# Show Off Your 3 Gallon And Smaller Freshwater Aquarium!!



## secuono

*Hello everyone!:icon_bigg
Lets show off our tiny Pico under 3 gallon tanks!:bounce:
I have two I just started! The 2in cube is still drying.
0.13 Liters, 0.03 Gallons.*

























*2x2x3.5 Inches.
0.23 Liters.
0.06 Gallons.
In basement bathroom window.
Tan sand, tiny root as tree skeleton, Wisteria, Dwarf Sag, Crypts & Subwassertang as tree leaves.*


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## ukamikazu

The 2 inch cube is adorable :red_mouth! I gather something like this would be solar powered, right? Awesome!

Fertilizing something this tiny must be a challenge. EI or PPS, I guess you'd do an a single drop of macros and micros from an eyedropper every other day ? Too cool!


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## RipariumGuy

My 2.5g AGA Betta Biotope!










Tank: 2.5g AGA
Filteration: Mini-Jet 404 powerhead with prefilter
Lighting: Reading lamp
Bulb: 2,200K 13w CFL 
Substrate: PFS
Flora: Rotala R.
Fauna: 1 male betta splendens 2 unknown snails


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## secuono

Yea, I have a plastic syringe(without the needle, duh) that I use for fertilizer & acclimating my Betta. 


Those are brown Apple/Mystery snails. I had 4, all different colors, they wouldn't breed and eventually died. I keep MTS, Pond & Ramshorn snails now. They breed, so they won't randomly vanish.


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## Tenzo

0.15 Gallon!!! 

Nano is made from a little tea container I found. 

Lighting: Natural Sunlight
Substrate: Sand 
Fauna: 1 Trumpet Snail, 3 Nerite Snails 
Flora: Java Moss, Java Fern, Lace Java Fern


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## esteroali

*Desk Top 2.5 with Guppy and RCS*



















No maintenance tank. I love the mini internal filter with a spray bar!
CF desktop lamp.


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## plantedpufferfreak

This is my 2.5 gal nano. Its my favorite tank


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## plantedpufferfreak

it has its own thread


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## xmas_one

Tank is a mini S, substrate is eco, the rocks I found in the yard. Foreground is a blob of UG from my 60, I put a couple of rocks on it to hold it down until it roots. Anubias center and left, Crypts on the right, and a little patch of riccia in behind the right side rock. The light is a 12w SSC P7 from DX (deal extreme) with a 2 amp driver. The LED is supposed to be good for 2800ma, but I don't want to push it or have to run a fan on the heatsink. I used 1" square aluminum tubing for the light stand "welded" together with Durafix.


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## ukamikazu

xmas_one said:


> Tank is a mini S, substrate is eco, the rocks I found in the yard. Foreground is a blob of UG from my 60, I put a couple of rocks on it to hold it down until it roots. Anubias center and left, Crypts on the right, and a little patch of riccia in behind the right side rock. The light is a 12w SSC P7 from DX (deal extreme) with a 2 amp driver. The LED is supposed to be good for 2800ma, but I don't want to push it or have to run a fan on the heatsink. I used 1" square aluminum tubing for the light stand "welded" together with Durafix.


Your images aren't showing. When I follow the link back to SCAPE, I get presented with a logon prompt.


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## beedee

that looks cool dan!


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## secuono

Sorry about the bad lighting, too much glare and the flash just kept turning out wrong.


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## FooDog

nice one Xmas1


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## MARIMOBALL

Here is my Marina Cubus 0.9 gal will plant today.


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## plantedpufferfreak

i like that mini cube! How much was it? is it glass?


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## MCHRKiller

My 8" cube...its about 2gallons as I dont fill it all the way. Only 1 red spot nerite and 1 red dragon HMPK.


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## secuono

Very pretty Betta!


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## OhNo123

plantedpufferfreak said:


> i like that mini cube! How much was it? is it glass?


I don't have one, but I think I saw it at petsmart for $25. From his picture, it looks like glass to me. If you look closely at the corners and edges, you can see some silicone? Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## blackmav04

*3 gallon eclipse*

My 3 gallon eclipse at work. I need to to trim the java moss. Stock everything.


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## plantedpufferfreak

i found it on amazon for $15  i think im going to order one. what else could i keep in there besides a betta or shrimp lol


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## MCHRKiller

secuono said:


> Very pretty Betta!


Thank you


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## jcardona1

my 3g kitchen counter Picotope


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## Damian

My little 2.5. My tank does not compare to the other great tanks:icon_mrgr in this thread!


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Dream2MkBlve said:


> My little 2.5. My tank does not compare to the other great tanks:icon_mrgr in this thread!


Yours is actually really good! One of the best in this thread


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## xmas_one

ukamikazu said:


> Your images aren't showing. When I follow the link back to SCAPE, I get presented with a logon prompt.


Thanks, I went ahead and re-linked...


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## secuono

Oh, I love the grassy meadow look!!


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## Grundy




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## xmas_one

I like that cube, Grundy! It looks way bigger than it is, that's hard to achieve with these tiny tanks....


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## Damian

Thanks zoo! and grundy that cube looks fantastic.


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## onenonlyquan

Sorry ahead of time for the quality..I only have an iPhone available to me for taking pictures

Anywho..this is my 2.5

Light: Azoo Neo
Filter: Tom's Mini Canister
Heater: Hydor 7.5w Mini Heater
Livestock: neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, pygmy cories, otocinclus, guppies, red cherry shrimp, blue pearl shrimp
Fauna: corkscrew, java moss, hairgrass, and other trimmings from friend's tank


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## Grundy

X and Dream:

Thank you. I enjoyed the cube very much for about 6 or 7 months and then the moss basically dried up and died. It took about a month but it did not go dormant it just died.

I may start the cube up again later this fall though.


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## Superluminal

Here is my 2.5G tank:


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## Damian

Beautiful betta and flora.


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## Baadboy11

xmas_one said:


> Tank is a mini S, substrate is eco, the rocks I found in the yard. Foreground is a blob of UG from my 60, I put a couple of rocks on it to hold it down until it roots. Anubias center and left, Crypts on the right, and a little patch of riccia in behind the right side rock. The light is a 12w SSC P7 from DX (deal extreme) with a 2 amp driver. The LED is supposed to be good for 2800ma, but I don't want to push it or have to run a fan on the heatsink. I used 1" square aluminum tubing for the light stand "welded" together with Durafix.


Love this setup Xmas, anymore info on the light? like price/links to parts?


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## Superluminal

Damian said:


> Beautiful betta and flora.


Basically, I started it due to some nice plant trimmings from my larger tanks that I didn't want to throw out. I already had some red lava rocks and some extra black gravel lying around, so I figured why not. I went to PetSmart, picked up a cheap 2.5G that was on sale for $5, a cheap $7 filter, and a random Betta. For the lighting I picked up a 13W 6500K bulb from Target next door and screwed it into a random desk lamp. 

It's been doing good ever since. I also relocated a pair of Endler's that used to be in my 10G into the 2.5G. 

I like these small tanks. You can throw just a few plants in and it looks like a forest.


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## hydrophyte

Hey everyone. These setups are wonderful.

I just got a start on a little one-gallon setup in Luminous bowl.


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## James From Cali

Its not much as I just started but here is my rescue Betta Maven's tank/ Its actually a twizzlers container with a light(it has some marimo ball in there)


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## xmas_one

Baadboy11 said:


> Love this setup Xmas, anymore info on the light? like price/links to parts?


http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11809
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14034

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures during the build, but feel free to pm me if you have any other questions. In retrospect, I probably would have bumped up the power a bit, as the heatsink now barely even gets warm with the LED driven at 2 amps..


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## TLE041

Here's my 0.9 gallon Marina Cubus tank. It has a crowntail betta and a java moss carpet (to replicate grass) with a Moai head decor. There's also a 10W Marina C10 heater that's hidden in the java moss.



















I'm going to get a black background to hide the wires.


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## fresh.salty

My 3g


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## Diegosaenz

those easter island heads are damn awesome!


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## JulieR

fresh.salty - got some _Boraras_ in that tank? Looks like it!

This is actually my first post on the forum. I've looked through it a little before, but a quick google of nano tanks brought up this thread and I liked it so much that I decided to register and post myself. 










I just set up this nano tank a few days ago. It's a super old 3G eclipse that has seen its fair share of setups. The original filter on it blew out, so it has a whisper filter on it now. It was set up for a few weeks (and cycled) with three male platies in it (had to get them away from the girls, sick of babies!) but I saw some _Boraras Maculatus_ at my LFS, and on sale no less. So I decided it was time to give the 3G a makeover. I've never liked it more! Small tanks look so much better with small fish. 

Tied on to the driftwood is java moss. The other plants are "offspring" of amazon sword and aponogeton from parent plants in other tanks. I know AS isn't ideal for a nano tank, messes with the illusion, but it's what I had on hand for now. Plus that little red plant, I _think_ it might be myrio? It broke off the parent plant when I was putting it in a different tank. Dunno if it'll grow or die, we'll see!










A close-up of one of the Boraras. There are five total in the tank. Considering getting a red cherry shrimp as well, not sure yet.


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## urbanherbalist

Yay! I love seeing other peoples small tanks. Here's my 2.5G with some close-ups of my _rotala macrandra_ and _lindernia parviflora_.


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## naturalwonders

Oh wow, where did you get those Moai heads? I've been looking for some:help:.


TLE041 said:


> Here's my 0.9 gallon Marina Cubus tank. It has a crowntail betta and a java moss carpet (to replicate grass) with a Moai head decor. There's also a 10W Marina C10 heater that's hidden in the java moss.
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> I'm going to get a black background to hide the wires.


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## fresh.salty

JulieR said:


> fresh.salty - got some _Boraras_ in that tank? Looks like it!



Yes, either 5 or 6. I added them to eat the water bug population that was getting unsightly. Tank was dry started close to the first of the year at my shop, flooded in April or so. Had to bring it home two months back because it gets so hot in my office even the red cherry shrimp were dying.

Dosing .5ml Excel daily and haven't yet been able to get a handle on a doing routine for ferts. With the food input for the fish and shrimp I'm thinking 1/4 to 1/3 EI. Already doing the weekly water change.

This is the first tank I've used Flourite. If I had it to do over I'd find a smaller grain substrate. Being so shallow it's hard as heck to plant in this stuff.


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## davinci27

Here are the most recent shots of my 1.5. You can see progress shots in the main thread over here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/113863-my-1-5-nano-adventure-update.html


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## davrx

Here's a vintage 2.5 gal. Metaframe that I used to have.


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## davrx

Here's a 1930's splatter paint tank that I just started a few weeks ago.


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## TLE041

naturalwonders said:


> Oh wow, where did you get those Moai heads? I've been looking for some:help:.


Sorry, I just saw this now.

I got it from Petsmart for $10CDN. It was a "Top Fin" brand. Made out of some composite plastic material.


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## bugistrike

*My 2.5g Iwagumi tank*

sharing my 2.5gallon Iwagumi tank


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## theDeanorama

bugistrike said:


> sharing my 2.5gallon Iwagumi tank


Thats a great layout, if you took away everything in this pic but for the tank and contents you would be hard pressed to guess the size of the tank.


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## theblondskeleton

bugistrike said:


> sharing my 2.5gallon Iwagumi tank


That's fantastic!


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## bugistrike

thanks guys, the tank is a 2.5gallon mr. aqua bow type.


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## TeamTeal

very nice bugistrike!


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## DANIELSON

Thats an awesome 2.5G tank!!


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## Karackle

very cool nano tanks everyone! Makes me want to set up a pico again :hihi: if I do, I know where to post!


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## zelilaa

Can someone say a list of what sort of fish are OK in a nano tank? Like 2.5 gallons?


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## matthew.shelly

zelilaa said:


> Can someone say a list of what sort of fish are OK in a nano tank? Like 2.5 gallons?


A betta is the only fish I would ever recommend for a 2.5 and even then it's better to give them more space. Keeping any other kind of fish in a tank that small is just cruel.


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## EcLiPsE_3_planted

*eclipse 3*

heres my system 3 tank with 2 guppies the female is prego
I have a moss ball and hornwort for my plants and a diy co2 system


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## gregpxc

EcLiPsE_3_planted said:


> heres my system 3 tank with 2 guppies the female is prego
> I have a moss ball and hornwort for my plants and a diy co2 system


Do you have another tank? That will get overstocked super fast with guppies.



> Can someone say a list of what sort of fish are OK in a nano tank? Like 2.5 gallons?


Theres a list in the planted nano section right outside this thread. Just be considerate and consider inverts =]

I have a 1.5 that's about to be broken down. I'll add pics later.


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## EcLiPsE_3_planted

gregpxc said:


> Do you have another tank? That will get overstocked super fast with guppies.
> .


nope. only the 3g but I have friends that wannna buy them.
and I wanna know if its over kill to have Co2 for such a small tank.


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## Jaggedfury

Here's mine. I believed it's a 2.5gallon rimless tank with water filled 1 inches below the rim so the shrimps don't jump out. Aquasoil Amazonian II Substrate with Glosso as a foreground plant and a little bit of java moss on a driftwood branch.









































































Nothing special, just using it to breed more of the darker red cherry shrimps.


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## zelilaa

nice glosso carpet. Do you sell those cherry shrimp?


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## Pikachu

Here's my 2.5gal:
















Pardon the bad camera and my picture taking ability. Gotta love the amount of silicone companies use.

2.5gal with a built in filtration unit. Lighting is an old Finnex fixture from their 4 gallon kit. Tahitian moon sad, java fern winderlov & philippines, and anubias nana. And some ghost shrimp since I'm not going to buy cherries till the weather is perfect for shipping. Also a powerhead for extra circulation. I'm just waiting for a [near] perfect driftwood since all that I find are too large for a 8"x6"x7" area. Then I will attempt doing a decent aquascape.


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## Cottagewitch

This isn't the greatest photo but here's my 3g JBJ picotope:


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## Newman

I'd post up my 1 gal shrimp bowl, but it doesnt look very good yet. eventually I will. Everyone's tanks are looking great!


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## 4f1hmi

This is a 15 x 15 x15 cm Azoo Razzle Dazzle half gallon


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## Newman

i can see what youre trying to do there, and it will look phenomenal when all that greenery grows out. just dont let it get overtaken by algae and you'll have one unique tank! unique in the sense that its so darn small, but its attempting to portray a huge scene


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## gBOYsc2

Here is my desktop 2.5g. It has been in emersed state for 6 months now. I didn't have a small pressurized unit or adequate lighting so it has stayed in this state.


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## Piphobbit

Hi guys! This is my second ever planted tank.

Vessel: 2 Gallon Jar from Canadian Tire
Substrate: 1" soil + 1" gravel (Walstad Method)
Equipment: airstone
Light: Sunlight
Plants: Ludwigia Repens, Hornwort, Javamoss and some UG which I mostly killed lol
Inhabitants: 1 ghost shrimp + 1 golden whitecloud minnow
























PS: I've been scouring this forum for a nano cube I saw. I could've sworn I saw it here but can't find it again! It was a glass cube with white sand and UG, something like half a gallon. There's a shot of it on a coffee table next to a beige sofa (sorry this is so vague lol). Thanks for the help!


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## justdaman

just want to share my 2.5 gallon mountain scape

tank: 2.5gallon standard tank
substrate: river sand
filter: shiruba nano filter
light: 7watt clip on + 12watt dask lamp
plants: hemianthus callicthroides

i was quite surprised with its growth. 

1st day









1st week


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## Piphobbit

Wow! One week growth? :icon_eek: That's mighty impressive!

Great job with the mountain landscape. The white rocks really pop out from the background, and I love how they're so jagged! I've been dying to do a hardscape like this, but I don't have enough tanks...

NEED MORE AQUARIUMS!! :angryfire


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## Newman

I might as well throw this on here now:


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## Jyork6677

There is about 6 weeks in between the pictures. It's a "4" gallon finnex schuber wright and finnex planted + and pf-5 filter.
Dirted with carib sea "blue ridge".
I can never get my rotala macrandra to look like the pics I see online, even in my high light tank w/ excel. I was thinking of putting some kubotai rasboras in here, yes?


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## hisxlency

how are you guys getting plant growth in your tanks? I have a 2.5 and I cant get the water clear. Might be my driftwood but I am having a hard time.


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## AnthonyJ

bugistrike said:


> sharing my 2.5gallon Iwagumi tank


Ahh I wish I could get mine to look even half as good as that! Maybe one day...

Here's my 2.5g


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## xjclassic

This is my Fluval Spec. Impulse bought a Betta because I felt sorry for him setting in the little cup. The tank had been empty and through this together. There is a Java Fern in the left corner that is finally startin to grow a little.


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## danbayne

bugistrike said:


> sharing my 2.5gallon iwagumi tank


spectacular!


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## sunz

Just got into the whole aquarium thing in May 



















After removing emersed leaf growth and trim back of plants.


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