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hi i have just started i have have a 30 litre bowl freshwater tropical... ive been cycling up tank for 2 weeks. levels seem good. ready to buy fish can u all give me some nice suggestions of colourful intersting fish for tank..its for my daughter/me she is 5, its in my living room so a nice feature.
excuse my ignorance...im still reading up on things.
i would like about 8 tetras or would i be better with guppies? i like the Zebra danio i heard they are good to place in tank first as tough? what bottom feeders should i get and should i just have one. are there any that are a bit more colourful.?
basically i want to know how many i can add without being crowded. be nice to have a couple of feature fish but i realise i dont have much room..and i of course wont add all at once but over the next two months...thanks all

30litre so i think thats about 5 gallon. Are you going using a heater, light and also is it an open bowl with no top. I would make it nice planted betta tank although you will have to find a top as betta from time to time will jump. If you have never kept any fish before this would make a good fish to start with but be wary as you will always want a bigger tank. There are tons more variations then the Crown Tail and Veil Tail that you find at Petco and Petsmart. Personaly I am a big fan of the Half Moon Tail.
Good Luck

"No whammy, No whammy, No whammy, STOP!!"

1984-Michael Larsen On Press Your Luck

That's only 7gallons US. Quite a small tank. You mention it is a bowl, is it covered?

Personally with that sized tank, and something for your daughter I'd suggest a male betta. The tank will need to be covered as they are really good jumpers. A mesh top would work great to allow for airflow. They're really interactive as far as fish go, also very active and colorful.

Other than a betta, a 2 or 3 male guppies would work. you cannot mix males and females in that sized tank as they will quickly overpopulate it. Guppies and bettas also cannot be mixed.

Tetras will not work as they are schooling fish, and to get a good sized school to make them happy and comfortable you'd overstock such a small tank. Danios are very active fish and need lots of swimming room as well as the fact that they are schooling fish.

Of the ones I've mentioned, the betta will work the best for you. As it's an airbreathing fish it'll be able to live just fine without a filter, infact many of us started out with bettas in bowls as our first fish. The precautions are that they need covered homes, fairly steady temps, are often picky about which brand food (hikari betta is the general fav) and do still need water changes about once a week.

You mentioned that you were cycling the tank for 2 weeks. What have you been using to cycle the tank? In order for a tank to cycle properly it needs a source of ammonia, otherwise it's just a bowl of water and the levels will be fine.

As a warning, tanks that small tend to have water quality problems even in the hands of experienced keepers. This is why you'll see plenty of people that suggest only keeping a betta in something of that size.

welcome aboard.

^_^

it does have a lid with heater and filter all built in , has had plants in and i have used water treatment to get levels pretty good when tested. so your saying forget the tetras then thats a shame they look nice i was gonna get 6-8 of them as a small grp. no one in any of the fish stores has said they are not suitable for my tank? are the bettas not aggressive fish though? can i only keep them on their own or 2-3 ??

Only one betta per tank, as the WILL kill the other males! There have been reports of them even fighting with the females! Hence the name siamese fighting fish. Some sick people buy or breed the males just to see them fight and kill each other. Plus, I dont think any other fish would be good, because they might need more room to swim in. A betta, although it should have more, could have anything over 3+ gallons to swim in. This is because they are slow swimmers and they dont zip around tha tank, such as some tetras do.

Also, Welcome to FP and as a rule of general tip, although a lot of times not true, is to not believe the stocking rule that the LFS says. Actually, the only thing I do trust is their advice on not putting two male battas together. It all depends on what LFS you go to. There are the LFSs in which they are truthful and honest about stocking, but you have to look very hard to find the perfect one for you. I have just found my favorite LFS a week ago.

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As goby mentioned they do fight amonst themselves but they wont' attack a human. Well they try, but they're so little it feels like a tickle when they nibble your finger. I used to have my betta give me fish 'kisses' on my finger every morning as part of the feeding routine.

Bettas really are the best bet, especially since that bowl sounds like it's set up just right for one. There are so many different colors and types that it's often hard for us to pick just one. Here is a link to their profile. On the right hand side under the photo you'll see a link to 'more photos' have a look at all the ones our members submitted .

^_^

im going to go ahead and say 8 neons or glow light would be nice and put a java moss right in the middle of the tank that would give it a nic touch if it is coverd keep the lid down if you want zebras there jumpers

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Platy_boy, as stated above you can not keep tetras in there or danios. The surface are in a bowl is very small, that is more important thatn the gallons. Tetras would overstock the tank giving many problems that in a small tank will escalate. Danios are very active and need lots of swimming space.

-Vincent

Also, have you seen the betta bowls with the plant growing on the top of them! Those are like quick and easy in a bottle! I think you could have the same effect on a bowl, if you add a trailing root plant like water lettuce or water hyacinth(?). The Java Fern is also good i heard. Since i did some recent research, javafern can be grown emersed, with only the rhizome and the roots in the water. The JF will also have the railing root effect if left emersed out of the water.

I am going to try one of these hydroponic setups with a betta! I hope all goes well!

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Keep in mind that while betta needs to be in a covered tank, it also needs access to the air and proper betta food.

They need access to the surface to breathe.


^_^

OK, 30 liters converts to about 7.9 gallons. That helps those of us who live in the gallons part of the world, lol. Is this a tank, or an actual bowl? You say it has a filter/heater in it? Keep the surface of the water just below the output of the filter, to agitate the water a bit, helps oxygenation. Also, be aware that water lost to evaporation will need to be replaced. I'd say a male betta, they are very colorful and quite active, although they do tend to jump now and again. Mine never did but everyone says they do. After the tank's cycled perhaps a pair of ottos. Even though bettas are very tough little fish regular water changes will be in order. You can feed him betta pellets, although he may or maybe not accept flakes.
In addition, I do strongly agree with Babelfish about smaller tanks having more water born maladies, requiring more frequent and voluminous water changes. The parameters will spike very quickly in such a small tank which could cause many problems, diseases etc.

I really wouldnt suggest ottos for that tank, one because it's a bit small, two because they need old algae and IMO won't develop enough to keep them happy. Thirdly and most importantly, bettas and ottos like different types of water and water movemnt
Bettas like slow and warm
Ottos like faster and cool

Betta with some shrimp or a nice snail might work. Personally I'd make this an oppertunity to have a very nicely planted tank.

^_^

I agree with babelfish. This is the best opp for a planted nanotank. My only concern is that the betta will attack any shrimp in there.

The JF idea i posted is only having them on the top with the trailing roots. You will still be able to feed the food, and their oxygen will still be supplied.

Have fun!

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You could go with:a snail,betta and 5 neon tetras.

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Shadow, the combo you posted is considered kinda overstocked, and the compatibility is not desireable. First off, the betta will get fin nipped by the tetras, and the snail will get too big, or over populate the tank. An apple snail will get too huge, and the malaysian livebearer snail, or the malaysian trumpet, will overpopulate the tank. Also, the tetras need a nice sized schooling group, so 3 is not going to suffice.

Just putting up a little flag here. Id go with the bettas alone, and purchase a junior heater, one rated for a five gallon. These are like $5 at wal mart, and even though a little inconvienient and odd sounding, its betta than nothing. Just watch for temperature change.

As for plants, for $5 you can get Java fern at petsmart, and put it as your centre piece. Add some smooth river rocks with attached Java moss, and maybe some duckweed, and youre done. That would be a nice setup for a betta. If you want something a little more active and challenging, try the nano tank. You do have to know a little bit about plants, and ferts, and lights, and CO2 for that. If youi read up, and study, it is a great possibility.

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thanks all well i have brought 4 platys as a starting point for tank..they seem happy. by the way cheers for filter suggestions etc but tank allready has built in filters and heater. its an 8 gallon round tank. what would go nice with the platys in about 4 weeks when i wanna add something?? would just one single betta work.

and should i or would i have room for a bottom feeder at somepoint?? to help tidy up a bit and if so what should i get

First off, did you get males or females?

I wouldnt' add anything more to the tank, especially if there are any females involved in the stocking.

Best thing to do at this point is keep up on weekly water changes, make sure the four stay healthy, and save up for a larger tank. Again, don't add anything more to the tank.

^_^

ok..but wht if i only want to keep an 8 gallon tank>??
are you saying my tank is way to small for just 3 plattys and 1 betta??

have had the platy a week now SORRY i meant i have 3 platy not 4 and there are 2 females and one male . have been doing water changes and testing water with the test strips...seems quite stable thank god.. was gonna get the betta in week or so tank has been running nearly 1 month . so would adding it be just too much?? if there is room for a betta is it best to get one male or 1 female??