# Just getting started...2.5g with homemade stand and canopy



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Yes 6 watts of light is almost nothing in a 2.5 gallon tank. You'd probably be able to grow moss and java fern but that's about it. Even those plants my suffer. You should go with 3 if you want to grow anything. 18 watts would give you decent light to grow a lot of things.

Or you could ditch that little lamp, get yourself an incadescent fixture gut it out, put it in there and place one spiral compact flourescent light that could be 20 watts from one light.


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## quark219 (May 5, 2007)

1. Great job with the canopy and stand. I'm sure it'll look gorgeous once you've put a finish on the wood.

2. The light fixture you show in your post is hopeless as far as growing plants goes. Don't even think about it.

3. Using two or three of those fixtures, or even a 20W spiral compact fluorescent, wouldn't be the way to go either, in my opinion: too much heat for an enclosure such as you've built. Without adding a fan, your 2.5 gallons of water would heat up to 90 degrees or more in no time.

4. My advice? Get thee to Aquarium Hobbyist Supply (aka AHS) as quick as your mouse will click you and buy their 13W compact fluorescent fixture, the "bright" kit that comes with the advanced AHS reflector design. That should fit in your enclosure, give you a good medium level of light, and not generate too much heat.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Scott


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

If you dont want to spend too much walmart has full spectrum 10w power compacts with regular bulb screw end in their aquarium section for about $4 use two and paint the inside of the canopy white. Coralife make a similiar one but make sure its for fresh water colormax not the 50/50 actinic bulb.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Nice!! cant wait to see the outcome


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Well in my Walmart they sell 20 watt spiral compact flourescent bulbs in their lighting section. They had ones from 10 watts to 25 watts.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

I concur to the AHsupply 13w. it's like 16$ or something too.


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## CampCreekTexas (Feb 28, 2007)

Beautiful woodworking!! That is really nice. I can't wait to see it stained. What color will you use? It looks kind of top-heavey though. I was thinking of doing something similar one day, but thought I'd make the base as big or bigger than the top, adding in a space for storage in the bottom.

I'm still learning, but what I've read (and that's a lot) tends to agree with Sandiegoryu and Marimoball. Not only thinking of the watt-per-gallon rule breaking down, but six watts is less than three watts per gallon from the bulb AND you'll lose a good bit of those six watts by not having a great reflector. Paint the inside white and get more watts. That's what I'm doing.


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Through my experiments I've found that even the AH supply 13w light isn't really sufficient for really good HC growth in a 2.5gal, I'm substituting a 20w spiral for now...


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

so use 2 of them, you should get som ecrazy growth w/2. i've seen pico reefs done out of 2.5's and 2xahsupply.


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Thats the plan  just gotta scrape up another 32 bucks


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I'm going to stain the stand and canopy this weekend (its gonna be a dark walnut color...would consider a lighter color but want to make sure I cover the nails, wood putty, and other imperfections) and will post pics when done.

I think I'm going to go with the AH supply 1 x 13watt Deluxe Bright Kit..seems to be the way to go as most of the other options will NOT fit in my canopy. I measured the available space inside...i've got exactly 1.5" of headroom, maybe a hair more than that...so it looks like this kit will just barely fit. I can actually add a little more to the bottom of the blocks inside the canopy to get maybe another 1/5" to 1/4" of room inside....any more than that and the black plastic tank trim starts to show...not cool. 

Because of height/width issues I think 2 of these kits won't exactly fit. I've seen the bulbs in this kit at home-depot and am game for making my own light kit....if someone has any suggestions or links on a little diy action, I'd consider going in that direction as a possible alternative.


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## CampCreekTexas (Feb 28, 2007)

Can you take the trim off the tank? The plastic I mean? I've read on here someone say that you can on a ten gallon without any problems because the plastic trim isn't actually holding anything. The silicon is doing all the holding. Maybe if that trim is gone you'd have more room for more/different lighting?


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## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

awesome woodworking, looks much, MUCH better than mine (but i didn't have proper power tools!) but i agree that it looks top heavy. i would lift up the base to add some more bulk on the bottom, and you can leave it open on the back for storage.

for lighting, be really careful. i have a 5.5g and i put two 20 watt spiral compact flourecents over it. even with DIY CO2 and ferts, i had algae like you would not believe. the BGA formed ropes off the tips of my wood.

i had a piece of plexi over the tank, under the lights to keep water from getting on them, so i taped some aluminum foil to the top of the plexi to block out about half of the light and OD'd on Excel, and now its much, much better.


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

I just upgraded my lighting system and have a 2X13 system from AHS. It is in a canopy that will fit a 16" long tank, but this might be too long for your tank. 

You can gut it out and make it fit in your canopy most likely. 

I know I have a thread somewhere here showing me retrofitting this canopy. I'll search and post a link to it if I find it.

AquaPhish.


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## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Very nice looking work!

GWAPA is doing a 2.5 nanoscape contest for members, and a few of us got together to build bases for them.

We were going to do canopies, but got nervous about the heat from 2x13 fixtures from more experienced members telling us about them...

You may want to move the blocks down and get as much height as you can in the canopy. Now that I have it running, this thing is hot to the touch, and you don't want to be grabbing it after it has been on all day.

We used fixtures from catalina aquarium, keeps the lights 3-4" off the water.

ingg

PS You ought to look into GWAPA, great place to learn, teach, exchange ideas, and the auctions are getting simply huge!


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

Finished staining and sealing the stand and canopy!!! See pics below (I included one pic with my 55 gallon to give a sense of scale...and to show off my other tank, naturally)

Ordered the 1x13W bright kit from AHSupply...it shipped today. Hope it fits...based on what I've been reading, it seems like this would be sufficient light to grow quite a few but not all plant varieties...good enough for me.

I think the next items on the agenda will be substrate and filtration.

For filtration, I'm thinking about going the Azoo Palm filter route. I know it's not the best filter but I'm not planning on heavily stocking the tank and for $5.99 at DrFoster its tough to beat. If anyone has this filter...do you have to use their filter pads or can you easily customize with floss, bio-media in a bag, etc.???? 

For substrate I'm pretty much open to all ideas. I'm looking for recommendations in three categories (not sure which path I'm gonna take):

1. Best quality substrate available online
2. Best value/cheapest substrate available online
3. Cheap substrates available at stores (pet,hardware,landscaping, etc.)

Thanks for all the great replies so far, 
Mike


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## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

Very nice job! 

Substrates:

Aquasoil
Aquasoil
Eco-complete but you'll probably spend as much on gas driving to the store as you would on shipping for the Aquasoil


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

i think the 13w AH supply should be pretty damn good, i grew hc and hairgrass and some other stuff in a 1 gal with 7w also with a 18w over a 5 gal. Make sure you have enough plants in the beginning so algae don't break out, maybe add some fast growing plants first.

go with aquasoil for your substract and you won't be disappointed but definitely read up on the substract before you order it so you know what you're dealing with, or you'll have a disastrous tank for you first month

good luck, very fancy looking tank


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## quark219 (May 5, 2007)

The finished base and enclosure look great. And I think you'll be pleased with the 13W AHS light.

One caveat: There is a chance that you'll find you still have some heat buildup within that enclosure, even with just the 13W lamp. You may find you need to create some ventilation holes through the top. For instance, if you look at the DIY enclosures featured on the AHS website, you'll see they used an open gap the full width of the enclosures to let heat out. In your case, with an already finished enclosure, one approach might be to drill several 1" holes (in a nice symmetrical arrangement) and fit in the 1" vents that AHS sells on their website. AHS sells (for a pittance) round, black plastic vents that are usually mounted in the sides of retrofitted light strips and hoods.

Ventilation holes in the top of your light enclosure may not be necessary. This is just information to keep in your back pocket, so to speak, if you find heat's a problem.

I'm pretty much a newbie to nano tanks, but from my own experience, I've found that one basic challenge of a planted nano is that (a) you need more light than you expect and (b), since it's a small volume of water, it can be hard to prevent that 2.5 gallons (or whatever amount) from heating up from said light.

In going with the Azoo Palm/Red Sea Nano filter, you've made a good choice, as that filter imparts very little heat to the water. When I first set my 2.5G nano up, I used an internal filter that heated the water up a good 4 degrees. I switched over to the Red Sea Nano filter and have had no heat problems ever since.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Scott


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Well, if you really want a high tech hood, go with a small computer fan in the side or back, no heat at all should build up with that.


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

*Let there be light!!!*

AH Supply 1x13W kit arrived today. Got to play electrician for a little bit but it wasn't hard to install, the directions were easy to follow. 

Everything fit under the canopy and it seems to put out nice bright light (I went with the 6700K bulb).

Depending on how much real estate the filter takes up jutting into the tank, I may have to shift the components around a little but my thinking was that I wanted to put the ballast as near to the back opening as possible (the ballast does put out heat, right?? Or am I being stupid??) and I tried to center the light over the tank.

I'm still looking for substrate recommendations (aquasoil may be the way to go but the more options I have...the better). And if anyone knows how far the Azoo palm filter juts into the tank, I'd appreciate the info. Thanks.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

guitardude9187 said:


> go with aquasoil for your substract and you won't be disappointed but definitely read up on the substract before you order it so you know what you're dealing with, or you'll have a disastrous tank for you first month


whats wrong with aquasoil thats disasterous?!


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

you gotta look it up...


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

So cool, good work


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

huff how helpful


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

:-D. You gotta learn to look! Otherwise spypet will throw you a response with links from this very site you could've found using the search function.

Ok. One thing is the initial spike of ammonia. Next is the cloudiness. And other various things. I know that experts in this area have much more information such as leave the water alone for 2 weeks or so and only top offs. Something like that. Search around.

One thing you mustn't do. Squish this stuff. Otherwise you got yourself mud. Be gentle with it. Pretend like its sand and if you mess with it too much there'll be a storm. Like in the beach (if you have ever been to one).


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

yeah thanks ive been reading up on this stuff, i recon i should be ok (fingers crossed) ill just make sure i treat it nice the only problem i got was the cloudiness, so thanks for the ammonia spike (Y) (unfortunatly im a total newb and have no idea what that actualy means :$ )
ps. sorry for hi-jacking the thread


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## CampCreekTexas (Feb 28, 2007)

Beautiful!! It looks really nice with that color stain on it. Great job! roud:


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## quark219 (May 5, 2007)

Nice: I'm glad to see the AHS fixture fit in there so well.

Ummmm... you _do_ know you haven't removed the protective yellowish plastic film off the AHS reflector, right? :smile: 

The Azoo Palm filter extends a little less than an inch beyond the plastic framing into the tank. From the back of the tank, the filter box juts out perhaps 2.5 inches. (Those are estimates, not exact measurements.)

Your setup is really looking good, and you're making great progress on it. I can't wait to see it aquascaped.

For what it's worth, I'm using Eco-Complete in my 2.5G, and I've been happy with it. However, after my next rescape, I won't be using any plants that have roots into the substrate: I'll just be using narrow leaf java fern and moss. For that reason, I'm thinking of switching over to the ADA bright sand instead.

Scott


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## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

i use unscented, non-clumping cat litter under a layer of large-grain sand for my plant substrate. it works great, and its super cheap.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

I love the stain, great job with the woodworking!


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

leesburgVA said:


>


Take off the yellow protective film on the MIRO reflector bud


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

Someone had already pointed this out (if you read earlier postings) and I had taken care of it already. I guess you need photographic confirmation. I'll get back to you on that. :icon_roll


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Sorry, I cant read your mind, there was no confirmation on here about it :icon_roll


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

*New Photos!!!*

Since I've last posted, I've picked up some equipment: 

Azoo Palm filter...so far I like it, super quiet, adjustible flow, and has enough room to stuff in filter floss and biomedia. Only drawback is that I'm seeing lots of bypass/water flowing back out the intake side of the filter.

Visio-therm Stealth 25w heater...probably could have found one that takes up less space but this one is well-reviewed (cichlid-forum has never let me down) and will blend in if I make a black background. I also wanted one with precise temperature adjustments, which this has got.

Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil...thought about going with Eco-complete or ADA aquasoil but this was too cheap to pass up .... less than $7 for 10lbs at the Depot of Homes. I like the color, its light dry but darkens to a more natural color underwater. Only drawback I've found so far is that it is very lightweight/easily disturbed. 

Branches in the tank came from Michael's craftstore. I know I probably could have found some good branches for free but I wanted the twisted, viney look that I've got here. They're called "curly willow".




























Oh, and I took the yellow backing off the reflector:icon_smil


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## ruki (May 28, 2007)

It's very pretty, but that wood top can rot out if water condenses in it. Let us know how it holds up.


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

If you're referring to the wood canopy (which I think you are), I doubt it's going to rot...I've got a glass cover between the tank and the canopy and the inside of the hood has been stained/sealed. Shouldn't be an issue.

Next step is planting the tank. I think I want to go with an overgrown grassy look throughout the tank and get some moss going on the bigger branches. Other ideas and plant suggestions wanted (I'm really looking for stuff that's easy to find and I mean like plants commonly stocked at the chain petstores).


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

*Well that didn't work!!! Grrrrrr*

The glass canopy I used was the standard all-glass one for the tank. I took it to a glass store and had a notch cut out for where the filter juts out into tank and a corner lopped off to allow the power cord from the heater to feed out of the tank.

It didn't take much time but a large crack started to form in the glass beginning at the corner of the notch cut out for the filter. 

Looks like I'm gonna need to take a different approach. I can obviously just have a smaller piece of glass cut and then put one of the versa-top plastic backing pieces on the back and cut out notches in the plastic but I'm looking for a cheaper/quicker alternative.

I'm thinking of getting one of those dimpled florescent light diffuser panel covers and cutting it to size. Do you think this would warp from the heat??

Also considering getting a piece of plexiglass-acrylic cut to size. I know this has warped/bowed on larger tanks. Would it warp on a tank this small???

Other options wanted!!! 

Thanks.


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Plexiglass will work. I got some from the hardware store and just cut it to size.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

the dimpled crap would scatter your light, that's what they're built to do, not good.


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## quark219 (May 5, 2007)

My vote is for the solution you mentioned but wanted to avoid: Get another 2.5 glass top, have it cut down by 2" or so along the long edge, then attach a cut-down plastic lip from a larger size hood. I've done this and it worked well. Other solutions may be cheaper, but if they wind up not working, you've wasted time and money.

The only other approach I can suggest is to cut down the glass top (per above), then use the plastic lip (per above), then trim the flange of the plastic lip back to a half inch, then attach plastic hook rug canvas (a stiff plastic mesh available at arts & crafts stores and Wal-Mart) to that with either a hot glue gun or silicone tank sealant. Then you can trim the mesh to allow the filter and heater wire to fit. The only advantage to this second approach is that it allows for some evaporative cooling from the tank and (in my situation) keeps the aquarium about 1 deg F cooler than it would otherwise be. With your wood enclosure, I'm not sure you'd want to go that route, but just thought I'd offer the info.

Scott


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Don't the glass hoods come with a plastic strip?

If not, then get another one but cut it with a curve at the corners, rather than 90° angles. 

Plexiglass does bow in heat, the plexiglass will bent downwards into the tank. Since it is a small tank, it will be less of a problem, but long term it will begin to be noticable.


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## riva (Apr 12, 2007)

How long is the crack so far? If it hasn't gotten too big yet you could dremel a small hole out to head it off.


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

I bought a sheet of lexan (plexi-glass) at home depot and used my jigsaw to custom cut it to size. Should work fine (although I hope the heat from the light doesn't cause it to bow). I may glue some thin strips of lexan across the top to add rigidity.


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

heres a link that should help you with dosing http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/41981-nano-fert-dosing-101-a.html


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

*Added Plants*

Picked up some plants at Petco. They weren't labeled and I have a feeling they might not be right for a 2.5 gallon tank. ID Help and feedback?!?


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## Speshall*K (Jun 24, 2007)

I believe(someone correct me if im wrong), but that crypt will be too big for the tank.

I suggest trying some Anubias nana 'petite'(low light plant, but may "burn a hole in your pocket") or some riccia(depends on your lighting). Good luck and keep us posted!


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## fredyk (Jan 2, 2004)

shoulda gone to GWAPA meeting in Reston on Saturday for anubia nana petite! It looks real nice. :smile:


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## leesburgVA (May 31, 2007)

*More Pics*

Changed up the scape...the branches kept growing white fungus so I ditched them...also changed up the plants and got some better suited to a nano tank: brazillian micro-swords (me thinks). 

I'm planning on having them carpet the bottom of the tank. I've got 13 watts of lighting (AH Supply). Will I need CO2?? If so, I'm planning on going the Excel route. How long do you think it will take for the bottom to be carpeted?? If I provide suitable livestock (fish), will I need to dose tank (flourish, etc.)??



















Also, built another tank stand and canopy for my office...version 2.0. Black background, black gravel, red betta. Nice and simple.


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

I like the idea but I think it looks too top heavy. It would look better if the top and bottom were either the same size or the bottom was bigger. I think it is more related to height of the bottom piece rather than girth.

Looking at that last pic, if you replaced the bottom piece with one identical to the top and kept the the top as is it would look much better imo.

here is a very very very bad 30 second paint mock up just for an idea:


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