New one gallon tank.

[Atreides]

I am a college student, though I live at home, I could move depending on various things. I wanted something to bring a little life to my room and I have always been fond of fish, even though I haven't own fish since I was a little kid and my parents took care of them. All of this considered and being on a slim budget, I decided to get a one gallon kit (Hawkeye AquaView PLUS) from Wal-Mart that came with an underground filter, airator and diffuser, and a 7 watt light. I really like Neon Tetras and have been doing a lot of research and am frankly quite confused.

I have seen anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of fish per gallon. I have also read that the entire scheme is totally bogus. I read that Neons are happiest in schools and that at minimum should be kept in a school of 5 to 6. Also, I have come across that new tanks lack the required bacteria to maintain nitrate and ammonia levels and that fish should be add very slowly at a rate of 3 fish a week or so. Further reading reveal that Neon Tetras are naturally from Northern South America and that they live towards the bottom of small rivers that are filled with plants so they prefer subdued light and a fair amount of plants.

These are a lot of variable to try to incorperate, especially when one is very new to the aquarium hobby. So far, I am leaning towards 4 neons. I figured that if I bent a few of the "rules" it might be close enough to provide a healthy enough for the Neons, since supposively they can live to 10 years of age in ideal situations. Also, I keep my room about mid to high 60*F, but being tropical Neons would prefer low to mid 70's. Will the incadescent bulb provide enough suppliment heat? I only can find heater for 2-5 gallons, and a heater is a bit impractically for a one gallon tank. I by no means think that little tank means little effort, otherwise I wouldn't have put hours of research into it.

Any information, advice, etc would be very welcome!

 

[tkos]

A good option for you might be to look at White Cloud Minnows. In the past they were referred to the poor mans neon. The good thing is they are colderwater fish so mid to high 60's will be okay. They are hardy and colourful. I keep them myself very fun fish and very cheap.

Here is the problem though. Your tank is very limiting. Most smaller fish like schools which you can't really keep as this will place too high of a bioload on your tank.

The reason that 1 inch per gallon rule doesn't work is that 8 inches of neon is no where the same as 8 inches of goldfish. So it is very important to figure out the fish you want then start from there.

Neons do not do well in new tanks with bacteria already established. And they do not do well in smaller tanks, regardless of their actual size. They are not hardy fish and absolutely require water temp in the mid to upper 70's all year long.

The best and easiet fish for you is a betta. A beautiful fish that does not need other fish for company and can do well in a 1 gallon tank. With a simple partial water change once a week and a small daily feeding he will be very much at home. And while they like the temp in the low to mid 70's they can survive occassional dips below that.

As for little tank means little effort - actually it generally means the reverse. The smaller a tank is the more likely it will go through fluctuations of temp, ammonia spikes and pH drops to name a few. Larger tanks can buffer a lot of problems out.

I would seriously look at the Betta option, I doubt that you would be dissapointed. I do think you will be disappointed in the death of the neons.