Would this setup work in a 2.5 gallon tank?

Question

I would like to start up an "underwater ecosystem". It would probably be about a 2.5 gallon square tank like this http://lh5.google.com/amyyangphoto/R3xyr...

What would you suggest for an "underwater ecosystem"? I was thinking an apple snail and 4-5 ghost shrimp. I would like real plants but the tank wouldn't have a light only a heater (is this needed?) and no filter (is a filter needed with shrimp?) so could I still do live plants if the tank is sitting on a windowsill that gets minnimun light? Also what should I feed the snail and shrimp? Could I have a few really small fish, such as 2-3 minnows of some type? Thanks I've never done this before but I'd really like to! What could I use as a tank hood since the tank won't come with one. Thanks

Another Picture

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a69/fatpuffer/2-1.jpg

Answer 1

the snails and ghost shrimp eat waste and would gladly take regular flakes.  Minnows might eat the shrimp.  i don't know.  I would suggest maybe a cheap in-tank filter to produce water flow and mimic natural habitat if your striving for an "eco-system"

Answer 2

Plants, a snail and shrimp would be fine in a 2.5 gal.  I would recommend and undergravel filter to eliminate the risk of the shrimp being sucked into the filter.     I really wouldn't recommend adding fish to a set up this small it is really to small for anything else.  As far as a tank hood you can have glass custom cut to fit the top  

Answer 3

I answered the same question you posted 10 minutes ago smartie, lol! Go check it out.

Answer 4

ask a pet store. u need profeffinal help.

Answer 5

You would need a filter if you want more than one animal in there or else they would die from amonia build up and you can't have live plants without a light. most water plants need a special kind of light that is like their wild habitat and would die in normal sunlight. Plus sunlight stresses fish. But you wouldn't need a light if you used  fake plants because fish don't really notice a difference between light or even care unless they are in a completely dark room. And if you mixed plant's with apple snails the snails would just eat the plants. What I would do is have fake plants normal light so you can see the fish, fake plants and have one apple snail, one male guppy and one female guppy, you can tell the difference because the males are alot more colorful then the females and have longer fins and you put them together and they will breed instantly, no work to it. And if you have enough plants the babies will need to hide from there parents because they WILL eat them. But don't worry they have about thirty at a time. It takes the females 30 days or more for them to give live birth unlike other fish that lay eggs. You could get more females to go with the male for more babies in case some get eaten. You could have ghost shrimp instead though they have babies more often than guppies maybe one batch every two weeks and they will lay their eggs in the gravel and they will hatch in about a week and their parents won't eat them unlike guppies and you could have your own little shrimp ecosystem. But make sure you buy any babies special powder baby fish food because normal flakes are too big for them. I would get a few ghost shrimp because you can't s*x them and put them together and wait. I wouldn't get an apple snail because they can get as big as a baseball within 8 years and crawl out of your tank. Please tell me what you decide I would really like to know. If you need help send me a message on youtube to my account my screen name there is c48gl.

Answer 6

u can have plants that grow small and the sunlight is enough, no, shrimps dont really need filter, fill the tank leaving 2-3 inches so apple snail can get oxygen apple snail can suck on some plants but they can also suck on vegetables slices like cucumber slices, u can have 2 small fishes like tetras use something to cover the tank at the top so snails dont get out set the heater to the triangle thing