What to get and where?

[Everlark]

So I have no way to get to the petstore, but I really need to upgrade. Is there a site online where I can get all or most of what I need? I need:

> A critter keeper
> A reliable heater (I saw someone on here talking about a Tetra HT10 heater being good. I'm assuming they'd all be plastic safe.)
> A filter appropriate for a 2-3 gal container (I just saw that post for the Tom rapid mini canister filter, which sounds about right)
> A variety of fish food (I don't have a freezer and I can't stomach the idea of live worms. Are all freeze dried foods known to cause constipation?)
> Water conditioner (something that would last me a while would be nice)
> Water test kit
> salt for treatment (do I use salt if his fins are clamped? What if he's constipated? Does it help with healing torn fins?)
> Silk plants and accessories that are fin safe

Am I missing anything? Sorry if some of my questions belong in a different forum, but I didn't see a point in posting a bunch of questions all over the site at the same time. I'll ask elsewhere if I need to.

[BlueHaven]

You can get a kritter keeper off Amazon, Petsmart (in the reptile section), or Petco.
For a filter, you could either get the Tetra 2-10i power filter, I have one and it works great so far, but one that works REALLY well that I have in 2 of my tanks is a DIY filter. I just used a small 12 fl oz coke bottle with a airpump, air stone and tube (good price too):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj1Gl...eature=related
I don't use a pipe, it works better with one but it works noticably well without one too. I tried it in a 3 gallon tank (an air pump for 10 gallons) and poured a ton of flakes in the water, that thing sucked it up like crazy!
And since it's smaller you can hide it behind plants.
At the same stores I mentioned above, you can find a variety of foods for bettas, like freeze dried bloodworms, shrimp, etc. Hikari is a good brand, so is Omega One. As long as you don't overfeed on the freeze dried ones and you pick a good brand, then it shouldn't cause constipation.
For water conditioner, Prime is good as it conditions the water and detoxifies Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates, but I use Tetra AquaSafe water conditioner and it works great. Prime is a good thing to have on hand. You can get big bottles of those and they do last a long time, only using a 1 or a few drops depending on the size of tank. For a 3 gallon, it's not alot.
API water test kit! It's a bit expensive, but really worth it as it lasts a very long time and is very accurate.
API Aquarium salt is great, but only use a very small amount for up to 10 days as a treatment.

As far as silk plants and heaters, I can't say because some people know better ones than I do that are adjustable and turn on/off and I don't use silk or plastic plants anymore.....well, not right now. Live plants are awesome and can be easy to care for if you pick the right ones. But that's just my opinion!

Do get a thermometer to check the temperature!

Hope I helped,
C:

[wystearya]

Hmm, I don't personally know of a place you can get everything all at once. I do see that Wal-mart has a 5 gallon tank kit wich includes the Tetra HT10 heater:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-5-Ga...undle/13228131

And I don't know your budget either, so this might be a bit pricey.

Maybe try checking out the Foster & Smith website..? I do know they have a wide variety of products. Though, some of their aquarium prices seem high to me...

I got this 5 gallon (with light and filter included) for $30:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-...arium/14660258

I felt it was a good deal, I love the tank and the filter is very quiet. Though, they don't seem to sell the Tetra HT10 heater separately, but they have this one (also Tetra brand) that looks just like the HT10 I have:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-1-ct/10291808

And Walmart has other tanks too, including a 2.5 gallon similar to the 5 gallon I posted the link to for $20 - though I don't see that this one has a filter.

Best of luck no matter what you choose! I hope I was a bit of help.

[sunnymui]

Silk plants and some freeze dried food, you can get on ebay for pretty good prices.

If you're worried about bloating with dried food, try soaking them feeding. Also, you can get Tetra Delica Brine Shrimp or Blood Worms, which are in a gel in little sachets, which my fish seems to love!

(I'm in the same boat as you with live feed, but for the sake of my fish, I've been getting bloodworms for him, which still seriously freaks me out!)

[Everlark]

Thanks everyone for helping me out. I'll look into all the suggestions and figure out what works best for me and my Mr.

[zelilaa]

buy a 2.5 gal tank from petsmart :3 15 dollars
i use the tetra whisper 3i filter for my tank, also sold at petsmart. 12 dollars

any pellets that say 'made for betta's and also some freeze dried bloodworms. freeze dried and pellets dont cause constipation and bloating if you soak them in water for 5 min before hand.

any plants from petsupermarket that pass the pantyhose test and are made for aquariums. things that arents made for aqs can be toxic

so best buys are tank at ptsmart, filter and cainsters at petsmart, plants at petsupermarket, gravel at petco, fish itself at petco :D

[Adastra]

I wouldn't recommend the mini canister for something as small as 2-3 gallons. I use mine on a 5.5G and a 10G, but I believe it's rated for 20 gallons. I would use a small sponge filter--they attach to an air pump and create a very low flow. They are also extremely cheap, but you will need an air pump and airline tubing if you don't already have it.

Personally, I do all my shopping online. Retail stores have a lot of overhead--they have to pay the rent on their space, the utilities, all the displays, the employees, maintenance, etc.. in order to still make a profit they jack up in-store prices. Online stores often offer the same products for over $10 less and offer a much better variety of products. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com offers very reasonable flat rate shipping, and since you save so much on every item, the more you buy in one order the more you end up saving. How much you save more than covers the cost of shipping.