Tank for A Dorm Room

[Gravemind123]

Originally Posted by oXsonriksXo

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

No, I'm from Western suburbs(two of them, as my parents are seperated). I'm not going to U of I, but I know a lot of people who are and may be visiting them soon. I will probably transfer to U of I in two years though!

Originally Posted by 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 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.

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking about getting one of the small eclipse tanks, and now I'm pretty sure that's what I'll go for. I can run the tank for that long if it is better for the fish.

I'm not sure when I can actually afford to get the tank and such, I guess it will depend on how expensive the total of all the equipment and food will cost. If it is too much I may have to wait until Christmas.

[Jynx]

i believe my 3 gallon eclipse and all the stuff came out to around $85

http://yfrog.com/0ofish018bj

[Gravemind123]

That looks really nice, the black pebbles go well with the dark colors of the fish. What type of fish is in there other than the blue/black betta?

Can anyone suggest a heater for the Eclipse 3? I need to be sure to get an adequate one to keep the water warm in cold external temperatures, my room may get down into the 60s at night.

Also, what are some good brands for things like food, water testing products and the stuff you put in tap water to make it usable for the fish?

[dramaqueen]

Food- Wardleys pellets and Hikari betta bio gold.
Test kit- The API freshwater master test kit.
Conditioner- Prime and Aquasafe.

[Jynx]

i have the hydor mini heater for 2-5 gallons- it's a little heating pad that can dangle in the water or you can bury it in the gravel. i like it because its all one piece- nothing to get detached in the water. also when its buried in the gravel it keeps the fish from having direct contact with the heat- some betta seem to enjoy squeezing behind things and they can get injured if they rub on a hot heater.

the other fish in the pic is a black molly- my friend gave him to me when he had to move cross country and didn't think the molly would survive the trip. Lulu picks on him sometimes but he still has all his parts. the females are usually more tolerant of tankmates than the males are.

i condition my water with wardley chlor out
Lulu used to get betta bites but since i put the molly in there she's eating the tetramin flakes my friend left for the molly. Lulu isn't picky- i think the flakes have made her fins longer and more spiky. they also get the bloodworms once a week.
my plants are from the betta bulbs- i got them just to see what would sprout out- my fish love them

[dr2b]

They have covered it all. I use both Wardleys and Hikari bio gold (and now Hikari micro pellets). I use Prime water conditioner, and I use the Hydor 25 watt and 50 watt heaters in my two tanks. I didn't catch if it was mentioned...but it is helpful to put the plants in while cycling. Makes it easier on the fish if you do have them in there.