# Looking to repurpose small tanks with plants



## BlueSplendid (Apr 12, 2014)

When I initially adopted my first betta, I was completely new to them and so we bought a 1.5g. A little bit after that, I upgraded to a 3g. (These were both the built-in filter/light kind, before I realized how much easier/cheaper/rewarding it is to build your own.) Now she's happily living in a 10g that will soon be planted as well. I've ordered Mineralized Topsoil from bamaplants.com to try out.

I don't really want to bother selling the 1.5g and 3g, so I was wondering about making one or both plant-only? If this is a good idea, I was wondering if there were any shrimps or snails that would enjoy them and possibly help out the plant growth? I'd imagine even the 3g would be too small for any type of fish. Also, any other general tips on planted aquariums are very welcome.


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

RCS can live in a 1.5g or a 3g make 1 NPT and one an RCS tank! (RCS=Red Cherry Shrimp)


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## BlueSplendid (Apr 12, 2014)

BettaBoy51 said:


> RCS can live in a 1.5g or a 3g make 1 NPT and one an RCS tank! (RCS=Red Cherry Shrimp)


I had been wondering about red cherry shrimp, great! They'll look gorgeous contrasted with a really green tank. I'd probably give them the 3g and start with that. NPT is a type of planted tank, right? I can't remember that acronym... lol


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

NPT is natural Planted Tank i my self have had no luck with them but if you get it setup right then you good for a while if you do do RCS get black sand that makes them pop and there colors are brighter use alot of plants and moss balls and moss maybe even some Cholla! go crazy! but let the tank cycle for a month or use a filter pad from a cycled tank for the new tank and give it a few days! let me know how it goes!


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## BlueSplendid (Apr 12, 2014)

BettaBoy51 said:


> NPT is natural Planted Tank i my self have had no luck with them but if you get it setup right then you good for a while if you do do RCS get black sand that makes them pop and there colors are brighter use alot of plants and moss balls and moss maybe even some Cholla! go crazy! but let the tank cycle for a month or use a filter pad from a cycled tank for the new tank and give it a few days! let me know how it goes!


Natural, that's it, I couldn't remember the N but I knew that's what it was haha. Do you have any good resources for taking care of RCS or shrimp in general? I'm not looking to breed, and that's all I've really found so far. I only want what a 3g can handle.


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

there really easy if the tank is cycled a 3g could easily handle 30 shrimp and they will breed by them self's no matter what but if they breed you will be fine i have a 1.5g cube for RCS


Aqua Aurora said:


> _technically _in a *well *planted (aka very dense plant mass) cycled tank you can get 100 dwarf shrimp per a gallon so 2g-200 shrimp.


 AKA you will be fine in a 3g you can instant cycle with a cycled filter media in your filter

EDIT: RCS and other neos are dwarf shrimp.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Four Dario Dario or Dario hysginon would do well in a three gallon, well-planted aquarium. They are quite small at about .5". They need to be fed live food but Micro Worms are not hard to keep. They also like Java Fern. 

Another option would be three Dwarf Crays (Cambarellus Brazos or Cambarellus patzcuarensis sp. orange [CPO]). I find them more hardy than RCS and more fun to watch. You could have 10 RCS in a 1.5 gallon. For Crays and shrimp the tank should be a month or so past cycling so parameters are stable and enough biofilm has developed for them to eat.


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

i sell MWs


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