Getting a new tank

[sweet_tinuviel]

my friend is sending me her 2 gallon tank. Aside from the obvious another betta, what else could i put in it instead ???

2 gallon, under gravel filter ( a piece of plastic with holes in it), and aerator stone and pump, light.

that the discription of the tank. I had one a few months back but took it back cause stupid a** petsmart dont know what the fudge they are talking about. Nobody ever told me about cycling ( it was my first venture in fishkeeping so i started small) and i went through so many fish i even wound up with a pregnant set of mollie that birthed the same night i got them then they ate the babies. I didnt even know they were pregnant cause i asked the idiot to give me 2 males.

so i made about 5 trips back and forth for like 3 weeks they sold me fish that were to big for the tank or pregnant or needed to be in large groups ( neons) and the funny part is I walked in and got a sales person and said ok i want this tank and tell me all the stuff i need for it and what kind of fish will work. Needless to say they never got it right.

Now im not passing up a 2 gallon for free, so please tell me what to do to set it up and please make it very specific. steo by step cause i dont want to go wrong again.

can you even cycle a 2 gallon??? i didnt think you could?!?! if so how???

I have to say though with all the crap i went through with petsmart i got my money back on everything from the used tank all the fish the food the thermometers the plants, gravel everything i put all of it in a box and brought it back, oh and the pregnant mollies wll the was the last straw day. i had just fed them and went onthe computer and 2 hours later i went back inthe kitchen and noticed the fish eating I was like wait i feed yall a while ago, i looked closer and they were chasing little tiny baby fish I nearly sh*t a brick i freaked out I was like how awful is that, so quick chase the little babies and caught about 20 of them and put them in a cup the next day i took babies and everythin back and the manager took my babies hes going to try to raise them at home himself, well they took it all, and refunded me for everything nearly $80 worth of nothing and fish.

the best part i got 2 bettas and homes for them out of the deal so Im happy anyway.

Sorry so long just couldnt stop typing.

 

[appleblossom]

you could have a nice little african dwarf frog in a 2 gallon

They live underwater and dont need to come out onto a rock or anything. They can live in unheated unfiltered water like a betta because they breathe air from the surface, although heating and filtration would make things a little more pelasant for them.

They are very cool little things and about all I can think of to live in a 2 gallon aside from a betta...

Also I'm not sure if you can cycle a 2 gallon, I'm just about to try that myself

 

[jacblades]

i wouldnt put anything else in a 2gal except the betta. if you have gravel and decorations, there wont be eoom for anything else.
a 2 gal can be cycled but its kind of pointless since its so small. i would just go with the weekly water changes

 

[Dane]

I have a two gallon tank that's shaped like a hexagon. What I did was, put two aquatic african dwarf frogs, and just for a short period of time an albino clawed frog who is quite young, and the size of the dwarfs. Eventually I'll have to put him in the larger tank, away from the dwarfs, since he will make them his primary meal.

Though I'd say, and agree that african dwarf frogs are a good combo with a two gallon tank. Just make sure you have an air system and filter. Just because they live under water, they do need to periodically go to the surface for some air, by poking their nose and mouth out of the water for about a second.

I wouldn't recomend putting any fish with the frogs, since they tend to like to snack on their tails, ESPECIALLY bettas. So I wouldn't put a betta in there with them.

What I did, was put a little burrow like rock with many holes in it for them to hide in, a few synthetic plants they're like silk flowers, rather than hard plastic plants. They like to uproot plants, so putting in live plants would be a big hastle.

They've got a good life span, and if treated well, they are very active and very entertaining to watch. I've been feeding mine tubifex freeze dried worms, they tend to love them.

Just remember, if you do chose to put aquatic frogs in a tank, make sure you don't place a betta in there with them. Like I said before, they will turn their beautiful fins into a meal.

They also like a lot of hiding places, so make sure you put in some plants, rocks, things for them to burrow under.

I'd chose the african dwarf frog over the aquatic clawed frog because the clawed frogs get quite large, and need an exceptionally large tank to live a content life. They can also exceed living 25 years if kept right, so you're looking for a long time companion

When buying an aquatic frog, some pet store will mislable them, and you can't tell (if you are not familiar with the breeds) which is which since they tend to sell really young clawed frogs with grown african dwarfs. A way to tell the difference between the two, are the clawed frogs do now have webbed hands, but larger webbed feet. As for the dwarfs, their hands are webbed, and so are their feet. They are also skinner and flatter. The clawed frogs have thicker legs and their eyes are closer together, and slighter larger. As to the dwarfs, their eyes are a bit smaller, and on the sides of their heads.

Here's some things you can do if you do chose to take home an african dwarf frog.

I'd recommend getting two, since they will be put in a 2 gallon, more would just cause conflict, and overcrowdedness. Though a single frog may become lonely, so a second would be your best bet.

I've heard somewhere when a personal had a 10 gallon, they had the frogs in with goldfish, and they got along fine. But since the tank you'd be using is a 2 gallon, I'd stay away from extra tankmates and stick with frogs. Plus, they're adorable and very entertaining. And when cared for right, they'll live for quite a long time.

They like warmer climates, so make sure their water is around 72.F. A tank light in a small tank could help heat up the water, though monitor the temp. Also, make sure your tank has a lid, these guys CAN and will jump out of the water, so make sure there's some sort of lid over your tank.

These frogs do sing It sounds like a very soft mellowed slower toned cricket, who knows.

Feeding:
Here's what you can feed them.

When you first get them, they are probably going to be tiny. What you can do, is buy them frog and tadpole bites. Once they begin to get larger, you can try a more interesting diet, like freeze dried (or frozen) blood worms, tubifex, and brine shrimp. If you're not using a filter, I suggest using frozen foods, due to keeping the water from getting cloudy. Like bettas like appreciate clean water.

I was just reading that you can put a betta in with the frogs, but I wouldn't chance it. They do nip. Tetras can be placed in the tank. If you do chose to put a fish in the tank with the frogs, make sure they are not aggressive fish.

Male or Female?
If you're concerned about telling a male from a female, it's really hard to tell, though some hints could be 1) females tend to be larger than the males, 2) Females normally have a lighter tint to them 3) males 'skin' tends to appear more rought than the female. 4) Females (though it's so hard to see) have a small tip, or point at their rear, almost like a tiiiiny tail.

Shedding?
Don't be alarmed if you see the frog every so often engulfed by a silken robe that (s)he looks like they're trying to get out of. It's normal, and good for them. They shed their skin, so that cloud of white around them isn't anything dangerous.

Alright, I think I covered just about all that you need to know if you are interested in these little creatures.

I think you should get the dwarfs. They're really cheap and live for a long time. They are also fun to watch, and they do need clean water, so i'd recommend a soft filter, or under gravel filter. Water changes are nessessary like all other fish.

Anyway, good luck! Hope it all works out Phew, I wrote a lot.. Hope i was some help.

 

[sweet_tinuviel]

Dane,

Thank you so much and everyone else who replied. After I posted last night I thought hum... An ADF sounds interesting so I researched last night and I decided thats what im going to get. And with all the great info you just gave me youve sealed the deal.

Funny thing is I have never though about a frog and Im a frog collector I have frog gallor all over my house so they willl be quite at home here. I even have frog decor all over my bathroom. RIBBIT RIBBIT

So as soon as my tank gets here ill get frogs (2) of em.
The tank has undergravel filter ( looks like a flat circle with holes in it and an areator ( a long skinny hard plastic tube the you put a flexible plastic tube into with a blue stone onthe end and the tube leats to a pump that makes lots of bubbles in the tank at the top) this is and areator right??? do i need more stuff for the frog?

how ofter and how much water changes should i do???

 

[jacblades]

sweet-i thikn you missed the part where he said not to put frogs with a betta. he was talking about only frogs in the tank-no fish.

 

[Dane]

Today I just did a full water change. last time I did was.. about three weeks ago, because I had to shut the filter off for a while due to some problems that needed fixing. But now all is up and running. So probably just whenever the water looks to be getting a bit stail, since they like clear water.