"Bookshelf" Aquarium

Coyote

I've found myself in possession of one of these...

PETCO.com - PETCO Bookshelf Freshwater Fish Aquarium customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings

It's been sitting on a bookshelf in my dining room for a month now, successfully holding water, and the filter is almost silent. I'm tired of looking at it empty, however ;)

It's about 6.5 gallons.

What can I keep in that size tank while still keeping them healthy and happy? I'd prefer more than one fish, so tiny is preferable, I guess?

Yes -- I really am as unknowledgeable as I sound -- but I'm working on that :) I won't stock the tank until I've done all the necessary research... which hopefully you guys can help me with :) I'm in the process of reading articles on fishless cycling, and initial set-up and... anything I can find, really :)

My current experience is only in aquatic turtles... feeder guppies live happily in his tank... for a while :p But it's a turtle tank, not a fish tank.

Blaxicanlatino

That is so funny you made this thread cause i just got home and saw the same thing at petco!

Blaxicanlatino

Oh and welcome to the forum :D yea that tank seems fine. You can probably keep a betta in that tank or maybe a few mountain minnows shrimps.

Coyote

Are bettas more active in a tank of that size than they are in those tiny cramped tanks people usually keep them in? I'm not a huge fan, from what I've seen. I like active fish and schooling fish... I'm reading about mountain minnows right now :) What sort of shrimp? From what I've read, glass shrimp get aggressive if the water is above a certain temperature, and I'm assuming I'll have to get a heater for this tank.

I'm sorry if any of these are stupid questions... I'd rather ask them now and not hurt any poor defenseless fish :)

stevenjohn21

I would divide the tank into 3 and have 2 male Betta's on either side of a female in the middle. You will have great colors and the fins from the male will look excellent .

If you choose to get the white cloud minnows you wont need a heater,

Blaxicanlatino

see the problem is people who arent humble enough to ask question! Your asking shows that you truly care and is INCREDIBLY commendable!!!

anywho...
i assume by craped tanks you mean like a 1 liter bowel? or those small cups? yea nothing should live in those

but i think a 6 gallon should be fine, especially with live plants in it. Im usually against anything smaller than 10 gallons, but as long as its heavily planted then i dont mind them much at all.

Ive ahd glass or ghost shirmp b4 and ive had alot of problems with them (eating and attacking fish) but mainly with the larger ones which could possibly be prawns...

but ghost shirmp, cherry shrimp, and amano shrimp should be ok.

Coyote

I'll read more about bettas and white cloud minnows before I make a decision, thank you :)

Coyote

Thank you... :)

I'm thinking about live plants, but it seems difficult. I've started trying to grow live plants in my turtle tank, and some of them are doing okay and some are not... so I'm still trying to find the balance on that. I'd love to plant this bookshelf tank, but I'm kind of afraid to :) From the article I'm reading on cycling, it sounds like planting would really help, though... do you have any advice on planting a small tank like this?

I'll see if I can find cherry shrimp and amano shrimp locally, to watch their activity at the store, and also do some research online.

Another stupid question--could I use some water from my turtle/guppy tank to help cycle the new tank? The water would probably include some baby snails, too...

I just read: A Beginner's Guide to the Freshwater Aquarium Cycle

alidawn15

Bettas are a lot more active in bigger tanks. Moving mine from a 1/2 gallon temp. critter keeper type tank to a 10 gallon made him a totally different fish. He spends his days swimming in and out of plants and showing off every time a person looks at his tank. They have great personalities.

Jakiebabie

What a great little tank! It's long, 24 inches and fish swim horizontal, end to end. I have my Half Moon Betta in a 10 gallon, this one would have been even better considering the length and would fit on my desk better. Very cute. I once had a betta and a goldfish, the two alone in a 45 gallon. the betta LOVED it. He owned that tank. The goldfish was bigger than he was so he didn't bother it all, just owned the tank. lol
They really have great personalities, want to see you every single time you come in the room. I also hate seeing them in anything too small but totally approve (JMO) because of the length.
Oh and welcome from Ontario.