So for the past week or so I have been pondering fish tank ideas and acquiring any unwanted tanks and supplies I can so it is less I have to buy. I am pretty familiar with fish tanks so I know what I need, what works best, and how to set it all up. I decided to just set up a small 3 gallon salt water tank. I know that is not an ideal size for saltwater setups but it’s not my first rodeo and I will eventually be getting larger tanks to incorporate this one in.
I eventually would like to tie a couple tanks into each other and use one as a sump, one as a refugium, and one as the main display tank. That is the ultimate goal but for now a small 3 gallon will work just fine. Maybe put some seahorses in it eventually. They don’t need much room and have to be in a tank by themselves. They are to small and slow to compete with other fish in a tank for food. Plus their mouths are so small they can only eat certain foods. (“That’s enough Bob”) Yea so just best to keep them separate.
The setup was simple, I just went to Petco and grabbed the water and substrate. Usually I will buy RO (Reverse Osmosis) water from a LFS (Local Fish Store) for like $1.50 a gallon but I did not have a container so I had to buy it in bulk from Petco which was still convenient. It is already mixed to the proper salinity and has been treated.
Next I went to a smaller LFS called Go Fish. There I bought a half dozen hermit crabs, 2 pounds of live rock, and some grass which will help with filtration as long as my light keeps it alive. Basically when I got home I combined all the ingredients and came out with a pretty cool 3 gallon tank that I can stare at when working on my desk. In a month or so it should be ready for a piece of coral and some inverts to liven it up a bit. It’s to small for a fish but it will be an awesome coral and invert tank, plus I can use it as a quarantine tank when I get my larger set up going. Hopefully soon! I ordered the parts yesterday!
Remodel and Recover 