Tostada
Aquarium Advice Freak
I was thinking it might be more interesting to stare at fish when I'm going to sleep than watch TV, and my nightstand is the perfect size for a 5.5 gal tank. All my fish in my 30 gal. are small enough that I could even use it as a quarantine if I needed to. A 5.5 gal. is about $8-$9 most places. The hood that came with my 30 gal. hex (before I made my a custom one) has a single 15" fluorescent bulb and doesn't even have a reflector. It's terrible for a 30 gal. hex, but it would fit perfectly over a 5.5 gal. tank if I could find one with a plain glass lid. Before I go get one, though...
- Everybody says smaller tanks are harder to keep the parameters in line. Is this really much of a problem?
- What about a heater? Most heaters start at 50W and are long enough that I'd have to mount them horizontally.
- What about filters? I don't know what small OTB filters are any good.
I could stick a Bio-Wheel 100 on the 5.5 gal, but that might create too much current for the kinds of fish one would put in a 5.5 gal. I mean, if that thing actually pushes 100 GPH, that's a lot for a 5.5 gal. Maybe I could cut down the impeller blades to reduce the flop.
If it's not a problem, I might even stick my Bio-Wheel 200 on the 5.5 and get a small cannister for my 30 gal. If I move a filter from a 30 gal. to a 5.5 gal, will most of the bacteria on the wheel die? I guess it would have to if the fish in the 5.5 aren't making enough ammonia.
What's the best way to start up a new 5.5? I assume I can just get a new filter and hang it on my established 30 gal. and just run two filters for awhile, then transfer the new filter over to the 5.5. Is that normal? How long does it usually take? More than a week of running both filters? If I got a Bio-Wheel 100 I guess I could just look at the wheel and see when it starts to get dirty.
- Everybody says smaller tanks are harder to keep the parameters in line. Is this really much of a problem?
- What about a heater? Most heaters start at 50W and are long enough that I'd have to mount them horizontally.
- What about filters? I don't know what small OTB filters are any good.
I could stick a Bio-Wheel 100 on the 5.5 gal, but that might create too much current for the kinds of fish one would put in a 5.5 gal. I mean, if that thing actually pushes 100 GPH, that's a lot for a 5.5 gal. Maybe I could cut down the impeller blades to reduce the flop.
If it's not a problem, I might even stick my Bio-Wheel 200 on the 5.5 and get a small cannister for my 30 gal. If I move a filter from a 30 gal. to a 5.5 gal, will most of the bacteria on the wheel die? I guess it would have to if the fish in the 5.5 aren't making enough ammonia.
What's the best way to start up a new 5.5? I assume I can just get a new filter and hang it on my established 30 gal. and just run two filters for awhile, then transfer the new filter over to the 5.5. Is that normal? How long does it usually take? More than a week of running both filters? If I got a Bio-Wheel 100 I guess I could just look at the wheel and see when it starts to get dirty.