# My 2g Nano



## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Here's what I'm dealing with so far equipment wise: 










And then with it all together ...










I know, kinda a repeat - I will take cleaned up pics of it tonight ... need to find my bag of gravel still too although not entirely sold on what I will do for substrate yet ... I do really adore my natural gravel in terms of how it looks as it always looks so natural, especially under dappled light.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Was thinking of maybe one or two of these ... Pogostemon helferi


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

If you are doing gravel you will probably need root tabs or use plants that aren't dependent from nutrients in the substrate. Mosses are always pretty easy to care for.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I wouldn't mind root tabs.

I'm not fully sure what substrate I'll be going with yet either but my other half is getting *quite* interested in the tiny tanks ... soooo might wind up plunging into everything a lot faster than I had anticipated LOL.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Bought a few things that might work for this tank (if not - I'll just stick it inot my 30 gallon, orrrrrrrrrrrr I'll just set up another tank lol) sooo excited to see plants I've never had before!

Can't seem to find any aquarium substrates in my immediate vicinity - might have to jump out to Sac and see if any of the stores carry it. Got the tank all cleaned up though so yay!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

I am diggin that little tank. I am going to end up rescaping my 2.5 gallon soon. Can't wait to see where this one goes.

My advice would be this. Deep six that undergravel filter and get a power filter. You will be much happier about it.roud:

If you want HC you can do it in that tank. As long as your lighting is right and your substrate and ferts. Take a look at my thread, My nano tank in my sig.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Undergravel filters are great for shrimps. If you don't use yours...PM me and Ill be happy to take it off your hands. I've been looking for a UGF for my 2.5g. Thanks.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Updates? Get that substrate? Show us what you've got so far!


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

No luck on the substrate and I got baby tears that I *have* to get into it ... so I am soooo not sure what to do!

I got it all cleaned up though - here's a pic of it with the light on:










I might just go with the UGF and and gravel for now as I have plants coming in the next few days and one already and I really need to get *something* going even if I wind up tearing it down and going in a substrate direction once I get my hands on some!

NO idea how good this light is, and I'm a tad worried that it will be TOO much light. Fairly certain this is a plant light though as I got it for the plants that were in this for my African frogs ... but NO idea what wattage or anything else ... and no idea if there is a way to tell from the bulb itself.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Undergravel filters are great for shrimps. If you don't use yours...PM me and Ill be happy to take it off your hands. I've been looking for a UGF for my 2.5g. Thanks.


I'm pretty sure that was fairly easy to find in my area - the *real* PITA for me to find was the LIGHT! 7 years ago ... small tanks were NOT easy to come by and MOST of them ONLY had incandescent lights available and I was hardcore (as I was told at the time anyway LOL) to be absolutely determined to get a fluorescent setup. 

The tank, the UGF and the light I bought separately from each other, and it took me months to get the light ballast and then get the tube lol.

If you like I can keep an eye out for another one for you! As I recall it was pretty cheap but then UGFs never did cost too horribly much lol.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I say ditch the UGF, get yourself some Fluval Shrimp Stratum or Eco-Complete, fertilize it, and use a tiny sponge filter or Red Sea Nano HOB.

You can find good deals online for all of the above.

I think it's going to look pretty great once you get it going. (I've got three 2.5gals in dry start at current - there's a journal of it all here on the forum if you're interested)


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I would if I could find some local substrate ... but I have this issue with paying shipping for dirt (or the equivalent) - i'd be much more likely to try to wrap my brain around making organic soil suitable before paying shipping for substrate ... I'm a little weird that way, I know! LOL


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Depending upon the vendor, you won't have to pay shipping.

Pet Mountain, Foster & Smith, Amazon, et al have shipping deals.

The only thing I've ever paid more than $5 to ship is Aquasoil.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

You could always do some dirt capped with some sand. I have inert black reef sand in my 2.5 and my HC loves it. I am getting ready to redo the tank and put some dirt in it.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Depending upon the vendor, you won't have to pay shipping.
> 
> Pet Mountain, Foster & Smith, Amazon, et al have shipping deals.
> 
> The only thing I've ever paid more than $5 to ship is Aquasoil.


REALLY?

Hmmm I'll look into it then! About to head into a place in Sacramento and poke around and see if they carry anything like that ... cuz in addition to my HC (that *is* dwarf baby tears, right?) I just got my first plants in the mail today so I just HAVE to get this tank set up *somehow*.

BTW - I noticed baby snails ... in the past I hated ALL snails other than the ones I bought like Apple Snails (which actually have personalities) because I'd end up with an infestation - so as a rule I have always done a very heavy salt bath for ALL plants being introduced to kill off any stowaways ... is there a better method for that? That's just what I dreamed up as a kid ... and then I just always did it that way (it's fairly simple yet effective) but maybe there is something better I ought to be doing?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yep - that's dwarf baby tears.

Snails aren't necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion. As long as you don't over feed, they won't get out of control. Lots of people freak out over bladder/pond/et al snails but I enjoy them. They keep algae threats down and are great scavengers. 

If you hate them, you can always pick them off by hand in a bowl of water. It's time-consuming but fairly effective. Salt and bleach dips also work to some level of success. 

If you decide to keep them and they ever do get out of control, it's easy to set a snail trap to remove them.

As far as substrates go: definitely shop around online. Even some of PT's sponsors and participants occasionally have great sales that make shipping next to nothing. I recently bought 100 pounds of Fluval Shrimp Stratum and paid no shipping. Feel free to PM me for more info, if you wish, as I don't want to turn anything into a vendor review/advertisement.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Was digging through my fish room earlier and found a couple 12" light strips that I used on my 2.5gals before switching to clamp-style fixtures with daylight CFLs.

One of them was a $9 deal I ordered from Petco - it handles up to 15 watts. Had forgotten I'd done this but I added another fixture on the opposite side of the strip/hood so I could run two bulbs.

If you have difficulty finding proper bulbs for your strip, it may be something you could consider. Wouldn't be difficult at all to add a screw-in fixture or two and it'd be cheap. A daylight CFL or two and you'd be good to go on a tank that small.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I found myself some Fluval Shrimp Stratum! And then bought a Marina Slim S10 filter so thinking that ought to work okay for now ... at least it's a start!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Nice! That filter should give you decent flow control, too.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Was digging through my fish room earlier and found a couple 12" light strips that I used on my 2.5gals before switching to clamp-style fixtures with daylight CFLs.
> 
> One of them was a $9 deal I ordered from Petco - it handles up to 15 watts. Had forgotten I'd done this but I added another fixture on the opposite side of the strip/hood so I could run two bulbs.
> 
> If you have difficulty finding proper bulbs for your strip, it may be something you could consider. Wouldn't be difficult at all to add a screw-in fixture or two and it'd be cheap. A daylight CFL or two and you'd be good to go on a tank that small.


What exactly is a light strip?

I checked my bulb and it is an aquatic grow bulb from the early 2000's I think, and it says that it is 8w. I think that might be too low. I can grab another bulb for it ... just confused over the wattage I would need for a 2g. 

I've gotten HC, looking at two Downois, I'll be getting peacock moss and I have gotten riccia, and another type of moss I think and think some little guys that float at the top of the water, might be a form of duckweed, kind of looks like it that were extras.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I got the substrate rinsed, the filter set up and put in the first dose of Cycle and then let it run overnight ... and this is how she looks this afternoon:










Promising! I should have her planted at some point today!


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

That filter is SOOOOO freaking cool (and cute! LOL) - and it is absolutely SILENT so far ... though I have to admit the idea of putting the motor INTO the water fried my brain for a sec, I had to convince myself it was designed to run that way LOL. Old knowledge dies hard I suppose, rofl.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Alyssa said:


> What exactly is a light strip?
> 
> I checked my bulb and it is an aquatic grow bulb from the early 2000's I think, and it says that it is 8w. I think that might be too low. I can grab another bulb for it ... just confused over the wattage I would need for a 2g.
> 
> I've gotten HC, looking at two Downois, I'll be getting peacock moss and I have gotten riccia, and another type of moss I think and think some little guys that float at the top of the water, might be a form of duckweed, kind of looks like it that were extras.


A strip light is the fixture you have. If it has a 8watt bulb in it, that is all you will be able to put it in as that is a specific length bulb. Anything bigger than that will not fit. If you can, you should try to get a 6500K bulb for that. You can also always get a desk lamp and go with a spiral CFL bulb to get more wattage.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Light strip = thing that houses your light, just as cableguy said.

If you find you don't have enough light, I think it'll be fairly easy for you to modify the light strip/hood/light housing and use small CFLs and some cheap reflector material. Maybe fifteen minutes of work, very few tools required, tons of stuff in the DIY section of the forum.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

What is the wattage that I ought to aim for with a 2 gallon that is about 7 inches high from the rim to the substrate?


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Alyssa said:


> What is the wattage that I ought to aim for with a 2 gallon that is about 7 inches high from the rim to the substrate?


There really is not a set standard. Most people will say "X watts per gallon" but that depends on what type of light, the Kelvin rating, and the distance from the light to the substrate.

I am running a 10 watt Mini Compact Fluorescent light on the glass lid of my 2.5 gallon, and I have no problem growing HC. It carpeted up really nice for me too. I have that bulb in a standard 12 in incandescent fixture. You could try it with your light and see where it leaves you. You could also modify the light strip like somewhatshocked said. It is really up to you. If you want to go simple with a lot of light, look into a reflector dome like they use for reptiles and get yourself a spiral fluorescent bulb and use that.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> A strip light is the fixture you have. If it has a 8watt bulb in it, that is all you will be able to put it in as that is a specific length bulb. Anything bigger than that will not fit. If you can, you should try to get a 6500K bulb for that. You can also always get a desk lamp and go with a spiral CFL bulb to get more wattage.


Thanks for explaining what a strip light is!

Hmm can't use a desk lamp due to location, nor the hanging style lamps. This is an old style tube light - nothing that you can screw in, you slide the double prongs on each end into the slots and then turn the tube to lock it in.

I am not so keen on tampering with wiring and electrical anything - I have a deep fear of current and and a strong phobia about house fires that makes me buy my lights LOL.

So where does one find those little lamps that have four legs that attach to the rim? Don't they make them for little tanks like this?

And does wattage always correlate to the length of the tube?

I could manage the reflector ... I am sure that much I could handle without triggering one of my panic attack buttons, LOL.

But ideally I'd just rather find a new light housing that would fit for the right bulb for optimal growth.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

::: off to go lookie the DIY section :::


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Alyssa said:


> Thanks for explaining what a strip light is!
> 
> Hmm can't use a desk lamp due to location, nor the hanging style lamps. This is an old style tube light - nothing that you can screw in, you slide the double prongs on each end into the slots and then turn the tube to lock it in.
> 
> ...


All linear fluorescent bulbs the wattage corresponds to the length also.

You could also get a 12 in incandescent fixture like this http://www.petco.com/product/7395/A...ts.aspx?CoreCat=MM_FishSupplies_HoodsLighting, with a bulb like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lights-of-America-10-Watt-Mini-Fluorescent-Aquarium-Bulb-1-ct/10448675.That is the combo I am runnin and it works great.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> All linear fluorescent bulbs the wattage corresponds to the length also.


Ahhhh for some reason I thought I could get a different wattage in the same size thatvI had now. Learned something else! 



cableguy69846 said:


> You could also get a 12 in incandescent fixture like this http://www.petco.com/product/7395/A...ts.aspx?CoreCat=MM_FishSupplies_HoodsLighting, with a bulb like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lights-of-America-10-Watt-Mini-Fluorescent-Aquarium-Bulb-1-ct/10448675.That is the combo I am runnin and it works great.


You know I keep forgetting that they make fluorescents that have the screw bottoms like incandescent bulbs for aquariums for some reason!

Do those kinds of lights actually do okay for plants?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yep. There are tons of standard 13watt screw-in bulbs. From curly CFLs to long-type (6 inches, usually) bulbs. They're all super-cheap.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Alyssa said:


> Ahhhh for some reason I thought I could get a different wattage in the same size thatvI had now. Learned something else!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep. I don't have linear fluorescent bulbs on any of my tanks, and everything is growing great.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

*sigh* Just tested the water and it's still not even close. I want to buy some shrimps, durnit!!

Of course I say this and I haven't even settled on how to scape my tank yet! Right now everything i just in the tank staying alive until I finally come up with a plan of action. Feh.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Alyssa said:


> *sigh* Just tested the water and it's still not even close. I want to buy some shrimps, durnit!!
> 
> Of course I say this and I haven't even settled on how to scape my tank yet! Right now everything i just in the tank staying alive until I finally come up with a plan of action. Feh.


Throw some fish food in there to get the juices flowing. It will help kick start the cycling process.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Yeah I was trying to be patient and do a fishless cycle ... but ... I think I'm going to subject a couple of feeders to the current conditions cuz I'm dyinnnnng! 

Then again most of the time the fish I use to cycle wind up living as it is.

You know I was thinking about this - and I realized ... I think I'm coming almost full circle with this tank.

I'm going to admit something that I am not immensely proud of, but when I was like 9, I got tired of the guppies I had been trying to pedigree (I was a weird kid lol) and something happened, I don't know what, but ... they all kinda started dying out on me and at some point, I was down to a single guppy in a 10 gallon.

I just wanted that fish gone. I was done. BUT, I couldn't bring myself to just throw it into some bushes or flush it or euth it because it was a viable fish you know? It wasn't deformed or anything.

So I don't know, I decided I would kinda let it die I guess, and I took one of my mom's glasses from the kitchen, poured the fish in, put it in the far back dark corner of my bookcase and left it there for 9 months. The ONLY thing I did to that glass was put more water in with a long spout watering can so I didn't have to move it or see it.

Finally after like 9-10 months I figured well it's dead by now for sure, might as well clean out the glass and put it back.

When I looked into the glass, it was completely green - with a thick layer of algae on the top, like a cap. But then something moved ... and I realized, OMG, it's ALIVE.

Sure enough - this little guppy which I had always been told REQUIRED a heater and filter and light to live or they'd just DIE (it was the 70's, to be fair lol) had lasted 9 months, happy and healthy as a clam, in just a glass in the dark (but guess there was enough light for algae! LOL) and I guess it ate the algae and then it's wastes fertilized the algae and the algae gave it oxygen - but it fascinated me.

There in a glass was basically a self -sustaining bio-structure, right in my hands, only needing additional water from me. The guppy was rewarded for surviving with it's 10 gallon tank back and I was rewarded with a very early appreciation for self-sustaining environments for my caged critters. 

It is only now with seeing these shrimp tanks and vases and such and my absolute love for them that I am realizing why ... and that in many ways I'm coming full circle with my experiences and keeping fish.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok. That guppy story is crazy. When I started in this hobby about 2 years ago, I would run through guppies like crazy. I couldn't keep them alive to save my life, and I had it all. Heaters, filters, live plants, lights, and good food. Who knew all I had to do was put it in a glass. Just goes to show you the crazy things nature can accomplish.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I know! I was FLOORED. I never expected that in a trillion years - at first I thought it was some icky bug that had somehow gotten in there - and then I saw a flash of color.

I still feel bad 30+ years later that I was willing to neglect a living thing to die though - though that experience changed me a lot on husbandry and responsibility ... sucks to know that was where my head was at as a kid.

But the guppy had THE life for years after that and made many many more guppies.

Funnily enough - that story is why I wound up picking two male guppies to help finish off cycling my tank ... hope these guys are as tough as that one, they are rather pretty little guys.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Lol. It is alright. You were a kid it happens.

And good luck cycling that tank with them.:icon_smil


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Thanks! It's nice to see little colorful critters bouncing around in there - and so far they look okay, which isn't saying too much since it's only been a couple of days.

Hoping the NO2 goes down some more by tomorrow, and that the NH3 keeps going down and holding as well.

A few sucky pictures ...


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Looking colorful!

Any full tank shots?


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I sooo suck. I've gotten most of my plants ... but I cannot decide at ALL what to do with this tank! So i just threw all the plants into the thing so that they wouldn't all die on me but ... funnily enough it's not TOO horrid looking even if nothing really is technically "planted".


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The only thing I'd recommend is propping the wood up so you get some height in the tank.

Other than that, you don't have to do anything but add the plants you're waiting on and it'll look terrific.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> The only thing I'd recommend is propping the wood up so you get some height in the tank.
> 
> Other than that, you don't have to do anything but add the plants you're waiting on and it'll look terrific.



+1. It is off to a good start.:thumbsup:


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Not sure, but I think my shrimps that I got from our local group are breeding!

Still can't seem to commit to a design ... pfft.


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