New Tank Project

[fishenthusiast]

It looks like I will be inheriting a betta from one of my relatives who can no longer care for it. I would like to get a new tank that is under 5 gallons. I plan to plant it up too. I would like to have some other fish, or invertebrates/etc. I don't know if a pair of African Dwarf Frogs would be too big for the tank or not. At the moment, I don't where to start, so I'm wondering where you guys think I should go with this. What tank kit should I get that isn't too expensive? What tankmate(s) would go well with a male betta in a tank under 5 gallons? Thanks!

 

[xtra51]

Thanks for posting!

I would recommend not going anything lower than 5 gallons. The kits that are provided in the pet stores are more of novelty. So, I would get the following:

5 gallon fish tank
HOB Filter-(Hang on the Back)
Water Treatment

For your first tank, I would recommend not getting plants. These just add an additional factor to watch closely. When setting up a new tank, the least that you have to watch the better. If you want to get more fish other than your betta, I would recommend going higher in the tank size, something like a 10 on up. Something that many people do not realize, Betta's are fish as well, even though they live in small puddles, in captivity they deserve a bit better care.

Does that help? Anything that I missed?

 

[fishenthusiast]

Thanks for posting!

I would recommend not going anything lower than 5 gallons. The kits that are provided in the pet stores are more of novelty. So, I would get the following:

5 gallon fish tank
HOB Filter-(Hang on the Back)
Water Treatment

For your first tank, I would recommend not getting plants. These just add an additional factor to watch closely. When setting up a new tank, the least that you have to watch the better. If you want to get more fish other than your betta, I would recommend going higher in the tank size, something like a 10 on up. Something that many people do not realize, Betta's are fish as well, even though they live in small puddles, in captivity they deserve a bit better care.

Does that help? Anything that I missed?

I actually have a 30 gallon planted tank at the moment. I've probably had around 11 years of fish keeping experience. My bad on not posting that. I think I'll probably get small invertebrates (Ghost Shrimp?) or an African Dwarf Frog, if there is enough room provided.

 

[xtra51]

Got it so you are overstocking this one? I LOVE ghost shrimp! They are an amazing invert! Have you thought about using Cherry Shirmp? you can see those a bit more. Dwarf Frogs are cool as well, just don't like frogs. I would use this stocking:

Your betta
5 or so of the Shrimp
1-3 Small fish-Danios or something

With the above stocking, you should have to have good filters and a good maintenance schedule as you are aware. To be honest, on here I am not the plant expert. I would probably rely on your expertise for that

 

[trennamw]

I understand the recommendation to go 5 gallon or up, but my betta is doing very well in the 3 gallon Marineland kit, plus a small heater with a thermostat. He is however alone. I agree about going for 10 if he's going to have friends. By doing well I mean water quality has been stable with one 50% change a week, he's very active, he's got a huge bubble nest going, he's got a lot of new growth on his fins ... That kits filter is nice and gentle and the led light is brighter than a lot of small kits.

This is my second Marineland kit from Petsmart and I really like them. The filters are better than others it seems and the design is well thought out. The 3 is frequently on sale for under $30.

The stocking calculator on aqua advisor is very helpful too.

 

[TXaggie]

I've got a betta in a little 2.5 gallon standard that's pretty solidly planted. I've been able to keep some cherry shrimp alive in there too, but he does occasionally get one. The only other inhabitant is a baby nerite snail that will be moved as he gets older. Even if I had the space for other fish I wouldn't add them, he has so much personality I love him as the king of his little place.

I just got an Azoo mignon filter and I LOVE it, turned all the way down it's the right amount of flow for that size tank.

If I did it all again I'd probably go for one of those 4 gallon cube shaped tanks but keep the rest of the setup the same. Maybe that could be my next tank upgrade....don't tell my husband. If you're looking for a nice cube I've seen cool ones by Deep Blue and Mr Aqua.



Pic is a little old, I've got a lot more moss and added the HOB filter.

 

[fishenthusiast]

New tank project

I've got a betta in a little 2.5 gallon standard that's pretty solidly planted. I've been able to keep some cherry shrimp alive in there too, but he does occasionally get one. The only other inhabitant is a baby nerite snail that will be moved as he gets older. Even if I had the space for other fish I wouldn't add them, he has so much personality I love him as the king of his little place.

I just got an Azoo mignon filter and I LOVE it, turned all the way down it's the right amount of flow for that size tank.

If I did it all again I'd probably go for one of those 4 gallon cube shaped tanks but keep the rest of the setup the same. Maybe that could be my next tank upgrade....don't tell my husband. If you're looking for a nice cube I've seen cool ones by Deep Blue and Mr Aqua.

View attachment 235246

Pic is a little old, I've got a lot more moss and added the HOB filter.

Nice tank! I would like to get a small tank like the following:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3730+23677&pcatid=23677

But I don't like the fake rock background on it. I would purchase this if it didn't have it. If I could get a 5-8 gallon cool looking tank for $100 or a little over with mostly all the materials, that'd be great.

 

[TXaggie]

Nice tank! I would like to get a small tank like the following:

Desktop & Nano Aquariums: Fluval Flora Planted Aquarium Kit

But I don't like the fake rock background on it. I would purchase this if it didn't have it. If I could get a 5-8 gallon cool looking tank for $100 or a little over with mostly all the materials, that'd be great.

I've read some reviews of that tank that really knock the CO2 system and the substrate. The filter isn't the same as the small Aquaclear ones that run on the edge either, some kind of internal.

What about either of these options? They were both ones I considered before I purchased my new Fluval Edge (not so great for Bettas!) that I'm setting up:

Amazon.com: Ecoxotic EcoPico Desktop Aquarium System with LED Arm and Filter, 5-Gallon: Pet Supplies

Supposedly a good LED lighting system on this one, you can even add more strips of LEDs with a splitter the company offers. Filter isn't the best though.

Amazon.com : Fluval Spec V Aquarium Kit, 5-Gallon, Black : Aquarium Starter Kits : Pet Supplies

I like this one a lot too, but the footprint was not good for the space I had. Filtration system is supposed to be good, but some of the reading I did said it was a bit strong for large finned bettas.

The Ehiem Aquastyle is pretty awesome, but it was outside my budget and definitely over $100. Haha, can you tell I've spent a lot of time recently agonizing over which tank to purchase for my next project? Maybe I'll keep the EcoPico on my list as an upgrade for my betta in the future....