# My 2.5 gallon practice tank!!



## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright, so I'm not sure this is in the right section, but I'm gonna post it here and if a moderator or admin wants to move it, that's fine.

So, first of all, I am new in this hobby, and on this website. I've had a couple of tropical freshwater fish tank but, none succeded. I've also had hermit crabs for around 2 years but then they died. So now, I wanna try my hand at paludarium's. 

I have a ten gallon that my hermit crabs were in, but it cracked, so eventually, I wanna buy a new tank, but bigger, around 50-75 gallons.

But I also, do not want to buy such a big and expensive tank and mess up and have to get rid of it, so I have a small 2.5 gallon hex tank that I will use as a practice tank for many things:

- Developping my rock/background making skills
- Figure out the false bottom's and the waterfall
- Developpe the placement of plants (yes I will put plants)
- Find a good substrate mix
And whatever else I can developpe as I go.

So, I have a HOB filter (Hang on back) and the tube that goes down as an attachements so it reaches almost to the bottom of the tank, so I'm going to use it in my setup.

Also, I have 7W Florescent light fixture. (Is this good for growing plants?)

I have all the materials I need (I think)
- Tank
- Filter
- Light
- Foam for rocks
- grout for rocks (is this the best method?)
Thats all I have for now, I will need some silicone, gs, and paint. 

So if anybody can answer some of my questions and tell me what you think, it would be greatly appreciated or anything I missed! Thanks


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## ckays (Jul 26, 2011)

The only question I see so far is regarding lights.

A 7Watt bulb seems very low, but in such a small tank it might be ok. The K rating or color temperature of the bulb is a much better way to determine how effective it will be with plant growth. 

I haven't worked with a water feature, but I have a feeling that fish pump will pretty useless. 

Is it really only 2.5 gallons. This is very small and I don't think you will be able to achieve much with such a tiny tank. I can't imagine trying to do a background with so little space. 

My two cents...


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

ckays said:


> The only question I see so far is regarding lights.
> 
> A 7Watt bulb seems very low, but in such a small tank it might be ok. The K rating or color temperature of the bulb is a much better way to determine how effective it will be with plant growth.
> 
> ...


Well the color of the light is very bright white.

And I just made a small test and it's gonna work good I think.

Also, yes it is really 2.5g but Im up for the challenge, like I said before, it's more to practice my skills than anything else


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

2.5 is far too small to practice all those things.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

This is what I like, when people tell me its too hard, or in this case too small. Im going to try to prove you guys wrong  But I still need your advice on substrate, and the best way to make a faux rock wall...


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

I think in general, 2.5 gallons of space to work with is too small to get any meaningul amount of "practice" in. I have no doubt someone could do some cool micro-scaping in a tank that size, but as far as a learning experience I don't know how much would be gained. There just isn't much room to practice multiple techniques. It could almost be more difficult to make it look realistic, just like painting a tiny model can be more difficult than painting something larger.

Where's your 10g cracked? Why not practice with that? You'll have some more room to try and hone your skills that way.

As far as rocks go, polystyrene and grout, cemement, or drylock are the most common methods I see on here.


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## Redhead87xc (Jan 27, 2010)

paludarium freak said:


> This is what I like, when people tell me its too hard, or in this case too small. Im going to try to prove you guys wrong  But I still need your advice on substrate, and the best way to make a faux rock wall...


It't not that people are trying to discourage you in a negative way. They are just giving you their experience. Why don't you start witha 10g? They are very cheap and you atleast have a little wiggle room to get stuff. Unless everything ius miniature sized in that 2.5g tank I don't see how you will fit all the stuff listed. Not trying to be mean at all. Just trying to give you my two cents. We all make mistakes on our vivs and learn as we go. Don't be afraid of making some. Good luck.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

freaky_tah said:


> I think in general, 2.5 gallons of space to work with is too small to get any meaningul amount of "practice" in. I have no doubt someone could do some cool micro-scaping in a tank that size, but as far as a learning experience I don't know how much would be gained. There just isn't much room to practice multiple techniques. It could almost be more difficult to make it look realistic, just like painting a tiny model can be more difficult than painting something larger.
> 
> Where's your 10g cracked? Why not practice with that? You'll have some more room to try and hone your skills that way.
> 
> As far as rocks go, polystyrene and grout, cemement, or drylock are the most common methods I see on here.


Polystyrene is an endocrine disruptor. High density foam like computer components are packed in might be a better choice. See any of Melas rock wall builds for more on that. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/53733-new-cement-background-method.html


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

Pumilo said:


> Polystyrene is an endocrine disruptor. High density foam like computer components are packed in might be a better choice. See any of Melas rock wall builds for more on that. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/53733-new-cement-background-method.html


Thanks Doug,

So should I not be using the pink foam insulation panels from places like Home Depot that people use for buttress roots etc...?

I always thought that was polystyrene


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

freaky_tah said:


> Thanks Doug,
> 
> So should I not be using the pink foam insulation panels from places like Home Depot that people use for buttress roots etc...?
> 
> I always thought that was polystyrene


Pink, blue, and white styrofoam are all polystyrene. Even those styrofoam coffee cups that used to be in wide use, are polystyrene. Plenty of people are using it anyway and I have not seen any direct reports of frogs kicking off because of it. It is however, a proven health problem as seen here Polystyrene & Health Homepage and it looks like it can build up in your system over time. Since there is a better choice (high density foam) it just makes sense to pass over it and choose something safer. All in all, it may make some difference how you run your system. If there is no water feature and all water gets flushed down into the false bottom, the danger may be minimal. If you have a pond, it may be accumulating in there and dosing your frogs every time they go for a dip or eat a fly off the surface of the water.
Thanks to Melas for pointing out this danger in his threads.


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

That makes sense, and was something I was unaware of. Thanks for the info!


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

A 2.5 gallon will give you very limited experience, unless you are already very experienced and want to hone advanced artistic/layout skills. Plus the cost difference between a 2.5 gallon, and a 20 gallon will be minimal. If you buy all the materials you listed to build a 2.5 gallon, it will surely be enough to complete a 20 gallon. 

Even if you do pull off an effective 2.5 gallon tank, it cant be used for anything other then looking at it. At least a screwed up 20 gallon can be used as a quarantine or grow out tank while you finish the future 50 gallon.

Nano tanks only really apply to people that already have the skills, and want to try and give the illusion of a much larger tank then it is. Only the very experience and gifted people can pull those off though, and I havent seen any vivs like this yet. In my opinion only aquascapers have done this successfully.

If its doubt you wanted to get motivated, Im sure you are ready to start building now lol.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks for the replies,my ten gallon is crakced in the top right corner so it could work, but i still wanna try in the 2.5 just for the fun it


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

A ten might be a bit better you can get on for 10 bucks @ petland or petco. Doing things a miniature scale might be tougher. I'm about to do something similar with a 40b for my turtles.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I just Googled the High Density foam, and one of the sites mentions the various ridgid insulating "styrofoam" boards which would lead one to think that it is the proper styro...the coffee cups and other styrofoam is like a million plus little beads...so is THAT the "bad" stuff?? Is there an easy way to see styro and know which one is okay????


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

I live in canada so we dont have those stores, but yeah they are inexpensive, but mine could still work as long as i have less than 6 inches of water and the tank is 12 high... Also, I could do the 2.5 at the same time as the 10 using leftover material.

I found a picture of the 2.5g to show you guys









This is when it was an aquarium, but you can see the filter and the light. The tube for the filter intake can go lower

This is the tank now, with my hand on it for size comparison









And this is the stand I built for it









Also, for building the rocks, I was thinking of using this method but with the high density foam you guys were talking about, or some other foam.
How to make a waterfall (rainforest edition)
Scroll down the page to see the video


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Judy S said:


> I just Googled the High Density foam, and one of the sites mentions the various ridgid insulating "styrofoam" boards which would lead one to think that it is the proper styro...the coffee cups and other styrofoam is like a million plus little beads...so is THAT the "bad" stuff?? Is there an easy way to see styro and know which one is okay????


Melas provides us with a nice picture about half way down this page http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...atest-rock-wall-tank-18x18x24-exoterra-2.html


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright, so I talked to my parents about it and they said I should do the 2.5g first so thats what Im doing, Im probably gonna start tomorrow.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Pumilo...thanks for the link...went back an read the whole thread...


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright, so after more talking to my parents, I was told I was not aloud to spend any money on the contruction, or very very little. So this build is gonna be tough. I wanted a nice piece of wood to put vertically on one side, but, that wont happen. I already have a small piece of driftwood for the water area, but its to small to use on land.

So today, I'm gonna try to figure the layout, how the waterfall will flow, and etc. 

I'll post some pics possibly later tonight.


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

If i were you heres what id do. First off a 2.5 really is going to be difficult to work with so you might wanna scratch that idea. I would take the cracked 10 gallon (if its cracked at the top but still can hold water towards the bottom) and save up $5 so you can get a can of greatstuff. You can use the sprayfoam on the cracked side for a background so it will not only hide the crack but strengthen it alittle too. As far as a false bottom if you have gravel left over from your fish tanks you can use that to create the land side and forget about the fb altogether. The biggest expense would probably be the substrate n silicon to cover the background. I think you could get away with only spending about $20. If that is still over your budget you could even just get the $5 can of greatstuff and use substrate n driftwood you find outside as ong as you dont put anything but plants and maybe some native bugs in there. Another thing you might wanna test before you start is if the filter is going to work like that. It may reach the low water level but it might not have the suction power to pull it all the way up.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Im eventually planning to do both, but my parents want me to do the small one first. I already some coconut fiber from when i had my hermit crabs. The only thing i'll probably have to spend on is silicone and maybe foam, unless my dad can get some from work... My sister is gonna clean the tank this morning and in the afternoon im gonna figure out a basic layout with cardboard, to get a feel for it. Also, i have succesfully built a 0.25 gallon paludarium (i can
Post a pic if u guys want). I never used it as it was to small to put anything...


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright, I was playing with some cardboard trying to figure out a rough shape, and came up with this;










I don't like the little ledge at the bottom but apart from that it looks pretty good I think. Again, this is a rough shape.

The brown part is where the water would flow
Any comments or suggestions?


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright guys, I have started on construction, I bought some foam that you put in walls for insulation, the pink rigid stuff. Im gonna cover it with grout, paint it and seal it with epoxy probably.

I will post some pics later tonight of my progress...


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## DemonicalEnvy (Sep 7, 2011)

Well best of luck. It's looks like a tough one or atleast a very slow going one with that tiny of space.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Ill post some pictures tomorrow, i have to admit, its not easy, but not as bad as i thought


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## DemonicalEnvy (Sep 7, 2011)

Never give up anything is possible other wise we would be a very boring civilization if we just said it can't be done. Do you plan on putting anything in it?


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks man, appreciate your envouragement . And im not sure yet, cuz i think its too small for an animal... Maybe some shrimps in the water?


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

*Re: My 2.5 gallon practice tank!! Now with pics!!*

Alright guys, I finally got some pics 

So like I said before, I used the insulation foam boards to make my rocks. Each rock was sculpted then glued with hot glue. It will then all be covered with grout and then painted and sealed.

So this is the view from the front. The tube thing on the left will be a "tree trunk" with some roots going in the ground, and then covered with some coco fiber. It also hide the pipe going from the bottom left of the wall to the filter. The intake for the pipe is located under a rock that sticks out.








This is a view from the left








And from the right. The shelf thing is going to hold a plant.








And here's one from the top/front








And another one from the top








And then, one zoomed in to the waterfall/river. I already tested it and everything runs great. The back of the waterfall will just be smooth grout and the river, I think I'm going to glue some sand the bottom.









Thats it for now, let me know what you guys think. Also, I will try to answer all questions.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Looking good so far!


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thank you


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## Azriel (Jun 15, 2011)

Really interesting. I've never seen a small tank like this made into a paludarium before, I'm looking forward to see how it turns out. Looks like you have a good start.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks, i too have never seen a palu in this size tank... Its a first for all of us . Maybe im going to start a new kind of paludariums: nano paludariums


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Nanludarium?


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Lol yep


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## DemonicalEnvy (Sep 7, 2011)

definetly looks good so far can't wait.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks, ive always been the guy that could draw. I think my artistic skills help me alot in this kinda stuff, that and my attention to detail. Also, i study house plans alot, my dad is a contractor and ive been around plans my whole life, at the age of 5 i could understand a house plan. So all that combined is, i think, perfect skills for this stuff. Just thought i'd let you guys know .


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## GloriaRae (Sep 7, 2011)

Great job! I'm looking forward to updates. 

Do you mind if I ask your age? Feel free not to answer, if you're not comfortable with telling. 

Gloria Rae


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## FrogFever (Aug 12, 2011)

Haha. Is this for real? I'm not going to lie.. I doubted it to start, but now I'm impressed by your intricate work. You are certainly determined, and its now apparent to me that you have a much better understanding of how this is all going to turn out than I do. Good job.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks guys, and im 14


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Alright guys, it's been a little while, but I have just completed my second layer of grout. I will post some pics when all the layers are done...


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

paludarium freak said:


> Alright guys, it's been a little while, but I have just completed my second layer of grout. I will post some pics when all the layers are done...


Tease!....


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