what is this for then (1 gallon tank setup)?

[marliah]

My son has seen me and Daddy catch MTS and wanted a tank of his own. We bought him a small one gallon tank with a filter and light thinking he could get a goldfish to put in there (its far nicer than any setup my goldfish had growing up) well, put a nice healthy goldfish in there with water taken from my 10 gallon tank....he was fine day 1, second day wouldn't eat, today day 3 lying on the bottom. I just took him out and moved him to my 10 gallon tank but I dont think he will make it through the night.....I can't believe I killed a goldfish?!? I have a puffer and cichlids and all these harder to take care of fish and I kill this poor little guy

Now I am just wondering if this setup is appropriate for any fish or if I just wasted $25. Would a betta do o.k. in this tank (obviously I will totally empty it and cycle it first) or is it too small for anything to be happy in?

Also on a totally unrelated note my sister is giving me a 55gal tank (also offered a 30 and 40 LOL this could get out of hand fast ) My husband has approved it to be my tank and I want to know what I should put in there. My requirements:
fresh/brackish water (don't have the time or energy for salt)
relatively peachful fish, I don't want them killing each other all the time
something that will live well with live plants
unique fish

I was thinking something along the lines of angelfish or discus. Is a 55gal big enough for discus?

Any suggestions? I am open to anything as long as they aren't salt water

 

[Zagz]

Did you cycle the 1 gal tank? It could have been ammonia poisioning as a 1 gal really is too small for a goldfish. Gold fish are notorious for waste production which can cause an ammonia spike. Sorry about the goldie.
Angelfish are nice and you could have some in a 55 gal. I also believe you could have discus, but not with the angelfish. I am not nearly as familiar with discus as angelfish.

 

[rubysoho]

A lot of people getting into the hobby don't know that goldfish get to over 8 inches long and are very heavy waste producers. They really need anywhere between 10 and 20 gallons per fish.

I think a betta would be okay in the 1 gallon, just make sure you keep up with water changes.

btw, welcome to AA!

 

[BlazerFRS]

I'd think a couple of fancy guppies would work as long as you keep an eye on the water.

 

[megladonsharky]

a betta or a guppy if you change the h2o out every other day..

 

[Toirtis]

Stick with a betta...I prefer 2 gallons as a minimal betta jar, but they will do quite well in 1 gallon, so long as you can keep the water parameters up.

 

[greenmaji]

Im going to start answering your other questions.. the 1 gallon is a betta tank IMO

Discus.. they should be in a shoal(school) of around 6 and the recommend size tank for 6 (a shoal) of adults is a 75 gallon tank.. they reach 8" and need a very low bio-load so a bigger tank is better.. here is a great thread on discus
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=52048

Angel fish will do fine IME in a 55 if you kept around 4 of them.. I kept 2 in a very similar tank and it was very low maintainace..

go ahead and get the 30 and 40..either one would have made a better fancy goldfish tank..

 

[jibboo]

I have that 1-gallon tank you're describing, cept i bought mine used without the hood/light. I've had a betta in there for a month or so and he seems quite content. I didn't cyle the tank either.

Mine is pretty happy, he does a funny swimming dance everytime I pick up the food, has blown bubble nests and holds his fins out nicely ... so I assume that he is relatively content in the 1-gallon.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Some people keep bettas in one-gallons, but from personal experience I think that is really too small a space for any fish. I have a betta in my 55 gallon community tank, and he loves to swim from end to end. That being said, a betta would probably much prefer a well-maintained one-gallon tank to languishing in a little dirty cup on the shelf at Walmart.

Any new fish is vulnerable to ammonia poisoning if you are not careful about doing regular water changes. In larger tanks, it is important to cycle the tank (you can read about cycling on this site) while doing partial water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite levels low.

However, it is very hard to cycle a tiny one-gallon tank, so a lot of betta owners with small tanks simply do frequent, nearly daily partial water changes or an even larger water change once or twice a week to keep ammonia levels low. It is important to dechlorinate the water and make sure the temp. is steady. Also, you can buy cheap little indicators at the pet store to hang inside the tank to signal when ammonia levels start to climb (thus signaling the need for a water change). In any case, regular water changes need to be a habit, because ammonia levels can become toxic very quickly in such a small space.

Bettas are tropical fish and do best with a heater to keep the temp steady around 78 or 80 degrees. Also, make sure to provide a varied diet. A lot of bettas die from constipation from a diet of dry food. They love frozen bloodworms, and mine enjoys frozen veggie food, too.

 

[fearlessfisch]

also......drsfostersmith.com and other aquarium supply stores sell teeny tiny heaters and filters (e.g. azoo palm filter) for tiny tanks. it is easy to boil a fish in a tiny tank by mistake.

 

[Zezmo]

I have one of those one gallon Hex tanks. I added a heater and now use it for hatching Fry.

 

[talloulou]

The only thing I'd put in a one gallon is ice tea