I've got a small tank, what should I use it for?

[chmdance]

I'm really at a lost.

About 3 months ago I got a 1.65 gallon tank for my birthday that included a light. Since then I have added gravel and an air pump kit to it, but I have no idea what I will use it for! I know not to put any fish in it, it's way too small for that (sadly), but I was hoping on something like a nano garden with a snail or something along those lines.

Any suggestions would be fantastic!

 

[Galligak]

Shrimp!!! Those cute little guys would be awesome in a planted tank that size!!

 

[Flossie]

I'm really at a lost.

About 3 months ago I got a 1.65 gallon tank for my birthday that included a light. Since then I have added gravel and an air pump kit to it, but I have no idea what I will use it for! I know not to put any fish in it, it's way too small for that (sadly), but I was hoping on something like a nano garden with a snail or something along those lines.

Any suggestions would be fantastic!

I believe u could put some shrimp

 

[Mr.Albiman]

get about 5 Red Cherry Shrimp they look amazing, breed like rapid-fire and the colour of them will stand out really well against the green of the plants they eat algae, so either build up some using sunlight or feed them algae wafers good luck!

 

[siva]

I'm really at a lost.

About 3 months ago I got a 1.65 gallon tank for my birthday that included a light. Since then I have added gravel and an air pump kit to it, but I have no idea what I will use it for! I know not to put any fish in it, it's way too small for that (sadly), but I was hoping on something like a nano garden with a snail or something along those lines.

Any suggestions would be fantastic!

Welcome to AA!!

That's a fantastic idea. You could do a horned nerite snail, they stay small enough for a tank that size. There are many varieties of shrimp you could do, RCS is the most popular. For the plants you may have to do very low light plants. What type of light did it come with?

You'll want the tank to be cycled before you add livestock. Are you running a filter in there? Do you have any other aquariums in the house?

 

[chmdance]

Are red cherry shrimp hardy? I've had ghost shrimp in my main tank before, and they only lasted a few months. And if I was to get some red cherry shrimp, what plants would they enjoy in my tank?

 

[Somethingclever]

I have one too, i use it for molly fry

 

[chmdance]

It can with a pretty bad light, not entirely sure on the wattage, but I'll go dig out the aquarium box to find out.

I don't have a filter either, but I was thinking on creating a sponge filter from all of the DIY's I found about creating one. I do have a main tank (you can see a description on my profile) and it runs on a power filter (the tank is a Marineland Eclipse 12).

 

[alLexX]

java moss would work no matter how bad your light is,its a no light plant

 

[chmdance]

This may sound incredible, but about two months ago I decided to take some of my java moss from my main tank and try it out on my small tank. It died (from what I suspect is malnutrition) within the month. I still can't believe I killed an unkillable plant!

 

[chmdance]

The lightbulb is a 7 watt incandescent if that means anything...

 

[Mr.Albiman]

in my 15 gallon i have java fern & java moss with the RCS. and yes they are very hardy. probably about the hardiest shrimp out there, and they get a bit bigger than ghost shrimp maxing out at about 1 and a half inches

 

[chmdance]

So no need for any special plant supplements? I tend to kill plants rather quickly I'm afraid, so anything would help.

 

[siva]

Definitely hook up that airline to a small filter instead of an airstone. If you can use media from your other tank in the filter you can instant cycle it for the shrimp, if not you'll want to run a fishless cycle. Or you could run the small filter in your large tank for a while before getting the shrimp to seed that new filter. RCS are hardy but most likely not hardy enough to withstand a cycle.

IME ghost shrimp are very hardy. It's likely the ones purchased had been kept in bad conditions since they are typically used as feeders which could have led to their premature deaths. Or maybe fish ate them?

I have little 1 gal shrimp tanks with 7 (or sometimes all I can find is 5) watt little nightlight bulbs. In there I keep a marimo ball which shrimp love. It's actually a form of algae so they can feed on it. Also java fern which grows does well in there. No, no need for ferts for the plants or anything.

 

[chmdance]

Thanks so much Erin, that's a great help! Are there any filters you'd point out that work best?

 

[siva]

No prob! At first I was using these: AllPet.com - Pet Supplies but then began to hate that green color (why do they make it that color, I'd love to know, it blends with nothing! lol) so then I ordered these: AllPet.com - Pet Supplies which I like better except for I didn't realize they were going to be bulkier..they are thicker and actually take up a bit more space, which, of course in a tank this small there isn't much to spare. I still prefer them over the green though. I'd like to switch to this one, but I'm worried because it only have one review which is poor Amazon.com: Elite Single Sponge Filter: Kitchen & Dining . You may be able to do something DIY better than these options.

 

[Deckape]

Lighting shouldn't be a problem. The tank seems lightweight and highly portable. Move it wherever there is sufficient sunlight. Just my 2 cents.

 

[siva]

A tank this small can overheat fast. Especially if you're using that incan. bulb as well. Personally I'd recommend keeping it away from sunlight for the most part.

 

[chmdance]

Yep, currently it's in my room corner where it is the farthest away from sunlight. It does get a bit hot in the summer though, about 80 degrees, so that can be problematic.

 

[chmdance]

How exactly do you set up the sponge filter? I've got the pump and airline (with regulator since pump is for 12 gallons and under...) but how do you add a sponge filter into the equation?