pico questions

[MrBungle]

ok I went to a lfs that i've never been to recently and saw something unusual. On the counter was a 1/2 gallon cube with a light hanging over it and the smallest filter i've ever seen. In the tank was a tiny clownfish, not sure what kind. I asked the woman working there if this is healthy for the fish and she said as long as you do a water change every 12-14 days its fine. It just sounds a little off to me. According to peoples responses, I am thinking about putting something in my 2.5g. Is it as easy as this person says and can a clown, goby, or shrimp live happily in a 2.5? thanks.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

a shrimp maybe, depending on the kind.i dont think you could do a goby but im not sure.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

No clown since they get at least 3-4"... too big for a 2.5g, and it couldn't handle the bioload anyways. You could definitely do invert only, not too sure about a goby either but if you did it would have to be one of the really tiny ones. A 5g or 10g tank would be better if you wanted a fish.

Also, the evaporation from a tiny tank is incredible, and would need to be topped off daily. Especially if it has a fish, it needs water changes at least weekly I would think. A 5-10g tank is more stable than a pico tank, but a pico can be done... ask lordroad, he has a pretty neat setup in a betta vase.

 

[MrBungle]

ok thanks.

 

[Lorna]

That clown would be as happy as you would be if you were trapped in a closet for life.......you may live for a while, but what quality of life before you drowned in your own waste

 

[MrBungle]

yes well that can also go for any tank, nothing is as big as their natural habitat. But yea, it just puzzled me to see a clown in a 1/2 gallon cube.

 

[Lorna]

Well not exactly what I meant but hey......a 4 inch fish needs more room to move around than a half gallon milk jug. Which in my opinion is a far cry from responsible people maintaining aquariums that are not overstocked and are mindful of a fishes needs as to linear swim room......hence my comparison to a human in a closet.

 

[Perfectblue]

Yeah definitely no fish in a 2.5g and especially not a .5g. Not only would it be cruel but it would be very difficult to maintain stable water quality in this size tank with a fish. I would keep the tank invert only with maybe a few Sexy shrimp. They are small, colorful, and you could keep 3-4 in a 2.5g. The evaporation depends on what light you're using, open top/covered, etc. In my 2.5g running with open top and a 18w PC fixture I needed to top off about .5g or total in a week although you need to add water daily. I did about a half a gallon water change weekly and it worked out very well.

For water movement a small powerhead would work well and a small HOB filter for surface agitation. I would run carbon and possibly phosphate remover in the filter.

Things to keep an eye especially in a pico is temperature, SG, and water parameters. Things can go bad in a pico very quickly so its best to keep up on the maintenance.