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First 2.5-5 gal tank!

10K views 153 replies 12 participants last post by  B3TT45 
#1 ·
Ok so I am striving to buy a good 5 gal tank but if money makes things difficult, I may go for a 2.5 gal. I want some movement and life in my tanks as I am not a huge fan of shrimp and snails.
I was thinking maybe a group of 4-5 rasbora brigittaes for my potential 5 gal. Is that ok? What are some special requirements for them (food, plants, etc.?)
If I get a 2.5 gal, I was thinking maybe an ADF and/or a lace catfish/upside down catfish with my little guy.
Any colorful and fun ideas will be greatly appreciated! I like to go big and have color in my tank, color and movement :) please don't suggest shrimp or snails, I'm just not a fan of them. I just want fish lol :p
Thanks for reading this all help is appreciated!
 
#2 ·
IMO/E-neither the 2.5gal or the 5gal can support the needs of other species of fish along with the Betta. IMO/E-you are limited to shrimp and/or snails.

When stocking-you need to base it on-Adult size of the fish-not current size, meet the social needs, water chemistry/temp needs, swimming needs..etc.....

IMO it is important to meet the needs of the fish-Understanding that a stressed fish can be a sick fish-Often that single stressed fish is the cause of a total crash of the system.

IMO-you shouldn't under estimate proper stocking.....

If you want a community tank-get a bigger tank-the bigger the better-I would recommend starting with a 20gal..While it is in the process of cycling..research the fish you want and would like to keep.

Aquarium keeping is a lot of fun-but it is also a lot of work in the beginning-Once the tank is established it doesn't need that much care.
 
#3 ·
Well in a 2.5 tank mates for a betta are gonna be a no. In fact, anything other than a betta in that small of a tank I would advise against. ADFs need at least 3 gallons to themselves... Also, catfish produce a lot of waste and generally get to be pretty big, so I honestly wouldn't have any type of cat in anything smaller than a 20g

I don't know much about the rasboras, but this link might help *clicky!*

Before you get any fish however, you need to cycle the tank
I suggest you take a look at these threads:
GUIDE: Tank Cycling/Nitrogen Cycle [with pictures]
A Basic Guide to Freshwater Fish Stocking
A Beginner's Guide to the Freshwater Aquarium Cycle

:)
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't put anything else in with your betta if you go with the 2.5 gallon. I use to have a school of 6 Pygmy Corys with my old betta in a 5.5 gallon and they were was no problem between the two. Mind you though, my betta was very docile.
 
#5 ·
If you have the space, a 10 gallon kit from Wal-Mart is cheaper than either a five or a 2.5. Allows you more tank mate options and has the added benefit of being able to be divided for a second Betta.

If you make an acrylic divider with .25" holes, the tank mates can still use the whole tank while the Bettas remain contained.
 
#8 ·
I know at my local Petco a 10 gallon tank is $1 cheaper than a 2.5 gallon tank, so check your local pet stores and Walmart or the like on prices. The bigger, the better when trying to house a community. In a 1.5 gallon, I would not do more than ONE fish or maybe 5 of a small community fish, if there was no Betta as well. In a 5 gallon I would possibly do a small school with a Betta but not likely.
 
#10 ·
Male Endlers or Pygmy or Hasbrosus Cories are fun. The male Endlers are more colorful. You'll need live plants. I'd recommend Anubias, Cabomba and Narrow Leaf Anacharis.

Before buying plants from PetSmart, make sure they're truly aquatic. Many they sell are not. There are some good online sources and Peachii has nice packages in the Classifieds.
 
#11 ·
I know this is a weird question but can you mix cardinal tetras, brigit rasboras, and endlers to make one small school or does it have to be either one species or the other? Would my betta mind the mini-school?
 
#14 ·
Where can I buy endlers??? I looked at petco and petsmart's website and they don't sell them (at least that's what they show...) do rasboras fair well with endlers? (They look similar...)

I'm sorry for all the questions I just don't want to make any mistakes!! :oops:
 
#15 ·
Fish will prefer having more of their own species to being mixed in with a bunch of others. Personally, I think one big school is more visually stunning than an overwhelming bunch of different species. :)

Live plants are honestly very easy. If you are nervous, I'd suggest going for a mix of fake plants (look into FinSafe - realistic and beautiful!) and low maintenance real ones. Java fern, java moss, anubias, elodea...they are all easy to maintain. :)
 
#17 ·
Ok so I have decided on 1 betta male w/ 6-7 neon tetras/cardinal tetras/boraras brigittae/endlers (I have to see the availability in my LFS and each of their temperament to choose) w/ 2-3 otos
I will have mostly fake plants and 2 live ones

Is this fine?
 
#20 ·
You never *need* algae-eating fish. Remember that each fish has its own bioload, so they increase the amount you need to clean.

Worth noting: you've selected a bunch of fish that all crome from very different water. Make sure you know your pH and water hardness before making a decision - some fish (like tetras, rasboras and otos) need soft, acidic water, whereas others (live Endlers) do much better in hard, alkaline water.
 
#22 ·
Guys just wanted to say, this is very helpful!!

Now, I went to two of my LFS and none carried endlers or rasboras :( I did see some super cute albino Corys though but my search for rasboras and endlers carries on!

I have to check out all the specific parameters for the fish, all of you were right, I didn't even think of that! :oops:

Just in case I don't find any rasboras or endlers, are cardinal tetras fine?

On a side note, I just bought the ten gallon tank!! Can I start cycling it and continually add plants and decor while I cycle it or will it disturb the process?
 
#23 ·
I'd say cardinals are too active for a ten gallon - they are larger than neons and really suit 20 gals or larger.

Go nuts on adding decor during the cycle. It gives the beneficial bacteria more surface area to colonise.

Live plants (enough of them, anyway) will change the nature of the cycle somewhat. They certainly don't harm it, but it can be confusing seeing the effect on your various readings. It's worth talking to OldFishLady, who is pretty much *the* expert on the silent cycle (that is, the cycle that happens in a planted tank). :)
 
#25 ·
Alright! I will look into neons then (that is if I don't find the rasboras or endlers) thank you so much!

The cycle will be around 3 weeks then right? I heard that if I just put fish food in the tank (without the fish obviously) it will help the cycle speed up, is this true?
 
#24 ·
Good luck! I just got a 10 gallon recently, and I now have some three-lined (false julii, although they are often mislabeled as Julii) cories in with my betta. Pip flares at other bettas nearby, but he's awesome with the cories- he swims with them and everything. Only problem is he tries to nibble on their food. I'm hoping he doesn't get SBD, but so far, so good! I'm glad you got the 10 gallon- they really are cheaper than many of the smaller tanks, and you can fit a lot more. I also got some anacharis for mine, which seems to be doing well and grows rapidly with absolutely no effort on my end. It's cheap, too; I got 3 bunches of it at my local fish store for $7.99.

Just a note on fake plants if you do some of those- they need to be silk. Most plants you can buy at pet stores are plastic, and it's easy for a betta to rip his fins on it. The rule of thumb is that any item that could snag a nylon is dangerous in a betta tank, as those long fins are super fragile. So only live or silk plants. Good luck in your fishy endeavor! :)
 
#27 ·
Okay, cool! I just wanted to make sure you knew. I didn't at first, and bought a plastic plant that was labeled for bettas. Within 5 minutes, my female betta had ripped her short little fin in 2 places! That came out in a hurry! ;-)

By the way, Flare is beautiful. I am jealous.
 
#28 ·
Wow that's horrible :cry: I hope that never happens to me :(

Btw I bought this heater a long time ago when I thought I was getting a 5 gallon tank (it's a 25 w heater) would it work for this tank? I don't want to spend more money.... :\

Lol thanks XD I bet your fish is beautiful as well
 
#29 ·
Oh, he is beautiful! You should also be jealous! I need to set my profile picture to show him off. And by him, I mean the one I'm going to breed. I have others. I actually don't want to count them. haha Hello, my name is Holly, and I'm addicted to bettas...

Thankfully, the tears to her fins were clean, and they healed very quickly. Still, lesson learned about plastic plants and decor with sharp edges! I've found that a lot of decor has sharp edges on the insides of holes that need to be sanded down to make it betta-safe.

I think your heater should work. I'm pretty sure mine is a 25 watt, and it works great. Do you have a thermometer? They're pretty cheap. Just use a floating one instead of the strips that stick to the outside. Inside-aquarium thermometers are much more accurate. It shouldn't be more than $2. My Petsmart has some on clearance for $1. That way you can monitor your temp and make sure it's okay. :)
 
#31 ·
No, the 25w is not big enough. It will have to work too hard to heat the water, and you risk it burning out. Get at least a 50w, though I would go higher.

As for the cycle - fish food isn't what speeds it up, it's what creates the cycle. You need something in there to create ammonia - if you're doing that method, that's what the fish food does. :)
 
#32 ·
Cheaper than another heater! ;-) It is nice to know the temp, though. Bettas like the water at 78*, but it can be really hard to maintain that without knowing the temp. And I've heard of people with heaters that fry a betta overnight. So I like to know and be able to set my heater to the appropriate temp and adjust it as needed!
 
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