First Time Fish Keeper - Help Me For My 5 Year Olds Sake!

[AmazonFTW]

A 15L tank is very small in my opinion and very little could actually be kept in it. Shrimp are probably your best bet. You could try Endler's livebearers, they would probably be ok.

I would strongly recommend you get a bigger tank though if you want to become serious about keeping fish, and as others have said, the larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain (and the nicer, bigger species you can keep).

Black moors (and all other goldfish) should not be kept in a tank under 100L and again, the bigger the better. It's not commonly realised but goldfish can reach 20cm in size!

Good Luck,
AmazonFTW

 

[eaglesaquarium]

On the other hand, I got two ADFs (in an 80l) for my son last year, and despite everything I did we lost them both within a month....

There's always someone who manages to do everything wrong and gets away with it; but that doesn't mean we should start recommending it!

I suppose so. I know absolutely nothing about ADFs, except for what he is doing with them, and it is working really well. But, I don't know that he is doing "everything" wrong.


from http/aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id13.html

Filtration keeps the water clean but a filter is not needed. In small tanks (3 gallons and smaller) i would not use a filter. Most small tanks that size come with internal filters powered by an airstone. This is a bad idea for dwarf frogs since they are sensitive to water vibrations. I would discard the internal filter and just do weekly water changes. In tanks larger then 3 gallons i would use a Whisper powerfilter. It is the quietest of all hanging filters and has least amount of surface disturbance. There is no need to overfilter if you tank is just dedicated to dwarfs (or the occasional snail or algea eater).

That seems to be exactly what my brother was doing. Let's be clear - frogs are not fish, and require DIFFERENT care. I am far from an expert, but I do know that.

 

[Inchworm]

Let's try to keep things on topic please. We have a new fishkeeper here who needs advice that is to the point, not a discussion on something else.

We do have the Invertebrates, Amphibians & Aquatic Reptiles section here, for those of you who would like to talk about frogs of any sort.

 

[marieukxx]

You need to use declorinator in all water that goes into the tank. The bottle will tell you how much. You need to cycle the tank, there are topics on how to do this here. Lastly the tank is very small. No way can you keep the fish you asked about in there. Maybe one Betta fish but tbh I think 15 litres isn't enough.

Don't blame yourself for not knowing all this I've just learnt all this stuff lately. It's surprising how much goes into setting up a new tank. I used to think you just switched it all on and bunged in the water and that's not so.

If you do go for a Betta or shrimp you're gonna need a little heater in there too. But like I said I still think it's even to small for one Betta but that's just my opinion. I am setting up a 21 litre for a Betta at the mo.

Betta fish are stunning fish also known as Siamese Fighting Fish. That should impress your boy lol.

Just make sure you declorinate your water and cycle the tank first and test with an API Master Test Kit to ensure the water is safe and the tank is cycled BEFORE adding any fish. There's loads of advice here on test results and cycling.

 

[StandbySetting]

Commonly available Shrimp wouldn't require a heater, fish I feel are suitable:
A single Betta, A single Dwarf Puffer, small members of the Boraras genus such as Boraras micros, Boraras merah and Boraras urophthalmoides.

Also if you're in the UK and looking for a test kit, go for the Saliferts and not the API, the price difference is negligible compared to the vast differences in accuracy and consistency, the Saliferts make the API kit look terrible.

 

[nosoup4you]

To be fair, the chlorine will have evaporated out after 24 hours. No real need for a dechlorinator at this time unless it also deals with heavy metals and such.

Triops would be a pretty awesome critter for your kid. You buy the eggs at hobby shops, add spring water, and watch them grow. They start out teeny, barely visible, and double in size every day for the first week or so. I just love to watch mine dig around in the sand.



Some people might find them a bit creepy, but I think they're adorable. They do have a relatively short lifespan, about a month or two, but in that lifespan, they lay hundreds of eggs. To restart your triops once they've all died, just drain the water from their tank and let the sand/gravel dry for a week, refill with spring water, and watch them grow.

They're also a pretty neat educational tool. They have a fossil record that dates back 300 million years. The eggs must undergo a period of drought to hatch. The eggs can actually be good indefinitely, if kept dry.

 

[Tolak]

A single betta would do well in that tank, depending on the footprint a group of one of the pygmy corys may be an option as well. If/when you do get a larger tank the smaller tank is a good quar/med tank.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Chloramines would not have evaporated though. It's better safe than sorry, if you ask me.

 

[StandbySetting]

As far as I am aware the filter bacteria are capable of breaking the Amine bond anyway, leaving chloride ions, which will evaporate off.

 

[dayzofspeed]

dont know a lot about them but would white cloud minnows be a possibility in this situation? i believe they can be kept with or without a heater and they are small, but as i said i dont know much about them

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I think they are swimmers - like zebra danios - so I believe they would not be appropriate in a 3 gallon tank.

 

[electropunk06]

dont know a lot about them but would white cloud minnows be a possibility in this situation? i believe they can be kept with or without a heater and they are small, but as i said i dont know much about them

white cloud minnows need more room than 15L they are quite active fish.

 

[lilfishie]

Hi Dleeh

Please don't feel you tank is too small for everything. I have on the same size housing a Male Betta (Siamese Fighter Fish) and he loves the space, you will need to buy a heater though.

Bettas are great colourful little fish and my 2 year old sister loves them, they also form a bond with there owners, which i'm sure your son would love

You could possibly have a few shrimp or small snails or as mentioned early the Dwarf frogs along with a Betta

 

[The chilly dipper]

it will take more than a week in my opinion
rodents smell and bite !!!!

hey you rats dont bite!! ,rats are tottally different ball game lol
but im glad your trying to get everythin right

 

[Randi]

I went through a similar situation with my 4 year old except we didn't research and his fish died. Waiting will be less traumatic than that so just take your time. In the end, the small tank has ended up on my husbands desk with a happy betta and some shrimp and my son loves the big tank in his room.