1.5 gallon little mermaid tank for daughter

[fijiwigi]

I was thinking of getting this for my 3 year old daughter for x-mas with maybe just 1 betta fish. Is a betta the only fish that would survive a 1.5 gallon tank succussfully?? Just curious http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=18539

[An t-iasg]

It's cute, especially for a little girl, but I wouldn't put a betta in there. Bettas need heaters to keep their water temperature at 80 degrees. That tank is too small for a heater - the smallest heater may overheat that small tank. The mermaid figurine is very colorful and bettas flare at colorful objects. They like more subdued colors in their tanks. Bettas flare at other colorful male bettas and other colorful fish, so the colors in the tank may cause them to flare, and too much flaring = stress.

[kay-bee19]

How low does the "room temperature" get in your residence during the winter? A betta would probably be the only fish you could keep in that tank (I personally prefer to keep single bettas in 5gal tanks, though).

[lando]

Moved to FW forum...
I am not a freshie so it is hard for me to comment about fish selection. I have a 2.5gal pice-reef with a small 7watt Hydor heater in it. It may be an option for your tank. It is not a cylander like conventional heaters, rather it is a flat "pad" about 2' x 4'. Here is a link...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...7&pcatid=12087

[black hills tj]

I'll be honest, if you are going to spend 35 bucks on a tank...go with a 5 gallon hex or corner setup like the eclipse hex 5 lsited below:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...amily&keepsr=1

More options:
http://www.petsmart.com/family/index...%2450.99&fbx=0

[fijiwigi]

I was looking at that heater on a different tank. But I think it will be ok my house stays pretty warm the thermostat is set at 72 so It will fluctuate from 68-77 dergrees.
So the betta will be intimidated by the colors? what a about a neon tetra or something? Something cute and colorful. I want to let my 3 year old pick it out and would like to give her some options.

[black hills tj]

If you go with one of the 5g tanks i mentioned(in your price range about 30-45 dollars), you could do a betta, a small group of neons, some of the rasoras and danios stay pretty small as well.

[fijiwigi]

I am sure those options are the better choice. I think maybe I will look at the lfs today for a pink tank that is bigger than a 1.5 gallon and add my own little mermaid figurine. I just want to see my 3 year old light up with joy to have her own fish tank. It will make my day. And the little mermaid would get a good reaction.

[black hills tj]

I'm not too sure about pink. I know the minibow 5 comes in blue and can be had at wal-mart for ~35 dollars. My local petsmart has some differently themed tanks that may be pink or something similar. I'll stop by today and let you know what I find out.

[fijiwigi]

thanks

[Smaug21]

I don't know the brand name, or even if it wasn't some local thing, but there is a LFS around here that had a 10g setup that had a pink hood, pink edging to the tank, and a pink metal stand. I don't think it was very expensive, but i don't know why you wanted such a little tank, maybe for size etc, but i've always found that 10g tanks are much cheaper then the smaller ones, because it's such a standard size.

It also ups what you can put in it :P

Kinda off topic, but one of the things i love about on here is that it dosen't matter if it's a 1.5g tank or a 150g there is always atleast a slight push to make it bigger!

[fijiwigi]

I just bought the 1.5 little mermaid one. they had a 5 gallon for about the same price buy my wife convinced me to get the little mermaid one instead. Novelty more than functionality I guess. Ill probably just stick with a betta.

[black hills tj]

Checked at my local petsmart and didn't find anything pink or purplish. Lets see some pics of the 1.5 setup

[Sectoid Command]

How to keep fish in a too small container...ie...1.5 Gallons.

1. Large water changes every other day. (75%+)
2. Include small heater noted in previous post and NEVER turn down your thermostat for any reason thereafter. And place aquarium away from windows, outside walls, and heating vent/radiator.
3. Do NOT overfeed. Feed maybe half of the recommended amount on the food container.
4. Be prepared for a lot of work OR be prepard to lose fish. Small tanks are NOT for beginners.

It MAY work out for you, but more likely it will go badly. As everyone else here has been hinting at...1.5 Gallons is TOO SMALL.

[black hills tj]

Originally Posted by Sectoid Command

It MAY work out for you, but more likely it will go badly. As everyone else here has been hinting at...1.5 Gallons is TOO SMALL.

This is one reason why I suggested something similar to the eclipse 5 setup. Another reason is that they come with filters and heaters(i think). I'm actually asking for an eclipse 5 for x-mas so i can move my betta out of my 20g.

[fijiwigi]

Originally Posted by Sectoid Command

How to keep fish in a too small container...ie...1.5 Gallons.

1. Large water changes every other day. (75%+)
2. Include small heater noted in previous post and NEVER turn down your thermostat for any reason thereafter. And place aquarium away from windows, outside walls, and heating vent/radiator.
3. Do NOT overfeed. Feed maybe half of the recommended amount on the food container.
4. Be prepared for a lot of work OR be prepard to lose fish. Small tanks are NOT for beginners.

It MAY work out for you, but more likely it will go badly. As everyone else here has been hinting at...1.5 Gallons is TOO SMALL.

My girlfriends parents kept a betta in a bowl about the size of a large cereal bowl. For well over a year and they know nothing about fish really. just changed 50% of the water every week. Maybe if I had 1 betta in a 50 gallon tank he would survive much longer but If the little guy kicks the bucket then my daughter can get the excitement of getting another fish all over again. If it dies i won't cry neither will my daughter and it will only cost me a couple bucks. The advice makes great sense and is much appreciated thanks.

[plecoperson]

I'd take it back, get a larger tank (5 gallons), and decorate it w/pink gravel and Little Mermaid ornaments. Ooooh, you could put pink and purple plants in there too!

Your daughter won't be happy with an unhappy (or dead) betta.

[Sectoid Command]

Originally Posted by fijiwigi

My girlfriends parents kept a betta in a bowl about the size of a large cereal bowl. For well over a year and they know nothing about fish really. just changed 50% of the water every week. Maybe if I had 1 betta in a 50 gallon tank he would survive much longer but If the little guy kicks the bucket then my daughter can get the excitement of getting another fish all over again. If it dies i won't cry neither will my daughter and it will only cost me a couple bucks. The advice makes great sense and is much appreciated thanks.

My inlaws keep a comet goldfish in about a quart of water. That fish has been alive in that for years. Yeah, it works. But if you ever want to know what an ammonia burn is I can show you some pretty good ones.

[fijiwigi]

I don't know what an ammonia burn is could you explain??

[black hills tj]

Originally Posted by fijiwigi

I don't know what an ammonia burn is could you explain??

Goldfish are extremely messy fish. They like to poop...alot. The feces releases ammonia in the water. In larger filtered tanks, the filter removes the ammonia from the water column and turns it into nitrites which are then turned into safe nitrates. Most people think filters clean the water, and they do. However, their main use is to turn the ammonia into nitrates.

Since goldfish are so messy, there will be a lot of ammonia in the tank. The ammonia burns the fish's gills, and normally this kills them. I think the recommended tank for a single goldfish is ~29g and add an extra 5 or 10 i think for each additional goldfish. of course this depends on the species.