# 2.5 Gallon Riparium



## rocketdude1234 (Apr 8, 2010)

So we have a 2.5 gallon Aqueon bowfront aquarium that we have housed rcs, and two bettas in at different times but have since disassembled the tank and are looking for new ideas. We found that the tank size was simply too small for very much (the bettas are now in a 5.5 and a 10g, with a third in a Fluval Edge).

On to the topic of the thread. We're considering trying a riparium with the 2.5. I'd like to de-rim the tank and get a good lighting system over the top with a Hagen Elite spone filter on it since the stock filter blocks light is kind of annoying to deal with. 

Has anyone tried de-rimming the Aqueon 2.5g bowfront aquarium and has some advice for doing so. 

Also, this would be the first attempt at a riparium and I haven't really seen supplies for hanging baskets etc at any lfs. I have found them at hydroponic stores however. Any advice (lighting requirements, plants, inhabitants) for creating a nice looking riparium in a 2.5g would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

A nano riparium, huh? It was only a matter of time. I think for something that small you might have to devise your own hanging planters, even if you could find some.

As for de-rimming, isn't yours the acrylic kind with the slip-on plastic rim? I thought all those little mini bowfronts were all the same, regardless of brand, and the one I used to have had a rim that just slipped over the top of the aquarium. That was what the hood and filter sat on. So removing it would be as simple as lifting it off the top!

Otherwise, I don't know.


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

I took both the top and the bottom rims off my MiniBow. No problems so far. If you look closely, underneath the rims there are some notches that hold the rims in place. Pull up and out on each of those notches to remove the rims.

Do you mean a paludarium (half-land, half-water) or true riparium (all-land)? I would love to see a nano riparium. That would look so cool. You could keep crickets or ants or something like that in it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

You could get a couple of nice small riparium plants going in a tank like that. Look at this thread...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/123506-need-help-restocking-mr-aqua-11-a-7.html


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## rocketdude1234 (Apr 8, 2010)

I guess I should have checked the rim to see what was going on with it. Turns out, the Aqueon rim simply clips on. Now its officially off and I'm getting excited thinking about what to do next.

The idea we were going for is part land part water with something like small frogs or the like (suggest some inhabitants). Not sure of the exact style we are going for but we do have some extra sword plants from a pond, some parrots feather, and bacopa caroliana to use as plants (without needing to buy anything new). 

I'd just like to hear a lot of ideas; from the lighting to the substrate, plants, inhabitants, and design of the substrate.


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

For lighting, I'd just use a desk lamp with a CF bulb. I've used that with plants in a 2.5g and it was enough light to need CO2. It should be enough for a paludarium.

I wouldn't put any frogs or salamanders in a 2.5g. Firebelly toads are supposed to need at least a 10g tank. Salamanders are larger and probably also need a larger tank. 

You might want to check out a herp/amphibian forum and see what they say. If it's going to be half water, you're going to have trouble finding a suitable land animal. A 2.5g tank has, what, a 12 x 6" footprint? That's not a lot of space. Remember, fish can swim up and down, but land animals are stuck with only left and right. And anything you put in the tank that's not used to getting in and out of water will drown if it falls in. Some kind of snail might work, though, if it doesn't eat plants.

A compromise might be to make the "land area" the lid of the tank. Fill the tank to within an inch or so of the rim, then put hanging/floating plant holders on top to cover most of the surface like a lid (instead of only covering half the tank). If you want, you can build something behind and around the tank out of corkboard to hold more plants. Like this:

**********************
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**********************
**********************
**********************
**********************
**********************
**********************
**********************
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Blue: Aquarium
Black: Supporting area that holds plants
Green: Plants

Basically, the tank would be a normal aquarium with emersed plants covering the surface and surrounding the sides. That way, you could have some small fish or shrimp in the tank and still have a good emersed plant scape.

~~~~~~~~~~

If you want everything contained in the tank, you'll need to decide how you'll create the land area. Do you just want plants on floating containers or do you want some kind of built-up area that slopes down into the water like a beach? You can also glue a tray of some kind halfway up the side of the tank, fill that with substrate, and make it hang over the water like a dock. 

I'm not sure what species of plants you could use, but a general rule is low-light plants in the water, medium-to-high light plants emersed. Someone else could probably give you more detail.


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