2 Gallon Shrimp Tank Advice (College)

[PinkSkies]

I'm heading into my first dorming year of college and really want to get a 2 gallon shrimp tank for my desk. I plan on having it stocked with 5 Red Cherry Shrimp along with an assortment of plants. 

My main concern is filtration, has anyone filtered an UNS 5S - 2 GALLON ULTRA CLEAR RIMLESS AQUARIUM if so what filter would you recommend? Or if would it be safe to run filterless? 

I'm open to any and all recommendations. Thank you for your time and consideration 

[Streetwise]

I went no-tech with my 2.5 gallon shrimp tanks, but only after they were very well-seasoned, with the right amount of algae and biofilm. They are among the tanks in my Indoor journal, linked in my signature.

[Hobbit]

I kept a betta in a 2.5 gallon bowl with just plants and the naturally occurring bacteria for filtration. (I wouldn’t keep a betta in that small of a container now though.) Shrimp will be such a small bio load. I think you’ll be fine with no filtration, as long as you let it season a bit before adding the shrimp.

[RogueAquarium]

Oh boy, I'm SO glad somebody asked this, because I just setup 2 2.5 gal shrimp tanks for a breeding project (I want to observe what offspring come from what female, and to do see need a MUCH smaller observation area with much fewer shrimp) and in doing so developed what I think is a very good DIY filtration system for a 2.5 with shrimp. 

I came up with it at (Un-named big box store) where they do not stock my regular round sponges I use for everything. I found they DID have these smaller round sponges for about 3$ a piece made be fluvial, intended to be an intake filter sponge. It's EXATLY the right size to drop an air stone down it without having to tear or cut it. I put a small rock in the bottoms to weight it down, then the airstone, and took a small bit of different sponge , cut a hole in it, and threaded it on the air hose and used it to cap the whole assembly and hold the airstone in.

The sponge I ended up using for capping was just a spare "ammonia absorbent" sponge additive thing because it was course enough to easily punch a hole through it and stiff enough to hold the airstone in well (Also I got them free with a used tank/filter set I bought from somebody)

here are pics of it torn apart and together inside one of the tanks.

[NanoNano]

The Dad in me is screaming that you don't want to make any decisions before you actually get set up in your dorm with all of the critical stuff you need for school/daily life.  Some general high level thoughts:

* You want to confirm that having pets/animals is allowed.  You also want to make sure that any potential roommates/people that share your space are OK with having pets as well.  Allergies, religious beliefs (contact with shellfish is taboo in some religions), smells, lights, moisture, sound can all be insurmountable issues with other people.   

* You want to make sure that you have a space where an aquarium will fit  where you can enjoy it and where it's convenient to do water changes/etc.

* You want to understand your dorm environment.  Most of the shared buildings I've lived in have had a lot more airborne dust/dirt due to more foot traffic, more people, and usually some sort of always going on renovation or repair projects...and most have some sort of periodic pest control/spraying process.  You want to be super thoughtful about a "no lid aquarium" in this type of environment (don't forget the potential roommate or neighbor that douses themselves in hair or body spray as well).

* It's tough to keep just 5 shrimp.  You'll likely end up with 0 or 20+...Have a plan for what you're going to do if it's 20+.

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by NanoNano

[Patrick_G]

These tiny tanks are cool, but can be a pain in the butt to take care of. If it’s possible go for something bigger. Petco is having their half off sale right now. A six gallon rimless cube is only $30. With that you could even add some fish if you get bored with just shrimp. There’s also a much greater selection of filtration options available. 
If the two gallon is the only option I’d follow @Streetwise’s advice above. @RogueAquarium’s diy filter looks like a great way to get started with a filter. 

[Streetwise]

I feel good about my small, shrimp-only tanks when I am confident that they are are getting food primarily from the ecosystems, and my feeding is just a bonus.

[Fonske]

I use a tiny adjustable HOB on my 1g guppy fry/(unintended) ghost shrimp breeding tank. It works very well for me. DIY sponge on the intake, spider plant in the main compartment, low flow setting, and a lot of moss in the tank. The shrimp are breeding like crazy, so I have to relocate some to other tanks regularly. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I have a 2.5 g EBI from Fluval and It’s done well with shrimp only. Filter is built in.  The Azoo mignon hob is great for this size tank they’re cheap and reliable. 
 

Ive made a few filters similar to @RogueAquariumusing prefilter sponges, leftover tubing from a canister filter and an airstone. They work well. You may want to use one after setup just to move water and breakup the surface proteins even if you want to go filter less. 
 

MD Fishtanks on YouTube has done some filterless setups that are great. Walstad tanks work great for this application plenty online about those. 
 

Some roommates will appreciate this and others or maybe people down the hall that come by to visit a roommate could wander in and tamper with it. It’s always a possibility. Also remember you’ll need to haul this home for breaks so think ahead on that as well. 
 

I love this idea. I hope you pull it off. Happy to help in any way I can.