Musical Tanks: 5 10 20 Gallons...

[soritan]

I recently purchased a 20 US Gallon High tank, 24 1/4 x12 1/2 x16 3/4 inches. So I'm going to empty out my 10gal and replace it with my 20gal. This is necesseary, and unavoidable. The 20gal must be in the same spot my 10gal is. My 20gal will be "instantly cycled", because I'll be using the same filter and most of the same substrate.

Sooo, I've been mulling over how to shuffle about my fish/frogs/inverts/things which swim. If you've an opinion on the matter, I'd be pleased to hear it:

Fish:
(2) Betta Splendens, one male and one female.
(1) Otocinclus (he's been alive for a full month now!)
(3) African Dwarf Frogs
(3) Albino Cories
(2) Ghost Shrimp

Tanks:

(1) 20 US Gallon High, 24 1/4 x12 1/2 x16 3/4 inches

• "instantly cycled", Aquaclear HOB style
• Heated to 78F
• Heavily planted
• Sand and laterite substrate
• Bogwood

(1) 5.5 US Gallon 16 3/16 x 8 3/8 x10 1/2 inches

• Biologically filtered
• Sand substrate
• Silk plants only
• Caves
• Bogwood
• Heated to 85F

The female betta must be in the 20g High, and the male betta must be in the 5.5g.

I'm thinking of putting all the cories, shrimps and the oto into the 20, with the female betta. She isn't aggressive towards other fish, so far. To that, I might add 3 (or so) other cories... I'm favoring peppered or schwartzi. I'd create a betta sorority, except that I'd prefer not to risk a she-battle of dominance, in there. Uta is fine with other fish, so long as she's got room to swim around and investigate things.

For the frogs, I'm thinking of moving all of them to the 5.5g with the male betta. I know that'll make me a shade overstocked in that tank, but the tank is biologically filtered and I clean it daily with a turkey baster, as well as do a water change at least once a week. I don't know that they'd be happier with more swimming room or not, though. I mostly want to move them over so that they'd a) be easier to feed, and b ) be in a tank with greater cover, they really like to hide.

Maybe I'll move my male betta back into a 1.77g bowl I just picked up, except that I think being in the 5.5g is really enriching his little life, ya know?

Can't think of what else you'd ask me, tried to include as much info as possible.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi soritan

Your ADFs will do just fine with the betta in the small tank, providing it has a secure cover.

 

[soritan]

It almost makes me feel guilty. They're so active in the 10 gallon. I read reports of them being still and boring, but I see mine swimming about all the time. Maybe because my 10 is heavily planted, they feel more secure?

I have 2 issues with putting them into the 20g... first, they'd be bothersome to hand feed in there, and with the added fish everyone wants the worms intended for the frogs, and second, because my 20g will be planted, it tends to be hotter than my 5g, which isn't. I know I have the stats listed reverse in my first post, but I forgot about the whole 'hot lights' thing. I'd be willing to bring my 5.5g down a little to make the frogs happier. My 5.5g is at 86F for the benefit of my elderly male betta.

 

[soritan]

And then I went "click".

I have an empty 5.3g tank. What If I put 1 betta and 3 ADFs into the 5.5g tank, 1 betta into the 5.3g tank, and the remaining fish (1 otto, 3 cories), into the 20g tank? That'd leave me open enough for a proper shoal of cories and a few others, right?

I have some money to toss about this month (how rare), I can also purchase a 2.5g for my male, and put the female into the 5.5g... but I'd prefer to keep my bettas in 5g tanks, so I can put heaters in.

 

[lisie]

I have heaters in my 2.5 gallon betta tanks. WalMart has little mini heaters for tanks that are 2-5 gallons, but you might be able to get one somewhere else too.

 

[soritan]

I have no walmart, also those small heaters don't actually heat to a degree -- they only heat a few degrees above room temperature. Especially in the summer time, when I have fans and the heat totally off, it will be especially cool in here, and I'd prefer to have a heater set to 78F, rather than a heater that'd only heat a 2g tank 4-5 degrees above room temperature.

A 2.5gal All-Glass tank would be the perfect size for my desk, and I'd love to have my male betta sitting back next to me, but I'd rather fork over a little more money and get him a good heater.

Unless, did they start making heaters for 2.5g tanks, and I somehow missed it?

 

[lisie]

Oh okay, I guess that wouldn't work for you then. I found this online, but it doesn't look like you adjust it to a temperature... just heats the water a few degrees above the room temperature, like you said.

 

[soritan]

Yep. That also only heats a few degrees above room temperature. It's an ideal solution for many people, but like those with unheated tanks... it's dependant on external stability -- in otherwords, a room whose temperature stays the same, which I don't plan on having all the time.

Sad to say, it's not what I need, which means that my boy must 'suffer' through a larger tank.


*edit: Actually, he did hate the larger tank, at first. The addition of caves seems to have allowed him to climb over that stump.

 

[lisie]

Oh well. Someone should invent a cool little -real- heater for aquariums that size. *nods*