Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Non puffer freshwater discussion. Don't tell your puffers, they'll be jealous!
Post Reply
User avatar
soggydrysuit
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:36 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 2x T.fluviatilis
1x C. irrubesco
2 x T. nigroviridis
1 x T. ocellatus
Current non-puffers:

Enough for people to think I'm a loonie :-)
Location (country): UK
Location: Durham, UK

Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by soggydrysuit »

I've had this very small tank sitting around for years but have never really kept anything in it. It's the sort of size (24x8x8 inches) I might get away with on the bench next to my desk at work so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for a 'smart' looking little aquarium?

I was thinking of possibly a planted tank if I pick the plants very carefully. Possibly no lid and plenty of light from a T5 double? Evap would not be a prob because I am there... or could rig something

Fish: maybe a small shoal of the tiniest rasboras I can find.

You have all seen my vat - possibly the second ugliest tank in the world - now I'd like a try in the other direction. Under a disused VCR is a copy of Takashi Amano's 'Nature Aquarium World'. And I'm not afraid to use it :lol:

That or dwarf seahorses?!

(those last in something a bit larger in volume and height but still 10g max)

There is probably another thread here: fish at work.

Sorry, that should read {It's a Dental Hospital, there are two large tanks that I know of} = get toe in door.

Various staff ask me for help sometimes and there are a few very experienced fish keepers in the building but I try not to pry into each keepers work because it's voluntary and the staff pay for and maintain the tanks out of theirr own pockets. I don't need to because they keep trops and goldies perfectly well.

I'd just like a small tank somewhere near my desk. Either very pretty or very unusual...

:D

Technically there is already one in the metrology lab where my desk is - used as a coolant supply for a reheometer. No nasty chemicals in that room...
User avatar
xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

why not a couple of dwarfs?
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
User avatar
Lil' Swimz$
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1686
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:26 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Lorteti - Peaches
Location (country): USA
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

shrimp
Ha ha, he he! DAncE whEn yoU're HAPpppy! He he he! DAnce, danCE, DANCe!
User avatar
xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

Lil' Swimz$ wrote:shrimp

I cant believe that you would suggest shrimp, im shocked HAHAHA
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
RTR
Mentor
Posts: 6155
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
Gender: Male
Location (country): East Coast, USA

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by RTR »

I'll top you on that - I had a 8x6x48 tank for the shelf over my desk at one lab. I started with tiny Rasboras in mixed RODI and tap, artificial plants, and the smallest external canister I had then.

If I still had it, I would most likely use live plants (lots of Anubias nana petite with some pygmy chain sword at the ends) and likely stock with ghost shrimp.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
User avatar
Lil' Swimz$
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1686
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:26 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Lorteti - Peaches
Location (country): USA
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

Ghost shrimp? Booooring. How about some nice yellow or snowball shrimp? :hyper:
Ha ha, he he! DAncE whEn yoU're HAPpppy! He he he! DAnce, danCE, DANCe!
User avatar
soggydrysuit
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:36 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 2x T.fluviatilis
1x C. irrubesco
2 x T. nigroviridis
1 x T. ocellatus
Current non-puffers:

Enough for people to think I'm a loonie :-)
Location (country): UK
Location: Durham, UK

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by soggydrysuit »

Many thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I've never kept freshwater shrimp so that sounds quite interesting
:)
User avatar
xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

a bunch of cherry shrimp would be really cool
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
User avatar
Lil' Swimz$
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1686
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:26 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Lorteti - Peaches
Location (country): USA
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

They love plants, live plants. Java moss is great cause the babies hide in them, so do the adults. You need something to protect the babies from getting sucked up into the filter, for a tank that small you could MAKE a filter.

http://www.planetinverts.com/DIY_sponge_filters.html

If they can't find enough dead leaves or soft algae to eat, then steamed lettuce, cucumber, that kindof stuff is good. JP sells great shrimp food you should check out. I extremely suggest getting acouple dried brown, leaves, shrimp seem to like fruit leaves better, but any will do, soak them in water for a couple days, until they sink and release most tannins, they will love to nibble on those. Best of luck!
http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_and ... itter.html

Oh and you still gotta keep up with water changes. 30% is what I do, but nothing over 15 ppm. For a tank that small I'd only go with one species. Something like yellow, cherry, or snowball would be great, easy breeders, great color, and pretty hardy.
Ha ha, he he! DAncE whEn yoU're HAPpppy! He he he! DAnce, danCE, DANCe!
User avatar
soggydrysuit
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:36 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 2x T.fluviatilis
1x C. irrubesco
2 x T. nigroviridis
1 x T. ocellatus
Current non-puffers:

Enough for people to think I'm a loonie :-)
Location (country): UK
Location: Durham, UK

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by soggydrysuit »

Thanks again for the info. :)

I do like using air powered spong filters where necessary. One example is my freshwater pipefish where I can add live food and it doesn't get destroyed in a few minutes - daphnia and cyclops hang around for days until the pipe gets them.

Also in my baby molly tank although I had to add a homemade box filter to that one because there are about 100 fry in a 25g tank! Might have to fire up another tank or maybe a plastic dustbin for them so they don't get stunted...
RTR
Mentor
Posts: 6155
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
Gender: Male
Location (country): East Coast, USA

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by RTR »

Snowball shrimp do not reproduce well for me. I have kept a colony for several years, but it really does not grow for me. I just traded them off to help clear out the deadwood in the tank room. This winter is scheduled for major re-building of the room.

I like Ghost shrimp. They are quite active and very catholic eaters/grazers. If you get the right species - which I cannot tell in advance, but they have quite large eggs - they will even breed in captivity, but the adults will eat the fry unless the tank is a real jungle.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
User avatar
xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

I thought ghosts need BW to breed?
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
RTR
Mentor
Posts: 6155
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
Gender: Male
Location (country): East Coast, USA

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by RTR »

There are multiple "transparent" shrimp sold as ghosts. Here we get 4 or 5 species routinely, plus the occasional long-arm shrimp. Of the "real" Gulf Coast ghosts, one species has such a shortened planktonic phase that it can be ignored. The fry settler out within hours, and the plankton in established FW tanks is enough to support the immatures that matter of hours. You can tell them apart by the size of the eggs on the female's swimmerets - if they are large, you may have the good species - there are two possible ones here, one with only hours as larve,the other a few days. If they are small (like Amanao shrimp), then they will have an extended planktonic life and require BW to full SW with live plankton.

HTH
Where's the fish? - Neptune
User avatar
xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: Tiny tank - 24 by 8 by 8 ins - any ideas?

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

oh ok thanks for the info
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
Post Reply