Is there anything I can keep in a 1 or 5 gallon tank?

[Meaile]

I really dont think there is but I thought I'd ask.

I bought the 1 gal at a thrift store because it had a good pump and a 50w submersible heater in it that I can use in another tank, possibly the 5 if theres something I can put in there....

 

[malkore]

1 gal is really too small, even for a betta. maybe 1 ADF, but I know nothing about frogs so I could be wrong about that.

The 5gal would be fine for a betta though, and a 50w heater would be enough for a 5gal for sure.

 

[Meaile]

Cool....I really wanted to save a Betta from a bowl but I wasn't sure if the 5 gal was too small. I only bought the 1 gal for the heater & pump.

 

[rubysoho]

A five gallon will be just fine for your betta and you can even keep two ADFs in there as well.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've got a Betta in a 5 gal hex and he absolutely loves it. Soon he will have some ghost shrimp friends.

 

[Meaile]

Is it possible to over filter a Betta?

I have a HOB filter that I got at a garage sale. The brand name is Regent and I did some research and I guess its a Wal-Mart brand, I have never heard of it, but its rated for up to 20 gal. After a good cleaning and running it without media in an empty tank, it doesn't have enough water flow, in my opinion, for a 20 gal but maybe too much for a 5 gal.

Are Bettas too sensitive for heavy-ish water flow? Should I go with a sponge filter instead?

 

[Guest]

I used to have an Eclipse 5g at work with 4 neons and 2 peppered corys and they seemed okay. Probably a little crowded though looking back at it.

 

[rubysoho]

Bettas do best in calmer waters though you will find the occaisional betta who likes playing in the water stream. Try running the filter on a 5 gallon bucket and see what happens. Put in some visible particle and watch how fast the current takes it. You can also try to modify it so it is slower.

 

[mr86mister]

i would have to say, a filter that is meant for a 20 gallon has an extreme flow for something as small as a 5....considering i have a 20gal filter on my ten gallon and it creates high current....but you could have a way to divert the water but keep the filtration the same

 

[rubysoho]

this is totally off topic, but I loooove your avatar, mr86mister! I have been wanting a bunny for sooooo long but I have no room and my boyfriend already agreed to my gerbils. I rescued a bunny from a bad situation when I was in middle school and totally fell in love. But my mom made me give her away because she was a rescue and was never accepted as a pet by my parents. *sigh*

 

[Meaile]

I could silicone a piece of plastic onto the the bottom of the intake so it only sucks in 1/2 the water maybe.... Or have the water fall onto a shelf/floating plant first? what do you think?

It really is a crappy filter though. Instead of a solid flow, like one shelf of water, into the tank I get 3 smaller trickly type rows

 

[greenmaji]

How many dwarf puffers can you get into a 5 gallon?

 

[afishoutofh2o]

Cool find at a thrift store Meaile! And a HOB at a garage sale! These are terrific finds

Now with my Bettas, I am using sponge filters. This is mainly because Bettas are supposed to prefer calmer waters. But when I do a water change both the female and the male love to play in the stream. Now, my male Betta is very long finned. But I think a shorter finned Betta would do well with your walmart filter. Also, you could attach a replacement sponge filter to the intake using a string/rubber band to slow the filter down.

As for Dwarf Puffers, http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/ suggests 1 dwarf puffer per 3 gallons with a stock ratio = 1m/2f. So I guess it would be one dwarf puffer in a 5g.

HTH

 

[Biotoper]

I think you could safely keep 2 dwarf puffers in a 5g - plant it up. 2 females might co-exist better than a pair, but IMEX individual personality is more important than sex.

For the betta, I think a sponge filter would be ideal. If you planted it densely, you could even go filterless.

 

[mr86mister]

thanks rubysoho...his name is Roberto and he is my dutch rabbit, as you can see we let him run around the house for a couple of hours a day and when he wants to go back in his cage he just goes in himself...

 

[Meaile]

Thanks! I find alot of fun stuff at garage sales and the thrift store (the only one in town). I picked up a 45 gal a month or so ago for $3.00. I had to reseal it but it was fun and inexpensive. I finally have all the equiptment for it and all the rocks. This area is a goldmine for basalt. The cool thing aboit basalt is you can hit it with a hammer and it brakes off in sheets so i can shape it. Fun.

Anyway, dwarf puffers . I had never thought about those. I would be able to use my already cycled filter and they are really cool looking. I followed the link and read all about them and it looks like what I have for the 5.5 gal would be perfect. Do you think 2 females would work? I wouldn't have any idea what to do with the fry if they had them. I also noticed that a good light source was listed. All I have at the time is a light that came off of a 3 gal tank. Its 2 little bulbs that look like automotive bulbs. Think this would be ok?

I still like the Betta idea though. I'm tossed up....Bettas look so sad in the little tiny bowls they sit in. Rescuing one would make me happy

3 months ago my husband said "lets get some fish" and now look what happened. In two months I'll have 3 tanks going.....

 

[mr86mister]

i think your getting a little bit of MTS like the most of us here

 

[rubysoho]

I was about to say the same thing! Definite signs of MTS, and here I am jealous because I never find cheap tanks around my area... I have MTS as well, just limited by being a broke college student... I guess it is a good thing I don't have money.

 

[An t-iasg]

I agree with the sponge filter for the 5 gallon tank with the betta. My 5 gallon betta tanks have sponge filters. You could skip the filter, like Biotoper says, but you would have to get the appropriate lighting for the plants. (If you do omit the filter, get an airstone for some water movement.) I just recently planted my new 5 gallon tank. I barely saw any evidence of a cycle, since the plants consumed the wastes. But the plants have to be healthy to filter a tank like this. The good bacteria will establish themselves in time also.

For the filter that you have, the 3 trickles instead of the stronger flow may be more appropriate for the betta. However, since the filter flow is reduced that much from its normal flow, it may not do a good job of filtering anyway. I would probably go with a sponge filter, airpump, and a gang valve to reduce the amount of air going through the sponge filter.

 

[Biotoper]

Yeah, a densely planted filterless 5g tank will be lot more work to set-up (light, substrate, CO2 maybe) than one w/ sponge filter and w/o plants.

Also, I'm sure everyone knows, but I'd just like to clarify that we're talking about Betta splendens. I think most other Betta species, like B. imbellis which you occasionally see for sale, need bigger tanks.