Fish question

twstychik

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I was thinking about getting my tank running again and I'm wondering what type of fish I should put in it. It's 2 or 2.5 gallons and I'm not really fish smart. I don't want to crowd my tank and I also don't want fish that will outgrow it. So, suggestions?

Also, how important is a hood/light? Mine has a cover/hood type thing w/ a very good filter system but no light?
 
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twstychik

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Anybody?

I'm searching the web and am leaning toward keeping a Betta in it. After looking I'm fairly sure it's a 3 gal. tank. I know thats bug enough for 1 male betta but could I also have a snail (or 2) and perhaps some tetras in there as well or would that be too crowded?
 

sharky

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one male betta with a fancy snail

three guppies( dont mix genders
)

three white clouds ( again one gender)

look up micro tanks for fish that max out at 1 or less
 
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twstychik

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Do you think a hood light is necessary?
 

sharky

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I have no light other than the room and natural ... My thought was how much light do wild fish get
 

goldenkitty45

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If its only 2 or 2 1/2 gallons you can't have more then one or two fish in there. The rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per inch of fish (when grown) (not including the tail).

Some fish will get bigger then 2 inches.

Personally I would not put any amount of fish in a tank that is less then 10 gallons!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

If its only 2 or 2 1/2 gallons you can't have more then one or two fish in there. The rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per inch of fish (when grown) (not including the tail).

Some fish will get bigger then 2 inches.

Personally I would not put any amount of fish in a tank that is less then 10 gallons!
the one gallon thing is not really true more of a beginner idea.... I have micro tanks .. it is one inch per gallon per level
... I have kept my micro tanks ( tanks under ten gallons) for many yrs now ....

Some fish dont use the gallon rule , guppies and clouds are two that dont and actually thrive in small enviorments... there is a whole mircro tank culture
..
 
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twstychik

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I'm pretty sure it's a 3 gal. I'll have to measure when I fill it to be sure but I'm leaning toward a single betta and perhaps a snail (to clean things up) and a small plant.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by twstychik

I'm pretty sure it's a 3 gal. I'll have to measure when I fill it to be sure but I'm leaning toward a single betta and perhaps a snail (to clean things up) and a small plant.
good plan ... if you dont have a filter( dont remember) ... use a few LIVE plants .. grasses work as they are low light
 

lonelykitten

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I would definetely do the betta, they are very easy to care for (guppes are too but I think bettas a little more so).

I do use lights in my tanks but mainly for me because my rooms get sort of dark so I use the fish tanks to brighten things up. It's really a personal preference but make sure they are only one for about 10-12 hours (not all the time. I do 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark.

I've got 4 tanks a 75 gallon freshwater, a 10 gallon saltwater, a 29 gallon freshwater and then we have a 55 gallon which will probably be salt but we just haven't gotten around to setting it up yet.
 
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twstychik

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Originally Posted by sharky

the one gallon thing is not really true more of a beginner idea.... I have micro tanks .. it is one inch per gallon per level
... I have kept my micro tanks ( tanks under ten gallons) for many yrs now ....

Some fish dont use the gallon rule , guppies and clouds are two that dont and actually thrive in small enviorments... there is a whole mircro tank culture
..
Do you have any resources for micro tanks (I tried google and didn't get much). Also, how can I find out what "level" certain fish are? I know some of the obvious ones. pleco's and cat fish being bottom fish and I I'm pretty sure I read that betta's are surface level fish.
Originally Posted by sharky

good plan ... if you dont have a filter( dont remember) ... use a few LIVE plants .. grasses work as they are low light
I defiantly want a live plant or two. I do have a filter but I want some foliage for the fish to hide & play in. So, either live or silk but I like live better.

I found this awesome fish forum (like a TCS for fish!) and everyone there seems to strongly recommend cycling your tank before adding fish so that the jump in amonnia from the new fish doesn't kill them. I'd like to do this w/ fish but if I do I need to find 2 not fancy mid-level fish so that if they survive I can keep them in the same tank and still add the betta. Of course, if they do survive I may decide to just keep them but I'd like the option of adding a betta later.
 

lonelykitten

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Don't cycle with fish it causes a lot of stress on the fish and could kill them.

If you do the betta you really don't even need to cycle just make sure to condition the water before you add any fish.

If you do cycle you can start the cycle with a little bit of fish food (although I have noticed this causes algea in some tanks).

Plecs also shouldn't be used in a tank your size maybe a snail would work though (I've never had good luck with snails as cleaners). Lots of Plecs get REALLY big. I have one right now who has almost outgrown our 75 gallon tank!
 
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twstychik

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Originally Posted by sharky

NO NO dont need to use a fish to cycle .... actually I dont cycle anything 3 gallons or under ... Pm me

http://www.fishaholics.org/

www.aquariumadvice.com

white clouds( ie cute minnows) are good for mid level in a small tank... I started out with a male betta and two clouds
Thanks! I'll be sending a PM in a bit.

Originally Posted by lonelykitten

Don't cycle with fish it causes a lot of stress on the fish and could kill them.

If you do the betta you really don't even need to cycle just make sure to condition the water before you add any fish.

If you do cycle you can start the cycle with a little bit of fish food (although I have noticed this causes algea in some tanks).

Plecs also shouldn't be used in a tank your size maybe a snail would work though (I've never had good luck with snails as cleaners). Lots of Plecs get REALLY big. I have one right now who has almost outgrown our 75 gallon tank!
I'm aware that it could kill them which is why I was wondering how necessary cycling really is. I mean, I've never done it before, or even heard of it, and most of my past fish have had pretty long lives.

Oh, and I don't do well with Plecos. I know they can get very big (I've seen some huge ones) and for some reason I can't keep them alive.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by lonelykitten

Don't cycle with fish it causes a lot of stress on the fish and could kill them.

If you do the betta you really don't even need to cycle just make sure to condition the water before you add any fish.

If you do cycle you can start the cycle with a little bit of fish food (although I have noticed this causes algea in some tanks).

Plecs also shouldn't be used in a tank your size maybe a snail would work though (I've never had good luck with snails as cleaners). Lots of Plecs get REALLY big. I have one right now who has almost outgrown our 75 gallon tank!
Just an FYI there are 100's of plecos that never exceed 4 -6 inches ... I keep one that maxed at just under 3 and will get another that stays under 2

www.plecofanatics.com
 
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