# How to restart a 2.5g tank?



## pudding (Jan 25, 2012)

Hi everyone,

We upgraded my mother's 10l/2.5g tank as a Mothers' Day surprise, to a 30l Dennerle Nano. She was struggling with water parameters for a while, and just generally having a bad time with such a small tank. I've now inherited it. It's still got two nerites, an algae problem, a sword plant and a few anubias.

The substrate has been in use for about five weeks. Can I remove the gravel, do a clean-up, and continue using the same substrate? It's Dennerle brand Deponit Mix stuff, if that helps. I have fresh gravel/sand for the top, plenty of plants, and big plans to have it as a night-stand shrimp tank.

Any advice on how to transform the sad little tank into something lovely would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

New tank:









Old, sad decommissioned tank:


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

OOh very nice tanks,both of them!

You could probably do a good thorough cleaning of the substrate but will lose any bacteria in it.I do suggest you just tear it down and start over.Perhaps when starting it back up,set the light on a timer and start at six hours and slowly increase.Adding more plants to it will also help and theres a few species that would work pretty well in that tank and not get too big.Mosses is one of the easiest plants out there and a decent nutrient sponge.

Just make sure if you do start it over you let it age a little before placing shrimps in there,they really do not fare well with new tanks.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

It doesn't really look that bad to me. I would consider cleaning up what algae, damaged leaves etc you can, put it on a timer for the light and see if it settles. My experience with small tanks is that they are prone to algae outbreaks when first set up but that will get better with time. Of course if you want to rescape anyway maybe it's easier just to pull it down. Do you plan on fish? Being such a small tank you selection is quite limited but it is a really pretty little tank.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Any updates?


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## pudding (Jan 25, 2012)

I'm battling with my camera at the moment but I will post a picture as soon as I can (unless the camera wins). Still no stock, but it's clean and running nicely so hope to add some little creatures soon.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

That's good you've got it sorted. Out of interest, did you decide to take it apart, or just wait the algae out?


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## pudding (Jan 25, 2012)

Right, sorry for delayed reply. 

I took the entire thing apart, threw out the gravel, scrubbed the glass and the filter. Refilled with new black sand, a new filter cartridge, a valisneria, limnophilia sessiflora, and some willow moss lashed to a rock. Let it cycle for two weeks, and today added a mossball and an interesting rock from the LFS.

I took in a water sample when I went to get the plants today. I've been testing the pH and the hardness myself, and have been hovering around the 7.2/7.3 pH mark. Pre-restart, it was around the 8 mark so I suspect something in the old gravel was skewing the alkali levels. 

As a pleasant surprise it turns out all my nitrate/nitrate levels are fine, so I brought home six RCS who all seem to be settling in nicely. Hope they'll breed as well - they're fairly expensive here (about US$8 each) and I wouldn't mind a few more!


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