Dorm Room Fish

i'm seriously considering that explorer tank, does that come with a heater? Also, what type of fish (one or more) could i put in it and how often would that need to be cleaned? The other question i have is water, is it alright to use city water, and if not, what do i do for water? thanks in advance
 
City water would be fine, as long as it has been treated with some sort of Dechlorinator (chlorine is deadly to the fishys) Ive heard nothing but good stuff about the product PRIME. Of course the stores dont carry it in my area, but I make do.
 
lightsareout said:
i'm seriously considering that explorer tank, does that come with a heater? Also, what type of fish (one or more) could i put in it and how often would that need to be cleaned? The other question i have is water, is it alright to use city water, and if not, what do i do for water? thanks in advance
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Instead of the explorer, get the knock off from walmart the starfish, its cheaper. This tank does not come with a light or heater, but if you upgrade top to the regent 5 (5 gallon tank) it should be about $40. Which is similer again a knock off of the eclipse setup.
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just check out this site for some of walmarts tanks.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product_listing.gsp?cat=202101
 
lightsareout said:
i'm seriously considering that explorer tank, does that come with a heater? Also, what type of fish (one or more) could i put in it and how often would that need to be cleaned? The other question i have is water, is it alright to use city water, and if not, what do i do for water? thanks in advance
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You are starting to worry me with the "cleaned" thing. I have visions of you breaking the tank down, washing all the gravel and giving it a good scrubbing. That is a no-no.

Have you gone here:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=10&f=20
and read the stickies on cycling etc.?

You can either decide on the fish you want and then go for tank size or decide on size first and then go for the fish. Ask yourself questions like:
Do I want a very active tank or a nice peaceful and relaxing tank?
Do I want a lot of contrast in color or a more uniform color scheme?
Do I want live or artificial plants?
Do I want it full of brightly colored fish or more subdued hues.
Do I want fish that tend to school and interact with each other or some loners?

We all have our likes, dislikes and favorites. Think of getting and stocking an aquarium like purchasing a picture for a wall. You have to pick the wall and if you just love French Impressionist landscape painters like Monet, we could suggest a Renoir, but not a Picasso.
 
Once the tank was cycled, you would need to do weekly water changes/gravel vacuums at least once a week, of about 25%. Also, in terms of size, a 5 gallon won't take up much more room than a 2.5 gallon (should still easily/safely fit on a desk or end table), and it would be alot easier to maintain (the larger the tank, the more stable the water condtions, the less maintanence, IME).
 
lightsareout said:
i used to have a 25 gal tank, so i know all about cleaning something like that.
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Actually have you thought about getting a larger tank? like a 25?? When I was in college, I had a 10, 5 and 1 gallon tank setups in my dorm room and my buddy next door had a 25 and a 40 gallon breeder setup for his place. I think there may be more room than you think.
 
How about African Dwarf Frogs...they don't need a heater.....can do without a filter if you are really good about changing the water... are fun to watch when feeding...and...they are not your typical betta/goldfish. you could even put a snail or two in with them and some java moss for live plants, which would also help in filtering out the nasties....
 
First, here's something that nobody tells you about until it is two late: Aquariums are addictive. Even in college. I started with a betta in a 1 gallon bowl that surprisingly survived his first year in questionable water conditions until I upgraded to a minibow 2.5. Small aquariums with heaters and filters really aren't all that expensive or hard to maintain, and any fish would be more active and healthier. The Eclipse systems can be a little pricey for the larger ones, but for a 6 gallon Eclipse, you'd spend just as much on a smaller acryllic aquarium that you have to add a heater to. In good water conditions and temperature, bettas and african dwarf frogs can be extremely amusing to watch, and some smaller pet stores sell some really amazing varieties of bettas that you just don't tend to see at a place like walmart or petsmart. Also, with an aquarium with a hood, you will be able to see your fish so much better than you would if they were in a bowl. Dwarf puffers are very cute little guys, as are the african dwarf frogs and bettas, (check out a store that tends to specialize in fish rather than dabble in everything for some awesome looking fish) but if you are determined to stay with a no filter no heater bowl, you should probably stick to the first suggestion from Raskolnikov - fake fish. At least those won't ever go belly-up on you.
 
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