new member + where to buy?

[xoerikae]

hiiiiii :)
my name is erika!
proud slave to two cats, six sugar gliders, and the loving and tolerant live-in boyfriend :P
ive always loved fish, but only ever had goldfish from the fair that died two days later :( anywho, couple questions:
1) where do you guys recommend to buy a 10 gal tank? id prefer a kit, but if i can get the parts separately for a good price, that's cool too.
2) where do you recommend getting bettas from? i was hoping for a small sorority [3-5], and petsmart would certainly suffice, but is there a better way and place?
3) what is the "ideal" number of females in a 10 gal?
4) .... anything else i should know? lol.
5) and how much did you guys spend, roughly, starting out?
thanks!

[xoerikae]

... *bump*?
so sad and lonely over here. *pouts*.

also, as an update, i think i'm going to get a 2.5 gal and a pretty male to keep me happy til i can save up for the sorority i really want - so i still do need that info - but it wont be an immediate thing.

and can somebody actually explain the process of switching out the water, be it for 50%, 100%, etc?

[cdlourie]

Well. Walmart sells some pretty decent kits. I know my local store sells a 10 gal. kit with filter/light/tank for 35. But of course, you will need a decent heater.

[naturegirl243]

Sorroritys are kind of hard.I have an old thread I started when I started mine it took about two months to cycle my tank.Then I had to find females(I got my girls at petco)you have to QT the females for two weeks and make sure they don't have any illnesses.Then once you add them you have to make sure evryone gets along ok before I added my girls I put there QT tanks next to each other so they were all used to having fish around.I tried to add my moms female in and she is HUGE and all my little crowns kept picking on her so she lives alone now I also had two VT's killedby my original two girls who are now living with two other crowns,but yeah it's alot of work I am still getting the hang of it feeding is interesting too I have quite the pudgy girlys right now.

[BettaLover101]

depending on where you live you could go to Big Al's Fish Store. They have a wide assortment of colours and tail types of bettas all from a local breeder. They also have a huge assortment of tanks and equipment that you can buy. If your in america then I heard that Petco is a good place to shop at too.

[xoerikae]

ok, so im thinking of starting out with this one
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752291
though it says that its an undergravel filter. should i go with this one instead?
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=3611436
and, not including heater, what else will i need to get?

[BettaLover101]

Your links aren't working. Just post the type and make of filter that each is.

[xoerikae]

weird, they work ok for me. *shrug*
the first one is the Top Fin® Aqua Scene Desktop Aquarium, Item: 2752291
which includes an air pump, undergravel filter, and light hood.


the second one is the Aqueon Mini Bow Desktop Aquarium Kit, Item: 3611436
which includes
Mini Bow 2.5 Aquarium (2.5 gallons)
Mini Bow Filter for crystal-clear water (filter cartridge included)
Aquarium Light Hood and 15 Watt Incandescent Bulb (brings your aquarium to life)
Set-up & Care Guide
Aqueon Fish Food and Water Care Samples

both are from petsmart

[GienahClarette]

You can get supplies online or at your local Petsmart/Petco/ Aquarium specialty store. Not to be a downer, but I'm going to caution you against a sorority. From what I've read on the forum, they seem really hard and even longtime fish keepers appear to have problems with them. They're definitely not a beginner thing.

If you really want more than one fish, it might be easier to do a community tank with one betta.

[xoerikae]

thats why i decided to start out with my one betta, lol. more time for research and saving money.
now, can someone explain the darn replacing water process? i need a how to or a video or something to get this. im used to gliders and cats, they just drink water :P