anyways, i'm gonna set it up so that it can support any lighting needs of any corals, so i'll have a few corals in there. But my main issue is what do i stock it w/as far as fish. Is there any fish that can be kept in that small of a tank? i would venture to say no, but i'm not sure. And what about cleanup or whatever? I personally dont like hermits...they never do anything besides just eat my fish food (never algae or anything) and i love ceriths. Should i just get a couple of those and call it good? or should i get some other stuff too? maybe a nassarius? But i would think they need more room (more sand area i mean)....idk..

also any suggested corals that stay small (or just grow slow) would be great. Lighting i'm planning to do pc's, but i can get whatever i need for that. I've got fixtures laying around that can support up to 60w bulbs, but i would think 20 would be fine woudlnt it?

So far i've got about 2 lbs of live rock and about a half pound of dried up live rock (well its wet now because its in the tank as we speak lol) and about an inch or 2 of aragonite. For flow i've got a whisper 20 filter running empty, but i'm not sure if its enough flow even...i dont care what whisper says...that thing can NOT support a 20 gal tank lol....but for 2 i'd say prolly..idk how much flow it puts out tho...I was also thinking of just using that as a fuge. I've done it w/other filters before, so i proly will w/this one too.

thanks
mike

sir_dudeguy · #2 08/08/2006, 10:38 PM

I also may drill this tank (its acrylic so i wouldnt need anything special would i?) and have a 10 gal. sump

lmk
mike

Billy1234 · #3 08/08/2006, 11:02 PM

I see you've started your own

Well, to start, you can't keep any fish in a tank that small. You should get some hermit crabs though, they can't eat your fish food if you have no fish to feed. You could get a snail or two if you'd like. As for corals that are good, my thread has the pictures of corals that would be good. I have a 20w on my tank and thats not enough light for SPS, IMO. You could probably do it, but I wouldn't recommend it on 20w. However, with 60w, I think you should be fine. I would do what you said and turn the filter into a fuge, and get a powerhead, that's a better idea, IMO. As for drilling acrylic, I'm pretty much useless in that area

Hope that helps

sir_dudeguy · #4 08/09/2006, 02:19 AM

so theres no fish at all? not even the smallest thing? The fish isnt so important, but if there is one, that would be cool....just something to add movement. Would any shrimp work? (like a pistol?)

supraeli · #5 08/09/2006, 04:42 AM

if you had a 10 gallon sump, i think a small goby might be able to cut it, but you wouldnt be getting much movement out of those.

acrylic is easy to drill, just make sure you measure twice and cut once.

i doubt even 60w would support SPS for long, not only because it is lacking in intensity, but also because 2.5 gallons is just too unstable of an environment for them. of course if you are extremely meticulous and devoted, im sure it could be done, but thats just asking for it.

im not too sure about the shrimp... ill leave that for someone else to answer, although my gut feeling is maybe a camel or peppermint shrimp?

Billy1234 · #6 08/09/2006, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by supraeli
i doubt even 60w would support SPS for long, not only because it is lacking in intensity, but also because 2.5 gallons is just too unstable of an environment for them. of course if you are extremely meticulous and devoted, im sure it could be done, but thats just asking for it.

Yes, I would have to agree with the stability issue. Is this your first tank? If not what size was your previous one and what did you keep?

sir_dudeguy · #7 08/09/2006, 12:37 PM

nope not my first tank. i've got a 55 right now too. Still adding stuff, but its all been growing and living...its all in my sig.

When you say that if i have a 10 gal. sump i might be able to do a goby....do you mean that there's one that can actually live in 2 gallons if the water is stable? meaning its not a space issue, but just a water quality one? if so, i dont think i'll have a problem keeping up on it. Specially if theres a 10 gal. sump...that would make it a lot easier.

And for the lighting, i'm thinking i'll just do 2x20w pc's. So i'm thinkin i might cances out sps corals

one other thing...is there any invert or anything that would work instead of a fish that would make it a little more interesting? any weird shrimp or something?

thanks for the help,

mike

Zero-2-Sixty · #8 08/09/2006, 03:43 PM

....y not do a 10g tank with a 2.5 sump?

just throwing that out there

hgbarwick · #9 08/09/2006, 04:32 PM

Yeah if you wan't a fish you can do what Zero suggested.

bubblethumper · #10 08/09/2006, 05:48 PM

I have a really small goby (clear with a red/orange head) and he looks practically lost in my 10gal tank. I think he'd be perfectly happy in a smaller tank.

There is also a type of goby that is black with a blue stripe that is also only about an inch that I would think Ok.

Anyway, I'm not as experienced as some of these guys, so take it with a grain of salt

hgbarwick · #11 08/09/2006, 06:34 PM

I still would not put any of the gobys Bubble listed. the read headed one is a Red headed goby and the black with blue stripe one is a neon goby.

mmn_usn · #12 08/09/2006, 06:42 PM

I had a 2.5 bowfront with a whisper filter. I had 1 dusty clown, 1 blue damsel, 1 bulb tip anenome, 1 yellow tail damsel, 10 small hermits, 8 various snails, 1 small burgandy star, and a very small Tuxido urchin. I also had about 1lb of lr in it. Did great with the whisper with the carbon pack and cotton on the top.
It started when the wife heard commotion in my 55 gal. One clown that I caught was trying to kill the other... so she took water from the main tank and started the small tank. Caught the beat up clown and put it in the small tank. I caught the other 2 fish while diving. I also had a small butterfly in there for awhile... he got too big for the tank... and went to the 55.
The tank will work. I did water changes with my main tank... and added chems when I did it to the main tank. I really liked having the small tank... it was on my night stand.... I would wake up... turn on the light (50/50 coral life self ballasted).. and feed it.... It was great.

Good Luck.

Billy1234 · #13 08/09/2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sir_dudeguy
nope not my first tank. i've got a 55 right now too. Still adding stuff, but its all been growing and living...its all in my sig.

When you say that if i have a 10 gal. sump i might be able to do a goby....do you mean that there's one that can actually live in 2 gallons if the water is stable? meaning its not a space issue, but just a water quality one? if so, i dont think i'll have a problem keeping up on it. Specially if theres a 10 gal. sump...that would make it a lot easier.

And for the lighting, i'm thinking i'll just do 2x20w pc's. So i'm thinkin i might cances out sps corals

one other thing...is there any invert or anything that would work instead of a fish that would make it a little more interesting? any weird shrimp or something?

thanks for the help,

mike

Sorry, I forgot to look in your sig.

Since you've had experience with a tank before I think you could do it without a sump. A sump would be very beneficial though.

Quote:

Originally posted by Zero-2-Sixty
....y not do a 10g tank with a 2.5 sump?

just throwing that out there

My friend is bugging me to do that too. It's just not the same.

Quote:

Originally posted by mmn_usn
I had a 2.5 bowfront with a whisper filter. I had 1 dusty clown, 1 blue damsel, 1 bulb tip anenome, 1 yellow tail damsel, 10 small hermits, 8 various snails, 1 small burgandy star, and a very small Tuxido urchin. I also had about 1lb of lr in it. Did great with the whisper with the carbon pack and cotton on the top.
It started when the wife heard commotion in my 55 gal. One clown that I caught was trying to kill the other... so she took water from the main tank and started the small tank. Caught the beat up clown and put it in the small tank. I caught the other 2 fish while diving. I also had a small butterfly in there for awhile... he got too big for the tank... and went to the 55.
The tank will work. I did water changes with my main tank... and added chems when I did it to the main tank. I really liked having the small tank... it was on my night stand.... I would wake up... turn on the light (50/50 coral life self ballasted).. and feed it.... It was great.

Good Luck.

You had that many fish and a BTA in a 2.5? With only a whisper filter? Don't you think think that's overstocking just a bit? Did you have a skimmer, or a sump or something?

mmn_usn · #14 08/09/2006, 08:47 PM

I had one other pump.. it was in the bottom facing up... when I first started it, I ended up with alot of scum on the surface... I aimed it up to stir the top... the largest fish was the clown.... the other 2 I thought were going to be a meal for him when I first put them in.... but they hid well enough not to get eaten. They were small.
I bought a nano skimmer.... but never installed it. I also changed the carbon out for ceramic bits... it cleared the water up even more..... It may have been too many fish... but I made it work. I spent more time admiring my 2.5 than I did my 55.

sir_dudeguy · #15 08/09/2006, 09:32 PM

Quote:

y not do a 10g tank with a 2.5 sump?

Quote:

My friend is bugging me to do that too. It's just not the same.

same here lol. I just like the look of the small little one on our sideboard right next to the table. Plus the lighting that i have wont fit on the 10 gallon right...its a weird fixture, and plus it wont put out enough light on the 10 to grow corals in it.

Quote:

You had that many fish and a BTA in a 2.5? With only a whisper filter? Don't you think think that's overstocking just a bit? Did you have a skimmer, or a sump or something?

I agree completely w/that. I know for a fact that no clown can be kept in that small of a tank, specially w/no sump or anything to help w/bioload. And then w/2 other fish...way too much imo...for me i was thinking MAYBE 1 fish, and only if there are any that could do fine in something that small.

also.....

Quote:

I also changed the carbon out for ceramic bits... it cleared the water up even more.....

I dont think that would be acurate....those ceramic bits are for the bacteria to grow on (unless you're talkin about amonia remover or something like that...i know aquaclear makes an amonia remover thats just a bunch of little white bits..) but it wouldnt clear water imo....the carbon is what clears the water...its spose to take away any color or whatever in the water i believe....but i do think that it has to be changed because it wears out or something...idk..

anyways, so heres what i'm thinking...

somehow drill the tank and make the 10 gallon a sump...well more of a fuge maybe...i dont think i'd put a skimmer on this tank. But couldnt i just use like an aqualear or a maxijet for a return pump from the sump? those have low enough flow to where it wouldnt be too much i think...

how do i set up the drilling part tho...do i just drill a hole and make an overflow around it? How big would i make the hole? And for the overflow...i'm thinking that i can just use a piece of pvc (one thats about 3 inches or so in diameter?) cut it in half the long way (so that its only a half circle) and glue the edges the back wall so that the hole in the tank is inside the half pvc...and then i'd cut teeth in the top of the pvc so that the water can flow down into it? idk...just what i'm thinkin i might try for now.

Last thing...I havent really researched them much....but how bout dwarf seahorses? i read that they can be kept (and do better) in something small like a 2 gallon, rather than something like a 10, because they dont move much and they need baby brine which would be harder to find in a 10....I realize the feeding on them would be a little bit more maintainence (constantly having to have baby brine...or something else if there is anything) and i know that seahorses are generally harder to keep...but is that even a possibility? I never buy a fish on impulse. I always read up on them a ton first, but i just wanna know if they're even a possibility. I'm guessing they'd need cooler water too? And then there woudnt be any corals if it was cooler probably...

thanks everyone

mike

mmn_usn · #16 08/09/2006, 10:10 PM

The ceramic was Azoo. I am just explaining what happened with my tank.... I had it up for about a year, before I had to disassemble it to move.

Taikimoto · #17 08/10/2006, 03:02 AM

Just drill the tank and go down to your LFS and get a bulkhead for the hole you drilled, like my 2.5:

You can see the bulkhead in my pics, its actually drilled into a piece of acrylic that I replaced the back glass of the tank with (so all sides are glass but the back). Pretty much any bit will work, I used a wooden bit or something cheap at lowes for mine.

sir_dudeguy · #18 08/10/2006, 03:22 PM

thanks for the pics! how much do lfs's sell bulkheads for?

also, i was just at petco (i never buy from them..just look, cuz theyr'e only like a block away..)

but they had some yellow clown gobies and said that it was medium sized...these guys were the smallest fish i've ever seen. I know that its petco and they probably werent actually medium, but they were just the tiniest little fish...would one of those be fine?

sir_dudeguy · #19 08/10/2006, 05:01 PM

well, i was just at the lfs and i got a pound and a half of fiji LR...just to make sure, because i wasnt positive if what i had was live or not...some of it looked like it, but others dont...i'll post a pic of everything later..

anyways, i'm pretty sure this rock wasnt cured...it was only 4.49 and that was at the lfs (per pound i mean...$6 something total) but its cool looking. I'm thinking that i may just get rid of all the stuff i found and buy another pound of fiji from there...

but does anyone know about those yellow clown gobies? they didnt seem to move around a lot, so idk if they'd need that much room really...and how bout a neon goby? those were possibly smaller...

mike

jasutton · #20 08/10/2006, 06:43 PM

A yellow clown goby would work if you are absolutely hell bent on a fish. THat is the only fish i would put in there. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MMM's advice...that is irresponsible, in my opinion, to have that many fish in a 2.5. Seriously...geez

anyway, NO to the pistol. THey are bull dozers and would need a little more room. WHat i would suggest is a sexy shrimp. They are awesome, entertaining and not too much $$, here is the link: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1135
I think the sump is a good idea, definately try to make it a fuge too. please dont get more than that clown goby if you get fish!!

sir_dudeguy · #21 08/10/2006, 07:13 PM

ya i'm not 100% hell bent on getting one, just trying to find out if one would work. and no i wasnt gonna do what mmm did...i think i wrote about that earlier.

my lfs sells sexy shrimp too i think...only they call it a harlequin shrimp? is that the same thing? it looks similar but a little dif. design so it may be 2 completely dif. things, but that is a cool shrimp. I also saw a camel shrimp today, which was cool..maybe a possibility...specially at 4.99. Would it be ok to keep multiples of those?

And yes i know not to get more than a clown goby, if i even do get a fish. I dont like seeing fish cramped up, but if it can be kept happily in that i would get one i think. They didnt seem to be really needy as far as swimming room when i saw them today...just stuck around the rocks and squabled w/one another...oh and thats another think...are these fish even ok to be alone? i'd hate to be able to have one and get it, but then later find out that they actually need to be in a group or something.

If i get a yellow clown goby tho...would i be more worried about space issues, or bioload issues? i've got about 3 lbs of rock in there right now...1 of which i'm positive is live...2 of which if it isnt live then its good base rock for sure. I've already spotted about 4 different freeby hitch hikers on the rock i got from the lfs today, so i'm starting to like this already and theres nothing even in there yet lol.

one last thing. My light that i was gonna put on there broke today lol...made me SO mad, cuz it was a 60w pc fixture but it was like the tiniest thing so it would fit perfect over it. So now for lighting i'm thinking of doing either 1 of those 20w 50/50 coralife screw in lights (the mini ones) or 2 of them...i've got fixtures from old reptile tanks that will fit over it....but also, do they make any bulbs like that that are just regular 10ks and regular actinics only? In other words not 50/50's....i like being able to turn on actinics only.

this is the light i'm talkin about.

[http://]http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441809765&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030120&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1155255121288&itemNo=4&In=Fish&N=2030061+4294966153&Ne=34[/http://]

do they make that in just pure actinic and pure 10k? or am i stuck w/50/50s?

thanks all
mike

jasutton · #22 08/10/2006, 10:33 PM

OK for the shrimp:
Harlequins are different and dont get one, they only eat starfish...expensive meals there.
Camel shrimp should be find, and they tend to do better in paks 2-3 so i have heard, never had one though.

As for the Goby, if you do the Sump, bioload wont really be an issue, just the space i think. But if you get a fish that would be the one to get

As for lights, i hear pretty good things about the screw in bulbs, but do a couple. and i am pretty sure you can only get 50/50

jasutton · #23 08/10/2006, 10:33 PM

OK for the shrimp:
Harlequins are different and dont get one, they only eat starfish...expensive meals there.
Camel shrimp should be find, and they tend to do better in paks 2-3 so i have heard, never had one though.

As for the Goby, if you do the Sump, bioload wont really be an issue, just the space i think. But if you get a fish that would be the one to get

As for lights, i hear pretty good things about the screw in bulbs, but do a couple. and i am pretty sure you can only get 50/50

goodluck!

sir_dudeguy · #24 08/10/2006, 10:45 PM

ya thats what i'm thinking about the bulbs only coming in 50/50's...bummer...i like having just actinics on before and after daylight u know?

and yes, i was planning on doing 2 of the 20 watters. i've got multiple setups, and i can prolly even rig up something so they're in the same reflector.

hypermikie · #25 08/10/2006, 10:59 PM

Sir-dude,

In MY experience (not that it means much)....

I removed a Pistol from my 24g Pod and threw him into a 2.5g I was using for a Quarantine. I dropped in a couple pounds of live rock and a filled the bottom with a 1.5 -2 " sand bed.

He has been in there living (IMO) "quite happily" for a couple of months. I have a Filter/Powerhead that runs carbon, sponge and keeps the water moving. I do lazy 2-3 water changes and add Iodine for the shrimp and Calcium for the LR. I did throw in my sickly Yellow Clown Goby 2 days ago...

I have been thinking of throwing in some low requirement corals from my 24g that are growing crazy (ie. Xenia, Kenya, GSP or Green shrooms)... I am not sure if my light would work since I only have a 13w PC 50/50 coralife....

But my Pistol is happy in his burrow! I feed him a chunk of Krill or Silverside every few days. I see plenty of pods running around after dark and here him snap at them every so often....

BTW: I do not run any heater... I figure that small with the pump and lights?? all seems fine 2 months in...

Just my half page ramble....