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Re: Tiny Plant Tank



Jessica asked about setting up a 5 gallon plant tank.

Jessica,

I am considering setting one up for my desk.  Mind you, I haven't
actually done this yet, but FWIW, here are a few suggestions, some
of which came via David Webb:

1.  Lighting:  Why not keep the tank open-topped and use a compact
fluorescent desk lamp to provide light?  David uses plastic food
wrap on the top of his 5-gallon to minimize evaporation.  Light is
provided by a 15W Power-Glo;  although I'm not quite sure what
kind of bulb that is, I should think that a compact fluorescent would
work well in this situation.

2. Filtration: May not be necessary at all on such a small tank, but if
you insist, I would go with a small Duetto internal filter.  Box filters
that hang on the outside of the tank would be just too big and
unsightly.

3. Plants: A couple of small pieces of driftwood with some Java
moss or Java fern attached would look great.  You probably wouldn't
need any supplementary CO2, either.  Anubias would be my first
choice for a rooted plant in such a small tank.  You say they are
expensive, but you probably wouldn't need more than two since it
creeps.

4. Substrate:  Depends on the plants, but an attractive natural
sand/gravel always looks nice.  A little laterite wouldn't hurt either,
but could always be added later as balls pushed into the substrate.

5. Fertilizer: Whichever you choose, use it very sparingly.

Pictures of Dave's micro-tank are available at:

http://www.dallas.net/~dwebb/aquarium/micro.jpg

Jonathan
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