I when to my LFS yesterday and saw a 2.5 gal kit for $25. or maybe it was a 3.5 gal. Anyways, it comes with a hood, air pump/tube/air-stone, under gravel filter, some fake plants (which I want to replace with live ones), some food, and a small bottle of water conditioner (not a big deal since I have a huge bottle already for my 5 and 10 gal). Should I get a heater with it? I was thinking about putting a Betta along with maybe 2 ghost shrimps. Is this a good idea?? Will the under gravel filter do it's job in cleaning water, and will the filter harm the roots of live plants? (not really sure how under gravel filter works) Can Bettas be in the same tank with shrimps?? Thanks, and sorry for all the questions.
Betta in a 2.5 gal?
- Thread starter chan
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If undergravel filters even work, it still doesn't work to remove the stuff from the water. I've never been quite sure what the purpose of dragging crap through gravel to sit under the gravel is.
AND, with that said, I've never even seen one work. Not without a powerhead or something to really pull.
AND, with that said, I've never even seen one work. Not without a powerhead or something to really pull.
I tried a UGF years ago and it was a disaster. About 2 years ago, I purchased the 5 gal bowfront that came with a HOB and it worked fantastic, until the light malfunctioned and melted into the hood. About a year ago, I had to change over to a 5 gal hex front tank which I bought at walmart for about 7 dollars more than the one you attached to this thread and it has one of the bio-wheel filters bult into the hood. I would not go back to the HOB or the UGF if I had a choice. This tank is fabulous. I only hope I can get a decent priced bio-wheel when I get my 55.
Hope this helps
Ladymaiden
Hope this helps
Ladymaiden
ladymaiden said:
I tried a UGF years ago and it was a disaster. About 2 years ago, I purchased the 5 gal bowfront that came with a HOB and it worked fantastic, until the light malfunctioned and melted into the hood. About a year ago, I had to change over to a 5 gal hex front tank which I bought at walmart for about 7 dollars more than the one you attached to this thread and it has one of the bio-wheel filters bult into the hood. I would not go back to the HOB or the UGF if I had a choice. This tank is fabulous. I only hope I can get a decent priced bio-wheel when I get my 55.
Hope this helps
Ladymaiden
Hope this helps
Ladymaiden
I have a 5 gallon hex that I got at walmart with a bio-wheel filter. I haven't had any problems so far and the footprint is small since it is a hex (if size is an issue) It's a nice size. I have also had a betta and ghost shrimp together with no problems but I guess it depends on the fish and the size of the shrimp.
I've had two Betta's in two of those 2.5 gal mini-bows (so, only one per tank) and they are excellent. The Whisper Filter supplied with those tanks is NOT an UGF at all but an 'in-tank' filter. They are also FUGLY and not very good in my opinion. Get one of these instead, waaaaaaaaaay better. You'll also want a very small heater in there to keep the water nice and warm for the Betta, they like it around 80F.
I kept live plants in mine but had to use gravel from my 29gal, the gravel they supply those mini-bows with is nasty, lightweight stuff and plants won't root in it. The best thing to do is switch the incandescent bulb for a screw-in compact fluorescent bulb (usually 15W if I remember) so you get 3 wpg of decent plant growing light.
All in all, both my Betta tanks did superbly well with plants and Betta's flourishing splendidly. Both Betta's lived over 2 years which is pretty good for LFS Betta's considering you never really know how old they are when you get them. *thumbsups
I kept live plants in mine but had to use gravel from my 29gal, the gravel they supply those mini-bows with is nasty, lightweight stuff and plants won't root in it. The best thing to do is switch the incandescent bulb for a screw-in compact fluorescent bulb (usually 15W if I remember) so you get 3 wpg of decent plant growing light.
All in all, both my Betta tanks did superbly well with plants and Betta's flourishing splendidly. Both Betta's lived over 2 years which is pretty good for LFS Betta's considering you never really know how old they are when you get them. *thumbsups