# A small tank for my office



## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

I spend at least 10 - 12 hours in the lab and I was thinking of setting up a really small tank for the baby fish that will come out of my livebearer tank.

Of course I wont be raising them to adulthood in this tank or putting a ton of them in... maybe 5 baby fish and then transfer them home after a few weeks. Or maybe I can just put some pea puffers or bumble bee gobees in it.

I'd love to just watch them when i'm feeling stressed (fish are therapeutic for me). I also wanted something relatively stylish, and can support a few plants.

I found this fluval speck tank that I think might be good.

http://www.fluvalblog.com/fluval-spec-up-close/






Any thoughts on this at all?


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

forgive my bluntness, but I think the Dymax IQ3 is much better...they were the original creators of the overflow back filtration with a return pump. Not to mention that IQ3 is acrylic. Maybe price wise fluval Spec will beat it, but the IQ3 never fails to amaze people 

p.s. the spec isn't officially for sale yet.

this was my saltwater pico reef


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## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

Oh wow, that looks amazing! 
my very first tank I bought when I was a kid was an acrylic tank (eclipse 12) and I found that the acrylic tanks scratch relatively easily and are a bit more difficult to clean. 
Is acrylic better for the purpose I am using it for? ie. lighter and less likely to break?

I also like that the fluval speck has a partial cover on it... just because its in a lab office environment and I dont want the water to be too open to the surface... 

How much and where can I find this IQ3?


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

ummm, more importantly it's substantially clearer than glass 
but yea, it's lighter...downside is it scratches fairly easily. just be careful.
you can get it at BA's for $80, or when they go on sale $70.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

You can also purchase a lid for the IQ3 now.

I swear that tank looks way bigger in the picture than in person. =P


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Beijing08 said:


> p.s. the spec isn't officially for sale yet.


Pretty sure I saw them for sale in the pet store in Scarborough Town Centre while looking at the other Fluvals...


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Ohh, lab office tank. I want one, but I'm much too busy at work to have one. Where's your lab?

Are the little corner pillars on the tank easily removable with cosmetic damage to the tank? I can see them getting in the way in such a tiny tank.

IMO, in such a small volume an overflow is great, but I'd rather have a bigger display area and no overflow. Or a bigger tank with an overflow....


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## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

ameekplec. said:


> Ohh, lab office tank. I want one, but I'm much too busy at work to have one. Where's your lab?
> 
> Are the little corner pillars on the tank easily removable with cosmetic damage to the tank? I can see them getting in the way in such a tiny tank.
> 
> IMO, in such a small volume an overflow is great, but I'd rather have a bigger display area and no overflow. Or a bigger tank with an overflow....


I work at the Mount Sinai Hospital institution (SLRI). 
And you're right, I tend to get my overwhelmingly busy moments and start to neglect things... I am starting to think about fish alot at work... maybe its the phase I'm going through again. But things tend to get neglected when I am overloaded and stressed out with things to do. Right now classes havent started yet for me... =x I dont think a 2 gallon tank will be too much work, I find that the freshwater tanks i set up help with my stress levels, but things like saltwater setups usually add to my stress... lol I might convert my nanocube to a freshwater setup soon.

We have huge windows everywhere and people bring in their plants and whatnot but I'd personally like to take a breather and stare at fish for a few minutes, I'm still thinking about it though.

Also, I'd like to know if this unit runs quietly, I dont want to disturb my labmates...


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

The only real issue I can think of is when the water level in the back gets low so that it starts to splash, but even with a regular tank, you'd get the same thing if it evaporates enough.

If anything, I'd get another top for the tank without that hole in the middle to cut down on evaporation.


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