Good for me
- I had a one liter tank and I had one betta fish, and I believe he was pretty happy. He lived 4 years until he died and on the forth year, that was when I moved him to a five gallon. So I think mini aquariums aren't bad, but you have to clean them a lot.
- —Guest Jessica
Small aquariums work for me
- I have one Half-moon Betta, and until very recently I had him in a 1 gallon tank, and it was at around 72 degrees. He loved his tank. He was very happy in it, and he never looked pale (a sign of stress). However, if you want to keep a small tank, water changes are key! I changed 30-40% of his water weekly, and every 4 changes I cleaned the gravel. Recently, I moved him into a two gallon tank, and I have to say that he likes this one even more (he grew out of his old one, so now he has more space). My advice? Weekly (if not more frequent) water changes. Watch for any change in behavior (such as sulking on the bottom or not eating), and if these happen, either change the water or lower/raise the temperature (It got too hot in his tank last night, so he sulked all night) Keep the water temperature above 70 (at least for Bettas), but don't go crazy. 72-74 degrees works perfectly well. And keep an ammonia detoxifier on hand. Ammonia can build up rapidly. Enjoy your small tank!
- —Guest Moony
Mini Tanks Not for Everyone
- I have to be honest, I use to keep my Betta in a mini tank. Then I ventured into other freshwater fish and realized that I was killing my fish in those things! They have a purpose, like when you bring home a new (small) fish and need to quarentine them for a few days or have fry you want to keep separate from bigger fish. My betta LOVES living in his 10 gal tank, with live plants, caves, heater and filter. He even has tank mates, 2 small corydoras and 2 African Dwarf Frogs and they all seem to get along just fine. I have even housed my adult Gold Barb with him after she got beat up by my Chinese Algae Eater. But as soon as she was better, back into the 40 gal tank she went. i have my mini tanks still, but mainly they are used for transporting new fish, raising shrimp and my mollie fry. And I always use a mini heater and mini filter now. But never again wil they be a permanent home for any of my fish! Fish need more room than these mini tanks permit. But thats just my opinion!
- —marcie90405
Nice in small spaces
- I have a lot of experience in tropical and cold water fish keeping and at present I am starting up a small aquarium. It is a 21 litre (4.62 gallons) and I am planning to have a few fancy guppies or pygmy puffers in it. I did have a 16 gallon and a 25 gallon but I needed to move into a the small room due to family growth and the boys having to share the big room. I t is more time consuming to take care of a smaller aquarium, as I found out in the past, but the efforts are worth it. It may not be able to house big fish like gouramis but in my opinion, a couple of small active fish look a lot better than one large fish sitting in the middle of the tank all day doing nothing.
- —Guest Angie 001
Aqua Babies by PhD in Aquaculture
- As far as I know mini aquariums started with Aqua Babies, and Aqua Babies was invented by a woman with a PhD in Aquaculture. Her critics do not have near her level of knowledge.
- —Guest Richard Bruce
small aquariums
- Small Aquariums can be difficult to maintain PH level, if you have to adjust PH to suit what fish you can keep, then maintaining water-quality can be a problem to bigginers, large aquariums are easier to maintain
- —Guest nicholas(Aquatics Manager)
Handle with care.
- I'd say the biggest mistake people make is putting goldfish or just too many fish in these small tanks (like they see on the pictures). Like the article says, the water will become toxic and kill your fish. Yes, people need to educate themselves, but the people working at pet stores ought to be better informed so that they can point potential new owners in the right direction. I was so ignorant that I didn't realize I was ignorant, and no one ever questioned my setup! At least I know better now! People just don't realize the limitations of these tiny tanks when they buy. You really don't have many options with them - a betta, or a couple guppies, that's it. I'd recommend that any new fish owner go with a 10-20 gallon tank, MINIMUM, unless he/she fully understands the limits of a ~3-gallon tank and plans to stay within them. In some ways, a micro tank can be much more challenging than a large one.
- —MedicatedMind
MINI AQUARIUMS
- I have 3 hanging aquariums. 2 have male Betta, and the 3rd has 3 female Bettas, 2 of which are the size of giant mal3es. I enjoy watching these fish and even have them trained to follow my finger. They greet me when its feeding time and watch me throughout the day. None have jumped out and all seem to be content in the hanging tanks. I have never regretted adding them to my home. I have tanks ranging from 1 gal to 47 gals. My fish are a great means of enjoyment and relaxation. Thank you Shirlie for your aticles ....Bill
- —Guest BILL WEBERSINN
Mini Aquariums
- I have used mini aquariums for years and keep bettas in them, and other smaller fish, as long as the tank is properly maintained, and FILTERED, they work great. Don't over load. two or three small fish no more!!!! They work great!! PS, I also keep 1 small algae eater in them as well.
- —Guest William
small aquariums
- I have great success with a 2.5 and a 5 gal, I have only balloon mollies in them, and 1 neon tetra. I've had babies born, and rarely lose any fish, but I do the water changes regularly. It can be done with proper attention.
- —Guest PamK
Mini Aquariums
- The author is right. Personally, I wouldn't recommend a dorm room aquarium smaller than 12 gallons. Eclipse brand tanks are good, but don't provide a source for getting heat and oxygen into the tank. If you're serious about having fish, get a good 20 gallon glass tank and a book on fresh water aquariums. Do your homework before you start. You'll be glad you did.
- —Guest B Bradbury
Small aquariums-good or bad?
- A small aquarium with no lid means that the fish can jump out, or something else can get in. But if it has somthing over the top of the bowl, a small tank is perfect for a small fish, shrimp, or sea monkeys.
- —Kathleen.M
Research is important
- A small fish like a beautiful male Guppy or a Betta in a 5 gallon tank along with heater and filter is not such a bad idea for a child as long as the parent realizes that he/she (parent) will need to be doing all the water changes, cleaning the tank, keeping an eye on the new tank syndrome and any fish distress during the first year (or more). With the parents' involvement along with the child's participation, this can harbor a child's love for proper healthy fishkeeping. As with any pet, research and participation is the key. I work at a college, and many college students bring little aquariums with their favorite fish to their dorms. Based on the number of successful mini aquariums I have seen on campus, obviously, the parents had already taught their child how to care for their fish long before our students arrived on the campus. The mini aquarium fish is one of the few pet options available for the college bound student on campus.
- —Guest JM
Micro-species for Micro aquariums.
- There are lots of very tiny fish that can survive very well in small tanks. A five gallon, or one gallon "nano" freshwater tank could house a cute collection of little shrimp, or a small group of micro galaxy rasboras. There is something really nice about getting close to a really tiny, really intricate thing. I love big aquariums, but where a big one won't fit, don't shove a big fish in a little tank, put a few little tiny fish (or shrimp), or maybe one fish, and a few small plants in there. Warren
- —Guest Warren
small aquariums bad idea
- Small aquariums bad idea. Parents buy the small aquariums for young children, they are not doing the child or the fish any favors. The fish usually die within a very short period of time. The first mistake they make is usually getting the fish the same time that the get the aquarium. They think all you have to do is fill the tank with water. The fish suffer and the child is heart broken. As with any pet always do your research. It doesn't matter if it's a dog, cat or fish. When making an educated decision everyone will be a winner.
- —dogyluver
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