What To Do..what To Do..

[ShaedM]

right people i have found a small tank, measurements are:

Volume in litres: 21
Volume in imperial gallons: 4.619954
Volume in US gallons: 5.548217

pic - http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=24ded6s&s=7


its only a small tank and i was wondering what i should put in it, or what would be good to have in there, never had a tropical tank before, my other tank is a coldwater tank and has an oranda and blackmoor in it etc. so this will be all new for me if its tropical or warm water fish i have to put in there. the hood has no light fitting as you can see so i'm going to have to purchase one of these i think
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Adjustable-Holder-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-light-NEW-/260776094864?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cb7776c90

so any ideas as to what would be suitable for a tank this size? i've heard some peopel say a betta..but you can only keep one of them as they like to fight?..im not sure.

 

[Miles_hot]

if you do a search on here for topics about new tanks you will often see people have 5-10 gallon tanks and the recommendations which go with them. This will give you a good head start.

I assume that you're going to fishless cycle to get the filter up to speed? Will you be using some of the Mature Media from your cold water tank to kick start this? If so the advice I've seen is to slowly bring this media up to the tank temp - possibly by having it installed when you do a massive water change / first fill and letting the heater bring the tank (and filter) up to temp from the cold water.

Miles

 

[ShaedM]

i need to purchase a filter, with it being only a small tank and an im going to be using that light, what sort of filter should i get? i was thinking about a hang on filter, but dont know how big they are or if they will be too much, tank might be a little too small for an internal filter.


yes to cycle the tank i'll be using media from my coldwater water filter, might be doing a fish in cycle tho. Again i've not got any fish yet so i dont know is it possible to even maybe take some water out from my other tank,and a filter, put in there and run it in this small tank while the new filter i run on my old tank to bring it up to speed, will that work?

 

[ShaedM]

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/INTERNAL-AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-FILTER-PUMP-300LPH-inc-SPRAYBAR-MEDIA-/160653506886?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2567b1f946


what do you think to this filter? would it be ok?

 

[Mowbz]

That would work fine, its a bit big and probably overkill for the little tank you're setting up, but if you dont mind losing that much room, there is no reason it wouldnt work. Considering it will turn your tanks volume over 14 times an hour, you may want to cover the inlet and aim the spray bar at the back of the tank so as to not turn it into a little washing machine!

Havbe you considered a Fluval U1? They'll turn over 250 l/ph, so 12 times tank volume an hour, and have an adjustable flow.


I hope this helps.

 

[ShaedM]

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Heater-50W-thermostat-/260727478479?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cb49198cf - i've found this little heater, would this be any good?


thats what i was afraid of, turning it into a washing machine lol...plus the issue of the room etc...

 

[ZoddyZod]

for 5gal, I would only be looking at a Betta fish or using it as a nice shrimp tank.

 

[the_lock_man]

i need to purchase a filter, with it being only a small tank and an im going to be using that light, what sort of filter should i get? i was thinking about a hang on filter, but dont know how big they are or if they will be too much, tank might be a little too small for an internal filter.


yes to cycle the tank i'll be using media from my coldwater water filter, might be doing a fish in cycle tho. Again i've not got any fish yet so i dont know is it possible to even maybe take some water out from my other tank,and a filter, put in there and run it in this small tank while the new filter i run on my old tank to bring it up to speed, will that work?

I think most people on here would recommend fishless, rather than fish-in. WIth fish-in, in a small tank, the levels of poison build up very, very quickly, although conversely, the water changes necessary would not be overly arduous, because it's a small tank.

How big is your current coldwater tank? If it's big enough, it would be possible to fill the filter with mature media (and put the new media that comes with the new filter back into the old tank's filter), take 21 litres of cold water into the new tank, and switch the heater on. The tank would be instantly cycled, although I'd suggest feeding the filter with some ammonia (or fish food, which will decompose to form ammonia), to keep the bacteria healthy whilst the heater is doing its job.

With regards stocking a small tank like that, a single male Siamese Fighting Fish (aka Betta) would be fine, as would a group of male Endlers, or a shoal of very small Rasboras. You could also have some small shrimp with any of these options (with the slight warning that a SFF may see the shrimp as food, but then again may not - depends on the individual fish).

 

[Mowbz]

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Heater-50W-thermostat-/260727478479?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cb49198cf - i've found this little heater, would this be any good?


thats what i was afraid of, turning it into a washing machine lol...plus the issue of the room etc...

Again, while that heater would do the job, its overkill in a tank that size. Look for a mini 25W. The norm is roughly 1w per litre, so 25w would be just over what you need, which is never bad!

 

[ShaedM]

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Heater-50W-thermostat-/260727478479?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cb49198cf - i've found this little heater, would this be any good?


thats what i was afraid of, turning it into a washing machine lol...plus the issue of the room etc...

Again, while that heater would do the job, its overkill in a tank that size. Look for a mini 25W. The norm is roughly 1w per litre, so 25w would be just over what you need, which is never bad!

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAGEN-MINI-15cm-6-AQUARIUM-SUBMERSIBLE-25W-25-w-HEATER-/150519361381?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item230ba72f65


would you suggest this?

 

[ShaedM]

i need to purchase a filter, with it being only a small tank and an im going to be using that light, what sort of filter should i get? i was thinking about a hang on filter, but dont know how big they are or if they will be too much, tank might be a little too small for an internal filter.


yes to cycle the tank i'll be using media from my coldwater water filter, might be doing a fish in cycle tho. Again i've not got any fish yet so i dont know is it possible to even maybe take some water out from my other tank,and a filter, put in there and run it in this small tank while the new filter i run on my old tank to bring it up to speed, will that work?

I think most people on here would recommend fishless, rather than fish-in. WIth fish-in, in a small tank, the levels of poison build up very, very quickly, although conversely, the water changes necessary would not be overly arduous, because it's a small tank.

How big is your current coldwater tank? If it's big enough, it would be possible to fill the filter with mature media (and put the new media that comes with the new filter back into the old tank's filter), take 21 litres of cold water into the new tank, and switch the heater on. The tank would be instantly cycled, although I'd suggest feeding the filter with some ammonia (or fish food, which will decompose to form ammonia), to keep the bacteria healthy whilst the heater is doing its job.

With regards stocking a small tank like that, a single male Siamese Fighting Fish (aka Betta) would be fine, as would a group of male Endlers, or a shoal of very small Rasboras. You could also have some small shrimp with any of these options (with the slight warning that a SFF may see the shrimp as food, but then again may not - depends on the individual fish).

this is what i was thinking, my coldwater tank is 55 litres, so i could easily take out the amount of water needed to fill the small tank and run the old filter in the new tank and the new filter in the old tank, as i've got two filters running on the big tank im not worried about the ammonia rising suddenly, that way i the new filter gets the bacteria boost it needs and the new tank gets cycled was just wondering if that was possibel. i've been looking at Betas and my word they do look magnificent, big frilly tails..shame i can just have one in there..not really into shrimp..kind of creap me out they do lol..

 

[Mowbz]

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAGEN-MINI-15cm-6-AQUARIUM-SUBMERSIBLE-25W-25-w-HEATER-/150519361381?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item230ba72f65

would you suggest this?

Yup, that would be fine, doesn't take up as much room and is perfectly capable of heating your tank.

 

[HayzH]

i need to purchase a filter, with it being only a small tank and an im going to be using that light, what sort of filter should i get? i was thinking about a hang on filter, but dont know how big they are or if they will be too much, tank might be a little too small for an internal filter.


yes to cycle the tank i'll be using media from my coldwater water filter, might be doing a fish in cycle tho. Again i've not got any fish yet so i dont know is it possible to even maybe take some water out from my other tank,and a filter, put in there and run it in this small tank while the new filter i run on my old tank to bring it up to speed, will that work?

I think most people on here would recommend fishless, rather than fish-in. WIth fish-in, in a small tank, the levels of poison build up very, very quickly, although conversely, the water changes necessary would not be overly arduous, because it's a small tank.

How big is your current coldwater tank? If it's big enough, it would be possible to fill the filter with mature media (and put the new media that comes with the new filter back into the old tank's filter), take 21 litres of cold water into the new tank, and switch the heater on. The tank would be instantly cycled, although I'd suggest feeding the filter with some ammonia (or fish food, which will decompose to form ammonia), to keep the bacteria healthy whilst the heater is doing its job.

With regards stocking a small tank like that, a single male Siamese Fighting Fish (aka Betta) would be fine, as would a group of male Endlers, or a shoal of very small Rasboras. You could also have some small shrimp with any of these options (with the slight warning that a SFF may see the shrimp as food, but then again may not - depends on the individual fish).

this is what i was thinking, my coldwater tank is 55 litres, so i could easily take out the amount of water needed to fill the small tank and run the old filter in the new tank and the new filter in the old tank, as i've got two filters running on the big tank im not worried about the ammonia rising suddenly, that way i the new filter gets the bacteria boost it needs and the new tank gets cycled was just wondering if that was possibel. i've been looking at Betas and my word they do look magnificent, big frilly tails..shame i can just have one in there..not really into shrimp..kind of creap me out they do lol..

As long as you half the media

 

[ShaedM]

half the media?..you mean the water? still getting to grips with some of these aquatic terms guys

 

[Mowbz]

half the media?..you mean the water? still getting to grips with some of these aquatic terms guys

No, the media. Media is the stuff inside your filter, be it Filter Sponge, Floss, Bioballs, Noodles, Ceramic, Carbon Pads/Noodles, etc.

Your water holds pratically nothing worth salvaging, but t could (some believe, some dont) be nicer for your fish to have some of their normal water in a new tank. It certainly wont hurt, unless you have any diseases in there!

You need to make sure that if you are setting up a new tank, your are giving each tank enough media to support the bioload (fish excrement) of the tank. By "halving the media" as above, you would be splitting the "media" or "contents of your filter" between the tanks. "Halving the media" probably isnt the best idea, as its normally recommended you only take a maximum of a third of the established media from a fully mature filter, so make sure that when taking this amount out you test the water ever 24-48 hours in both tanks in case of a "mini cycle".

A mini cycle "may" occur shortly after, hence the testing. You may see an ammonia or nitrite spike, or both. Keep and eye and be prepared for a hefty water change if required.

Dont get yourself too wrapped up and disheartened by the details. Fish keeping is as simple or as difficult as you want to make it for yourself.