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I really know nothing about fish tanks myself but if all that is too much to take on at first, what about just a small tank to start with one betta and then moving up from there? Are there any other fish that would be good in small tanks like in the 1-5 gallon size range? I am asking for myself if I wanted a small tank.
Again if we remember that the smaller the amount of water, the greater the risk for problems, I personally like to suggest a minimum of 5 gallons for a betta. Others may disagree, this is just based on my experience with these guys. Very small amounts of water are very hard to heat properly. I keep mine in an 8 gallon filtered tank with a heater.
There are probably a few other species that will do okay in a very small tank, but they are more uncommon in the aquarium trade and are more advanced than a betta. Even then I think the absolute minimum I’d try is 5 gallons, mostly due to water quality and heating issues. Bettas are beautiful, hardy when kept in a healthy way, and commonly kept and bred in captivity; they are a good choice.
Some people like Endler’s Livebearers for very small tanks. These are best kept in male only groups since reproduction (they also breed very freely) would end up overpopulating a small tank very rapidly.
There are other species of very tiny fish but really I urge a lot of caution to unexpereinced keepers as they tend to be delicate.
I love keeping my little tanks populated with nothing but hardy types of freshwater shrimp. I find them endlessly entertaining and easy to keep once the tank is well established. These tanks also run a filter and heater, so really need to be large enough to accommodate those items (5-8 gallons seems like the smallest that one can filter and heat with any consistency… and not create a raging whirlpool!).
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comBy the way, when you see photos of really cute, TINY aquariums with fish and perfect plants online, know that many of those are either kept by experts that live and breathe fishkeeping, OR they are displays only and are meant to be temporary, such as in competitions or to do a product photo shoot. If you have a lot of time daily to test and maintain water quality, sometimes it can be done with research. Most casual hobbyists will find disappointment and failures with tiny tanks.
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comI agree shrimp are awesome tank animals. I have a 10 gallon tank with 4 ghost shrimp. i enjoy watching them flit about and i also like watching them eat stuff since you can see through them.
First off I must say, Jennifer your tank is absolutely stunning!! I always envied those people who had gorgeous planted tanks 🙂
I see, like myself, there are lots of aquarium enthusiasts here, that’s awesome. I used to be big into the hobby and had 10 tanks on the go at one point and even had a saltwater tank. My weekends were spent doing water changes lol! I used to breed the bristlenose pleco, angel fish, and fancy guppies. And I also was a moderator on an aquarium society forum. Alas,I got out of the hobby years back and just can’t bring myself to get another tank. I guess for me it turned more into work and was no longer an enjoyable hobby.
A few little tips that I’m not sure others mentioned or not, if they were mentioned though sorry for repeating them. If you have a local aquarium club you may be able to get mulm from them. The club I was in did that. Mulm is depris from a healthy cycled tanks filter. Sometimes the person would just give you a dirty sponge from their filter. This in a sense helps you get your tank cycled, as it’s providing your new tank with the nitryfing bacteria that you need in your filter. These good bacteria are what break down ammonia and nitrites which are toxic to your fish. Even if you know someone who has a healthy tank maybe you can some from them, just be sure though that’s is a healthy tank and not one with any sick or diseased fish.
Also, when you clean your tank and filter in the future, I suggest never doing a 100% water change as this can shock the fish. Rather a 10-15% water change a week is what I used to do. Also never toss out your filter media as it contains the good bacteria that you need. Rather just rinse it out, in some of the dirty water that you had removed from your tank. Remember not to rinse it in chlorinated water as this may kill off the good bacteria….and that reminds me to also mention that you need to use chlorine remover in your water before adding it to your tank, if your tap water is chlorinated that is.
In my filters (I used aqua clear hang on the back style) I only ever used sponge inserts. Some people say you need charcoal inserts etc, but I never used those unless I had medicated the tank, then I would use charcoal to help remove the med once I was finished treating the tank. One every few weeks I would take the dirty sponges and squeeze them out in some tank water I was discarding to clean them, then I would put them back in the filter. In all the years I kept fish I never threw out any of my sponge inserts 🙂
OK, so that’s just a few tips from my own experience. Other fish keepers have different methods that work for them also, I’m not saying you have to do things this way, it’s just what worked for me and what I had learned from my fish club years back. There could be even better methods now that I’m not aware of 🙂
Best of luck! I’d love to hear what fish etc you decide to start out with.
Oh and one last tip, if you do get some live plants,
do watch out for snails and snail eggs on them. Some snails are very beneficial while others may eat your plants 🙂Well, Jennifer and everyone else gave you some great advice, so I’ll just sit here enjoying that there are other aquarium enthusiasts here! (Proud mama of 3 betta boys)
Finding happiness again.
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