# Newbie: What's the best beginner's tank?



## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Hey guys  I spent a ton of time reading the forums last night because I decided I wanted a betta and I want to take care of it properly. However, I'm still not sure what the best home for a betta would be. Here's a bit about my situation:

I am in college so I won't have a lot of space. When I'm in my dorm the only place I could put a tank would be my desk. For that reason I don't think I can go over 3 gallons and the best thing would be to have a tank that was big enough for the betta but didn't take up a lot of space - so I'm thinking something that is taller but has a smaller "footprint" if you will. I also don't want to spend a *ton* of money on the tank b/c I want to have enough money for the other things I'll need - like a heater, decorations, and all that stuff. So far I've looked at the Aqueon 2.5 gallon tank and the Top Fin 2 gallon "desktop" tank, and I've also considered just getting a large Kritter Keeper, but I don't know if the more frequent water changes are worth it (plus I don't know how I would provide a light source).

The other thing I would like advice on is the best way to transport the fish on my trip to school from my home and vice versa. It's about 800 miles, so that's around a 12 hour car trip.

Thanks in advance!


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

I think I'm going to go with a medium Kritter Keeper, seems like it would be the best option for me for now. Thanks anyway!


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## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

That sounds like a plan. I have one, currently empty since I upgraded my boy, but it works well and doesn't take a lot of room.


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

I adore Critter Keepers as small tanks! They are great, and come in different sizes for relatively cheap :-D


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

That tank would be the best for transporting and keeping your betta. The thing I would worry about us keeping.him warm going to and from school.

If you are at college a 5 gallon glass tank actual doesn't take up a whole lot of space.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm in a dorm, and I got a baby biorb for my birthday. But when we got Derpy we just used a 2.5 gal tank, no hood or light or anything. It was really cheap and when I went away for spring break I took Goblin home in it. It fit perfectly behind my seat in my car, to avoid potential spillage I put the lid on it and stuck the tank in a plastic bag.


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

For those of you who live in dorms...what did you do with your fish over winter break? I hadn't thought about this before, but I'll be home for almost a month and I don't really have the money to pay for bringing it on the airplane. This makes me sad because now I'm thinking I won't be able to get a fish, and I was really excited about it


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## Cattitude (Apr 19, 2012)

I keep both bettas (though I only have one right now) and tarantulas, and my house is full of kritter keepers of various sizes that I use for both species. 

Kritter keepers are great for transporting. I stay with my boyfriend on weekends and it's about half an hour by car each way. I use the keepers to move both my fish and my 4 t's (separately!). Another option for transportation is either deli cups or small plastic containers - melt a few holes in the lid with a hot nail for air and you're good to go. ;-)

Re filtration, with kritter keepers you need a high enough temp (78-80). I use 10w submersible heaters in my 1-3 gal keepers when room temp isn't enough. I've never had problems with melting plastic so far. 

If you want to cut down on the water changes you can get 2-5 gal acrylic aquarium kits including power filters. I have a 2-gal (marina explorer) that was originally on my desk at the office. I've run it for years. It has a "bio-wheel" filter which has never made a sound. Doesn't have a light, though, and no place to put one. I'd recommend another model because of this.

In a 2-gal I change the water 50 - 75% twice a week. I'd suggest that even with this filtered setup you get a testing kit for ammonia (if not a master kit). It's a good way to establish the best water change schedule to minimize stress on your fish. IMO a master kit will pay for itself in fish which would have been lost to toxins built up in the water.


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks for the advice! I originally thought summer transportation would be my problem, but now I realize that's not it at all - that part is relatively easy since I'll be travelling by car. My real problem now is what I would do over winter break. I suppose I could try to find someone who could do water changes and feeding over the break?


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## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

I think theres an article on transporting fish by plain floating around the web, or you could ship your betta to your house. It IS a risk though...


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Yeah, I did read about that, but honestly for going both ways that would get really expensive. Almost like having to transport another person. I guess I'll probably just have to do without. I wouldn't want to cause the poor thing undue stress because of my situation.


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## Cattitude (Apr 19, 2012)

Hmm... all I can think of is to get a somewhat larger tank (maybe a 5-10 gal hex), do a water change right before you leave, and use the vacation aquarium blocks which contain slow-release food and chemicals that help the water quality. I've used those before when I went away for a week.


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## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

OK, this is gonna sound odd, but is there any chance you could leave your fish with someone who's going to be staying? Maybe offer to pay then a little something?

Or, even crazier, have you thought of a pet sitter? Maybe you could post something on Craigslist to see if anyone woul dbe interested for a modest fee? (You could offer to pay 1/2 up front and 1/2 when you pick him up *alive*.)

IDK, just some ideas.


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## xSTOTTSx (Mar 18, 2012)

I have a Marineland Crescent, that I bought from Petsmart for pretty cheap. It is a 3 gallon, so I don't use a filter, although it does come with the bio-wheel filter. It has a nice light, also! Look into it, you might like it's size.


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

If I could find someone I knew, that would be ideal.

You know, I volunteer at the local animal rescue league almost weekly. They don't usually have fish there, but do you guys think they would be willing to look after a betta for a couple of weeks?


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## Cinderwolf (Dec 22, 2011)

Well, when I moved cross country we brought my old better fish on the plane in a glass mason jar. Then again that was before the hole " not allowed liquids on planes" thing. The flight attendants kept asking if he was alright and he stayed in the jar for a month until his bowl got shipped with the rest of our stuff. It is optimal , of course but it wasnt long term. ( we didnt kno anything about betta's back then so we didnt heat his bowl..)


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Cattitude: Do you think something like this would work?
I realized my break is actually three weeks, so that's a week less than I thought before. 
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4056278


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Alternatively, I could get a bigger kritter keeper and get a filter for it.


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## jaela (Feb 22, 2012)

I'd say get a bigger critter keeper and get a cheap, low-flow filter for it, like a hyrdo-sponge maybe. I think it would end up being cheaper in the long run.

I'm keeping betta fish in a dorm/res hall type place, too, so hit me up if you want to chat about anything specific relating to keeping them in that kind of environment. =]


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## Cattitude (Apr 19, 2012)

banana0217 said:


> Alternatively, I could get a bigger kritter keeper and get a filter for it.


The tank - is exactly what I bought a few days ago. It would work. Here's a thread I started asking people here what their impressions of this model are. 

The kritter keeper: If you're not planning on moving the fish with you when you travel, you could get it - or you may as well get either a glass aquarium of similar size or a tank setup like the one above. Plain glass aquaria can be quite reasonably priced, then you just choose a filter, hood etc.


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I'll probably think about it for a while before I do anything just to make sure I can make it work. You guys have been very helpful


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Just make sure you stay away from fish whilst you are deliberating, or there is a good chance you won't be able to help yourself.  

If you do get a 5 gallon with a filter (a little sponge filter will do) and do a 100% change before you leave and a 100% change when you come back, he'll be fine in terms of water quality. Not ideal, but he'll be ok. Having someone to feed him once or twice a week (make sure you measure out the amount of food he needs, or changes are they WILL overfeed him), he'll be ok for sustenance too.


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## banana0217 (Apr 23, 2012)

My mom says she doesn't want any more pets in the house (we have one cat), even a fish, so it's a no go for me ;_; Thanks for all the advice anyway guys


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