Good tank for College?

[bettacrazygirl86]

I'll be going to college soon. Like, after summertime soon. I want to get two equal sized tanks that don't take up a lot of room but have a 3 gallon minimum. Also can't be too expensive. I'd rather not have to spend more than $70 on just tanks. I plan on getting filter cartridges, a new heater for Tiny Tina, and possibly two snails or ghost shrimp to keep them clean for me.

I'd prefer something with a hood, lighting, and filter. Hopefully one that's adjustable or not too pushy. Quiet would be nice too, so my roommate doesn't get annoyed by it.

I have decorations and gravel already, and the fish of course. I have a 25 watt adjustable heater for Patriot that I'd like to get another of for Tiny Tina, assuming the 25 watt will fit in the tank.

I'm looking at this tank right now. It seems like it would be perfect. It's .5 gallons bigger than what Tiny Tina is in right now and only .5 gallons smaller than what Patriot was in before I upgraded him to the 5 gallon that he hates. I think it would be good for both of them if I got two. I can either have them back to back or on either side of my desk. The tank doesn't look like it'd be too big, and being a total of 7 gallons to clean isn't a pain at all. I think they should be small enough that I won't be given a hard time about it.

What do you guys think?

Are there any tanks you'd recommend for a college student?

[Crowntails]

Is a 2.5 gallon tank okay? Aqueon has a bow front tank with a hood and filter built in for only around $30 a piece.

[bettacrazygirl86]

Originally Posted by Crowntails

Is a 2.5 gallon tank okay? Aqueon has a bow front tank with a hood and filter built in for only around $30 a piece.

I'd really rather have at least 3 gallons. Anything below is smaller than what both of them are in and I think it would get cramped with the decorations I have and heaters.

[LebronTheBetta]

I have that tank, the filter is really strong so I didn't use it. But you could always baffle or replace with a sponge filter. The LED lights short out after a month or so if you're using one specific light. Otherwise, it's really neat. :) Why don't you get a Kritter Keeper? It's cute I guess. It's just a plastic tank but the 3.5G's filter is really strong.

[Hadoken Kitty]

I don't think that snails will keep the tank as clean as you're hoping. I actually put one in my 2 gallon (to fill space until my fish got here) and it made it extremely slimy all over. It was pretty gross to clean up after. I'd never want two in a small tank, nor in a tank without a pleco. The shrimp should be fine, though.

I found two tanks from PetSmart. One is cheaper, but one is one that I actually have. The filter is AMAZING on the one that I have. Honestly, best filter I've ever used. I could rave on it for like twenty minutes.


Cheaper 3.5 gallon from TopFin:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo


3 gallon from Marineland:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

[Otterfun]

Marineland has some good kits for a good price. I like Aqueon mini Bow Tank because even though the gallons are small for 2.5g in volume, they actually have more space (square footage) than a hex, or rectangular.

[eemmais]

This tank looks nice:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-...-Pets/17480272
It also says its very durable, good for a dorm.

[VJM]

Deep Blue Betta 5 is my current obsession. Just don't use the dividers, and it is a hair under 3 gallons.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00804LQA6

I have no idea why Amazon shows a higher price sometimes. It's actually around $30 with shipping and taxes.

[Tikibirds]

What about dividing a 10 gallon tank? In the long run it would be easier to care for then 2 smaller tanks but my one dorm room was so freakin small, there was literally no place to put something that big, yet they stuffed two students into it

If you are really on a budget, those clear storage bins work nicely as do the larger Kritter Keepers but I would bypass a filter on them and just do the 100% WC's.

I think it would look nicer with some kind of dark substrate..


Here's another that I use for a hospital tank.

PS - don;t get a tetra heater, they suck massivly.

[bettacrazygirl86]

Originally Posted by LebronTheBetta

I have that tank, the filter is really strong so I didn't use it. But you could always baffle or replace with a sponge filter. The LED lights short out after a month or so if you're using one specific light. Otherwise, it's really neat. :) Why don't you get a Kritter Keeper? It's cute I guess. It's just a plastic tank but the 3.5G's filter is really strong.

I have my female, Tiny Tina, in a KK. I love it and I think it's the perfect size. It's a 3 gallon, so that's why I'm asking for 3 or slightly bigger. I want to be able to get two. I want it to be filtered though, so if I accidentally miss a water change or don't have time to, I don't have to feel quite as bad for missing one day. I do frequent water changes as it is, but with a filter, it'll keep the water clean so I can do fewer changes, though I'll still keep up on them. The filter was what worried me with that tank though. I wasn't sure if it was strong or not. :( Boo.

Originally Posted by Hadoken Kitty

I don't think that snails will keep the tank as clean as you're hoping. I actually put one in my 2 gallon (to fill space until my fish got here) and it made it extremely slimy all over. It was pretty gross to clean up after. I'd never want two in a small tank, nor in a tank without a pleco. The shrimp should be fine, though.

I found two tanks from PetSmart. One is cheaper, but one is one that I actually have. The filter is AMAZING on the one that I have. Honestly, best filter I've ever used. I could rave on it for like twenty minutes.


Cheaper 3.5 gallon from TopFin:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo


3 gallon from Marineland:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Ick. :( Okay, no snails. Hopefully the shrimp will be okay. Patriot didn't mind the one he had, but it committed suicide during a water change. Tiny Tina's shrimp is MIA... He was super tiny so I don't know if he's just hard to see, if he jumped out, or if she had him as a snack... She can't even eat pellets though, so I'm not sure if she could manage to eat him that fast without me getting suspicious.

Which tank do you have? I already saw the 3.5. That's the one I'm thinking about getting, but I don't know...

Originally Posted by Otterfun

Marineland has some good kits for a good price. I like Aqueon mini Bow Tank because even though the gallons are small for 2.5g in volume, they actually have more space (square footage) than a hex, or rectangular.

I saw those. Maybe... I believe Petsmart sells all of these, so I might go check them out later and figure out which one I should buy. Hopefully my favorite employee is working. She's super nice and knows loads about fish. She helped me pick out Tiny Tina's tank. :)

Originally Posted by eemmais

This tank looks nice:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-...-Pets/17480272
It also says its very durable, good for a dorm.

It looks really nice! I don't know if my dorm would let me have two 5 gallons though. :( I have two fish, and I'd rather them not be stuck in anything less than a 3 gallon.

Originally Posted by VJM

Deep Blue Betta 5 is my current obsession. Just don't use the dividers, and it is a hair under 3 gallons.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00804LQA6

I have no idea why Amazon shows a higher price sometimes. It's actually around $30 with shipping and taxes.

I don't know... It looks longer than it is tall, and I need to have room for a filter and heater too, plus the decorations I'd like them to be able to keep. Tiny Tina likes her boat.

Originally Posted by Tikibirds

What about dividing a 10 gallon tank? In the long run it would be easier to care for then 2 smaller tanks but my one dorm room was so freakin small, there was literally no place to put something that big, yet they stuffed two students into it

If you are really on a budget, those clear storage bins work nicely as do the larger Kritter Keepers but I would bypass a filter on them and just do the 100% WC's.

I think it would look nicer with some kind of dark substrate..


Here's another that I use for a hospital tank.

PS - don;t get a tetra heater, they suck massivly.

I would, but I don't know what the maximum is as far as gallons go. I don't know if they would let me have something so big. :( If Patriot was okay with the tank I have him in right now, I'd buy another for Tiny Tina and just have those, since they take up about as much space as a book. It's a 5 gallon hex, but he hates it. He hides in the bottom corner or in his log all the time, unless I come up to say hi. Then he's all wiggly and happy to see me, but I can tell he isn't too happy in it. I can't tell if it's the space he doesn't like, or the filter. It doesn't push him around at all. Since he came down with fin rot and I nursed him back to health, he just hasn't been right. :(

And yes, I know those heaters suck. I have one for Tiny Tina right now, because it's the one I had for Patriot until I got him an adjustable one. It does fine in her 3 gallon, though. Keeps it at about 76 degrees. I know it's not the best, but she seems fine and hasn't gotten sick yet.

I have a KK for Tiny Tina, and it doesn't have a filter. It's a 3 gallon. I'd really like to have filters though. :( Not pushy ones, but enough to keep the water clean. I do water changes often enough, but I'd rather have the filter so if I'm loaded up on homework or something, I can miss a day of water changes and not feel bad about it. Doesn't mean I'll slack off on it, but I don't have to worry about it getting too bad in just a day or two of no water changes past the day I had planned.