Im trying to make a 2.5 gallon saltwater tank what should i do first?

Question

Im trying to make a 2.5 gallon saltwater tank what should i do first?

Answer 1

First thing you should do is stop and think about what you are doing, it will be close to impossible for a newbie to keep that small of a tank, Not trying to be johnny rain cloud, saltwater is wonderful and everyone starts somewhere but the minimum gallon recommended for a beginner is 55 gallons 30 at the smallest,  Because the water quality is so tricky to get right and kept that way.  There is almost no equipment for saltwater to run that size of a tank....It would be very challenging.....but if you want to set it up with live sand and a piece of live rock you could have a crab.

Answer 2

That's a VERY small tank...  almost no fish can comfortably live and grow in a tank of that size except for Betta fish (siamese fighting fish) and a few other of a the smallest fish breeds.  I would say just use that tank to house one betta, and use conditioned tap water.  If you want to have happy fish in a saltwater tank, try getting at least a 10 gallon tank.  I know the general rule is 2-5 gallons for the first fish and then another 1-2 for every other fish.

I'm sure you could make a saltwater tank that small, but it would be tedious work.  You'd have to be dedicated to tending to your fish daily, but if you got a larger tank, it would lighten the work load quite a bit.

Just do some more research on your own about this.  Find out what type of fish you want to get, how much space they require, what they eat, and the like.  :)

Good luck!

Answer 3

the first thing you should do is get a bigger tank, anything less than 10 gallons is a waste of time and money

Answer 4

I am not an expert i currently have a 1.5 gallon salt water setup with very near perfect water conditions just make sure u learn about saltwater fish and do not put more then 1 animal in the tank and take ur time i had to have mine setup a whole 3 months before i could put anything cool in it it takes about 30 45 min a week to do water changes they need to be done carefully as not to stress whats in ur setup more then it has to be read lots of things on line talk to a good pet store worker ( not pet-co or some place like that ) and go from there don't let people tell you it cant be done unless ur an expert you just have to have good truthful basic knowledge of salt and the animals that live in it :) ( yes i realize i did not punctuate i was too lazy )

Answer 5

You should abandon ship. Why make a saltwater that small? Its almost impossible (although it can be done, but usually only by the top experts)

Very few, if any, saltwater species of fish can thrive in that small of an enviroment. And even they could, you would only be able to get one fish in the tank.

Saltwater tanks need perfect water conditions.

Very few filters are adequate AND able to filter a tank of that size. Most just dont fit.

A 2.5 gallon tank is going to force you to do way larger water changes then are healthy for a saltwater fish.

The smallest nano tank I ever recomend is a 10 gallon, unless like I said before, you are an expert on salt water aquariums

Many people say clowns can go in a tank that small, but most clown fish get fairly good sized. The smallest being around 3-4 inches. Too big for a 2.5 gallon

Answer 6

2.5 is classed as a pico tank, smaller than nano. While not impossible, this will be very challenging and need daily attention. It is too small for any and all saltwater fish and most saltwater inverts. It will also be very difficult to find the equipment you need to fit a tank that small.

I suggest researching pico tanks on saltwater specialist forums, speak to the people who have done this! There's a good nano marine section here:

Http://www.fishforums.net

Answer 7

Like the others have said - VERY difficult.

Personally I would wander down to the beach and grab a small local hermit crab, a snail, a cushion star and a shrimp if I was feeling lucky. The tank is basically too small for fish.

But you could set up an interesting little rockpool biotope. It still needs basic filtration and regular water changes, but because it's so small you can change a gallon a week without a problem.

If you are thinking reef / tropical / fish, nope, not gonna work

Ian