Super tiny tank

[Drayven]

For Valentine's Day my wife got me one of these ThinkGeek :: USB Fishquarium . The thing only holds like 1.5 quarts of water which is about a third of a gallon. I'm trying not to send it back but can anything even live in that little water? I'm thinking maybe cherry shrimp? I can't imagine any fish that would enjoy that.

 

[Seeker]

Shrimp I would say.

Or maybe don't put water in it and put something else.

Or maybe plants?

 

[RabiedRooster]

I love it, might get one too. Depending on the usb lights you could have some live plants. Red cherry Shrimp or amano would be OK I think. A betta would survive but wouldn't be very happy. You would still need to cycle it, and due to the size water change often. Just waiting for some idiot to put a gold fish in on of these lol

 

[Drayven]

I thought about plants but there's no way I could soil in there without it clogging up the pump. As near as I can tell there's no real filter instead there's a pump at the bottom that draws water up into the faucet thing at the top. As far as plants go I don't think the white LED lights would give them what they need and I'd probably have this at work and there's no windows in my office.

 

[RabiedRooster]

I guess that youd be best of with with some shrimp or maybe a couple of endlers as they are tiny fish. I just went on youtube to see what others have done but I think a single small fish like guppy, tetras etc would be cruel as they are schooling fish. If you wanted a desk lamp with the appropriate spectrum screw in bulb may allow plants like Java moss which wouldn't need soil so to speak, just a thought.

 

[toddnbecka]

A handful of Opae ula (Hawaiian brackish shrimp) would likely be the best bet for that setup. They're smaller than cherry shrimp, reproduce very slowly, and are adaptable enough for the relative instability of such a small setup. They're the same critters in the enclosed bio-orbs, though those are even worse environments than the USB tank. You can find them on e-bay occaisonally.

 

[jenatron]

I agree, a very small amount of shrimp is all, really.
But that thing is pretty cool..

 

[tyspot1000]

I dont even think shrimp belong in that size aquarium, the parameters would be hard to keep stable (since it is a smaller tank), and knowing shrimp (Sensitive to water quality), they would not last long.

Really, I cant find many fish that would be suitable for that size tank. Just my 2 cents

 

[trackfast]

Buy some plastic ones and anchor them to the bottom. No water changes; no cycling; no fuss. lol

 

[jsoong]

You can grow plants without soil - eg Java ferns or Anubias can simply be attached to a rock or ornaments. Also consider plants that grow out of the water - eg. lucky bamboo (with all leaves out of the water).

As for critters, may be think out side the box - a small show snail (eg nerite), or maybe a palladium type setup with a hermit crab ...

I would not put any fish in there tho.

 

[uscamaro]

make it SW and get a tang