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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