New 2.5g setup

[skathic]

I just got my new tank set up - the boyfriend started a 5g at work, so I got his 2.5g as a hand-me-down for my desk at home.

So far, so good. We have a cute little landscape - a piece of lace rock, a piece of wood, a plant (not sure what kind...), a little froggy (also not sure...), 3 Neon Tetras and 2 Harlequin Rasboras.

I'll post pics in the appropriate thread!

 

[Guest]

Congrads on your tank. I"ll be looking for those pics. Also, a warm Welcome to Aquarium Advice!! Hope you enjoy your stay!
-Stewie

 

[malkore]

Your tank is over stocked. With 2.5gallons, you're limited to 1 fish (a betta is really the only option), or 1 dwarf frog.

 

[skathic]

The guy at my fish store (Mark's Fish in Sherman Oaks, CA), who I really do trust, has seen the tank, and suggested the inhabitants.

They all seem happy, everyone's got room to swim around, little places to hide...how will I know if I am indeed overstocked?

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

I agree with malkore, I think that's too many fish for the size of the tank.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

What size are they currently?

 

[Toirtis]

Your tank is over stocked. With 2.5gallons, you're limited to 1 fish (a betta is really the only option), or 1 dwarf frog.

Well, or a trio of white clouds or a pair of smaller killifish....of course, filtration counts for a lot, too.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Your tank may be fine now, but once they begin to grow, you will have problems. If I were you I would return the fish and get a Betta or something smaller like Toirtis suggested.

 

[aquazen]

Or a dwarf gourami. Stocking is usually at a ratio of about 1" of fish to one gallon of tank. Depending on your filtration, you may go up or down a few inches. That's just a general rule of thumb, but it's not written in stone by any means. I was thinking about getting a 2.5 with a betta and 3-4 ghost shrimp. That might work.

 

[skathic]

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses & advice!

The tetras are <1" long and the rambosas are mabe just over an inch. I'd say I have about 4" of fish in there right now, plus the frog - which I discovered is an African Dwarf Frog...no big surprise, it seems like they're quite common!

We're using a Whisper filter & the plant for filtration - we also have seeded gravel in there, which is supposed to help, right? We also have a little heater in there to keep them all happy.

I'm not at all interested in getting a betta, although they're pretty. =) But I'll be keeping a close eye on everything to make sure no one gets unhappy. Don't worry, we love our fishies!

We're in the process of setting up our 125g sw tank, so I'll be posting about that shortly, too!

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

If you have decent filtration ( UGF ) and regular miantenence you can keep all those fish in the 2 1/2 gallon once it cycled and you added the fish slowly over month or so after it cycled.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

the filter you have (i'm betting its the whisper internal filter), won't be sufficient. i'd go with fancyguppyguys recommendation of getting an UGF or a small HOB. But I think the UGF would be more practical for such a small space. Good luck!!

 

[aquazen]

You can use an Azoo Palm filter. It can filter 3 gallons of water with little trouble. Cute looking too.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821&Ne=1030&R=16494&N=2004+22769+1031

That's the link to the product at Drs Fosters and Smith, but shop around in case there's some other cheap places.

 

[Toirtis]

You can use an Azoo Palm filter. It can filter 3 gallons of water with little trouble. Cute looking too.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821&Ne=1030&R=16494&N=2004+22769+1031

That's the link to the product at Drs Fosters and Smith, but shop around in case there's some other cheap places.

And the heck with the supplied filter pad, custom cut yourself some open cel-pore foam (using an AquaClear mini foam block should work) and stuff it in the media area.

 

[Toirtis]

Or, you could always go all-out and do something insane, like this:
http://s6.invisionfree.com/AlbertaAquatica/index.php?showtopic=610