Desk Tank

[twitchymole]

i just bought a small tank...about a gallon maybe 2. i would like to keep a juvenile green terror in there just so i can watch something while i'm at work. i'll probably throw him in my big tank when he gets bigger. but for now i was just wondering if anyone's got any advice on how to set it up. it's so small i feel kinda stupid buying a heater and furniture and all that. i know i need a pump...but anything else. any advice would be helpful. oh as far as water treatment and bacteria stuff goes...any advice on that would help too (i already have hard water coming out my tap).

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you can't put a GT in a 1 or 2 gallon tank, not even a baby one.

have a read of the link in my sig about fishless cycling which should explain how to safely set up a tank before getting fish.

I'd advise you to get a slightly bigger tank, something like 5 gallons is really the smallest I'd keep anything in and doesn't take up too much room for a desk top tank. with a 1/2 gallon tank you can't really keep many fish, even with a 5 gallon tank your options are severley limited to maybe 2/3 species

 

[dwarfgourami]

With a tank that small I would go for some small and colourful shrimps instead of fish. The one fish people might mention as a possibility for this tank is a betta- opinions are divided as to whether bettas should be in tanks this small or not, I don't feel qualified to comment on this. But cherry shrimps would make a very interesting tank to watch and you needn't worry about them overloading it.

If you are able to go up to 5 gallons, there are more options: definitely a betta, or heterandria formosa, or a sparkling gourami, or dwarf frogs, or several different shrimps to choose from, or male endlers, or pygmy corys, or killifish of various kinds, or ember tetras, or microrasboras.

 

[Matty P]

Yeh dwarfgourami is right, a couple of shrimp or frogs would also be nice, even can be a bit more interesting than fish!

Matt

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I agree with Miss Wiggle, a 1 or 2gal tank is no place for a fish like a green terror. Go for shrimp, snails, frogs or a betta/siamese fighting fish instead .

 

[fishkers]

Personally I would put a betta in it. They are neat and great desk mates. I have one on my desk it gives me something to look at when i'm trying to think...

 

[ryguy]

mabye dwark frogs or even shrimp or a betta but not a fish like a gt that would be horrible to do. it would die.

 

[blcknwitecuban]

i would put a dwarf gourami and mayb some smaller shrimp like ghosts. i've heard the gouramis are better suited for living w/o a heater than bettas but im not sure. dwarf gouramis sure are pretty tho

 

[Matty P]

Dwarf Gouramis grow up to 2" so need a minimum of 5gal, so that isn't possible with a 1-2 gal tank.

Matt

 

[twitchymole]

i moved them...now it's a tank where i keep the feeder fish for my 3 pirahnas, and 2 managuenses.