1 Gallon Tank Advice!

[alanteigne]

Hello, in my apartment here at school I have a one gallon tank. Historically, I've kept 3 blue neon tetras, a dwarf aquatic frog, and a few live plants. Yesterday, the tetras all started swimming crazy diagonally or sideways...floated to the bottom, swam crazy some more, and finally died. Not too sure what that was all about.

Meanwhile, I replaced the three tetras, rocks, and water. I put a drop of "super strength tap water conditioner" in the new water and let it dilute before adding the new creatures. I have a filter and pump which is meant for this size tank, but no heater. The water temperature is about 78 degrees F as it is, so a heater seems overkill.

As of now, I have a plant the lady called a bannana plant, a dwarf frog, 3 tetras, and a little snail that was stuck on the plant. Is my little 1 gallon tank able to support anything else? Do I need to do anything else to the tank to make it better able to support life? I like varieties of small creatures but don't want to make a habitat that isn't very comfertible or is even dangerous to them!

Thanks!

 

[lyquidphyre]

welcome to AA!!!!

I wonder if the tetras got overheated?? Was the water unusually warm?

I think your tank is pretty well stocked for a one gal and I wouldn't add anything else. But thats just me =o)

 

[SteveM]

How long did you have the first batch of tetras before they died? A general rule of thumb is that a tank can support 1" of fish per gallon, so you are already on the high side of that - I wouldn't add any more fish.

I think tetras in general are one of the more sensitive fish to water quality, so you are going to have a tough time keeping them happy in that small a tank. I'd recommend 25% water changes every couple days to give them a chance.

I think you'd find it much easier to keep a larger tank - any chance you could move up to a 5 or 10G? I started with a single goldfish (1.5" probably) in a 1G tank, and I don't think he was ever very happy with those accomodations. Once I moved him into a 12G, it was much easier to keep things stable and healthy.

 

[QTOFFER]

Welcome to AA, alanteigne!

Do you have any idea what your pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings are? If you take a sample of water to the pet store, they can test it for free. Also, how often do you change the water?

My guess is that your neons died from nitrite poisoning and/or too little oxygen in the water. Does the filter produce bubbles that make ripples on the surface? This is absolutely critical for gas exchange - getting O2 in and CO2 out of the water. High nitrites could be caused by decaying, uneaten food, or by the frog which generates alot of waste for its size.

I would suggest upgrading to at least a 5 gal if you want to keep the types and number of animals you mentioned. The problem with very small tanks like yours, is that the water quality can become deadly so very quickly. In a 5 gal, you have more volume to dilute wastes, and more surface area for better gas exchange. You can also fit a heater in a 5 gal - the temp may be 78 during the day, but I'm sure it falls into the low 70's at night.

 

[Regen311]

She/he didn't mention how long the tank was set up. Is a one gallon tank big enough to cycle? How often do/did you do water changes? I had my fish temporarily in a 2.5 gallon tank (literally overnight) before I moved them into my 10 gallon (I know nothing about cycling at the time, I just bought the fish and stocked the tank) and the ammonia levels got very high very fast. I lost one of the fish that first night. With a one gallon, you'd have to do water changes very frequently. I can't imagine how hard it would be to keep the water stable enough to make fish happy in that small of a tank! Good luck though, I'm in college too, so I know hard it is to keep a large aquarium.

 

[happyhillbilly]

Like everyone else said, that tank is way overstocked. Try upgrading to a larger tank. I would definatley try a 10 gallon, you'll enjoy it much more than a tiny tank. You need to be sure to get a filter though, or the fish will die.

 

[Nippyfish]

She/he didn't mention how long the tank was set up. Is a one gallon tank big enough to cycle?

Technically you could cycle it but it would be very difficult to keep stable. Generally ya don't cycle anything under 3 gallons because it's just too hard to maintain.

An African Dwarf Frog must live in a cycled tank. They are sensitive to toxins and even nitrates should be kept under 15 ppm if possible. For an ADF, usually 2 - 3 gallons is recommend as a minimum. I keep two in a 6 gallon myself and feel that it is already a bit cramped. I also have to do 20% water changes twice a week to keep the nitrate levels low.

Also, there was no mention of an airstone. That could surely lead to the deaths the poster spoke of.

 

[alanteigne]

Wow!

Man, that was quick! Thanks for all the replies. I had the same setup for a whole school year last year, but they didn't make it home for the summer in one piece.

This new, but identical setup had been going for about a week. The filter makes quite a few bubbles on the surface and makes it ripply. The tetras seem to tend to stay away from the top of the tank...I suspect as a result of the rippling.

I would like to upgrade to a larger tank, but space just doesn't permit it. I have a 30 gallon tank back home with a turtle and more fish, so I'm holding out for a few months till I graduate and can take it to my next (bigger) apartment.

Based on what you guys have said, I bet the deaths were the result of crappy water. When I cleaned the tank out I noticed quite a bit of uneaten food in the rocks.

I will try to do a 30% water swap once or twice a week and see how that goes. How does this work with the drops? The drops say to put one drop per gallon. Should I just get an empty milk jug and pre mix my water so it is at the proper drop/water ratio?

Also, does anyone know what type of snail I have? I don't know if I mentioned it above or not, but I bought a live plant they called a bannana plant. After I got it home, I noticed it had a little snail stuck to it. He/she crawled off the plant and now crawls all around the tank. It's about as big as a pencil eraser. Are they OK to have with the fish? Do I need to get some special "snail" food?

Should I get more live plants? I've heard they help with water quality.

Thanks and forgive my ignorance...I've only kept a turtle tank before, and they're pretty easy to please.

Alan

 

[alanteigne]

P.S. - My pump is powerful enough for a 3-5 gallon tank and I've got it throttled down right now. I can get an air stone and power it with my existing pump if that will help.

 

[rubysoho]

mixing the water and conditioner first is a good idea. the snail is one of those asexual snails that will reproduce rather quickly after a while. I don't mind them, but some people don't like them in their tanks. It will live fine without any food from you. Also, to help water conditions, you should look into getting a gravel vacume to help with all the uneaten food (and feed less). Water changes are good, but you need to get the gunk out from the bottom as well.

more plants will help, however, just because you can overstock, doesn't mean you should. Take into consideration the swimming space needed by your fish. A one gallon tank isn't very big. Cramped fish won't do well and will be stressed which leads to diseases and/or death.

Welcome to AA!!!!

 

[alanteigne]

Thanks for the tip. I'll get a gallon of distilled water and have it on hand, premixed at all times. I think the snail is funny. He...err...IT just crawls around the tank all day. The frog has taken a few snaps at it but it's WAY too big to fit in his little mouth. How big will the snail get?

OK. To do list:
1. Get gallon jug of premixed water on hand for frequent water changes
2. Get another plant to help with water and to provide hiding place for frog
3. Get gravel vacuum for cleaning out rocks
4. Get air stone to provide more O2
5. Feed less
6. Enjoy!

 

[rubysoho]

right on!

7. stick around AA cause we are some crazy fun people

 

[alanteigne]

Haha. Ok. I'm a programmer, so I use online forums all the time. When I looked up an aquarium forum, I had no idea it would be so popular and busy.

This is great!

 

[Nippyfish]

I still worry about that frog. One gallon is just too small to house it safely and they don't handle cycling well. There is still the problem associated with trying to cycle a one gallon tank at all. I strongly urge you to upgrade to even something as tiny as a 3 or 5 gallon. I know space is tight, but the fish/frog will need it to survive.

Your snail is likely a pond snail. They often hitch a ride on commercial plants. I have many in my tanks as well. I allow them to multiply and then pull them out to feed to my Dwarf Puffer. They don't bother me any.

 

[QTOFFER]

I'll get a gallon of distilled water and have it on hand, premixed at all times.

I wouldn't use distilled water because it doesn't contain any trace elements that your fish need to thrive. It also lacks any buffering capacity, so you would see big pH fluctuations over time. Finally, it lacks trace amounts of calcium that your snail needs for its shell.

If you just fill a very well-rinsed 1 gal milk jug with plain old tap water, and add a few drops of dechlorinator, you'll be fine.

 

[SteveM]

Re: Wow!

The filter makes quite a few bubbles on the surface and makes it ripply.

If you are getting lots of surface agitation with your current setup, adding an airstone is not really necessary - I'd only do that if you like the looks of the bubbles.

I used to have a very small bottle of Tetra Aqua Safe dechlorinator - it called for 8 drops per gallon and made the small water changes much easier - 1qt of water gets 2 drops. That might be easier than mixing up a bigger batch.

If you want to know how well you are doing, water testing is really helpful. Most fish shops will test your water, or you can get a test kit and measure yourself. Look in the articles section for the Nitrogen Cycle article - it explains what your fish are living with.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Regen311]

A 2.5 gallon tank isn't very expensive if you already have the filter and everything. The tanks can be pretty cheap when they're that small, and at least for me, the most expensive part of my aquarium was the stuff I put inside (heater, filter, "bubble wand", stones decorations, etc.) and you already have all of those. If you lived around here, my sister has her old 2.5 gallon that I would give to you. I know it wasn't very expensive though. Good luck.

 

[alanteigne]

hmmm...where do you live?

 

[Regen311]

ohio

 

[severum mama]

Hey Alan, you mentioned you were in school, do you go to IU? Just wondering, I graduated from IU in August 2002.
Anyway, I have an idea for you: I just set up a 5 gallon Eclipse hex tank at my work. It came with the light and Biowheel filter built into the hood, and all I did was replace the incandescent bulb with a 10W flourescent bulb and my plants are growing out of control! I got it at Petsmart and it was only $35 for the setup. You should really think about it, as it would take up only slightly more space than the 1 gallon, and your fish would be much happier (more stable environment too). Plus, you would love it, I promise.