starting a 19L fish tank

~Chameleon~

londonTiger wrote: »

ok understood. I bought the tank on impulse for £19. Looked very cheap. I'll revise what I put in it.

I'm looking to host fish that are tiny about 2-3cm in size as adults. I'd like smaller and more numerous fish than 1 big(ish) fish.

What would be the most appropriate fish to get for this size tank?

The ONLY fish you could keep in a tank of that size would be a SINGLE male (more colourful) Siamese Fighter. They are simply stunning and manage quite well living alone.




Please do not consider putting a goldfish or other small fish in there as it really isn't big enough and you won't be able to keep the water parameters stable enough to ensure good health. You will slowly chemically fry any fish you put in there. PAH really don't know what they're talking about when it comes to pets & fish

londonTiger

you know what, a betta/siamese fight looks pretty damn nice. I will get a heater and add buy one. Is lighting required?

londonTiger

If I expand the tank later on, can I add tiny school fish with the betta or will the betta eat the school fish?

~Chameleon~

londonTiger wrote: »

you know what, a betta/siamese fight looks pretty damn nice. I will get a heater and add buy one. Is lighting required?

Make sure you learn about cycling a tank properly before introducing a fish. If done properly it can take 3-4 weeks. Please ignore everything you've been told by the PAH staff.

Bailey101

Have you considered keeping shrimp? They're pretty easy to keep, and you can get some stunning colours and varieties.

The link below might be of interest

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/guide-to-starting-a-shrimp-tank-238178.html

xx

londonTiger

lol, betta is probably so vain it doesn't care about socialising. Probably would preferer mirrors on three walls.

~Chameleon~

londonTiger wrote: »

If I expand the tank later on, can I add tiny school fish with the betta or will the betta eat the school fish?

Why not just get an appropriate sized tank to start with? Siamese Fighters can happily live with non-aggressive fish. They're not keen on guppies and platys as these will nip at fins and tails but tetras and bottom feeders such as corydoras should be ok. You just need plenty of hiding places and cover to reduce stress levels.

londonTiger

whats a typical power draw for a tropical fish heater? I assume I need a small one.

Does a heater run at full blasted all the time or does it cycle from peak power to low power? A bit concerned because I wanted cold water fish because I didn't like the idea of running 50W 24/7

Fosterdog

Heaters don't cost much to run at all, they have built in thermostats so only run when needed. If the room is warm it won't be on much, if the room is cold it may be on constantly.

~Chameleon~

londonTiger wrote: »

whats a typical power draw for a tropical fish heater? I assume I need a small one.

Does a heater run at full blasted all the time or does it cycle from peak power to low power? A bit concerned because I wanted cold water fish because I didn't like the idea of running 50W 24/7

It runs on a thermostat.