2.5 gallon powerless desktop

[dskidmore]

I would really like to have a small aquarium at work, but there is a strict policy against "electric appliances." I have a 25W T5 lamp affixed about 20" above my desk that could light the aquarium.

Shaky plan:
2.5 or 5 gallon aquarium, open top or diffuser grid top
low-light plants (I have at home crypts, java fern and java moss. I have some micro sword that would go well to scale but might not do well in this light.)
freshwater clam (For filtering. Can they be happy in a small tank?)
"algae eating" shrimp (available at my LFS, likely Amanos.)

 

[Tong]

Although I have never done it, I think it can be done. And I hear of lots of people who do it in their "natural aquariums".

Biofilter = plants
Mechanical filter = water change vacuum
water movement = very active fish
Light = You covered this. You might need a different bulb though!
Temp = ambient. Might need cool water fish though as most offices are pretty cool.

 

[jibboo]

you could do it ... light is only a requirement for plants, not fish

If you can't power a filter, then do daily water changes

other than the heat factor I can't see why not to do it. What temps does your office stay at?

 

[toddnbecka]

FW clams are filter feeders. In a small tank w/no circulation, I doubt one would live long.

 

[hc8719]

i dont think i'd do it, daily water changes can be hassle at work (are you gonna bring an empty milk gallon with you, fill it up in the office bathroom, then put dechlor drops in it, then empty the tank and add the new water, even when done carefully will leave at least a few drips on your desk

and were can you find really small coldwater fish that are very active?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Fish do need light to have healthy coloration. What are you going to use for airation?

 

[joannde]

A betta with java fern and java moss might work, no ? If your willing to do the daily water changes as pointed out - I don't think there's anyway around that. Its too small to create a true micro-environment I think

EDIT - another thought. How about a battery powered air pump with a corner filter ? Might cut down on the daily water changes a little. I have no idea how loud those battery powered pumps might be, or how long the batteries might last but you could look into it

 

[dskidmore]

You might need a different bulb though!

Not sure I'm brave enough to replace company equiptment on a whim. I'm not going to get stellar plant growth with a standard bulb, but that's not really the point.

other than the heat factor I can't see why not to do it. What temps does your office stay at?

I don't have a thermometer here, but it's pretty well air conditioned. I would only be able to keep cold water species. I was thinking of keeping only the shrimp, no fish.

FW clams are filter feeders. In a small tank w/no circulation, I doubt one would live long.

I know this is true of filter feeders like shrimp, that passivly filter moving water, but I thought clams activly pumped water through thier filter?

i dont think i'd do it, daily water changes can be hassle at work ...

and were can you find really small coldwater fish that are very active?

I want to avoid the daily water change, and I don't plan to have any fish. My 75 gallon tank at home runs with really minimal filtration, I think a smaller tank with a negligable bioload should do ok without daily filtration.

What are you going to use for airation

Same as mother nature, depend on the plants to provide oxygen. They don't need to be pearling to produce enough oxygent to support a small bioload.

A betta with java fern and java moss might work, no ? ...Its too small to create a true micro-environment I think

The betta would take it out of the true micro scale. Would need a decent plant mass to filter for the beta.

Although.... I do have a vine growing in a bottle here that could probably take up the extra ammonia load if I was determined. It wouldn't pump much O2 into the water though.

How about a battery powered air pump with a corner filter?

I think that might still qualify as an electric appliance. They didn't specify "corded" or "AC".

 

[JRagg]

I'd honestly doublecheck your company policy. I know that where I work the idea is to keep people from bringing in coffee pots, refrigerators, microwaves, etc. I don't know that I'd really consider a very small pump for a micro aquarium an "appliance". I would agree that a heater would probably be out of the question, but a pump and a small light would seem perfectly fine to me. Do people use desk lamps there? Drafters where I work use additional desk lamps, those are no different than something on a micro tank.

The point of those policies is generally for fire prevention, and I don't know about you but I've never heard of a submerged pump starting a fire.

 

[joannde]

Hmmmmmmmm ..... mystery snails and shrimp ... that would actually be pretty cool

 

[jibboo]

good point on the company policy thing ... a small air pump is hardly an appliance (in my mind)

it might be wise to run your fish tank idea past your boss/manager/supervisor just to be safe either way. then he might give you the ok to run a small filter or air pump, or he might tell you no livestock/fish regardless

many people keep bettas in small bowls without lighting, heating or filtration ... so a betta might be hardy enough to do what you want

personally, I'd spend $2 at walmat for a small thermometer ... so you can get an idea of water temp and if it changes

i keep a betta in a 1 gallon tank on my desk at home ... no light, no heater, only an air pump that goes into this tube (works kinda like a ugf) he's been fine for months ... my room temps fluctuate based on season by he was fine at around 67-68 degrees (according to the thermometer)

 

[dskidmore]

I'd honestly doublecheck your company policy.

I asked the safety person if I could have an aquarium at my desk, and the response was that I couldn't have any electric appliances. She did not specifically say I couldn't have an aquarium. (Perhaps I should try gas-powered? )

I havn't seen any supplimental desk lamps here. We do use special equiptment in the labs, but it goes through a whole set of paperwork first.

 

[jibboo]

oh btw ... in only do pwc's in my 1g every other week or so

 

[dskidmore]

it might be wise to run your fish tank idea past your boss/manager/supervisor just to be safe either way.

It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
Stuart's Law of Retroaction

 

[src]

About temperature, you might want to consider what happens after hours. Most offices (at least those that don't run 24/7) will cut back drastically on heating/cooling after normal hours. Here at work, by 7:00 PM we can get more than 5 degrees of rise/drop depending on the season. I'm sure the total swing is higher.

Just something to check.

 

[dskidmore]

About temperature, you might want to consider what happens after hours. Most offices (at least those that don't run 24/7) will cut back drastically on heating/cooling after normal hours. Here at work, by 7:00 PM we can get more than 5 degrees of rise/drop depending on the season. I'm sure the total swing is higher.

Just something to check.

Good point. Perhaps I should pick up a min-max thermometer. I didn't notice anything when I was here on Christmas Eve, but I'm known for not being senstive to cold.

FYI, I found two websites (http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/clams.html & http://news.fws.gov/mussels.html) that support the idea that the clam provides it's own current for filter feeding.

I'm kind of stuck on the clam, as I've been interested in trying one for some months now, and this would be a good excuse to pick one up.

 

[jibboo]

let us know what you decide and how it works out

 

[dskidmore]

I think I'll go for it. I've decided on a 2.5 gallon aquarium, which I believe is the smallest glass aquarium my local store carries. (May have to upgrade to 5 gallon if that's all I can find.)

Anyone want to help me pick out plants?

Definite includes:
Java Fern
Java Moss
Crypt Wendetti

Choices:
Include some emergent plants to make better use of that distant light? Downside of emergents is that they will not contribute as much to the oxygen supply.

Include Crystal Vals?
I have a ton of these in my 75 gallon, and they could serve similarly to the way the jungle val does in the 75. They may be too big though.

Low light ground cover?
I really have no idea what to pick here that would accept low light, be to scale, and be available.

Hardscape plan:
driftwood and either local round stone or broken slate pieces
beige sand from my already cycled 75 gallon aquarium

Stocking plan:
1 freshwater clam
2-3 shrimp
Malaysian trumpet
ramshorn? snails
blackworms

Timeline:
Purchase tank, fill with water and substrate.
Begin fishless cycle.
Order plants and clam.
Transplant java fern, crypts and vals.
Begin hardscape, plant java moss
Install clam, wait for him to burry himself.
Plant ground cover and remaining plants.
Purchase shrimp locally and add.

I may have frequent re-plantings in the beginning if the clam decides to move around. I hope we reach an agreement soon after his move though.

It is noted that the stability of the tank will be directly tied to the health of the clam. The tank is not large enough to absorb the bioload of a dying clam no matter how many plants I stick in it. The expected lifespan of a clam is 1.5-2 years.

 

[czcz]

Since it appears you want a long term sustainable tank, I think you should avoid Java fern, C. wendtii, and the Vals. Better would be C. pygmaea, parva (could be carpets), willisii, or any small crypt, Anubias barteri var nana "petite" (could be a carpet), and the bigger Dwarf hairgrass (see Purrbox's tanks).

Other cool plants for your consideration that aren't terribly rare are M. umbrosum, Hydrocotyle sp, the more exotic mosses (could be carpet tied to rocks), Blyxa japonica (can get large), and Elatine triandra (carpet).

Emergent and/or floating plants would be good. While they don't add O2 they'll take up plenty of nutrients since they can draw CO2 from the atmosphere.

I think your stocking plan is great. FWIW, my 2.5gal invert tank (shrimp, snails, had some carnivorous plants) is easy. Only powered component is light. I think you can do anything you want with your stocking.

*edited for typo and grammar

 

[dskidmore]

Thanks czcz!

I'll definately look into that list more tomorrow. Looking around at my usual sources isn't being very fruitful, so I'm poking around for availability of those species.