Tank for A Dorm Room

[Gravemind123]

Hello all, I have never owned a Betta fish before, but I really want a fish for my dorm room and a Betta seemed like a good choice.

The main problem I foresee with keeping a fish is transporting it between my house and my dorm when winter and summer breaks come about. So my questions are these 1: What is a good, small, inexpensive beginner tank with a filter and heater(Chicago isn't too warm). 2: What is the best way to keep my fish happy and transfer it between my dorm and home. 3: What is the best source of water for tanks that is not tap water, since the tap water near my college is probably not very clean and is not anything like the water I get from the tap(lake water) when I'm at home.

Thanks for any help!

EDIT: I am also interested in potentially getting an aquatic plant to live in the tank with the betta and I think that means special requirements for lighting to make sure the plant is healthy, so suggestions on a plant and light for it are appreciated too!

[dr2b]

I love the marineland tanks. They have a 3 gallon, and it comes with the bio-wheel and all. Many people here love bowfront tanks too. For traveling with a betta, here is the best way I've seen: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread....raveling+betta. The water should be okay if you dechlorinate it. I know many people use well water here and their bettas are fine. As for the light, many times in your tank instructions they give you what CFL lightbulb you can use for your fish tank. This is the lightbulb you NEED for your tank. It must be CFL daylight spectrum if you want to keep live plants. Java fern, Wendtii Crypt (brown or green), Val Corkscrew, Dwarf Hairgrass are all good plants. Plants that are good that need a little higher light are the Amazon Sword family (this family also needs root tabs since they are heavy feeders).

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to FishForum. dr2b covered it all! :)

[okijapan]

How far is the trip between school and home?

[Gravemind123]

Thanks for all the info, the drive between school in home is 90 miles and usually ranges from 1.5-2.5 hours of time in the car. I think I will get the equipment over winter break and the fish after the tank is back at school and set up. Is cycling the tank necessary before putting the fish in it? Is it necessary before putting the plant in it?

[oXsonriksXo]

im from the chicagoland area too, where are you from? going to u of i? =)

[Jynx]

you should let the tank run for a few days or a week before you put the fish in there if you can. i've had to put a fish in a fresh tank in an emergency and nothing bad happened- but it's better for the fish if you wait.

i'd also stress the importance of getting a healthy fish. a lot of the betta in the pet stores are sick from the stress of being shipped and living in those little cups. don't get a fish that seems fainty or sleepy or pale. you should also maybe just look at the dark ones- the light colored fish are very beautiful but it's harder to tell if they're sick because the first sign is loss of color. if you get a sick fish and it dies in your tank you also have the annoyance of having to clean it out and start over aging the water. ick

i have the 3 gallon eclipse and i like it a lot- its really nice looking and the filter current isn't too strong. betta don't like a strong current.

[AngelicScars]

Also, using water conditioner with tap will help greatly.

[SaylorKennedy]

Yup, everyone here seems to have it covered. :)

Originally Posted by oXsonriksXo

im from the chicagoland area too, where are you from? going to u of i? =)

I applied to U of I!

[Jupiter]

Thanks for the link. I'm a bit nervous traveling home for the Winter break too. I take a Greyhound and it's a 12 hour drive to get home, so I don't think I can take my bettas with me.