Fish?!?!

[chuwchew123]

So my mom said that I can get a fish/tank, she'll only let me get a 5lb tank at the most. What fish can survive in a 5lb tank and how many? I know a beta can, but can they have any others with them? I really just want one fish, also this will be my first fish, so I'm inexperienced about fish.  

[Eizoryu]

5 gallon or 5 liter? Right now you've got a unit of mass (lb=pounds) in your post, not volume. xD

Regardless, that's a small tank, so you're really very limited in terms of available species. If all you want is one, a betta is appropriate.

But in order for a betta to thrive, having a heater and a low-flow or baffled filter is a major recommendation. Bettas are tropical fish, and thrive in temperatures of around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Silk or live plants are also recommended, to cut down on damaged fins, and smooth hiding places. Some people use little terra cotta flowerpots as hiding places, for example.  

[chuwchew123]

Eizoryu

5 gallon or 5 liter? Right now you've got a unit of mass (lb=pounds) in your post, not volume. xD

Regardless, that's a small tank, so you're really very limited in terms of available species. If all you want is one, a betta is appropriate.

But in order for a betta to thrive, having a heater and a low-flow or baffled filter is a major recommendation. Bettas are tropical fish, and thrive in temperatures of around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Silk or live plants are also recommended, to cut down on damaged fins, and smooth hiding places. Some people use little terra cotta flowerpots as hiding places, for example.

I meant gallon, don't know what I was typing...Also if its just one beta what is smallest tank I could get?  

[Eizoryu]

chuwchew123

Eizoryu

5 gallon or 5 liter? Right now you've got a unit of mass (lb=pounds) in your post, not volume. xD

Regardless, that's a small tank, so you're really very limited in terms of available species. If all you want is one, a betta is appropriate.

But in order for a betta to thrive, having a heater and a low-flow or baffled filter is a major recommendation. Bettas are tropical fish, and thrive in temperatures of around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Silk or live plants are also recommended, to cut down on damaged fins, and smooth hiding places. Some people use little terra cotta flowerpots as hiding places, for example.

I meant gallon, don't know what I was typing...Also if its just one beta what is smallest tank I could get?

lol I kind of figured as much. x3 We all have typos.

General consensus among betta-passionate people says that a 3 gallon is the absolute smallest recommended for betta keeping. Anything smaller is difficult/impossible to safely heat. But a betta would be much happier in a 5g. More room.

But it also depends on how much space you have. Try to go with the largest you can afford. 3nodding  

[Celestial Fireflies]

I would agree that 3 gallons would be good, but 5 gallons would be better. My coworkers disagree with me that bettas are an active fish, but every one I've had in my 5gal has been extremely active and looked as happy as a fish can look. My first one lived about 3 years under my care, and he was already full-grown when I got him. My second one did get sick, but it wasn't long after I got him, so I think that one was a store issue. My third one, I've only had since around Christmas (I think), but he's very active.

So, when you get your fish tank, one thing you want to know is that you do NOT want to put the fish in right away. You need to do something called cycling, which is essentially starting up the ecosystem in your tank that maintains good water quality. While bettas are a little bit different (I know plenty of people who have put their bettas in new tanks without adverse effect), having good water quality is still important and I do recommend cycling before adding him.

So what is cycling? Well, it's establishing the bacteria that will break down your fish's waste into less toxic chemicals (google the nitrogen cycle). Fish produce ammonia, which is highly toxic to them. If they're put into a tank without an established cycle, the ammonia can build up to toxic levels (although, with 1 betta fish in a 5gal, I have not had much problem with this). Certain bacterias will break the ammonia down into nitrites. Other bacteria breaks these nitrites down into nitrates. The nitrates you can then remove through regular partial water changes, to keep your tank healthy and your fish stress-free.

Now, how to cycle. You have a couple of different options for that. They're all pretty easy. I'll link to it so my post doesn't get TOO long. Here's four methods of fish-less cycling. The cycle can take awhile, since you are basically growing an ecosystem. They sell products that claim to instantly add these bacterias to your tank, but I've seen no really good conclusive evidence one way or the other (I've seen anecdotal evidence for yes/no). I lean towards no.

Now, like I said, some people choose not to cycle their tank for bettas, especially if it's a 5gal. In my experience, they are a bit more hardy at surviving a new tank than other fish. However, if you don't have a healthy tank (because your ammonia is building up with nothing to take care of it yet), your betta is more susceptible to developing an illness like fin rot and other such things, due to stress.

Once you have the tank running, you want to do maintenance on it. I personally do fine with 25% water changes every week with a gravel vacuum (just a simple water siphon with a hand pump, probably not more than ten bucks). Water changes are important, because that's how you get the nitrates (end product of the nitrogen cycle) out of your tank. It basically helps keep it clean. I personally don't like to do too much at a time, because I don't want to throw my other parameters out of order.

To summarize (because, I know, it kind of seems like a lot), you want to set up your tank and keep it running for awhile before adding your fish. You want to do something to add waste to your tank (so one of the methods I linked to further up). And once you have your cycle established (some fish stores offer free water testing, so you can know where your tank is at), you can add your fish. From there, it's just feeding them and changing some of the water weekly. smile  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I think Celestial explained it pretty well. As for your other question though. Impersonally think that 5 gallons is small for a community tank (more than 1 fish). Betta's CAN live with other fish but in a small space like that they might be territorial and fight with other fish. However, there may be a bottom dweller small enough for a 5 gallon. Not sure how big zebra suckers get. A snail could also go well, and they help keep the tank clean smile  

[chuwchew123]

Thanks for all the advice! It's helpful, currently I'm looking for a tank because I'm not running everywhere at the moment and have time to relax and think about getting a fish smile  

[Frozen Mist]

I keep african dwarf frogs with my beta.

but iirc, when they were temporarily in a 5g, the frogs would go after the betta's tail relentlessly, and the betta would go after them.

If you want more than 1 fish try talking your mom into letting you get a 10g. They sell 10g kits at a lot of places, it's not that much of a price jump, and more space is always better.