Filter & Heater for 5 1/2 Gallon?

[Tinajo]

My betta died and now I want to use my 5 1/2 gallon tank for 1 or 2 dwarf puffers. I have a small filter in the tank, I think it's called a Tetra Whisper filter. The water has stayed clear, but I don't know if it's doing a good job. I guess I'm just too used to the HOB kind that I use on my larger tanks. I hate the heater that's in the tank. It is non-adjustable for the temp. Do you have any recommendations on kinds of filters and heaters for smaller tanks? Thanks!

[galen]

well, there's a few options for you, but all have the same wattgae of 25. the simple hang on the back kind is cheap and simple. the flip side of the coin is the submersible ones amd by hydor and aquaclear. either brand makes a good one, with the former being accuarte and basically "set and forget".
filters vary. personally, i think that bigger is better in filters and aquariums. thats why i have an emperor 280 on a 10 gallon tank and an aquaclear 70 on a 20 gallon tank. both are excellent. for you and your tank, i would recommend a penguin 150 or 200 ( not the 100 size as the bio wheel is too small in my opinion) or an aquaclear 30 or 50. hope that helps.

[Aislinn]

I would respectfully disagree with galen. I think a Penguin 150 or 200, or an AquaClear 30 or 50 would turn a 5 1/2 gallon tank into a whirlpool. Any fish who'd appreciate a current that strong has no business in a 5 1/2 gallon tank. I think a Penguin 100 or AquaClear 20 would be a better choice.

For heaters, I cannot recommend Visi-Therm highly enough. Get their 25 watt.

[GirlieGirl8521]

I agree with Aislinn....those filters would make the tank a whirlpool. An Aquaclear 20 would be just right, since you can turn down the flow. I have a Hagen Elite 5 filter on my 5.5g and its not enough really, but its good for my betta.

I would just put one Dwarf Puffer in a 5.5g. I have asked people that have kept them about keeping 2 in a 5.5g and they said it most likely wouldn't work. They are small, but they are extremely aggressive, even towards each other. I was told (by more than one puffer keeper) that even in a heavily planted 5.5g that its not guaranteed that 2 will get along.

I'd just go with 1 or choose something else. :) Make sure you don't have too much flow for a DP because they are small, but messy.

For a heater, I have a 25w Visi therm heater in my 5.5g and it is excellent. I'd suggest a regular Visi therm or the Stealth version.

[Mofolepo]

I was thinking of putting a Penguin 660R with the Reverse UGF set up in my 5.5. Is that good?

[Tinajo]

Okay, I'll definitely check out the visi-therm or stealth heaters. Thanks for the help with the filters also. I will probably go with an Aquaclear 20.

About the Dwarf puffers, I just read an article in TFH (March issue) about them. The author said that 2 or 3 can be kept in a small tank. He says they are usually peaceful fish. I'm not disagreeing with you, Girliegirl, but would like to get more opinions. Thanks for your comments!