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  1. #1
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    animals 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Hi All,

    I've been wanting a fish tank for my desk for a while and my wife surprisingly bought one for me for Xmas.

    It's only a 2 Gallon (10 litre) tank, which is just fine for my desk and me.
    However, as it's so small there isn't a lot I can put in it other than goldfish (bit boring in my opinion) or danio's. I'm a complete novice so please excuse my ignorance.

    I like the idea of danios and the guy in the local aquatic centre suggested Danios but I have a few questions which I can't really find answers to on the internet.

    These being:


    • Do I still need a filter with Danios? If so then is a bio filter electric? (sorry if that's a stupid question)


    • can I put any live plants in with them?
    • could I put snails in with them?

    I don't want a complicated tank but don't just want 1 Betta or 2 goldfish either.

    Many thanks,
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


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  2. #2
    Argyll's Apprentice TwoPlAnKs's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    There's plenty of options for a 10 gallon tank, you could have a selection of small tropical fish if you wanted. You can have a nice mixture of those, including a shoal of about 5 or 6 tiny neons which is quite cool to watch them all swimming about together in their little gang.

    Whether you need the filter or not, get one. They are only about £20 and make so much difference to your life and your fish's lives.

    The heater to do a tropical setup is only about £20 too if you want to go down that route. The only option totally closed to you would be a marine set up, because the tank is very small for that.

    Snails are considered a pest in fish tanks and will normally be had by mistake when you get live plants. I agree though, I think they are quite cool and always wanted them in my tank until I got bored of it.
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  3. #3
    DF Probation MsDG's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    It depends how much you give a shit about living things and how much weekly effort you want to put into it.

    For a start, i would say that tropical fish are a bad idea to start with. Think of coldwater fish as the easy level, tropical as medium and salt water fish as hard.

    Even if you go for a simple goldfish, its really not that simple as the old days where people just kept it in a simple bowl. To give a goldfish good quality of life, you really need a filter, air, light (makes the tank look far better) and although they are coldwater fish sudden drastic temp changes can kill them, so a heater (to keep the temp at a constant) is a good idea.

    If you stick to coldwater, you can have a decent mix of fish with a little trickery. If you have a heater and set it to about 20c, this is still cold enough for goldfish, but warm enough for weather loaches, plec's (small stingray looking things) and a variety of snails. Yeah you can even stick plants in there.

    There are even some no traditional looking goldfish out there (check out pearlscale)

    Stay away from any black goldfish... They get infections a lot more easily

    Be warned, keeping any fish isn't easy. A 10 litre tank is very small and so you can't really keep much in it. You could just do the traditional thing of throwing some fish in a tank and feeding them now and again, but without proper care they will have a horible life and probably won't last that long!

  4. #4
    Argyll's Apprentice TwoPlAnKs's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Quote Originally Posted by MsDG View Post
    For a start, i would say that tropical fish are a bad idea to start with. Think of coldwater fish as the easy level, tropical as medium and salt water fish as hard.
    I agree with your ranking order but I think jumping straight into tropical fish is a perfectly fine idea. I did, with a similar sized tank when I was about 12 with no problems. You just need to make sure you use really hardy tropical fish. If you go into a pet shop and ask for your first fish they'll point out ones that are easy.

    The best bit is once you get the water chemistry exactly right and get the knack for keeping everything going well, the fish look really obviously healthy compared to the nervous specimens you bring home from the shop. Their colours get much brighter and new colours come out. With hardy fish that level of happiness is not difficult to achieve at all, if I remember rightly it happened entirely by itself in my tank with just basic care from me.

    It is a pain in the arse cleaning them every week though, I got bored of mine big time. I do engineer my entire life to have absolutely nothing depending on me though, and hate commitments to that sort of thing. If you have babies and other needy pets and all the other things most humans indulge in then weekly cleaning of a fish tank will probably be a lot easier for you than it was for me with my lazy arse lifestyle.
    "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." - John Gilmore

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    DF VIP Member BigBrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    You could easily get 5 Neon Tetras, 5 Black Tetras, a Micro Crab, along with some Assassin snails.

    Mini heater, some live plants and you'll have a great set up.

    I've got a 160L tank and it's a pain in the arse.
    "That's why I fucked your bitch you fat mother fucker"

  6. #6
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Quote Originally Posted by TwoPlAnKs and a tyre View Post
    There's plenty of options for a 10 gallon tank,
    Thanks but not sure you read the above correctly, it's only a 2 Gallon tank


    OK, I bought a filter as seemed like a good idea, has to be a good thing.

    I'm going to try the Danios first and see how we go, if they don't do well then I'll get a bigger tank.


    Not much room after the filter goes in
    Last edited by Tommy J; 31st December 2010 at 04:44 PM.
    Tommy J

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  7. #7
    DF VIP Member bub's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Before you get your fish get the filter set up and throw a piece of meat into the tank this will get the bacterial process going which is essential for the fish. Usually you need to have the pump running for a week like this before putting any fish in. I have a large cold water fish tank, i think about 30 gallons. Its about 10 years old and in that time the only fish that have died are the ones that were getting a bit old.
    Its important to syphon out half the water in the tank weekly and replace it with room temp tap water. Also add the reccomended amount of tetrafin to the water. This sorts out the chemicals we have in our tapwater which is harmful to fish.
    If you want to go futher you can get test kits which check the level of nitrites and nitrates in the water. Once the balance is right your fish will live for years

  8. #8
    DF VIP Member BigBrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    If he's setting up a tropical tank, he doesn't need to do a 50% water change every week. That's crazy!

    25% change every 2 weeks would suffice.
    "That's why I fucked your bitch you fat mother fucker"

  9. #9
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    I thought 10/15% should do the trick.

    The tank is sitting full at the moment with the Tap Safe stuff in it, waiting for the filter to be delivered but will do a 20% change just before getting the fishes.

    Any other suggestions as to what sort of fish/things I could put in? i.e. snails?
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


    Push down Taps, you know it makes sense. Wash Them.

  10. #10
    Argyll's Apprentice TwoPlAnKs's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Quote Originally Posted by Tommy J View Post
    Thanks but not sure you read the above correctly, it's only a 2 Gallon tank
    Ah sorry. That's just a typo, I did mean 10 litre.

    I had 10 litre/2gallon in my head when constructing that advice - my first fish tank was that size. I'm just not very good at not being a complete retard when trying to type out simple words.
    "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." - John Gilmore

  11. #11
    DF VIP Member BigBrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Quote Originally Posted by Tommy J View Post
    I thought 10/15% should do the trick.

    The tank is sitting full at the moment with the Tap Safe stuff in it, waiting for the filter to be delivered but will do a 20% change just before getting the fishes.

    Any other suggestions as to what sort of fish/things I could put in? i.e. snails?

    Once you've cycled your tank, and your nitrate, ph and ammonia levels are all ok then think about your fish.

    I'd recommend a few assasin snails, they're pretty to look at and help keep the tank tidy and clean.

    Also a micro crab are pretty cool.
    "That's why I fucked your bitch you fat mother fucker"

  12. #12
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    cheers Moz, not sure there's enough stuff for the crab, maybe in the next tank
    Tommy J

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  13. #13
    DF VIP Member bub's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Quote Originally Posted by Moz View Post
    If he's setting up a tropical tank, he doesn't need to do a 50% water change every week. That's crazy!

    25% change every 2 weeks would suffice.
    If its cold water and you are keeping goldfish doing 40-50% weekly can only be a good thing because goldies dont half shit a lot.
    I change 4 buckets weekly in my tank. It takes me no longer than 15 mins. I know tropicals need less water changes. Thats all the attention they need. Once every 3 months i clean my filters in fish water and thats about it.
    I feed them once daily and with a very small amount, fish will not starve, overfeeding them will kill them and also pollute the tank
    These methods have been reccomended to me by experts and because ive followed these simple guidelines i have no premature fish deaths

  14. #14
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    All stocked with 5 fishes :o)

    Me and the little ones are now happy. Did wake in the middle of the night thinking "I wonder if they're ok with the filter on all the time", do they sleep as such because being such a small tank the filter creates a currant which they have to swim against all day and night.
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


    Push down Taps, you know it makes sense. Wash Them.

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    DF VIP Member bub's Avatar
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    Default

    Do not turn pump off as you will mess up the chemical balance of the tank and the fish will most probably die. The longest it should be off is about an hour. Cant you slow the pump down a bit?

  16. #16
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    no, it's a Fluval 1plus filter, for small tanks, but I just thought that they might be working too hard to fight against the pump, I switched it off and they tended to rest a bit more, not sure if it's worth doing that for an hour or so a day?
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


    Push down Taps, you know it makes sense. Wash Them.

  17. #17
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help



    There we are, I even threw in the handle of a squeegee for a bit of fun which they love.
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


    Push down Taps, you know it makes sense. Wash Them.

  18. #18
    DF VIP Member Hippie on hill's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Looks alreet now it's set up.

    If you think they're getting too much of a workout from the fluval outlet you can always turn it round 90 degrees m8. You want it making a bit of a ripple on the surface to oxygenate the water, if it's not already.
    Did I ever tell you you're my hero?

  19. #19
    DF VIP Member Tommy J's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Cheers Hippie, yes there is a ripple so that's alright, they haven't complained yet so I guess they like the power of it. I do turn it off for an hour now and then just to give them a break, which they seem to take full advantage of, plus there is a couple of little spots where they can hide and chill out. Thanks to the home made tunnel
    Tommy J

    Big is not always better.... Take Fat people for example.


    Push down Taps, you know it makes sense. Wash Them.

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    DF VIP Member BigBrand's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Gallon Fish Tank - Help

    Nice work mate.


    Not got any recent pictures of mine but this is from last year.






    "That's why I fucked your bitch you fat mother fucker"

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