KristenR Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 So.... I'm feeling like I want to set up another tank, and I have a 5 gallon kicking around my basement that I was thinking of using- I know, I know, not a lot you can really DO with a 5, but I HAVE it, and the hubby is hesitant to let me spend more money on ANY tanks, so there you go. I'd like to set it up to plant, when I first started with aquariums I thought I'd be all interested in the fish and not so much into plants, but I actually have found I really like the plants, and that the whole setting up/planning/figuring out what will work best is the part I enjoy the most. Once the tank is established and looking great, I like it, it looks nice, but I don't get as much enjoyment out of it as when I'm struggling to figure out how to make it look better. I guess I'm wierd. The questions that I have are: Is there an easy way to get better light out of the stock hood that came with my 5 gallon? It fits up to a 25W incandescent but when I had it set up before, I felt that I wanted just a little more light in there. What kind of substrate is best? I have looked at fluorite, and that stratum stuff that Fluval makes, and the pricing is close with either, so I'm not really sure what I should go with? I'd love to get a nice colony of RCS in there, and maybe a few tiny fish, and a snail or 2, but I've tried RCS from Big Al's and from Petland and haven't had any success gettting them to breed, either in their own small tank or in a community tank. As for plants, I like Anubias, I have some java moss, java fern, and valisneria in my 10g so could bring some of those over, (maybe not the val so much) does anyone have suggestions on plants that look great but are easy to keep for a newb like myself?? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 I love small tanks! I used two compact florescent bulbs and I was able to grow quite a bit. I also used Schultz aquatic soil with great results. It is much less expensive than many of the other substrate on the market. I just bought some Black Chin Livebearers at the auction. They are great little fish for small tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Would a CFL bulb fit in the hood though?? I mean physically fit into the space? Mine's a marina starter kit that I picked up a few years ago, had set up, then took down when we got a puppy and three tanks was just too much... at that point I had the 10 that I've still got going, the 5 that I'm thinking of bringing back up, and a tiny little 1.8 gallon that I had set up with some RCS. Where do you get Schultz? is it a stand-alone substrate or does it need gravel on top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 You could always do a really awesome mini scape with different levels and plants...and then enter it into a competition to keep your motivation up! Plus, there are lots of micro fish around...just gotta know where to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 You could always do a really awesome mini scape with different levels and plants...and then enter it into a competition to keep your motivation up! Plus, there are lots of micro fish around...just gotta know where to look. Competition sounds a little much for me.... but micro fish are interesting!! Any recommendations on varieties that are relatively easy to find and also relatively easy to keep?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Galaxy Rasboras, Ember Tetras, there were a bunch of really cool micro fish at Pisces a while back...but I haven't really check for them lately. I think I saw some galaxy's at Riverfront last week. They're everywhere...just gotta really look hard...cause they're so small! LOL Oooh.. Scarlet Badis Badis are really small too...and they have some over at Franco's! $4.99 each I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 I had been thinking of maybe a small group of galaxies and a scarlet badis or 2- aqadvisor seems to think this would be an ok stocking for this size of tank- what do others think?? Also- how are these 2 varieties to keep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) I bought my soil at Rona for about $10 a bag. It is similar to ADA soil. No real need to put sand on top other than the color is not as desirable. It kind of looks like kitty litter. I did not think a CFL would fit in my hood, but it did. The only down side to the scarlet badis is many of them will not take prepared food. I feed mine micro worms and grindal worms. Very cute fish! I have quite a few nano tanks and have some neat species. Not all have great color but they have personality plus. I really enjoy sparkling gourami and endler males. I have yet to try galaxy but they are on my list lol. Edited March 18, 2013 by nanmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Nanmer: Which soil did you get and is it nutrient rich or inert? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Would a CFL bulb fit in the hood though?? I mean physically fit into the space? Mine's a marina starter kit that I picked up a few years ago, had set up, then took down when we got a puppy and three tanks was just too much... at that point I had the 10 that I've still got going, the 5 that I'm thinking of bringing back up, and a tiny little 1.8 gallon that I had set up with some RCS. Where do you get Schultz? is it a stand-alone substrate or does it need gravel on top? There are different sized CFLs. I did manage to find one type that was much smaller than normal and fit into my hood that that the other CFLs wouldn't. I will have to see if I can find the box. It came from Canadian tire, I *think* it was one those world eco bulbs, it was a 4 pack. We just opened boxes until we found the smallest type of bulbs. It grew lots in my 10g, the crypts loved it. You could always look into endlers, you would even have babies to sell eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Think it is inert clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 If the hood doesn't have a proper shiny reflector, you could do a bit of DIY and build a reflector to increase the light getting to the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurensdad Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 If the hood doesn't have a proper shiny reflector, you could do a bit of DIY and build a reflector to increase the light getting to the tank. Aluminum tape works amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jro Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 What about growing some emergent plants like peace lilies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted April 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2013 Well, it's been a while, but I went to the store today to get some snails for my 10, and they had some scarlet badis there- I hadn't ever seen them in person, they're so pretty!! So, I HAD to go pick up some kitty litter for substrate, and a couple of plants. Didn't pick up the Badis yet, since they're pretty sensitive and I only just set this tank back up. Will post some pics once the kitty litter cloud subsides in the tank lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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