i know what you mean. ugh then people hate on you for it when you are doing the best you can- like me and keeping my bettas in 1-1.5 gal tanks. they are happy and healthy. if i were you i would save up money for a filter. i do have money problems sometimes and its the filter cartridges that really waste it.
i think if your hoplos are doing fine then just leave them. the pet store people make it sound like would fish will grow overnight, and they dont- goldfish will grow to fit the size of the aquarium which i believe all fish do
Well, I would give up on the newt and (with much regret) the turtle, although mom wants them to stay. And who would accept a turtle that you can find in your local lake, and a turtle that loves KFC at that and doesn't know how to swim?
I have an internal filter, no changes required, I keep my cylindrical sponge, clean it once a month in a bowl of tank water, careful not to let it dry, and then put it back in function. Fish food is very cheap. Now that my tank's somewhat stable (I'm not 100% sure, but the fish seem active, eating, don't show signs of respiratory distress and ammonia is 0 constantly), I do 1.5L water change every 3 days and 20-30L changes every 5-7 days, but clean poop almost daily with a net.
Barely my last hoplo is actually having more space, as my 40L tank was only about 50cm long, my new tank is 85 cm long. But I always had 2 hoplos at once in the 40L, now I have only one because his friend died in 2010 at the age of 8. And I doubt I should be adding a second one in my current tank, the filtration might need to be upgraded for that, I'd rather have only one hoplo and swordtails to occupy the higher levels (although they seem to prefer grazing the sand all day instead of occupying their proper spaces).
As for the newt and turtle filtration, there's only one thing I could do, once I get my fish tank properly set with all the stuff I need: upgrade turtle's pond to something bigger and more decorative looking (I saw this awesome rock pond with filtration and stuff, would fit perfectly under my fish tank table) and for the newt a storage tub with a lid and lots of rocks like the one in her tank now. Because, unlike the turtle, if my newt escapes, she will end up like her mate did, in my mom's flower pot, dried up after months of roaming my house.
At least my turtle knows where her pond is and doesn't stay hidden except during the winter to hibernate in dark places.
If the part with growing to the size of the tank is true, how many people managed to keep a tiny goldfish alive for more than 3 years in a tiny bowl? In a 40L tank, my dad put different types of goldfishes: 1 golden fantail, 2 silver fantails and a black moor like the one in your avatar.
They had to live with my 2 hoplos and 2 swordtails and a crucian carp that I saved from becoming lunch (but had no idea how big that thing could get). They only lived for a year before they started dying off one by one. Then my swordtails fought and one got killed, then the last one died later on... then my carp died. Until 2010 I had 2 hoplos, after that 1 hoplo (Tzuppy) that mom confined to a 23L tank.
And then I made a mistake and used some of my income to buy 3 swordtails and lost one of them, 2 of them are alive thanks to the info the people on this forum taught me.
Now I have my hoplo, that pair of swordtails and 3 of their babies living in my 76L tank. I hope they're as happy as they seem.