What To Do

[kizno1]

my mum wont let me get any think to make the bill more but dosnt mind if i change my tanks aslong as it costs the same or less
i have 1 betta in a 3g tank with a 25w heater
2 honey gouramis in a 5g tank with a 50w heater
3mollies 3 guppies 3 platys and 2 corys in a 12g tank with a 50w heater

 

[Honeythorn]

What's the biggest size tank you can get? By which I mean, can you buy a bigger tank than 12 gallons?

If you can get a 20-30 gallon, you can put the mollies, guppies, platies and cories in there, along with the honey gouramis and a couple more cories as they like to be in groups. You'd only need to use one 50watt heater plus a filter.

Then, you can put the betta in the 12 gallon where he should have been from the beginning, with a 50 watt heater and a filter. Or divide it for two males.

Alternatively, you could have a group of female bettas in the 12 gallon, or some other small fish, and put the male betta in a 5 gallon which is really the minimum you should keep a single betta in.

The 3 gallon is too small for a betta but could make a great little shrimp tank. Add a sponge filter to run that ( you can make a sponge filter if you check out the link in the DIY thread, there's one stickied ) and you could have some cherry shrimp.

 

[kizno1]

usind the same amount of electricity i alredy have its 225l

 

[Honeythorn]

so about 55 gallons roughly.

Ok. well you could get a 55 gallon , put all the fish except the betta in that, and keep the betta in the 5 gallon ( the 5 gallon will not make much of a difference to the electricity bill )

If you had all your fish besides the betta in a 55 gal, you would be able to get 4-6 more cories, as they like to be in groups, and a few other fish too. The betta would be fine by himself in a 5 gal.

OR, get a 30 gallon, get 6 more cories for that , and split the 12 gallon for two male bettas. Then keep the 5 and 3 gals for spares.

 

[kizno1]

do you think i could put about 5 fetherfin rainbows in the 55g or do you think that would be to much

 

[Honeythorn]

Featherfin I've not heard of. Did you mean threadfin rainbows? Those would go in there well enough.

 

[ChiNA MaN]

honeythorn's idea of 55g is good

 

[kizno1]

my mum wont let me get a 55g and have the 5 g set up so would it be ok to divide of some of the tank for the betta

 

[Honeythorn]

Yes that would work. Section off a 10 inch long section at one end for him, and make sure the divider is very high, if the tank has a cover glass or splash tray when you get it, the divider must almost touch it so he can't jump over.

Obviously you'd need to put it in before adding water, so you must cut the divider so that it is a very tight fit on the edges of the glass. The betta musn't be able to get through round the sides.

Some people silicone the dividers to the glass at the edges to make things a bit more permanent , but you may not want to do this unless you plan to always have a betta in that section.

As long as you make a good fit and do not silicone the edges, when the betta dies you can simply remove the divider to make the tank whole again.

 

[kizno1]

do you think i could have it upstares or would the floor not take the weight
im not allowed to have it downstais because theres no room and i have to younger brother 4 and 8 years old and they climd up everythink and jump around the house

 

[kizno1]

bump

 

[indigoj]

I've had a 20 (uk) gal upstairs but it depends on your floors whether it would stand a 55.

Remember a bigger tank will also need a bigger filter - one that is built for at least a 250l tank preferably bigger and a 225l will need about 150-200w heater.

 

[kizno1]

yh i know ill have to buy the fillter and every thing im just worried upstairs wount take it
i dont know if it makes any diffrence but it would br going in my room that was an extention and its only 3yrs old so i dont know if it would be stronger

 

[indigoj]

It means it is fairly easy to find out - ask your mum to have a chat to whoever built it, the builder should know what sort of weight it could stand. I'm not sure but I think it will have something to do with where the supports are and which way the floorboards run - someone more technically minded will know for certain.

In my old house I wouldn't risk it!

 

[kizno1]

ill get my mum to do that we probaly wont see him for agers because he still has lil jods left to do from 3yr ago and every time my mum calls him he says hell come round soon