Stupid Question Maybe not?

[LtGtR2]

Okay so i currently am housing a oscar that is about 10 inchs maybe 11 inchs. The bio load in the 55 gallon tank is very high. So i regularly clean this tank too keep the water conditions low and clarity high. The fish is striving and shows no sign of disease or any conditions and the tank has been up for i wanna say about a year. Now that i am getting old (not really) i am going to college and i cannot take a 55 gallon tank with me. I am looking for a new home for my fish, probably my local pet store i trust. Not wal-mart or pet-co. So my first question is! This is where it might get stupid. If i understock my 55gallon fish tank lets say a couple of tiger barbs or something small and amusing for my nephew and enough to keep the tank running... is it possible to do a wider range of cleaning this tank? like i leave aug 27th, say the next time i come home would be like a month or two maybe even three would these fish be alright? or any small fish?

My next question is i am moving to college! i might want to bring a fish with me... i like fish what would be a good choice for a small tank like a 5gal? i was toying with the idea of a small puffer?

 

[sombunya]

I have 5, 10 and 20 gallon tanks. (the 5 is for hospital tank use only)

A 5 is minuscule. Good for a couple of Guppys or one small Goldfish if you have the correct filtration and change the water enough.

A 10 would be better and a 20 takes up just a little more space than a 10.

25% water changes for a 20 consist of one, 5 gallon bucket. Quite easy, I think.

Just my opinion.

 

[jingles]

mmm I wouldn't put a goldfish is a 5 gallon tank..maybe the 20

Question #2-A figure 8 puffer is an awesome choice for a 5 gallon and you can fit more than one figure 8 puffer in a five gallon (and if you have some fast reproducing snails even better). I wouldn't put a shoal in a 5 gallon but you can if you find one small enough.

Question #1- yea it's possible you might want to get a good ecosystem going. So just have a good balance of plants to fish(swimmers) to scavenger(fish/inverts) but that maybe require more work than you want. It would be too hard if you got easy plants but maybe someone else will give you better advice. 6 tiger barbs and some shrimp (ghost) and like 4 or 5 plants I think would be good.

 

[1077]

I might were it me,(and it ain't) School the nephew in proper feeding of fish and water change procedure if he is capable. Otherwise Overfeeding could become porblematic wth regards to maintaining water quality which in turn, could result in a tank full of sick fish upon your return.
A five gal tank would in my view be suitable for a betta and that's about all.A small sponge filter and heater and the betta would do well.

 

[bmoraski]

How often and how much do you clean now ?? weekly , monthy etc. ??
and i like 1077 idea about schooling your nephew in the art of fish keeping.

 

[LtGtR2]

well it would be more or less my sister doing the tank my nephew is only 2 turning 3 in October haha. So hes got some time to go... I clean my tank every week and i clean the filter every 3 weeks. My Oscar is very spoiled *celebrate .

So i am thinking of at least having one fish tank up at school. If not i know i will always have one later on! but its hard to not have one going.

 

[Violet]

I also wouldn't put anything other than a betta in a five gallon. My biggest concern about leaving the tank in the care of someone else is: would your sister take care of the fish if they get sick? She may not want the responibility or cost of caring for sick fish. And I think you would need to see the tank running with the new fish for a bit before you leave, to see if there are any problems.

 

[LtGtR2]

Well the tank that would be staying at my house is a 55 gallon tank. The 5 gal would be coming with me to college, i do weekly water changes already a smaller tank would take 1/8th the time. I dunno about a beta. Abiding by the 1 inch per gallon rule i could have multiple type of smaller breeds in the tank. I know about cycling and i know about proper up keep of a tank so i was almost thinking about some tiger barbs. how many and what strain not sure yet. Might even get a 10 gallon!

 

[MadridKid]

i probably wouldn't leave the 55 gal. to your nephew seeing that he's really young.

about the school tank i would suggest you get a 10 gallon so it could house a few fish and still be relatively low maintenance...

 

[littletankbigworld]

I have a 5 gallon tank and it is literally a pain in the butt. I am just getting things under control, even though I don't have that many fish to begin with. I'd definitely get a 10 gallon tank. It'll be much easier to maintain and way less stressful. I'd get some smaller community fish, like danios, swordfish, mollies, guppies, tetras, and platies. You could even put a female Betta in the tank as long as you don't have any fancy guppies.