Restarting my 5 gallon

[ErinMcG]

Hi all,

I need some advice please. I have a 5 gallon heated, planted, sponge filtered fresh water tank in my office. It last housed a betta who died a few weeks ago. It was way too soon for this betta - I had him only about 6 months. I went away for a few weeks and one of my grad students agreed to feed him. I swear, he put something like half the container of food in the tank! It was gross how much food was floating. Poor wee guy was done for.

The tank was a huge mess and so today I tore it down and scrubbed with really hot water. Rinsed the gravel and sand over and over again until the water came clean in my bucket no matter how much I stirred the substrate. Tossed the plants (they actually turned brown from lack of light!). Scrubbed algae and goo from my filter and my glass. Now what?

Obviously, all the good bacteria will be gone. Will my sponge be ok to use or do I need a new one? If I want to speed up my cycle, what sort of medium is best to use from my main tank and how? My 30 gallon has a big external filter loaded with a couple of sponges and bio beads. Can I take some of this and if so, how much so I don't mess up that cycle?

Also, I am thinking about new inhabitants and am finding myself unsure. The tank works kind of like a tank in the dentist's office, only it's for me as much as it is for my students. I have had two bettas now and each was good for both me and the students - active and curious and pretty. But I was wondering about alternatives.

From what I have seen so far, there are mixed feelings about little fish like chilli rasboras (some say they work great and are active and eye catching, others say they need more space), killifish seem to have tricky diets, galaxy danios don't appear to move much and I want something to look at.... Shrimp seem like an option, but only if there is something else swimming in the tank too. What have you done and enjoyed?

I should add that I am planning to redo the plants. Going to attempt to make a java moss screen for the backdrop. I have mountains of java moss in my 30 gallon and a mesh to try to attach it to. I also have loads of java ferns. I think I will stick to those for the time being.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Wow, you have to cycle again, getting the sponge from the 30 gallon and adding a new one, along with tetra safe start and it should be good
I would let shrimp breed, good lesson for the students
A dwarf puffer would also be a good idea
I would house two types if shrimp, like RCS and blue berry

 

[ErinMcG]

I should add - I am a university prof and my students are adults who usually only come to my office when they need help with a course or (most often) when something is wrong and they need help. Because my classes have hundreds of students, every semester I have students who have had a death in the family, who suffer from depression, who are just really struggling with Uni, etc. So, while breeding is interesting, there wouldn't really be learning opportunities there.

What I need is something to focus the eye, to distract momentarily from whatever is weighing people down, to form a neutral point of discussion... And to make me feel good too. There are times when my job gets depressing and my tanks make me happy.

I was just reading about dwarf puffers, actually. My LFS has some and they seem adorable. I am trying to figure out how often they eat - is it a snail a day (plus worms or something)? A snail a week and things like worms in between? Food twice a day? My bettas (both the one at home and the one I had in the office) ate small amounts of varying betta foods twice a day and fasted on Sat/Sun.

I could definitely see doing a single dwarf puffer....

A couple sites I have looked at said to go with sand (one even said that the sand must be soft), while most of the pictures I have looked at had gravel. Any thoughts or experience on substrate and dwarf puffers? Seeing as I am starting fresh, I could replace the substrate if needed.

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, wish my profs were like you.

Dwarf puffers would be a great addition to a tank for your intended use. I am however worried about the size of the tank. I do believe that they need a 10 or larger tank.

Have you thought about some larger shrimp species such as ghost shrimp along with another betta?

They are a wow factor when looking at a tank, especially because a lot of people aren't aware of shrimp being kept at all in fresh water tanks.

 

[ErinMcG]

Ah well. I don't think I can fit a 10 gallon on my desk. Ok, so betta and some shrimp perhaps. RCS should be ok, yes? Ghosts are too lightly coloured. I want something that stands out. I will see if I can get them cheaply, so if they turn out to be protein snacks for the betta, I won't be too gutted.

 

[Fishperson]

Actually, I think a dwarf puffer can be kept in a 5 gallon. Misterpenguin4 has a thread about his 4 gallon puffer tank. I don't know how to feed them though...

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Yea 5 gallons is good for a dwarf puffer

 

[misterpenguin4]

This is my 4 gallon dwarf puffer tank. I have a bunch of snails in there that he eats whenever he wants and I feed him blood worms every day. They need really good water quality and they like planted tanks.

 

[ErinMcG]

Your puffer certainly looks happy! Does he snack on the ramshorns? No worries about him over snacking?
And can a puffer get on with shrimp or are they likely to be bad for one another? I'd be fine with snails instead. I just thought I'd check.

Working on restarting my plants and getting a start on the cycle. Here's a question about that actually - I have filter media at home that I can bring in. With no one in the tank at the moment, should I put in a piece of shrimp or prawn or something, wait a couple of days, and then transfer some filter media?

Finally - I have seen mixed things about puffers and gravel vs sand. My gravel is pretty rounded looking, but I don't want to hurt a fish just because I like my substrate. I can replace it. I will try to attach a picture. No plants added until I decide if I can keep the substrate.

 

[misterpenguin4]

I dont really worry about him over eating because if he is full he wont eat blood worms so he never gets too full. I have a whisker shrimp in there with him and he doesn't bother or even look at him. I also have an oto in there too. For a tank that small you can just cut a piece of filter media from a filter in a bigger tank and it will pretty much instantly cycle it. I don't know what kind of filter you have, but dwarf puffers are known as "messy fish", so you might want to get a bigger filter like an aquaclear 20. I just ordered one. Should be here tomorrow. That gravel looks pretty round. I have pool filter sand in mine.

 

[ErinMcG]

Misterpenguin - I just read your whole thread on the puffer tank. Looks awesome.

I currently have a sponge filter because that's what I was using for my betta. I think I will place an order for an AC 20 (I use AC on my main tank and like it a lot). I need a few other bits and pieces anyway, including a new heater, some driftwood and a new bulb. It will give me time to get the plants in and such. I think I will run my sponge filter for now while I start the cycle and then once the new filter arrives, I can run them both until I am ready to remove the sponge filter. It's big and ugly and takes up room that could have plants.

Do you still use the mini pond snail grow or does he just live off the snails in his tank and blood worms? I would have to think hard about where to put a snail tank in the office if I go the puffer route.

 

[Fish_lover]

I think one dwarf puffer can be in a 5 gallon , you could put two in a 10 gallon with lots of plants and hidding spots

 

[ErinMcG]

Hmm... Any ideas regarding this lamp? It's from the lid that came with my tank (labelled Elite). I have managed to remove the lamp from the lid and the cover from the lamp, But I can't seem to work out how to remove the bulb from the power source.... Trying to work out what kind of replacement bulb I would need...

Going to get in trouble with my husband.... Up to $70 now on Big Al's and that's not including the new bulb or the new thermometer that I want....

 

[misterpenguin4]

I actually dont have a snail breeding bowl anymore. It just got gross and smelly.
For a light I would get this finnex clip on and a CFL like this one. This is what I have on my tank and it grows all of my plants great. If you want to go the LED route, like the finnex fugeray or ray2 its going to be a little more expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BC...c=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_details_o07_s00_i00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003GVOF8I/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1376525051&sr=8-4&pi=SL75