EMPTY tank any ideas

[PartyAnimal1UK]

I have a spare 6 gal i know it isn't big (i've got very limited space) but does anyone have any ideas.

Bascailly i did have it with a betta in it i tried it with a filter just a box filter attached to an air pump but he didn't like it so i tried it without, but the water always tended to look slighty murky and have a film over the top well anyway in the end he died and i haven't used the tank.

I was hoping to be able to use the tank without a filter coz at the mo i can't afford a better tank or filter and i'm sure you all know the pump is annoying, so i want to be able to get away without, so i need a fish that does not require a filter i know there isn't many, so does anyone have any ideas, i would prefer more than one which i know i have limited space but with just one fish in there it look sorta bare.

Also soes anyone have any ideas as to how to keep the film at bay and why does it form, i lthough maybe floating plants would that help. What i thought may look nice is a group of male guppies do they require a filter, please help i would love to get this set up again thanks in advance.

[tyler]

you can find some pretty cheap power filters.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

I live in the uk and to be honest with i haven't seen a CHEAP power filter. I wouldn't really want to spend the money on a filter for a tank that size as i would like to be able to save for a larger much larger tank as i'm sure we all say. thanks but does anyone else have any ideas thanks again.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Please guys anything will help

[shmeeb001]

i'd go with either the Aqua Clear 100, its $13 at petsmart, and pretty tiny. the whisper 100 is a bit smaller even for about the same. whisper's clog kind of fast though.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Thanks so much for your help, but i was looking for ideas of what fish i could keep in the tank preferably a shoal ( i would like guppies) without a filter.

[Faramir]

The box filter'd be fine. I'm not sure that our American posters understand how much more limited, and expensive, our range of equipment often is in the UK.

Having said that, http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/aquarium_supplies_HAGEN_S__107.html shows a Fluval+ No. 1 for £12, + £4 for packaging and delivery.

Given what the Leicester water is like - hard as nails - I wonder if a pair of shell-dwellers would be an intersting idea.

If you can get them, that is.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Too be honest i don't think we can, yes i agree it is soo hard to get stuf over here, i don't actually want to use the box filter as i don't like the pump and want to be able to use this tank without a filter.

[firetank]

p.a

have you tried ordering online??.....

http://www.tropicalfish.org.uk/tropical.htm
http://www.mrfish.co.uk/acatalog/MR_FISH_Tropical_Fish__1.html

they are both UK and will ship..

have a look

go for that fluval 1+...

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Do you think it's worth paying out say £20 for a filter for a tank that size.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

anyway what about fish, i was thinking guppies. would angels be too big. I would really like a couple of dwarf puffers but i wouldn't be able to get them here, shame.

[ctaylor]

In my opinion if your not willing to do what ever it takes to provide your fish with a healthy enviroment, you shouldn't own fish. Is not spending £20 worth the lives of your fish? Personally I would spend £20 to not have to see the bodies of my fish resting on the substrate. I would spend £20 to not have the careless death of any life on my shoulders. There are NO fish that I have ever run into that would be even close to ok in a 6g tank with no filter. How are you going to provide oxygen if not by filter or air pump? The only way your beta survived without a filter to create oxygen is they are labrynth fish. The other fish you are mentioning aren't. They will suffocate and die within hours. The smaller the tank the more need there is for a fishless cycle also. You don't have the luxury of understocking to the point that the waste creation to water volume ratio is large enough that your chemistry doesn't become lethal. Especially not with a shoal. So to answer your question, no, there is not a single fish I am aware of that would have a snowball's chance in surviving your tank.

[Orbitorly]

Ctaylor, You seemed kinda harsh in that post.

Let's refine what you said in a more polite way.;)

The filter system for any aquarium performs the largest part of the job keeping conditions habitable for fish. Without adequate removal and reduction of wastes, Toxins and pollutants, fish cannot survive. No matter the filter type chosen, filters are required to remove particulate waste, liquefied wastes and organic toxins produced in the aquarium.


So you could keep a fish but it would have to be a betta in a small bowl. But you would have to do regular water changes.

Just my 2 cents :D

[goldfries]

what are the actual dimensions of the 6gal tank you mentioned?

even my 2gal+ tank has a sponge filter.

assuming an 18x9x9, get a nice cheap filter. 15 - 25 bucks is really good enough.

as for people like me, we can't enjoy these things that you people do. we can, but we'll have to pay 4x the price due to exchange rates. :(

In my opinion, find the cheapest means possible to create a healthy environment for your fish, or at least the bare-minimum of a healthy environment.

as long as they're not sick, and are lively and well, it's fine.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Thanks orbitly for that and goldfries, ctaylor as you can appreicte not everyone can afford luxuries but this doesn't mean that i have to go without, i am on this site to try and find the best possible solution i was just asking a question as are many people and it didn't need a response like that, i live in the uk and stuff out here are a hell of a lot more expensive than the us please appreicate this and think before you answer in future.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Sorry dimensions are 16" 8" 8" i think somewhere around there. i have tried a boz filter and pump before but the pump is so annoying, shame we can run filters on fresh air.

[pierre_john]

I can see that you desparetely want to have fish in your tank. My first suggestion would have been the betta as they can breath the air we do and do not rely on oxygenated water. You are extremely limited to the type of fish you can get without a filter, as the filter not only cleans the water but also provides good oxygenation of the water - so the water is continuously flows.

Stay away from angel fish or anything that will out grow your tank. One gallon per inch of fish is the rule (once they grow up). I don't belive that your set up will meet the needs of this beautiful fish. You could try guppies or gold fish...gold fish have lived many years in little gold fish bowls. Nothing fancy though, just gold fish.

I would stick with fish that stay small and are hardy. You will still be faced with the murkey waters and regular cleaning of your tank will have to take place 25% every other day to ensure proper water values.

Or, you could get newts or something like that...I have seen them in pet store in small tanks, but again research them to see if they will outgrow your tank.

Good Luck and I will keep an eye out for something else to suggest to you.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Thankyou for your reply i think i have decided on getting a few guppies i understand that reugalr water chnges are going to have to be done but i do that on my other tanks anyway. I was thinking of using floating plants to break up the film on the surface of the water that usually biulds up without the flow of a filter would i be ok to use water from a cycled tank to cycle this new tank as i can't put guppies straught into un cycled water can ieven if i'm not using a filter, thanks again.

[Bantam]

I'm probably gonna take some abuse for this but you CAN manage without a filter. my first goldfish survived for years in a tank identical to yours. BUT i wouldn't particularly recommend it because things can go wrong pretty quick.
if you really want a tank with no filter i'd put in as many plants as you can to take at least some of the nasties out of the water, go for a coldwater setup cos cold water dissolves more oxygen and feed as litlle as possible. You'll also need to do plenty of water changing - like as near to every day as possible.
as for fish white cloud mountain minnows might be worth considering. they're small live in shoals, tolerate cold water and don't make much mess.
even so i would give some more thought to getting a filter. you need to consider if the fish would be ok if you went away for a few days etc.
whatever you decide, good luck

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Thankyou i think i've decide on guppies, i would like to get a filter it's just i didn't know if it would be worth spending so much on a tank this siz the filter would cost aroung £20 i know it isn't much but i'm skint what do you think. Would i get on withou one for a while untill i can afford one, and do you think it would be worth it for this size tank.

[Bantam]

You should be able to manage without a filter. get some oxygenating plants though and change the water loads. also don't go mad on how many guppy's you get. remember the little buggers breed like rabbits on viagra.

have you checked out pets at home? i wouldn't recommend buying the fish there judging by the ones i've seen but their filters are quite cheap. i bought the biggest internal fluval there for about £25. if i remember rightly the fluval 1 was only about a tenner. that might be wrong though :rolleyes: .

even for a small tank i would be inclined to get a filter - it just gives you a wider margin for error with stocking/feeding/water changes/ oxygenation etc etc. however with a bit of work you should manage without one.

regards

[PartyAnimal1UK]

What oxgenating plants would you recommend and does it have to be the ones that you plant in the bottom or would floating ones do and what would you recomment about using cycled water from another tank, thanks. Yes i have been to pets at home i buy most of my stuff from there such as grvael e.t.c i wil have a look at tth efilter i brought a fluval 2 for £17.99 , i must add though i agree with you i have never brough fish from they, have you every brought plants from there, any good?

[Bantam]

i'm afraid i'm useless with the plants names. the best i can offer is the stuff which to me looks like pond weed from my childhood is one of the best. don't suppose thats much use to you though. ask the owner of a decent local fish store or try asking the planty peeps on this website.
cycled water is going to be better than water straight from the tap but it won't really make much difference. you need a colony of beneficial bacteria from somewhere. if you're going without a filter gravel from an established tank is probably going to be your next best option.
maybe i slightly underestimated the filter prices - its a few years since i bought mine from there. as for the plants i have bought them from pets at home and found them to be as good as anywhere else. quite reasonably priced too.

craig