Too hot?

[Helen D74]

Hi,
I have a question please. My young daughter just bought a Biorb Halo 15 litre tank. She also bought an Interpret Nano 15 W heater pad to heat the water so she can keep tropical fish.
She’s keen on getting a few Danios to keep.
We’re just cycling the water for a couple of weeks and getting it up to temperature. The water is at 28C and the heater pad doesn’t come with any way you can turn it down.
Is 28C too hot for Danios? If so what can we do to cool the water down or what fish would tolerate that level of heat in the tank?
Thanks
Helen

 

[Colin_T]

It's a bit warm for danios but the tank is too small for danios anyway.
You could turn the heat pad off and just see how cold the water gets. Danios are fine in water between 16-26C.

Is there any chance you can return the tank and buy something bigger?
Aquariums that are 2 foot long provide more stable water, more room for the fish, and will provide you with more options on what you can keep in the tank.

 

[Essjay]

A 15 litre tank is not suitable for any fish except a betta I'm afraid. I agree with Colin_T, if you daughter will would be willing to return the tank for something rectangular and bigger - and probably the same price as the Halo!


I have already gone into more detail on this in your other thread

Heater for Biorb Halo 15litre

Hi, My 11 year old daughter has just bought at Biorb Halo 15litre with her birthday money as she would like to get some fish. We bought the tank plus the Biorb Heater Set. We’ve had real problems trying to get the heater to fit against the side of the curve of the bowl. We finally managed it...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Helen D74]

Thank you. We will have a think. Appreciate your responses

 

[madmark285]

Thank you. We will have a think. Appreciate your responses

Long term, I think the aquarium project with your daughter will be a positive experience with a larger tank. The Biorb Halo 15 litre tank will end up very frustrating ie: nope, can't have that fish...

 

[Helen D74]

Hi, thanks for your replies. So what is the minimum size you would recommend for a beginner please? Sizes in litres would be great. Thanks

 

[Essjay]

If you want a few fish (or rather, if your daughter wants a few fish) I would look at rectangular tanks which are 60 cm long. Depending on the make, this could be as little as 54 litres and as much as 70 litres. The smaller volume can hold fewer fish than the larger volume but it's the swimming length that's the limiting factor with small tanks.
60 cm is a good swimming length for the smaller tetras, harlequin rasboras, if your tap water is soft fish like chili rasboras, honey gouramis, with sand on the bottom one of the dwarf corydoras species, and many more. If the water is hard, fish like endlers, fish in the Pseudomugil genus, often called blue eyes.

 

[cascades4vrbo]

Hi,
I have a question please. My young daughter just bought a Biorb Halo 15 litre tank. She also bought an Interpret Nano 15 W heater pad to heat the water so she can keep tropical fish.
She’s keen on getting a few Danios to keep.
We’re just cycling the water for a couple of weeks and getting it up to temperature. The water is at 28C and the heater pad doesn’t come with any way you can turn it down.
Is 28C too hot for Danios? If so what can we do to cool the water down or what fish would tolerate that level of heat in the tank?
Thanks
Helen

 

[cascades4vrbo]

82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 C) is really too warm even for a Tropical Betta Fish. I try to keep my water between 78-80. Anything over can cause Fungus issues. Can you turn down the Temperature?

 

[madmark285]

Hi, thanks for your replies. So what is the minimum size you would recommend for a beginner please? Sizes in litres would be great. Thanks

I was one of those "do things in excess" kind of Dads, one year I converted our attic into gameroom. It even had a 1957 Sinbad pinball machine!

So instead of a minimum size, the maximum size I would recommend is the 29 gallon tank, a standard size in the USA. That would be 109 litres, 76cm x 30cm x 45cm. This tank would be big enough that she could use for many many years.

Of course my wife would now be whacking me in the head saying, 'are you crazy! She cannot even reach the bottom of the tank". Of course, she is right.

So I would buy my 11 year son/daughter a 20 gallon long tank (75 litre, 76cm x 30cm x 30cm). This tank is low enough to work on and in a few years, I would upgrade to a 29 gallon using the same hood and light.

Mark

 

[Helen D74]

Thank you everyone

 

[madmark285]

Thank you everyone

Your welcome and please come back!