Hi there,

I am not new to keeping fish, but rusty! I havent had fish in acouple of years and am looking into getting a new tank. Does anyone have a mini bow 2.5 gallon or 5 gallon? If so, how do you like it? Which one would be the better one to get? Im looking to purchase one this week!

Thanks!

Generally the only 2.5 G gallon tanks I keep are for bettas. The biggest issue with small tanks like that is the super limited selection of fish for them.

That being said, if you can find the right equipment set-ups, well planted small tanks for killis. bettas, or dwarf puffers do look very nice! And bowfront tanks do have an elegant look them, although some people dislike the distortion.

Thanks for the responce! How many fish can you keep in the 2.5 vs the 5? The type of fish I was thinking of was guppies, mollies, swordtails and maybe a betta. I have other tanks set up in my house in case there are babies!

Thanks!

the general rule is 1" of fish per us gallon of water

so for the 2.5 you can have 2.5" of fish, for the 5 you can have 5" of fish.

doulbe the tank size, double the no of fish.

now bear in mind that most of the really small fish such as tetra's and rasbora's need to be kept in groups of 6+, a group of 6 of them would be far too much for the 2.5 and would be a heavy stocking but bearable in the 5 gal tank.

in the 2.5 you could have a trio of guppies.

mollies and swordies get a bit big for either tank.

a betta could work in either (although i think they do much better with 5gals+) but they need to be kept in a tank by themselves.

the other thing to consider is not just the no of fish you can have but the stability of the tank and the maintenance it takes. the larger the body of water the more stable it is, this means that it's easier to take care of, a v small tank like the 2.5 is v unforgiving, if you forget weekly maintenance or over feed by mistake then you'll most likley nuke the tank. The 5 gal will be a little more fogiving.

all this being said though, really i'd advise looking for something more around the 20gal mark, it'll be a whole lot easier to handle and you'll have a lot more options for fish.

Hello,

I have a mini bow 2.5 that was given to me and even with the adjustments ive made (better filter, and heater) i still think it is kinda small for my 1 betta. I really wouldnt recommend them for trying to do anything else other than just a betta. If you can i would try to at least go with a 10 gallon. Im not sure about where you are but here the minibow 5 gallon is about 40 bucks and has no heater. Here they also have a ten gallon kit that has a heater and more space for about 20 bucks more. I think you would be better off going bigger if possible.

-Alex

Ok, so im thinking the 5 gallon may be a better way to go. So apro 1 fish per gallon, so about 5 maybe 6 fish could go in the 5 gallon? What types of fish do you suggest? Maybe a pleco? Two or three guppies? Two mollies? Bear in mind that if they get to big, I do have other tanks to put them in. Would those fish be ok with a betta?

ok well the general rule is 1inch of adultfish to 1 gallon of water, not 1 fish to a gallon. A pleco is definately out of the question (imo) becasue they get REALLY big. You may seem them and think well they havent grown so dont need to move them to a bigger tank yet which would stunt their growth. I think a few guppies or a few mollies would be ok? not sure on the mollies thou. as far as dealing with the betta that would depend on the individual temperment of the betta. Mine is a really nasty lil bugger who doesnt want anyone else around. Some people have tried it and succeeded, but if youf gonna try make sure you have a back up plan if it doesnt work out. I dont think the betta and guppies would get along becasue of the longer fins. Also this is based on a male bette which is far more agressive.

IMO its too small for mollies, i would go with either the betta or guppies as they don't tend to get on, a group of 5 male guppies would work

Ahh, ok. Maybe I will go with some fancy guppies. They are always pretty to look at! If I wanted a betta, what could go with him?

Depends on the temperment of the betta but generally they dont like thinks with flowing fins as it reminds them of other betta and will attack. I wouldnt suguest it.

If ya buy the 2.5 minibow kit at walmart or somewhere it comes with a Tetra Micro Filter + water conditioner and food, it's like $26 and buy a little heater (junior heater) for $7 then I'd buy a betta.

The bigger the better. I would stay away from anything under 5g you cant ask for much out of it. 20g preferably the minimum for me.

definatley don't put a betta in with guppies, the betta will kill the guppies. cos they have long flowing tails they think it's another betta and will attack them........ they're not called siamese fighting fish for nothing!

So what could go with the betta?

here's a link about betta tankmates

http://www.fishforums.net/content/Bettas/9...etta-Tankmates/

generally speaking they are best kept alone

sweet i had my info correct. thanks miss wiggle.

I may start with one betta and then try something else... Not sure yet..

OK all, I decided on the 2.5 gallon and one female betta. Any suggestions on what to put with her? Thanks!

I wouldn't add any more fish.

for a 2.5G just leave it as a betta tank either for 1 female or 1 male.

The tank is not large enough to put anything else in it with a betta.