what are other fish that can be in a mini tank

[Hans]

ive got a tank, its about half a gallon mabey, with one of those lil nano filters on it, its basicaly a 6 inch cube. what else besides betta, guppy?

[cdawson]

I wouldn't even use it, half a gallon isn't even enough room for a betta to survive.

[Leopardess]

Brine shrimp. And that's it. I would not use anything less than 2g for a tank, and while other's do, I believe they'd agree half a gallon is far too small for a betta at best.

[TKOS]

Snails (small ones like ram's horn) or maybe some fresh water shrimp. I wouldn't put any fish in something that small, even a betta. Mine lives in a 5 gallon and is the only betta that I have had live longer than a few months. All my earlier ones were in 1 gallon or less.

[LMOUTHBASS]

can't you keep a betta in those small plastic bowls they sell at pet shops?

[Leopardess]

You can *keep* one. But at that point you don't deserve it as a pet imo. It probably won't live long, it won't be happy, and I don't think its nice - regardless of the fact that it will never have a nice cycled tank, it can't swim, and really, how good will it look?

[OrionGirl]

The small bowls lack adeqaute filtration, and do not come close to simulating the native waters of these fish. While they may be found in small amounts of surface water, these areas are bogs--the entire bog area is a filter for all of the water within it.

For a tank that small, you may be able to have a couple of the smaller killie fish--but it would require daily attention. The other concern would be heating--no heater will work on that small a tank. If kept in a tank that is warm with a steady temp, the killies would be okay.

However, I would probably set it up with a plant and a snail or 2-3 shrimp (if covered).

[LMOUTHBASS]

well i got my gf a female betta because she luvs the one i keep in my 20g q tank - i admit i don't know tons about betta's - i thought because they say they live in areas as small as their cups in the wild they woul be ok in a small bowl that has constant water changes - hmmm i know she wants one n i found a beautifull one i also put in gravel from one of my cycled tanks to supply bacteria - my prob is she only wants a small bowl i thought this fish woul thrive in this situation - i want to do the right thing though - what is the smallest we shoul keep it in then -how bout a big bowl -? i already bought the fish n havent enough room for me to keep it she is going to keep it at college -

[OrionGirl]

The water must be filtered. There are small filters for these tanks, but they must be maintained.

Bettas can survive in just a bowl of water, but they will hardly be at their best.

[Hans]

snails?? brine shrimp?? hahaha just for that i think im gonna put an arowana in it. just kidding, i had a betta in my 20 gallon, it didnt move ever, i got so mad, that i put him in a bowl. he loved it.

[apexi]

You mention that your mini tank is 6" cubed? If so, it must be the same size as my nano tank, which is 6" X 6" X 6" and holds just under 1 gallon of water.

I've decided to setup this nano tank as an interesting challenge, to see if I can make it work. Needless to say when you're dealing with such a small volume of water, things can get tricky. But so far, so good. I started off with a pair of white clouds to cycle my tank, and once fully cycled, I gave them away, and began stocking my tank with what you see in the picture; 2 blue lamp eyes, 3 gold neons, 1 oto, and live plants.

The tank would need to be heated to stock these types of fish, but it can be done if you're willing to put in the extra work. I do water tests on a weekly basis, 20% water changes at least every 5 days or so, vacuum excess food/debris daily, do exact temperature matches during water changes, etc...etc... Seems like I'm putting in a lot more work into this nano tank than my bigger tanks, but it brings a different kind of challenge and fun. Not to mention how cool it looks on my computer desk ;)

http://members.shaw.ca/rotapowered/nanotank.jpg

[shewlett]

If your girlfriend is determined to have a bowl rather than a small tank then you should look into the larger goldfish bowls that have small undergravel filters and you could even dangle a small 25 watt heater in there (not Visi-Therm Deluxe!). I was at Tropic Isle in Framingham yesterday and they had bowls up to 4 gallons in size and undergravel filters for them. The bigger the better in my opinion. Also, you would want to get a piece of lexan and drill a few small holes in it for a cover for the tank since bettas do jump. The smaller ones were made out of glass but the 4 gallon was clear plastic. Don't go for the marbles in the bottom, too big and excess food and whatever gets lodged down there and is tough to remove. A little java moss might be nice in a setup like this.

Another idea is the All-Glass Mini-Bow 2.5 or 5 gallon aquarium kits. Don't use plastic plants if they come with the kit as they can be bad for the betta's fins. If using a HOB power filter with these make sure the flow is moderate. The 5 gallon comes with a Whisper 5-15 (90 gph) and if you take the cartridge, open it up, and stuff lots of activated carbon in there, that should do the trick. The cartridge has a snap top which makes this easy. Also, to keep the flow down make sure the water level comes up above the bottom of the exit ramp for the water. I think Petco sells these kits.

Keep in mind that small bodies of water can be subject to rapid temperature fluctuations and rapid fouling of the water.

[snakeskinner]

bettas live in puddles in the wild, why couldn't they live in a larger bowl like they sell in the stores? I have mine in a 1' gallon tank but half gallon is more than adequate as long as you change some of the water regularly. Kyle

[shewlett]

Bettas live in slow moving streams and rice paddies in the wild. Both of these are actually sizable bodies of water, not "puddles", and are complete ecosystems, unlike small bowls and tanks. My personal opinion is that a 5 gallon tank is the minimum size for a betta and that a 10 gallon tank would be better. A happy, healthy betta is active and likes to swim around.:)

[Uncle Bete]

I think the plain 'ol 5 gal. tanks are fairly common to find.

add a small heater and something like an AC mini and he'd have a fairly decent home. a live plant or two? Could really grow some plants with a small PC over it! :) but thats another thread.

I haven't done much research on them, but yea, I've heard they live in small(er) amounts of water. And like whats been said here. That small amount of water is in a full blown natural eco system.
I just don't believe you'll find any ammonia/nitrite OR nitrate in there natural water.

[Hans]

"rice patties" are not natural, they are man made

[Uncle Bete]

hummm I wonder how much ammonia is in a rice patty?
probably no more than in a Rice Crispy Cake/Bar, whatever they called them things? :laugh:

[Aquarius0015]

If you *did* want to go for anything less than 5 gallons, I would recommend a sponge filter over UGF. It is much easier in terms of cleaning, and you don't even need gravel if you don't want it. I had a UGF on my 1 gallon betta-polygon and he didn't seem happy at all, and I wasn't happy about cleaning nasty gravel. When I bought my 5.5 gallon, I got a $4 sponge filter and used a few river stones on the bottom. My betta is much more active now. He even seems to hold his fins more regally.

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

I used to have my betta in a 1 gallon bowl. He didn't really move around that much. Then a little while ago i got more into the hobby and moved him over to a 2.5 gallon filtered tank. He's so much more active, constantly swimming around and flaring his fins at the glass and building nests. I'll never keep him or any other fish in a bowl again.