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What kind of freshwater fish are good for small tanks?
snakegrrl asked:
I’m thinking about getting a desktop aquarium (1-2 gallons). I’ve been doing research but am not sure what type of fish to get. I want a small schooling species that will be happy in a desktop aquarium. The water where I live is quite hard, so fish that like or don’t mind a high pH would be better.
Ok, realized that a 2 gallon won’t work. Found one I like @ Wal Mart that’s 5 gallons and comes as a complete kit. Can I keep a school of about 6 small fish in that?
Ok, 5 gallon might not be the easiest. I’m thinking a ten gallon now, especially since my parents say they might have one somewhere in their garage. That way I could get one for free, and just need a few supplies plus water and fish. But I can’t go bigger than a 15 gallon, since that’s the max that most student housing, dorms or student apartments, will let me have. Thanks for all the help so far!
I’m thinking about getting a desktop aquarium (1-2 gallons). I’ve been doing research but am not sure what type of fish to get. I want a small schooling species that will be happy in a desktop aquarium. The water where I live is quite hard, so fish that like or don’t mind a high pH would be better.
Ok, realized that a 2 gallon won’t work. Found one I like @ Wal Mart that’s 5 gallons and comes as a complete kit. Can I keep a school of about 6 small fish in that?
Ok, 5 gallon might not be the easiest. I’m thinking a ten gallon now, especially since my parents say they might have one somewhere in their garage. That way I could get one for free, and just need a few supplies plus water and fish. But I can’t go bigger than a 15 gallon, since that’s the max that most student housing, dorms or student apartments, will let me have. Thanks for all the help so far!
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1. October 2008 at 5:53 am :
There are no fish you can safely keep in a 1-2 gallon tank. Bettas require more water each than that, at least 5 gallons, and if you get a schooling fish you need several in a tank, so you would need a 10 gallon tank for tetras or guppies or other schooling species. If you want a nice fish tank, get a 10 gallon tank and you can choose from several types of small, schooling tropical fish. If you want a smaller tank, get a single betta in a 5 gallon (or larger, not smaller) tank. If you insist on a very small tank, get snails.
2. October 2008 at 5:35 am :
If you’re going to limit the tank to 2 gallons, the only way to go is with jawajawa fish (sometimes you’ll see it written Jawa-Jawa). For freshwater fish, they have strikingly vivid colors and are VERY hardy and disease resistant. The hard water shouldn’t affect them. They may be a bit difficult to find but don’t give up easily - they are definitely worth it. Good luck.
2. October 2008 at 10:25 pm :
Really nothing can fit in that size tank, especially any schooling fish. Some say a betta is ok in a 1-2 gallon tank, I personally think they should have a 5 gallon minimum though. That would really be your only option. But, you have to consider, how warm is the room? I don’t believe they make heaters for that size of a tank, and bettas prefer a temp around 76-80 F.
3. October 2008 at 11:24 pm :
for a school of small fish i would recommend at least 5 gallons and plant it kind of heavily. this gives them things to swim through as opposed to just kind of sitting around in an empty space. use very small fish like neons, glowlites, or white cloud mountain minnows.
6. October 2008 at 12:42 am :
…i know bettas are pretty low maintenace, especially surviving in those tennis-ball size water cups some stores keep them in. however, 2 gallons really might not be the safest permanent place. feeder fish (dont know the actual name, but when i got them they were labeled simply “feeder fish”), are very small fishes, and 5 of those might do well in a 2 gallon tank, but survival rate will be pretty low, though. they were my first starter fishes, and i bought 12 of them for my 10 gallon tank. by the first week, only 3 remained, but those three lasted a long time….
8. October 2008 at 12:51 am :
get 4 endlers livebearers. they are small and look like guppy midgets except with neon spots
10. October 2008 at 2:12 pm :
white clouds
13. October 2008 at 5:00 pm :
neon would be fine despite what others here have said. get at least a 2 gallon and don’t have anymore than 5. a Betta by its self would also be OK in a 2 gallon
15. October 2008 at 5:48 am :
a single male betta CAN do ok in 1-2 gallons, 5 is better but with some upkeep you could do a single betta…
no schooling fish would work, most of the smaller tetras (ie neons) are way too delicate for such a small tank!
17. October 2008 at 2:58 pm :
You would have more options of fish if you got a 5 gal, or up.
17. October 2008 at 3:59 pm :
i have five neon’s in a one gallon tank….. so far there ok but if i see they need more room i’ll get them a better tank….. also a good tip they have this tiny disposible filter that you can put in the small tanks all you need is a pump… good luck….
19. October 2008 at 1:05 pm :
Any small fish would do ok in a 5 gallon tank. Maybe guppies or neon tetras. I wouldn’t go no higher than 5-7 fish though.
20. October 2008 at 2:31 pm :
If you can go to 15 then that would be best. The bigger the tank, the more you can keep the happies your fish is.
For a begginer here are some fish you should consider having:
Harlequin Rasboras
Molllies
Guppies
Swordtails
Platies
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Cycling a tank:http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/using_fish_to_cycle_your_tank.html
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Setting up an Aquarium:http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/how_to_set_up_a_freshwater_tank.html
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22. October 2008 at 4:09 am :
*****
Questions to ask when choosing fish
The correct way to set up a new tank (after you are sure a fish tank is right for you) is to first research and decide what type of fish you would like to have in the tank. There are over 25,000 identified species of fish and over 2,000 of these are available to the aquarist. To help narrow down your list of desirable fish, you need to consider all of the following questions about the potential candidates:
How big is the fish going to get?
If the fish gets large will it prey on or frighten smaller fish in the tank?
Is the fish too small to fit in with the other fish in the tank?
Is the fish territorial and will it require a large space of its own?
Does the fish eat other fish? Many tropical fish do.
Does it nip the fins of other fish?
Is it aggressive or is it too shy and nervous to live with certain other species?
Does it eat live plants?
Does it dig in the bottom of the tank?
What kind of water does it require (pH, hardness, temperature, etc.)?
Is it available where you live?
What does it cost?
Is it raised domestically or taken out of the wild?
Does this particular fish need to live in groups or prefer to live alone?
Once you have decided what fish you would like to have in your tank, then the rest of the decisions will fall into place much easier. One of the most important steps to take is to build the aquarium around the chosen fish species, not the other way around. You will be much more successful and have healthier fish if you build your aquarium around the needs of the fish rather than around your desire to have an attractive tank. If you create an aquarium where the needs of the individual fish in the tank are placed first, it will be both healthy and beautiful.
The type, size, and location of the tank will be tailored to best suit the species of fish you choose. The filtering and heating choices will be based on the type of fish you choose. The plants, lighting, food source, substrate choice will all be tailored to provide the healthiest and most natural environment for your fish species.
23. October 2008 at 6:07 pm :
Betta fish don’t need a very big aquarium to swim in.