1 Gallon??

[FroggyFox]

Alright...I know I've seen some of you have a 1 gallon tank listed on your signatures. So this question is for you.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?! I got one at petsmart cuz it was cute and I needed a quarentine tank. Now its home and almost finished cycling and I'm staring at it going ...um...theres no place for a heater...or a light... SO I went to WalMart and got their smallest heater which granted, is small enough to go in there...almost...but its not supposed to go in a tank smaller than 2 gallons AND theres no where to put a cord through the hood except where I have the air tubing. (powering the little miniature ugf.)

I guess I could use it as a quarentine tank...or a fry tank (if I ever get any) but does anyone have an idea how to regulate the temperature on such a small tank??

 

[catfishmike]

i have always wonderd the same thing.my smallest tank is 2 gallon and thas for my bettas(i have two tanks)i could see a one gallon being good for obsevation when checking small fish that are injured or sick but you can't keep fish in something lke that for long

 

[jaws2]

mabye i would put in 2 or 1 zebra dianos they are active and small

 

[Angelfish]

I dont have one, but those 1 gal. tanks are beta homes, no place for heater or filter because alot of people dont believe betas need them

Edit: Maybe if the tank was placed with adequate lighting (natural) and frequent water changes it would be okay.

 

[FroggyFox]

thx Jaws2, but all of my danios live in a nice 15 gallon home I was hoping to use it for a quarentine/medication tank...but I can't very well do that without a way to heat it.

Since I'm not hearing any ideas I suppose maybe I'll try putting a couple minnows in it? Eh I hate to do that to anything though, its just so tiny.

What I'd really like to hear is someone having an idea of how to regulate its temperature

Angelfish I'm thinkin you're right...and bettas can go w/o a heater right?? but they prefer warmer water. Maybe I could put a betta in it...the temperature shouldn't get really cold in it...but of course since theres no heater it could potentially get cold.

 

[beaver8888]

i got a 1 gallon for my brine shrimp hatching after i get rid of them all im planning on puttin in a batta

 

[Angelfish]

You could put a beta in there, the way I see it, if you dont someone else will. You know about fish and how to take care of them so I'd say your giving it a better home than its otherwise most likely to go to. Betas can definately go without a heater, one of my friends has one that has been in a bowl with no heater for three years, this is one of the most healthy looking betas Ive seen. I think the beta would be happy to have a home in a 1 gal. instead of a tiny cup.

 

[fishRmylife]

My girlfriend was trying to buy a 2 1/2 gallon so she could take the female ryukin home, and the ryukin is like 4 1/2"! I was like no way, so I bought a male ryukin so she couldnt buy that small tank, because I told her they were courting and you cant seperate them, because they would become stressed and depressed and die. Yeah but anyways..... I still think a 1 gallon is two small for even a betta, I would never buy anything smaller than a 5 gallon for any fish

 

[fishysmell]

I figure a 10 gallon is about the limit. I don't think anything smaller should have fish in it perminantly. That's not keeping fish, its watching them try and turn around. I can't imagine putting even bettas or minnows in a 1 gallon, thats just cruel. If your hellbent on keeping a one gallon, try heating it with an ouside source. You know, warm the air around the tank thus warming the tank itself. I don't know how, I'm just saying it might work. Personnally I'd try and trade it in and help fund a 5 or a 10 for a quarantine tank.

 

[fishRmylife]

Said so perfectly fishysmell

 

[FroggyFox]

Hey now fishysmell go easy on Froggy. Originally I wasn't intending on putting anything in there permanently.

"Hellbent on keeping a one gallon" isn't exactly my frame of mind...I already HAVE it...have had it for several weeks...and I would like to find a useful purpose for it if I can. I don't even know if I can still bring it back, although I do have the box and a reciept I'm sure.

I think a betta might do just fine in there, like Angelfish said, rather than sitting on a store shelf in a little cup....BUT I don't know what I'm going to do with it...thus the reason for this thread.

Thank you guys for responding...I guess I'll have to think about it.

 

[rocketshrimp]

You could make a brine shrimp hatchery out of it all you need is an air pump air stone salt and brine eggs.

Your fish well love the live food.

 

[fishysmell]

Good idea rocket, that's probably the only use for a one gallon. I mean, the bucket I use to change the water (haven't gotten a hose system besides the siphon hooked up yet) holds more than 1 gallon.

 

[GDH]

You could buy a very small sponge filter (there should be small enough ones at walmart), take some established media from one of your filters and have a few ghost shrimp in the tank. They prefer cooler water. I wouldnt use gravel and the ugf because its very hard to clean the gravel in something that small without taking everything out, swishing the gravel around and dumping out the water. You can syphon debris much easier off of the bare bottom than if you had gravel, with a piece of air line tubing. Add some java fern or moss and youre good to go.

 

[420Loach]

my brother has one of those with some ghost shrimp in it(previously a betta tank) a couple of em are getting big. he feeds em shrimp pellets and algae wafers, they scuttle around the tank, and he has a resin log as tall as the tank inside and it makes a pretty good habitat, its pretty clean too.

 

[catfishmike]

that's not too bad of an idea.a ghost shrimp tank.on a side note,when i worked at a lfs when we got ghost shrimp in it smelled horrible.anyone know why?

 

[Antwan]

I think you could put a betta in it froggy, believe me, its plenty enough room for a betta or two. Bettas are hardy and not very active. They could also be successfully kept at room temp. And you got 2 choices on heating. You could regulate by room temp. or by a heat strip or heat tape and put it under the tank. Just get the heat tape/strip and the necessary hardware, rheostat, and thermometer and try it out. All that would cost $10-$20. You could find the tape at a hardware store or where you buy herps. I actually have a heat pad under my 29 gal. and it keeps it at a comfortable 78-80 deg. for my oscars. Good luck.....

 

[fishysmell]

I still don't think its big enough for a betta. If you get one, throw it in a 29 gallon or something, let the little guy breath. It wouldn't be too bad for shrimp though, but forget ghost shrimp, pick up some crystal reds or something interesting like that. Ghost shrimp are too.....clear.

 

[FroggyFox]

I actually really like ghost shrimp...though I like them in my tanks...I don't think I'd want a whole tank of them.

cfm i'm not sure why they would smell bad...maybe they had a funky shrimp disease? My tank that has them doesn't smell bad.

fishysmell I don't even have a 29 gallon, my biggest tank is a 15...and I'm trying to decide what to do with a 1 gallon tank, not trying to decide the best habitat for a betta.

 

[FroggyFox]

oh...and thanks Antwan...I might go take a looksee around the hardware store and see what I can find that would work. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, afterall the entire little tank only cost like 10 bucks lol but we'll see.