I have a small fish tank. Never had fish before. What ALL do you need for them and need to do?

Question

I have a 2.5 gallon tank that I used for a terrarium but the plants are dead and I've always wanted fish. I want to know all the items I'd need, good fish to put in a tiny tank and How much care they need. I also want to know if it would be ok to set them on my desk beside my computer.

Answer 1

For a 2.5 gallon fish tank, all you need are:
1. gravel (small pebbles),
2. plants (can be real or plastic),
3. air pump (choose the smallest size),
4. piping tube (will connect the air pump to your aquarium),
5. bubbler (many shapes to choose from, i.e., castle, ship, etc.),
6. corner filter (with sponge or some filter media);
7. dechorinator (a medicinal solution which neutralizes chlorine and other harmful chemicals found in tap water);
8. tap water (the liquid from our kitchen faucet); and
9. aquarium fish.

Optional items would be
1. temperature regulator (if you're in a tropical area and you're keeping tropical fish, no need for this)
2. lighting system (only needed if you have real plants).

Setting up is just 3 steps away:
1. Wash everything (without using soap or detergent)--fish tank, pebbles, plants, accessories, etc.) before using them.
2. Set-up one item at a time. Put the pebbles at the bottom of the tank. Place your plants and accessories (i.e. bubblers). Position your corner filter in one corner. Connect your filter to your piping tube, then connect the tube to your air pump. Place your air pump in a safe, dry area near electric socket. Put any optional items (i.e. lighting, temperature regulator, etc.). When all is ready, fill your tank with tap water, leaving just 1-2 inches below the brim. Then apply some dechlorinator to make your water safe for fish.
3. Plug your air pump (and lighting and regulator, if any) to get electric current. Allow this set-up to run for at least 5-10 days before putting any fish. This is the cycling process during which beneficial bacteria will grow and make your tank ready for fish and other aquatic life forms.

Choose small, hardy fish. Keep only 1-3 fish given your limited 2.5 gallon tank capacity. Viable choices would be:
1. Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens Regans) - very colorful with long flowing fins and fancy tail; no need for air pump and bubbler due to its labyrinth breathing organ. Keep only 1 in a tank because it will kill any other fish (even female bettas).
2. Dwarf Gourami - very colorful and peaceful; no need for air pump and bubbler due to its labyrinth breathing organ. Keep only 1 in a tank because it may get aggressive in a small tank
3. Paradise Fish - very colorful; no need for air pump and bubbler due to its labyrinth breathing organ. Keep only 1 in a tank due to its aggressive behavior and cannibalistic tendencies.
4. Bronze Corydoras - small bottom dwelling fish; not very attractive but displays interesting behavior; no need for air pump and bubbler due to its oxygen-storing capacity. Keep at least 2-3 in a tank due to its schooling and peaceful nature. Good scavengers of food and algae.
5. Guppy, Molly, Swordtail, Platy - small, colorful, prolific breeders. Keep at least 2-3 per species in a tank due to its schooling and peaceful nature. They're called livebearers because they reproduce not eggs but baby fish directly into the water.

Whatever fish you choose, fish care means:
1. Regular, moderate feeding. Feed at least 2-3 times a day in amounts fish can fully consume in 2-3 minutes. Overfeeding will cloud water and make your fish sick. Underfeeding will lead to fish starvation and death.
2. Regular, partial water change. Change 10-20% aquarium water every 1-2 weeks. Use dechlorinator with each water change.
3. Regular fish diagnosis. Check for common fish disease like "white spot" (small salt-like spots appear on fish skin). Fish medicines for the most common fish diseases are available in almost all large pet shops.

Have fun but always be a responsible fish owner.

Happy fish keeping!!!

Answer 2

I don't recommend the SpongeBob tank, the reason being that it is very small. The larger a fish tank is, the easier it is to keep healthy, and the smaller a fish tank is, the more difficult it is to keep healthy. So get the largest tank you can. I have four cats and a lot of fish tanks. The cats never bother the fish, because every tank I have has a close-fitting glass cover on the tank, which keeps the cats' paws out of it. The fish sometimes drink aquarium water from the filter (it doesn't seem to hurt them), and they will occassionally jump on top of the tank cover (surprisingly, this doesn't break the glass), but they stay out of the tanks. When you get your tank, it's a very good idea to do "fishless cycling" to establish the biological filter before you add any live fish. Do a web search on "fishless cycling" for instructions and an explanation of how it works. Since the cycling will probably take four or five weeks, spend that time reading everything you can find on freshwater aquarium fish. There are many different fish species that are easy to keep, but you should choose the ones that interest you the most.

Answer 3

depending on the fish, you need an air supply. You will need a thing called a bubbler that connects to the pump to disperse air into the water for the fish. The exception is if you get a fighting fish, then you do not need an air system.
If you get a fighting fish, you may only put one in the tank. Otherwise they will fight and kill each other.
You will of course also need fish food.
When you go to the store, there will be labels on the tanks that tel you how "friendly" the fish are. The more friendly, the more you can put in the tank of different kinds of fish. The more mean, or aggressive the fish, the more they will fight for space, and you only have a small tank. An example of a friendly fish is a goldfish.
Hope that that helps.

Answer 4

You'll need a 25W heater and a filter such as a penguin mini.

For fish you'll want to stay with very small fish such as guppies, sparkling gouramis, neon tetras, etc.

In this size tank you'll only be able to have at most 4 of those fish.

As for care they require a single daily feeding (nothing more than they'll completely eat in 5-10 seconds) and weekly 10% water changes.

You can certainly keep it by your computer as long as the table is stable and isn't over a heating vent (will get the tank too warm) or receiving direct sunlight.

Answer 5

A small tank such as you have would be excellent on a desktop. You may, however, want to make sure you don't locate it too close to any other electronics since a fish tank does require some degree of maintinence and computers don't like to have the occasional water droplets spilled on it. The things you will want to have are a filter, a light, some cover for the fish, gravel for the bottom, and probably a heater. A filter can be purchased at any pet supplies retailer. There are many different types of complicated filters, but for a tank as small as yours I would recommend a foam corner filter. They are, simple, cheap, easy to maintain, don't move the water around too much for a small tank, and airate the water well. All they require is a tiny air pump to operate. The other advantage is that you won't have to alter your existing terrarium lid very much, just a small hole for the tube. If you already have a light for the terrarium it will PROBABLY be fine, I stress probably. You may want to check with the manufacturer to be sure. Fish need light. It improves their color and overall quality of life. As far as cover is concerned, this is simply a matter of taste. Most fish love to have a place to hide. A tiny shipwreck, some rocks, a few plastic weeds, etc. I don't recommend live plants since most will easily overgrow a small tank. They can also introduce annoyances like tiny snails that can overrun a tank or make the fish sick if they eat them. You will also want about two inches of gravel or sand on the bottom. This will aid in filtration, give benificial microrganizms a place to live, and improve the overall look of the tank. Most tropical fish require that the water temprature doesn't get below 78 degrees F, otherwise they will become more subseptable to nasty diseases such as ick or fin rot. Since a tank of water will usually assume room temprature, a heater will most likely be required. (Unless you keep your house at 80 degrees) Glass in-tank heaters can be perchased at any pet store. You will want the very smallest one you can find. Now for the set up: Make sure that where you set up your tank it wont be in direct sunlight, especially your small tank. The sun will cook your fish alive in just a few hours. First you will want to clean your gravel (even gravel bought at the pet store will be very dirty), this is easiest to do outside with a garden hose. Put the gravel in a bucket and push the running hose to the bottom of the bucket and allow it to overflow. Mix the gravel with your hand until the water is clear. Put the clean gravel in the tank, along with your cover. Fill with TAP water, do NOT use distilled water. Distilled water will not hold oxygen and the fish will drown (yes, fish can drown). Intall the heater and the filter and turn them both on. Using a thermomeater, fine tune the temprature of the heater so the water is between 78-80 degrees. This may take a day or two, but that's okay since you will want to wait at least 24 hours before you put fish in it. (A week would be ideal)

There are many fish that a small tank would be fine for. Anything that isn't territorial. Guppies immedeately spring to mind. Neons, swordtails, mollies, and goldfish, of course. The added benifit to goldfish is they are exceptionally hardy, they will be perfectly happy in a room temprature tank. So if fussing with a heater doesn't appeal to you then goldfish are for you.

Maintinence is pretty easy. Feed the fish every day but no more then they will eat in about five minutes. Add a little water when it starts to get low. (a small amount of fresh tap water doesn't have enough chemicals to hurt most fish) Clean the filter when it looks dirty. (a foam filter can be cleaned in a sink) Keep the glass clear of alge. Also make sure that every two months that you remove about 1/3 to 1/2 of the water and replace with fresh water that you have allowed to stand overnight. This will remove heavy chemicals that stay in the water and build up as you top off what evaporates.

I think that's it.

Answer 6

Hi Kitty.. nice to see that u want to keep fish. First you need a layer of pebbles, a motor for bubbles (comes very cheap), put some toys and/or stones to provide some hiding place (and some privacy ;) ).
Before putting fish, fill the tank, and leave it for two days so that the water is settled. Make sure that the water does not contain chlorine, if yout water contains chlorine, put some medicines to remove chlorine. You should start with some hardy fishes (hardy fishes are ones which can survive arcoss various condidions e.g., guppy. You should also check regularly for the water temperature. It should be between 23-28 degree celcius.

Answer 7

I would avoid the computer because of the heat it may put of causing a change in temperature in the water and thus stressing the fish. With that small of a tank you really don't have any options. You could get a male betta. Maybe 2-3 tetras but tetras are schooling fish and do best in groups of 5 or more. The rule is one inch of fish per gallon. Otherwise overcrowding will occur and fish will die of disease and stress. The betta would thrive the best in that situation.
Here is info on betta care
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

Fish tank info
http://www.firsttankguide.net/steps.php

Answer 8

With such a small tank you are probably best to go with a betta. You may want to get a simple sponge filter to make it a little easier to keep the tank clean. You may also want to add some rocks as well (1 pound for every gallon of water). Other than that Bettas are fairly easy to keep.

http://www.aquariumhelp.aliveinindy.com

Hope this helped!

Answer 9

Well just get a few goldfish or guppies and there you have fish, You don't want to get a whole lot of them. They have to have room to swim around. Plus to many fish will kill them anyways. I have 20-25 gallon fish tank. I have about 16 goldfish and one soft-shell turtle. That is my son's. They do very good just watch want you get.

Answer 10

I would suggest a betta...they come in fantastic colours..but you can only keep 1 male per tank...but they are very hardy and used to living in non ideallic conditions