2.5 Gallon

[Chrs]

I made a nice little table in wood shop and I have nothing to put on it. I'm thinking about a 2.5 gallon tank.

My question is, what could I put in it?
I've always wanted shrimp but the closest LFS is 45 minutes away and their cherry shrimp cost $11.99a piece...
Ghost shrimp might work though($.99 a piece). I'm also wonering what type of light I could get so plants would be possible. Would a cory be able to go in it with 2 or 3 shrimp? I'm leaning towards a betta or a apple snail right now. I kind of want something "different".

 

[ajs2294]

I made a nice little table in wood shop and I have nothing to put on it. I'm thinking about a 2.5 gallon tank.

My question is, what could I put in it?
I've always wanted shrimp but the closest LFS is 45 minutes away and their cherry shrimp cost $11.99a piece...
Ghost shrimp might work though($.99 a piece). I'm also wonering what type of light I could get so plants would be possible. Would a cory be able to go in it with 2 or 3 shrimp? I'm leaning towards a betta or a apple snail right now. I kind of want something "different".

If you got a bit bigger 5.5 gallon you might be happier in the long run but its up to you. Check out this tank also its pretty neat for 3 gallons and has a light and filter here. And as for the shrimp at 11.99 each thats insane, maybe look into buying them online, you could probably do it for as much or cheaper and save the drive.

 

[Jonty]

How about a Scarlet Badis pair or trio (Dario dario)

 

[erk628]

Corys are schooling fish and need to be kept in schools of 5+ and a 2.5 would be to small. I would go with a 5 gallon if I was you and put a betta in it.

 

[Honeythorn]

Don't put a betta in 2.5 gals, it isn't even close to being big enough despite common myths .

Shrimp or an apple snail would work very well though. $11.99 is far too expensive for cherry shrimp, I should shop around for a better place, or even see if anyone on the forums is breeding them. They breed quite readily in aquariums so there' bound to be someone in the invertebrates section who has a few spare

5 gals minimum for a betta if you're after one, thickly planted ( real or silk ), either way, lots of plants are needed as they come from heavily vegetated waters in the wild, and generally dislike large bare open spaces ( that's open spaces , not tiny tanks ) filtered and heated ( unless you live in an area of the world where it's very warm all year round ) .

5 gals is also a good size for a dwarf gourami, or a pair of Honey gouramis. Male endlers or a few male guppies could also do fine in there, or some tiny chilli rasboros perhaps ( obviously not all these in one tank )

How much table space do you actually have in square inches? A 5 gallon hex tank can fit in 12 square inches of space.

 

[kelly528]

Although I do not see a problem with putting a betta in a 2.5g tank (maybe that's just the North-American mentality), I would agree that a bigger tank would only add a few square inches to the footprint.

Perhaps a few male endlers would do in a 5g, or you could get plenty of cheaper shrimp (don't limit yourself to cherries lol!) online.

 

[Chrs]

Yeah, I agree on the 5 gallon tank idea. I just didn't know about the hex itting in 12 inches. I think the table is maybe a foot an 3/4 long and 1 1/2 front to back. I might put a crowntail in the 5 gallon with a apple snail or do two honey gouramis.

 

[Honeythorn]

In that case it doesn't have to be a hex tank, a cube would work and most likely a normal glass Clearseal tank.

I mentioned the hex in case the table was really small and square. I used to have a 5 gal hex on a small table in the corner of my dining room so I know for a fact one will fit in 12 square inches of space, I measured it

 

[K-Holed]

A 12x12x12 tank would be 7 US gallons.

 

[Honeythorn]

And 6 UK gallons. Just right for a betta or similar sized fish

 

[Chrs]

Would the betta and apple snail or honey gourami pair work in a hex, or should it be rectangular?

Edit: How wide are each of the sides on the hex?

 

[Honeythorn]

Yes they would work in a hex. The sides of mine were around 7 inches each side roughly.

If you go with the betta though, be sure to have lots of very tall plants ( lots of plants in general actually as they prefer it greatly ) for the betta to rest on as they need to be able to get to the surface easily and many like to rest on the way up.

I think a shallower cube or rectangular tank would probably be better for the betta if you have a choice. But if you really are so limited for space then a hex tank can be done for a betta if you set it up right .