Good idea for a kids tank?

[Tiggs]

My kid (9) wants a small tank for her room.

She likes the "fish R fun" tanks on ebay. Seems a 5 or 8g tank is only £30......using some of my plants, few rocks and shes up and running for less than £50.

But are these tanks any good? they have built in filters and lights (10w).....is this just to "cheap"......10 w for 8 gallons sounds ok but is it really? and how well can a filter work when its built in a tank costing £28

My problem is tha my planted tank cost £800 and then a further £800 on hardware to get it how i like........i may be wrong but i am of the opinion that you need to pay for something good and £28 will end up being a badly filtered/badly lit load of junk.....any thoughts?

T

ps- she wants to have a minamlist look with a rock centre piece, bit of wood and few simple plants.

Fish wanted are: cherry shrimp, 2 ottos, 2 khule loach, apple snail and something colourfull - maybe guppies or small tetras?

 

[OohFeeshy]

TBH, as its a kids tank, I'd go for light stocking but with brightly coloured fish. You know, a few fish to name and tell apart. I'd not go for otos as they seem prone to dieing, not an apple snail as they are unbelievably messy. I'd probably go for platies, guppies aren't very hardy either. Maybe a trio and a few bottomfeeders or something.

 

[masterfishes]

i would suggest just going to petsmart or walmart and get a 10 gal starter kit....$40-tank, filter, light and hood......$50-same as 40 but with a heater

 

[Jen]

I think something like that is an ideal start for kids. You haven's spent a lot of money if she decides that she doesn't like it after all. Once she proves that she can take care of it, then you can look at something a bit more costly with better equipment.

 

[debiasir]

the fish r fun tanks aer amazing value and a really good bit of kit. i have a large fish r fund tank and used to have a small hex. only donwside is everything runs off one plug so timers cant be used

 

[Sky042]

I think the 5G hex's from marineland make a good kid tank.
They're reliable. they have a biowheel.

they're pretty reasonable too.

 

[Tiggs]

the fish r fun tanks aer amazing value and a really good bit of kit. i have a large fish r fund tank and used to have a small hex. only donwside is everything runs off one plug so timers cant be used

fish r fun it is!


would this work:

put filter media in from my tank, fill it with water from mine - instant tank cycle?


and could water changes be done with my tank water? im thinking it would allow changes without worrying about putting tap water in it....mine gets 25% twice a week so even "old" water would be good and result in no shock to the fish?

 

[Sky042]

you could put the media in the tank or in the case of my 5G hex's I took a chunk of floss from my fluval 304 and just dropped it into the filter compartment of the hex.

 

[Purplesmurf]

I actually wouldn't reccomend such a small tank for a beginner, especialy a young child. In fact, 10 gallons is the lowest I would go for several reasons.

First, less water volume means it is less insulated and therefore more prone to rapid changes in water temperature. I don't know where you live, but effectivly this means you could have your tank temperature run the gamut of 64-98 degrees in a single day. Obviously, the fish wouldn't survive.

Second, the fish most children recieve are livebearers -- platies, mollys, guppies, swordtails -- and livebearers really only think of two things: food and sex. And they're pretty good and amusing themselves with the later between feedings. Female livebarers tend to be pregnant when a male is in the tank.

The trouble with this is you won't have room in a 5 gallon to raise the fry (parents find them and eat them) or they won't have room to live happy lives.

Goldfish are terrible pets for children, btw. The fish may not grow due to being confined to a small bowl, but his organs still do. Think about what having a liver, stomach, heart, and intestinal tract, each the size of your, head would feel like cramed into your abdomen.

Also, larger tanks when sparly populated need less maintaniance. A 20 gallon with 10 platies will still need weekly 25% water changes, but a 10 gallon with 10 platies (I've seen it) will need bi or tri-weely water changes to keep the water from undergoing a pH dive bomb and becoming toxic sewage.


As for tranfering old tank water into the new setup: don't. "Used" tank water is just full of wastes and very little of the bacteria you're looking to transfer. That's why you siphon off several gallons a week.

The seeded filter will be sufficient and much cleaner for your fish long term.

 

[fishwatcher]

I too would go for the 10-gal starter set for the $30. That's actually what I have. I'd get a few platies, a trio of cherry barbs and a couple of cory cats (pygmy, if you can find them).
Good luck!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

yeah, you'll have a not-fun time trying to stock a 5g to satisfy a small child. think about it; even slightly overstocked, its at most 7 inches of available fish space. that's not even a livebearer trio. and since she wants a minimalist decor without many plants, you really can't overstock by much without seriously impinging upon the water quality.

i say splurge a bit extra and get a 10g. there's a significant difference in the amount of stocking you can do and i think your little girl would have more fun picking out 5 fish to be happy than 3 fish to be cramped.

 

[houndour]

I agree go for a 10 gallon min. I'd personally only put a betta in a 5 gallon.

 

[debiasir]

i agree that small tank is harder to maintain. maybe look into the fish are fun 13 gallon hex with stand for £100. thats my main tank at the minute and i love it

 

[kimbowee]

I too was also just looking for a tank for my 8 yr old daughter. Found some great deals at Petsmart & WalMart. For 10 gal starter kits with heater, filter, thermometer & nets included it was $39.99. It even included a small packet of fish frood & water conditioner.

All you need to add is gravel, plants and fish.

 

[sylvia]

Regardless of what size you go for:

"would this work:
put filter media in from my tank, fill it with water from mine - instant tank cycle?
and could water changes be done with my tank water? im thinking it would allow changes without worrying about putting tap water in it....mine gets 25% twice a week so even "old" water would be good and result in no shock to the fish? "

Yes it would but you need to add the fish right away afterwards or the bacteria will starve and you'll need to cycle all over again. Also, don't bother adding the water - just the media.

As for your second question, the whole point of a water change is to add fresh water with no nitrAtes or waste to the tank. Using old tank water defeats the purpose. As long as you use de-chlorinated tap water of a similar temperature to that in your tank, the fish won't have any problems at all.