Mini Bow

[tweety]

Hello everyone,
my kids (9,6,3) want aquariums for x-mas. We went to PetsMart and saw the minibow 5 Gallon and 2.5 Gallon.
The box includes a filter, lights, water treatment ... and says that's all you need.
Now it has been a while since we had freshwater fish, but I remember - we had a heater !
So, do I need one for those little tanks? Can I use a 50 Watt even for the 2,5 Gallon?
Oh, I almos forgot, the kids want colored pebbles, fake flowers, some plastic decoration, and a few neon fish.
Thanks for your help

[125gJoe]

First of all!

Welcome!

http://www.aquariacentral.com/graphics/logofull.jpg

Yes, you should get a heater. I'd recommend the 5 gallon or larger MiniBow for starters.. :)

[tweety]

Thank you for the fast response.
That's what I thought ...
I think the kids will really enjoy their tanks ... with just enough responsibility to not scare them off ;)

[aquariumfishguy]

Actually, considering the children's age and considering that you are a beginner, I would say to start off with a 10-15 gallon tank or larger. A 5 gallon tank is far to small for neon tetras - they like room to roam around on. Also, a 5 gallon will be far to unstable for the beginner (and even average) fishkeeper to handle. Yes, when you get a larger tank, things start to cost more but all & all, you'd be better off with a larger tank. They are actually easier to manage...;)

[tricksterpup]

Tweety,
If you do go with the 5 or 2.5 mini bow, I would toss out the bulb. Incandecent=garbage and walmart sells a cheap power compact screw in bulb that is 10 watts for around $4 which in my opinon shows the fish's colors much better in the long run. I have the 2.5 myself with one of these lights and keep live plants in the tank also.
But I must agree with AFG, larger tanks are more stable and are easier to take care of in the long run. They tend to be more forgiving than smaller tanks when it comes to water quality.
Also another important item is reading books on the subject. Build yourself a fish library so you can reference it often. Here is a thread of some recommended books.

jim

[Grassguy]

I just gave my son an Eclipse six for his birthday. You definitely would need a heater. While cycling his tank, there was no heater, and the water temp would fluctuate five to six degrees in a day due the temperature changes in the house. Not really enough watre to hold temp well. But as said before, the larger tanks are easier to maintain.
You may want to watch the kids feed the fish for the first coupla weeks to make sure they don't overfeed.
Last week when I wasn't looking, Kevin (my son) decided the fish looked hungry and poured some shrimp pellts into his tank...way too much. It took me four days to get the brown water clear again.:o

[tweety]

Whow,
thanks for all your replies.
I want to get them those mini bows, because they liked the style and color. ( I know ... that doesn't sound toooo good)
I'm researching the salt water hobby right now (almost ready to start) and that's why the kids got really interested in fish themselves. My older one (9) checked out a couple of books at the school library, and she seems to be very serious about it. I'm not too sure about the little one (3) but hey I'm here to help her.
We found some of our old fish books (8 years ago) and now we got something else to read.
Again, thank you very much for you help :)