I dont recommend a 2.5 gallon minibow myself because they are made out of acrylic and scratch very easy. If you are going to go with a 2.5 get the all glass standard tank and get 2 13 watt pc from walmart. They are called book worm lights or bayco lights. The ones I got were yellow and then youo just order a new bulb for one of them and put them in a canopy.