# Questions about 1.5 Gal Tank - Heater, Plants, Cleaning



## atlas (Oct 1, 2013)

I am looking at putting my small female into a 1.5 as she's getting bigger (currently in a .5 gal, justifying this because I bought her as a "baby" at .5 inches..she's now about one inch). When I move home in two weeks I will be re-arranging tanks and it is between a 1.5 and her .5. Obviously I chose the 1.5 :lol: 

I'd like to plant and heat it. (No filter because of plants & size).

I am looking at this heater: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12315584 is it okay? Any experience with it?

I know it is not adjustable but it's the only heater I could find for that size tank. I will keep an eye on a thermometer I will put in there and unplug it and plug it in as/if needed. 

Otherwise I have this heater in my 5 gallon and it keeps it around 76-78 F. I was thinking I could switch that to the small tank and buy the boys in the big tank an adjustable heater. Heater in 5 gallon: http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-7-5w-He...d=1386637538&sr=8-1&keywords=fish+bowl+heater

Also, onto the plants...are there any plants that would thrive in 1.5 gallons? That are good in place of a filter? (Obviously will still be doing water changes)

About how many plants would you put in a 1.5 gallon? I'm thinking 3...
Which substrate should I use? (I was thinking sand..)
Is there anything I would *need* for the plants?

What % water changes/week should I do for a 1.5 gallon planted tank? 
What % water changes/week should I do for my 5 gallon tank? It will have two plants and two bettas (divided), a sponge filter, and a small airstone.

I think that is all, but keep an eye open for more questions! Thank you.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Hey there!
She's going to love her new home! 

I wouldn't get any 7.5 watt heaters because they burn out too fast. 10 watt non-adjustables work fine in most tanks, though where they're not adjustable sometimes they can make the water too hot. My 1 gallon a couple years ago would go up to 86F which is way too hot for anything. Be careful is all. I have not tried the marina one but it's 8 watts so I wouldn't do it. I have an Aqueon pre-set 10 watt from petsmart and it's been running for 2 years now. Still have it going in my 3gallon. >> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11801485&lmdn=Price&f=PAD/psNotAvailInCA/No

As for plants, whatever you want. It's not so much the size of the tank it's lighting requirements you need to look at. And size. Java ferns, hornwort, anubias and some of the hygro varieties are slow growers and don't require ferts or special light. My anubias is my favorite plant. It's hardy and every time I cut off the main rhizome I get double the plants. I could start selling clippings pretty soon, lol. 

I don't have sand but some plant roots prefer sand to gravel. Hygro's and swords being those who prefer sand. 

On a 1.5 I would change 50% once a week if it's planted. 
On a 5 gallon that's_ cycled_, I would only change 30% per week + gravel vacuuming if it's planted.


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## atlas (Oct 1, 2013)

Laki said:


> Hey there!
> She's going to love her new home!
> 
> I wouldn't get any 7.5 watt heaters because they burn out too fast. 10 watt non-adjustables work fine in most tanks, though where they're not adjustable sometimes they can make the water too hot. My 1 gallon a couple years ago would go up to 86F which is way too hot for anything. Be careful is all. I have not tried the marina one but it's 8 watts so I wouldn't do it. I have an Aqueon pre-set 10 watt from petsmart and it's been running for 2 years now. Still have it going in my 3gallon. >> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11801485&lmdn=Price&f=PAD/psNotAvailInCA/No
> ...


Thank you!

Right now I have one anubias in my 5 gallon. So I could just cut it in half and have two? haha. Or where do you cut it?

So for the heater you would try to find a 10 watt to put in the 1.5 gallon or in the 5 gallon? That part kind of confused me


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## Betta Nut (Dec 3, 2013)

That's the same heater I have used both in my 1 gallon and 3 gallon. But definitely works better in the 1.. I ordered an adjustible for the 3. As long as you monitor the temperature, it'll be ok. If you're using a light, that can also raise the temp higher than you want, with certain bulbs. 
It's a decent heater for a 1G as long as temp is monitored. 
For plants, some cryptocoryne, a mossball, and a couple long stemmed ones like cambomba or anacharis are what I used, and are easy.

Edit: I was referring to the first one you had a link to, the small Marina one


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

They're similar heaters, the Marina one is only 7.5 watts though. But yes, like bettanut said, monitor the temp always with a thermometer. I would only put a pre-set in the 1.5 gallon. A 5 gallon would be better off with a 25w or higher adjustable. 

The rhizome on the anubias is pretty important and I wouldn't cut it unless you absolutely want to now or until it's larger (I waited until mine was like 3-4 inches long). Use sharp scissors to make one clean cut and weight down both plants again. I use craft beads with thread put through and tied around the rhizome. Only the roots should be planted, the rhizome should always be left out of substrate. **ETA** you can see my anubias in my avatar pic directly under Osha. The larger plant is my Mama plant- it's going on 3 years old. There are 2 smaller pieces next to it- total 3 anubias. I can cut the Mama again but I won't until probably March 2014.


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## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

Hiya! I'm a noob here at BFF, but I can give you the benefit of about 18 hours of reading I did over the past few days.

I read extensive reviews over at Amazon, and looking between the Hydor 7.5 watt and the Hagen Marina 8w, after reading the reviews two patterns seemed clear:

For some people, depending on ambient temps, both seemed to work perfectly. For others, again, depending on tank size and ambient temps (south Florida has very different needs from Minnesota!), they were either inadequate OR way too much and nearly cooked the fish with temps well up into the 80s or higher! The Hydor had a lot of reports of being inadequate, and the Marina seemed to have more reports of being too much, particularly in smaller tanks.

The too-high issue was dealt with by several by putting the heater on a timer, and cycling it on and off hourly. Personally, that seems like overkill to me. The best heater I found, based on tank size and reviews, seemed to me to be the Marina C10, which is small and stylish and only about $2 than the immersion plate heaters. The reviewers tended to complain about inadequacy when they had bigger tanks, but those with smaller tanks seemed very happy with it. I stumbled across a number of mentions of the C10 when I was evaluating 1.5-2 gal tanks, as well, reading reviews where people mentioned how they were heating the tanks.

I can't speak from personal experience (yet) since mine won't be delivered until Thursday, but based on a whole lot of reading, that's the conclusion I came to.  Hope it helps! (be sure you get a thermometer to keep an eye on temps, no matter what choice you make)


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## srf312 (Sep 2, 2013)

I have the Aqueon 10 watt, and it works well in my 1.5 gallon. Keeps the temp at about a stable 78 degrees Fahrenheit


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## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

srf312 said:


> I have the Aqueon 10 watt, and it works well in my 1.5 gallon. Keeps the temp at about a stable 78 degrees Fahrenheit


Sixteen 1-star reviews and only four 5-star reviews for that one on Amazon. Could be issues with quality control (common in many low cost electronics like this)... you either get really lucky (like you did), or you could get a lemon. Luck of the draw!


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## srf312 (Sep 2, 2013)

I did have to get two of these, as the first one was a dud. I thought it was just a one-time thing.. apparently not! My current one is doing fine right now though. Definitely luck of the draw!


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## peeptoad (Jul 19, 2013)

I have this heater in a 2-gallon and it's rock solid, accurate to the degree and so far has never failed me:
http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Heaters-Submersible-Aquarium-50-Watt/dp/B003C5JNXK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1386776540&sr=8-2&keywords=aqueon+heater+50+watt

I have no idea about the plants; I have silk plants in mine and change the water out twice weekly.


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## jayr232 (Oct 23, 2013)

I use aqua szut 2006 heater for both of my 2.5g. Its already set to 25 degrees (C). So far, no temp flunc.


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