Tiny Tank Build - 5 Gallon Fluval Spec V

New member here!

I've loved fish as long as I can remember, been a Diver for quite some time now and have had a connection with the water. I recently purchased the Fluval 12 Gallon Edge tank and when it arrived the GF said it was too big for our modest, city apartment. I checked out the 6 gallon but it has the same footprint so the slender 5 gallon Spec V was the compromise. I read all kinds of material saying that anything sub 10 Gallons is really too small but this is what I have to work with

I've got just started it and would love any recommendations/critiques. I've added CaribSea Eco-Complete as the substrate as I know I wanted a planted tank and something to highlight the colored dwarf shrimp I wanted. So far I've added one piece of Malaysian Drift Wood and a few Seiryu stones for a "Pride Rock" kinda feel. I've planted some Java Ferns, an Anubias in the left corner and some random hair grass from Petco. I'm not sure I'm sold on the hair grass, if there's a better nano carpeting plant I would love to know. Considered Dwarf Baby Tears but they seem to be tough to grow without C02? I've added a small Hydor 50W heater in the pump housing to keep the tank around 74 degrees. I'd like to add some Dwarf Baby Tears but haven't had luck getting them to stay planted.

I let the tank cycle on it's own with just the plants for about two weeks, then used Fluvial Cycle to speed the rest of the process up. Just the other day I added three Crystal Red Shrimp who seem to be doing fine so far and I'll be adding a snail soon for additional algae control. I'm planning on giving them a month or two to establish themselves before adding any tank mates.

I'm planning on adding some fish and would love recommendations. I know I can do a betta (which may make some meals out of the shrimp) but found the Celestial Pearl Danios online and was wondering if a 5 gallon could house 4/5 of those? They seem to fit the 1" per gallon rule.

Any thoughts/recommendations?

 

If you have a good LFS try for some Trigonostigma espei, the "Lamb Chop rasbora"

Also consider putting plain black background on the tank to highlight the colours of the shrimp etc. and reduce any sunlight on the water which encourages algae.

 

I love the way it looks!

 

A tip for planting, you cannot put the Java Fern or Anubias rhizome (thick stem which leaves grow from) into the substrate. Tie/glue it to the driftwood or rocks to make sure it doesn't rot!

Most, if not all, carpeting plants will need high light and CO2, so I'd stay away from those (including Baby Tears). Your hair grass may grow, but it definitely won't carpet.

I think the Danios would work, but I have no experience with them.

Also, 3 shrimp will not establish a tank or cycle it. Their bio-load is so negligible that even when they begin breeding, they will produce next-to-no ammonia.

 

Looks great! Have you checked out scarlet badis, Pygmy sunfish, or sparkling gourami? Those are some neat fish that usually work in a five gallon.

 

A tip for planting, you cannot put the Java Fern or Anubias rhizome (thick stem which leaves grow from) into the substrate. Tie/glue it to the driftwood or rocks to make sure it doesn't rot!

Most, if not all, carpeting plants will need high light and CO2, so I'd stay away from those (including Baby Tears). Your hair grass may grow, but it definitely won't carpet.

I think the Danios would work, but I have no experience with them.

Also, 3 shrimp will not establish a tank or cycle it. Their bio-load is so negligible that even when they begin breeding, they will produce next-to-no ammonia.

Thank you! I knew that about the Anubias, it's just set on top of the substrate behind the wood, but did not know that about the Java Fern. I will need to remedy that. I assumed because they came semi-potted that they would need to be submerged. Their roots do have dirt clumped on them, should I remove that as well?

The shrimp aren't there to cycle the tank, just to start propagating while the plants establish themselves. I was hoping to have many more by the time I add fish in about a month or two. I went to my LFS and picked up 6 more and a horned nerite snails so I've now got 9 shrimp to start establishing a colony. I added some Java Moss to the tank, two clumps visible on the wood and one behind the rear right rock to form some safe havens for my shrimp when the fish inevitably are added.

I've learned to not expect carpeting. I'm not going to go down the route of C02 so a dense, pearling carpet of baby tears is beyond my grasp :nopity:

Oh well, it will have to do as is.

I saw the CPD at my LFS too, beautiful and definitely as small as I had hoped. They only grow up to an inch as an adult so I think I may go that route rather than a lone better. Need to check a few more fish but it seems pretty captivating.

 

Very nice looking tank.I like the way it looks. They CPDS are so pretty. The horned nerites are really cute. I have only seen them once at petco. I have the zebra and the tracked nerites. If I ever see the horned again I will pick some up. Alison

 

Great Looking Tank

 

Tank still going strong?

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Tank still going strong?

Not doing too badly I think. My biggest surprise is how difficult it is to see the shrimp. At any given time I can only spot 3-4 of them. I've lost one shrimp so far, however, I have found two other sheds which I've read means that they're comfortable and growing so I think, by and large, it's working ok.

There is a strange, white, oily looking appearance to the top of the water, not quite like a film even though I've been doing water changes regularly. Will wait and see if it gets better.

The "hair grass" I have may be miniature sword (it came undescribed from petco) as I'm noticing some melt from the one's planted in the substrate. Will need to see what can be done with them in the coming months. Probably swap out for true hair grass.

My snail seems to have gone MIA as well... sneaky bugger.

 

Wanna see a real "tiny tank"?

 

Looks great, I'm sure the shrimp are loving it!