2 new planted tanks..advice please!

[wulfin]

Hi, I'm about to set up 2 new tanks and am looking for advice with what plants, light, etc to use. Here's the basic setup for both.

Tank 1 - 2 gallon hex, will house a betta, 15W bulb which will probably have to be replaced? I'm thinking i want to put real plants in here, but this is still kind of up for debate depending on what y'all think

Tank 2 - 5 gallon tank, will have red cherry shrimp. Nothing for this one is purchased yet (inc. tank), so I am buying everything later on

What would you guys suggest for plants, lighting, etc. I had wonderful success with my 20gal planted, but have never done any smaller tanks like this before

 

[mr funktastic]

another member from canada!! WOOT! lol. ok for the 2 gal all u would need to do is replace the incadecent bulb witha screw in compact flourescent. i bought mine at dollarama but u can get them at walmart, home deopt zellars... anywhere really. try to get the U shaped bulb instead of the spiral if u can. and also make sure the k rating is 4100K or higher. i would suggest sand in that tank or eco complete if u can afford it. then just buy plants wisely for that size of tank. as for the 5 gal... i suggest bumping up to a 10 gal. that little bit of extra space is really worth it and its not any harder to take care of. for the hood i would sugest a coralife 36 watt fixture. try www.petsandponds.com or www.jlaquatics.com for some decent prices. u didnt say if u wanted high or low light but if u go the higher route u will need DIY co2 which is extreamly easy to do. i suggest trying an assortment of mosses in the cherry tank. some nice stem plants for the back and maybe some nice crypts for mid ground. there some basic information for ya.

 

[wulfin]

Thanks for the info - for the bigger tank, moving to a 10gal would be easy, the pricing is fairly close for the 5 and 10gal tanks, probably easier to find a lid for a 10gal tank too.. *g* I just have to wait 2 weeks to buy that one (which is going to drive me nuts..i hate waiting). I'm planning on this one being med-high to high lighting, as i've never had much success in lowlit tanks. The CO2 is easy

I'm planning on hitting wallyworld today, so that'll take care of the bulb for the hex.

 

[mr funktastic]

i wouldnt really worry about buying a lid for the 10 gal. i run all my tanks open. unless u are buying a fish with a tendency to jump. as for lighting... the 24" 65 watt coralife would be a nice hood. but it is to long for a 10 gal. would fit a 15 perfectly though. THIS is the one i am talking about. the 15 gal would be much nice than a 10 casue u have a larger base to plant. i only paid 22 bucks for my 15 gal from big als. buy the light online since it will be cheaper. if u take the price off of either of those 2 sites i listed and add shipping big als will price match for that much(its almost always cheaper than there site) and there shipping is free.

 

[wulfin]

LOL, i have a feeling that if i let you, i'd end up upsizing to another 90 gal

I actually HAVE a spare 24" 65watt coralife in my closet unused... and it would cost $22 for a tank from big als? In person or online? Unfortunately, they closed their calgary store so the closest one is 3 hrs away... i might see what Pisces has for tanks, they're usually decent.

From what i've read, red cherry shrimp tend to climb out - thats why i'm thinking of the lid for it.

 

[maxwell1295]

A 13" 24W PC fixture would work well on a 5G tank....I have one my 7G MiniBow. There are a bunch of these on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CL-13-Aquarium-...5QQihZ011QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/CL-13-Aquarium-...ryZ46314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/CL-13-Aquarium-...ryZ46314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[wulfin]

Okay, i ended up getting a 15 gallon.. why? Because i found one super cheap. One of the mom n pop type pet stores here is going out of business (thanks to walmart moving in) so all of their display tanks are on sale.

I got a 15gal for $12.. came complete w/ heater and filter, though i probably will just use a sponge filter with the RCS. Though upon closer look it's a bit scratched up..may go to another petstore to see what they have new anyways.. I can always re-sell/give away this one if need be

They were also selling 40gal cubes for about $35 with filter/heater. Oh to have the space!!!