5.5 gal thoughts

[Tostada]

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.

 

[guppy12]

I set up a 5.5 gallon and i have a 30 gallon filter on it ( ya its really clean )
but i no im over do'in it, i woul put a 10-15 gallon filter in it, and i have a 50 watt heater in it. What would u plan putting in it?

 

[JeffreyL]

5 gal;

An AquaClear 20 wouldn't be too big for a 5.5. The flow can be adjusted down to less than 30 gal per hour. Unless you have fish that are very sensitive to water flow it should be fine. Oh, and the AC is the best HOB filter. At least according to say, 90% of the folk you ask here. lol

You should be able to find a 25 watt heater. Most companies make them. If your local stores do not carry one, tell em about it. Or buy online.

BTW, if you have a Petsmart locally, print out the online store price of anything you want to buy local. They should honor the online price, I have saved up to 40% this way.

The 30 gal we have at the foolt of the bed is a whole lot more restful than the news. Or old Will & Grace reruns. lol

 

[JustOneMore20]

I would get an Aquaclear Mini 20 filter. You can turn the outflow down so it doesn't send your fish into a whirlpool.

Or, if you plant it and stick to just a betta or a few small fish (understocked), you could get away with a filter rated for up to 5 gallons, like an Azoo Palm filter. But that would be only if you plan on 1 or 2 fish.

I'm not familiar with bio-wheel filters, so I'm not sure how much current they put out.

As for the heater, they make 25 watt heaters which would be perfect for that size tank. Visi-therm Stealth heaters are my fav and they have a 25w....HERE.

If you don't mind me asking, where are you getting your 5.5g from? Is it a chain store? If so, which one? I'd love to have a square/rectangle 5.5g tank for my betta, but I haven't seen them around here.

 

[rich311k]

Petco usually has the around here. I am always tempted to pick up one up, and try a nano planted tank.

 

[Tostada]

I don't really know ... Probably just some shrimp, some snails ... not sure about the fish. Maybe a few guppies, or just a betta. I'd like to have the bedside tank be something relaxing, not a bunch of tiny zippy fish.

I'm sure it wouldn't be a real problem putting some huge filter on there, I was just thinking it might be totally useless if the tank doesn't have enough bio-load to create very much bacteria on the filter media.

 

[JustOneMore20]

It would make a great nightstand tank...you have given me an idea Tostada. If you are worried about too much flow, go with the small Azoo filter. I think its rated for 2-5g tanks, so its pretty small. The outflow can be adjusted on it also.

Shrimp would be nice...especially Red Cherry Shrimp. Or a nice betta...like a Crowntail. My betta is so graceful. I love watching him at night...its very peaceful.

 

[coldmachineUK]

I just moved a tank out of my bedroom because of the noise. If you're a heavy sleeper, go for it! It will be great to be able to watch fishies in your room at night! If not, save yourself the trouble of having to move everything (trust me its a pain!).

 

[Musket]

hahahaha coldmachineUK, yeah, my husband won't let me have a tank in the bedroom because of the noise. He says what he can hear from the livingroom tanks is quite enough thank you!

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you get a filter that is relatively quiet and make sure the water level stays up, its not that bad. I have a 55g and a 10g in my room and I can sleep just fine. When the water level gets low and I hear that trickling sound from the outflow that is annoying...but easily fixed. I have Aquaclear filters and they are quiet.

 

[Guest]

i have 2 20s in my bedroom with airstones and HOB filters. i love em. i keep the water high to keep trickling down and can't really hear much other than a light hum from the air pumps. i like the white noise.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Its very soothing....So Tostada, what do you think about the smaller filter? Do you want to plant this tank?

 

[Tostada]

Meijer is where I saw a bunch of 5.5s for something like $8.50. They didn't have lids, though, and I'd prefer not to use the POS incandescent hoods they have there for about $20. I'm trying to find a flippy lid for a 5.5 so I can put my extra fixture on there.

I'm going to have to actually look at the filters in the LFS, because I really can't tell what the AquaClear looks like too well online. I'm not THAT concerned about noise ... the right kind of white noise or trickling is fine. I just don't want anything too bulky on the nightstand.

Yeah, I'd definitely put at least some little plants in there, but I don't know how many. I know it's just a weed, but I really like the anacharis in my main tank. Putting the 14W hood on the 5.5 gal would have me up slightly over 2.5 WPG, so I could put just about any plant I wanted in there I guess.

 

[JeffreyL]

weed

Anacharis may be a weed, but it is a good one! lol Another good possibility is water sprite. Easy to grow, it just may need pruning once in a while. And there is always java moss.

If your LFS does not stock the hinged glass lid for a 5.5, perhaps they can order you one??

 

[Tostada]

I think I'm actually just going to custom cut a piece of plexiglass to fit the filter and maybe have a little feeding area so I don't have to remove the whole lid.

Does anybody have any substrate ideas for a 5.5 gal? I have Eco-Complete in my main tank, but it would be a real waste to buy another 20 lb. bag of that for a 5.5 gal.

I've been thinking my only other real option is PFS, but I doubt I can get that in a small bag, either.

It just doesn't seem like gravel is a good idea for a planted tank. Am I wrong?

 

[coldmachineUK]

It just doesn't seem like gravel is a good idea for a planted tank. Am I wrong?

I think so! (Sorry! ). I mainly run gravel substrate tanks, fine gravel for those with loaches as occupants, and my plants do just fine! My plants are rooted pretty well, I think the gravel assists with that actually.
There's a couple of shots in my gallery, but yep, gravel is fine for planted aquaria

 

[rkilling1]

what about an eclipse system? i know they are a little pricey, but they are a nice combo with the filter in the hood and very quite.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Putting the 14W hood on the 5.5 gal would have me up slightly over 2.5 WPG, so I could put just about any plant I wanted in there I guess.

Actually that would be just medium lighting. The smaller the tank, the more wpg you need to grow higher light plants. Medium lighting gives you alot of options for plants, but I wouldn't go with anything that needs high light.

Also, keep in mind the height of the tank. Anacharis would be an ok plant, but it will grow pretty fast and you'll have to trim it all the time. Personally, I'd stick with mostly smaller plants, like anubias nana, crypt parva, and hairgrass. Then you could have a few stem plants, but not alot, because it would look like a jungle.

There are some really beautiful tanks on this site. 5.5 gallons is about 20 liters, so you can look around at the tanks around that size to get an idea of what plants people use.

As for substrate, it would probably be cheaper to just get some small 2-3mm gravel.

 

[Tostada]

Thanks! That's a great site.

I see in entry #31, the 5 gal. looks really nice with Dwarf Hairgrass. They have that stuff at the LFS, so I'll probably have to pick up some. Think that would be good with 14W of light? I'll ask over in planted...