5 gallon setup...

[Sharpie129]

Ok so it looks like I'll be setting up my 5 gallon acrylic minibow as a nice little tank for a wennerae. How does this setup sound?

1. Minijet 404 for circulation
2. 15W heater of some sort
3. Coralife 50/50 10 or 20 W screw in (would 10W be ok, that way I dont have to worry about heat issues and dont stomatopods like light to be on the lesser side)
4. I might make a fuge out of the HOB filter that came with it
5. 10lbs LR 5 lbs sand

I plan on cutting acrylic to create an overflow box that would take up a corner of the tank from top to bottom so that the powerhead and heater can remain safe (and maybe some chemipure etc.). It'll be kinda like a false back except its a corner. What are people's thoughts? What should I change?

 

[mattyice]

10W would be fine, you need filtration unless you want to do water changes every couple of days, also take out the minijet and just use a HOB filter for it

 

[Sharpie129]

Ok, so I shouldn't worry about flow to much? I've kinda modeled it all after yankeereefer's 5.5 yankee tank II So the whisper 10i should be ok for flow? What could I use for some cheap filtration? I was planning on using the HOB filter as a fuge with a little LR rubble...

 

[mattyice]

well if you plan on doing it like yankee reefers tank then that is a really good idea, since you have a mini bow 5, i do too, i noticed that a marineland HOT magnum filter fits perfectly right in the slot where the normal HOB filter came, that overs a really good amount of filtration and i recommend getting that, and filling the carbon cartrige filter with something like de*nitrate from seachem that away it will keep the water crystal clear, i would actually do a half and half of that and the carbon, with that you wont need the powerhead and it will be perfectly fine

 

[Sharpie129]

What is a good mantis proof heater then since it'll be out in the open then...

 

[mattyice]

anything that has a plastic outside or titanium, they dont make a titanium heater small enough for that, i would just use a plastic one, something like 25 watts should be more then enough, yes they are mantis proof, my accilmation heater took three direct blows from a 4" peacock and everything is fine

 

[Sharpie129]

So do you only have to worry about glass breaking and not plastic... I'm surprised that acrylic is forgivable enough to actually take a blow unharmed... On another note... should I just not worry about a makeshift fuge then? Will a bit of floating chaeto in the display cause trouble?

 

[mickey85]

With a Wennerae, I wouldnt' even worry about having it break out of a 2.5G glass tank.

And why would you need a fuge? If you really wanted a fuge and chaeto, just get an oversized HOB filter and stick it in there. I think it's unnecessary though. Keep up with water changes and/or run carbon in your filter and you'll be more than fine, and then you don't have to deal with the hassle of keeping chaeto alive as well.

 

[mattyice]

i keep the chaeto jammed in one of the rocks in my 40G breeder mantis tank and it does just fine and its in an area with good flow across it and it adds extra cover for monte's cave

 

[yankeereefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8695409#post8695409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sharpie129
What is a good mantis proof heater then since it'll be out in the open then...

stealth - small, black and breakproof