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Re: 15 gallon planted tank
I have small planted tanks.. the smallest is a 2 1/2 gallon. The rest are
10's. (currently 4 of those) the lighting is not easy on small tanks. Most
Mfg build lots for larger tanks, only a few build for smaller tanks. I have
built my own lighting, finding that the GE ultra daylight 15 watt bulbs
(5000k) work great. (typically I use 30 to 45 watts per 10 gallon tank) The
biggest drawback to a smaller tank is when things go bad, they go really fast
and really bad. Small tanks are not impossible but you have to keep up on
things and pay close attention. In addition to small freshwater planted
tanks I have a 15 tall that is a reef tank and a 10 that is a reef tank, so,
yes, it can be done. I doubt it is any cheaper per gallon to do than a
larger tank, in fact, it may cost you more because of the lighting. You
asked if they can be used for spawning tanks, sure, but you will run into the
usual problems with fish/plants/spawning just as you would in a larger tank
but you will run into the problems quickly due to the size. Smaller tanks
give one huge advantage (imho) and that is you can experiment easily with
them and get results (for better or for worse) very quickly. (they are quite
a bit easier to clean up when things go sour)
good luck
Steve