A Christmas Present

[furry catfish]

Hi everyone I know it is a while untill christmas but my little sister was in a garden center yesterday and she told me she saw a beautiful fish,so I asked her what it was but she forgot but I guessed it might of been a betta so i looked up betta in google image and she said I was right.So anyway she has a very small tank with nothing in it. and I was thinking I could make her a betta tank for christmas,it is one of those small upwards mermaid tanks if you have seen it in the pet stores.So the question is:how do I make it? I know she would like a natural planted tank but there are no lightsexcept for a small bedside lamp,I have a month and a bit to cycle the tank and I have already got the substrate and a few small snails which I wa shousing in the tank before I used it.I would also maybe include 2 crystal red shrimp with the male betta.

thanks

chris

 

[loraxchick]

sounds good if heated and filtered...and will be ready just in time for christmas! lots of live plants...should do ok with the lanmp...compact fluorescent would be better for them than incandescent.
cheers!

 

[furry catfish]

Thanks by the way I just calculated,it's a 3.5 gallon fish tank

 

[Curiosity101]

^^ Is it this one?

If so it's 17l, nice shape...I like it

Accessories...
Clip on Light - Search for one on Ebay UK. You can get all sorts. I saw one for £7.50 + £5 p+p
Small piece of mopani wood (to be a cave, to attach java fern and/or anubias too) £3-8 depending where you get it from

Then plants...
Cabomba - 5 for £2.35 (Ebay)
Java Fern - £2.50 for a bunch (Ebay)
Anubias nana - £2.50 - £3 (Ebay)
Cryptocoryne - £3 a pot (Ebay)

Obviously all the plants I listed are from Ebay, but here is a link...
Guide on where to buy plants online

Hopefully that will help.

Oh, one final thing. If you're planting the tank up, then consider a black background...it REALLY shows off the greens of the plants, and makes the fish stand out.

My suggestion would be to wrap everything seperately...then it'll keep her quiet christmas day getting it all ready. You could pick the fish up a couple of days before, and keep it in a 1gal tub temporarily. A couple of days with 100% water changes shouldn't harm it

 

[Honeythorn]

I'd get her a bigger tank altogether since 3.5 gallons is too small by far.

Keep some plants and decor for it in your own tank until it's time to set it up. You can also get a small cannister or sponge filter for the tank and keep it in your own tank to cycle. Cycling takes around 1 month so the filter would be ready and safe for the betta in times for xmas.

 

[Curiosity101]

Oh and about £5 to replace the pink lid with a piece of clear perspex (to let the light through). Or if you could find a second hand picture frame (charity shop?), you could get a nice piece of glass for the lid for only a small amount.

Then all you'd need is some sort of clip to keep the lid on.
Just an idea.

 

[furry catfish]

I'd get her a bigger tank altogether since 3.5 gallons is too small by far.

Keep some plants and decor for it in your own tank until it's time to set it up. You can also get a small cannister or sponge filter for the tank and keep it in your own tank to cycle. Cycling takes around 1 month so the filter would be ready and safe for the betta in times for xmas.

^^ Is it this one?

If so it's 17l, nice shape...I like it

Accessories...
Clip on Light - Search for one on Ebay UK. You can get all sorts. I saw one for £7.50 + £5 p+p
Small piece of mopani wood (to be a cave, to attach java fern and/or anubias too) £3-8 depending where you get it from

Then plants...
Cabomba - 5 for £2.35 (Ebay)
Java Fern - £2.50 for a bunch (Ebay)
Anubias nana - £2.50 - £3 (Ebay)
Cryptocoryne - £3 a pot (Ebay)

Obviously all the plants I listed are from Ebay, but here is a link...
Guide on where to buy plants online

Hopefully that will help.

Oh, one final thing. If you're planting the tank up, then consider a black background...it REALLY shows off the greens of the plants, and makes the fish stand out.

My suggestion would be to wrap everything seperately...then it'll keep her quiet christmas day getting it all ready. You could pick the fish up a couple of days before, and keep it in a 1gal tub temporarily. A couple of days with 100% water changes shouldn't harm it

That is exactly it(exept in a lot worse shape ).But she will be getting a lot of other presents and she doesn't know much about cycling a tank so I will set it up for her.

Oh and about £5 to replace the pink lid with a piece of clear perspex (to let the light through). Or if you could find a second hand picture frame (charity shop?), you could get a nice piece of glass for the lid for only a small amount.

Then all you'd need is some sort of clip to keep the lid on.
Just an idea.

well either way I'm going to have to replace the lid with something because it is almost broken and I hear that breathing to much cold air is unhealthy for it.So I will start setting it up tommorow afternoon

also I swear bettas can live in 1 gallon tanks?

 

[Curiosity101]

I worked the tank out at 17l (4.5 US Gal), which although I wouldn't put a betta in anything less that 5gal (personal preference), it should give the fish a good life.

You are right...bettas can live in 1gal tanks. Though I use the term loosly...it's more 'survive'.
I understand why breeders keep fish in such conditions, but the fish you're talking about is a pet. Don't you think your pet deserves more than the bare minimum?

Apart from anything else, larger body of water = more stable conditions and less work for the owner!
Weekly changes as opposed to daily...plus you can put more decorations in, and it opens up the possibility for tank mates.

 

[Honeythorn]

A betta can survive in a 1 gallon tank as it has evolved to be able to survive in small amounts of dirty low oxygenated water in the dry season in the wild. , but this is an exceptionally vile size of container to keep one in and there is no conceievable excuse for keeping a fish in there permanently .

1 gallon provides no swimming space, is virtually impossible to heat and filter and thus requires daily large water changes which are very stressful for the fish. If water changes are not done then ammonia and nitrites will shoot through the roof and the betta will very quickly become sick.

There is absolutely no logical reason whatsoever, for keeping a fish in a pot that mimics the conditions in which their wild counterparts die in their hundreds , if not thousands in the wild. Survival does not equal quality of life.

5 gallons is a safe minimum size for a betta tank, it's a very commonly available size of tank and second hand ones are cheap as chips on ebay. I bought my 5 gal aquastart 320 from a car boot sale for £8 and it's in perfect condition.

5 gals will also very comfortable fit on a solid wood desk, small table, chest of drawers or kitchen worktop with no trouble at all if you don'thave a stand for the tank. 12-14 square inches of space is all that's required for a square or hexagonal 5 gallon and those are very common as I say.

It's also the easiest size for which you can install basic sponge or cannister filters without using up swimming space , and most heaters fit in them fine as well.

5 gals is also easier to keep stable than smaller sizes. The basic rule is, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep the water stable ( with correct fish stocking of course ) Asingle betta in a heated and filtered 5 gallon is less likely to suffer disease from water quality than one in tank half the size, because the larger amount of water and espescially the filtration dilute his waste . I only have to do a water change once a week on Bronson's tank and his ammonia and nitrites stay at zero. On a smaller tank you'd have to do water changes every 3 days or so to keep things steady.


If your sister is relaitvely young or simply inexperienced with keeping fish, then a larger tank makes even more sense from an owners perspective since she will need a simple to care for set up, that won't have waste building up and diseases threatening if she happens to miss a water change. I cannot stress the importance of a filter enough as if you do miss a change for whatever reason ( illness ect) your fish can survive a lot better with the bacterial colony in the media keeping the ammonia low until you can do a water change or get someone to do one for you.

 

[furry catfish]

But isn't a 4.5 gallon close enought to 5 gallon? and I will be doing the water changes for her untill she is responsible enough to do it her self

 

[Truck]

4.5 gallons is fine IMO, there are no definite rules with regards to tank size, its just common sense, personally I think 3 gallons is fine.

 

[Honeythorn]

You said 3.5 earlier. 4.5 is as close as *** I guess. But as I say, make sure to get a good filter. A sponge filter is a safe type for bettas as they have a very low/no current .

It will save you having to hunt for one with a low enough flow or modifying one with a flow that's too strong.

 

[furry catfish]

yea sorry about that i must have added it up wrong but i will search ebay for a sponge filter

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Hi,

One of my bettas is in a smaller tank (she's in a 3-gallon). Keep in mind, the more gravel you put in, the less room is left for water. For my tank, she has very little gravel. Possibly around 1/2". . .and I've minimized decorations so there is more water room.

A good 25-watt heater is essential for that size. Marineland makes a good one. There is a hydor mini-hydor heater I quickly mention because it's recommended for smaller tanks (2-5 gallons: it won't properly heat up a 2-5 gallon tank like the box says. Right now I have *two* of them in my 3-gallon because it's becoming colder where I live and my tank is near a window.

Good luck and post photos when the tank is all set up.

 

[dthoffsett]

furry catfish - that tank is just fine for a betta, I'm sure your sister will love what you do with it.