Small tanks

I am not EMG, but I do keep endler's livebearers. They can be kept without a heater--but one of the advantages of having a heater is a stable temperature. I keep my endler's at about 76 and they do really well. I have talked to my LFS (Uncle Ned's Fish Factory in Millis, MA, one of the best) and they recommend heaters for most fish primarily for the issue of stable temps. If you keep your house at the same temp all the time, I don't think it would be a problem, but we turn our temp down to 60 at night and weekdays when noone is home. That's a pretty drastic temp shift in a small tank.

The only tank I don't heat is my newts tank, where the temp stays about 70 year round.

Jackie
 
yeah, what Minnesota said. We don't turn out heaters down at my house...too lazy and we'd always forget..lol....so temps here are steady at 72F. I have a few endlers in my river tank and they do fine without a heater.

Minnesota.....do you have any pics of your tanks ?? Love to see them !

MissO....LOVE that 7 gallon ! Very nice job, it looks bigger than a 7 !
See, that is the fascination with small tanks that some just don't "get". If you work your scale right, it's amazing how they look like a miniature little world ! You just have to choose wisely what plants you use and the stock you choose, has to match the scale ..and of course....be able to do well in that tank size.

Bravo folks !! :thm:
 
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Just took this pic of my 2 gallon planted hex. This one has one betta and one little ghost shrimp. I have echo-complete substrate underneath the sand in here. I just cropped the plants back, so they're pretty sparse. That water sprite will fill in fast though.

DSC03024500.jpg
 
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Someday I will have pictures, really. . . I have taken them several times only to get a drive error during the process--we have a Sony that takes great pics but uses a disc and I have managed to botch the process the last threee times. GRRRRRRRR!!!!

Jackie
 
I have no problems with appropriate fish being kept in small aquariums if they are taken care of properly. I like to compare keeping a betta in a decent sized fish bowl to keeping a large oscar in a 75 gallon aquarium. Almost everyone will say a 75 is fine for a large oscar but alot of the same people would probably frown upon keeping a betta in a fish bowl because of lack of room, when in reality they would have similar swimming space.
 
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Thanks Rollin, I agree.

Small tanks aren't "BAD".......but like any other tank no matter the size, you have to consider what you put in it and be diligent about maintenance. Small tanks require more frequent cleanings, but....being so small....that can take maybe 10 minutes.
 
Exactly, you can't skip small tank maintenance, but then again it doesn't take long.

I was looking at my 2.5G today and it is sad looking. It used to have the endlers and I had this giant mountain of moss on one side that looked like a hill. I took it out and transferred it to the new 10G endler tank and the tank looks pretty grim. The anubias is growing new leaves and needs trimming, and the green spot algae is beginning to take over. I need to spend some time on it this weekend (and do taxes, fill out my grad school fin. aid forms, paint the bathroom, the hall, and the rest of the bedroom, and clean up the yard). Perhaps then another foray into picture taking.

On the plus side the newts are beginning to really explore the 20G long. The toad could be in a 2.5 gallon for the amount of movement he does but I guess it's good for when he gets spooked and races across the aquarium (he does this when I <gasp> put a cricket in and he gets startled). He is not the most brilliant toad.

Found blackworms in the Wilmington Pet Store--they are carrying them again if anyone wants them in the Boston area.

Jackie
 
EMG, what cool cool looking tanks.
i would love to have a minature betta tank like that .... (my parents will only let me have one tank :sad: )
 
EMG,
Some day, you are going to have to try hets in your micro tanks. I think you would have a blast with them. :)
Once the weather warms up, I am hoping to order some more and add them to a 10 gallon planted tank. :)
 
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