# Dorm room fish tank?



## Carassius (Mar 29, 2011)

Hi! I'm going to college in the fall and I'm allowed to have a small fish tank. I have some fish experience (not a lot) but I've been reading about aquariums for a long time and I'm pretty sure I'm up for it. I just wanted to get some advice here. 

Unfortunately, the tank is going to be about 6 gallons. This is non-negotiable, apparently, due to college rules. It is a pretty nice little tank and held my girlfriend's planted betta tank until the October snowstorm/week-long power outage, when we lost all our fish. It's quiet and unlikely to offend my roommate. 

I plan on having a freshwater planted tank no matter what. I like inverts a lot but I'd strongly prefer to have a fish, and then maybe inverts if they don't get eaten. So, basically, my options at this point are A) one betta, or B) one dwarf puffer. 

The pros of a betta are that I have experience with them, they're very elegant, striking and beautiful, they're lower-maintenance and on the hardier side. 

On the other hand, I completely love dwarf puffers and I think they're quirky and awesome and very much the kind of fish I'd like to hang out with if it were human, but higher maintenance and more sensitive to water quality issues. I've read a few sites that have suggested that they're a good fish for "experts," which I'm certainly not. I've also read about problems with picky eating, and I'm not going to be able to feed live or frozen (college probably wouldn't like it; roommate probably wouldn't like it). 

The other issue is when/how to set up the tank. The school is about an hour's drive from where I live, which makes it very tempting to set up the tank over the summer and have it established and cycled by the time I move. Our concerns are that A) I might crash the cycle and B) The water params might be different. On the other hand, I'm worried about trying to set up a brand new tank in a brand new place. 

So, to summarize:

1) A betta or a dwarf puffer? 
2) How to set up the tank, keeping in mind that I'm moving an hour away?

Thanks so much for reading this post! I know it was long...


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## jmen25701 (Apr 4, 2011)

I'll start by saying congratulations and good luck in college.

I'm sure you will do fine with a tank. If it were me I would go with the betta. If you want to now or in the future have any inverts the dwarf puffer, in my experience, will have a nice snack. My puffers did not take at all to flake food so I had to feed them frozen blood worms, which they did love.

As far as when to set up the tank, again this is just my opinion, I would wait. There may be a lot of issues with your dorm room. It will take a while to get unpacked and settled in. You will have to figure out where your outlets are and exactly the best place for the tank. Transporting could be an issue to. If your planning on being at college and staying in the dorm for at least 2 years the time it will take the tank to cycle will be a drop in the bucket. Plus taking the summer will give you extra time to plan out exaclty what you want in the tank and how you want to set it up. Making a good list to make sure you take everything you have and will need when you get there.

Hopefully this gave you some good ideas. Good luck


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

I think I would also wait until I got settled in, that way you won't have to worry about the tank while you move.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

good luck in college

FWIW I used a 1-2g old peanut plastic jar with peat moss/sand/pc select substrate and a few plants. Just added a light and that was it.

neon tetra lived in there for 2 years before I took it down.

Just added a single flake of food every day or two and replace evaporative water.

Just a thought.

worth at most .02


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## hanky (Jan 18, 2012)

Good luck to you.
IMO i would go with a betta or a nice shrimp tank. Also If it were me I would go ahead and get it set up at home so it gets cycled before you start school. You dont need to move all the water just keep filter and substrate wet . First few months of college can be stressfull and hecktic so you would have 1 less thing on your mind.
Keep in mind also that you will be going home for breaks and how are you gonna care for the tank in your abscence or take it home with you.


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## Stinky (Jun 18, 2009)

It depends somewhat on the shape of the tank and the decorations. Some fish get fooled into thinking it's bigger and don't get stressed in a small tank. The betta is definitely easier since it's just 1 fish and it won't be a sensitive biofilter. With a proper filter you could push things and add 5 neon tetras and 3 male ghost shrimp if you're going to take care of the water without fail.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I personally would go with the betta too, soo much personality! Some shrimp are also a good idea, although they might be betta snacks. Cherry red (or any other neocardinia) are hardy and colorful. I'd stay away from ghosts though, had a couple that decided to "trim" my betta's tail before he ate them. Amano shrimp could work too, if they are a bit larger.

For any shrimp, I recommend having moss of some kind in the tank too. Lots of snacks in there for the shrimp, and tons of hiding places from the betta. 

Also, my college is 3 hours and a couple mountains away from my hometown. My 1.5 gallon has more miles on it than some cars! I only bring the tank if I'll be gone more than a week, but so far I haven't seen anything too terrible come of it. I just drain it halfway, bundle it up, and head out. Need to drive carefully to keep from splashing though.


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## Carassius (Mar 29, 2011)

Thanks for all the feedback and congratulations, you guys!

So, what I'm getting is that I should probably get a betta. Makes sense since I'd like to try inverts, too. Thanks for the heads up on ghost shrimp, Kehy! I'm starting to really like RCS. 

I suppose it makes sense to wait to set it up, like most people are saying. Do you think it would be possible to set it up ahead of time, like Hanky suggests, and then bring it to the college shortly after moving (when the rest of the room will be set-up and there won't be a delay in re-building the tank)? 

And Beaslbob, that sounds like a neat set-up. I'd probably feel bad putting a single schooling fish alone, but maybe as a plant-only tank...er, jar? It's an interesting idea.

I really appreciate the help, you guys. It's clearing things up a lot.  

(Also -- I think someone asked. The tank is apparently 24" long per the manufacturer, 9.25" wide and 8.13" high. So it is a pretty long tank.)


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

As per Calculating Aquarium Volume - The First Tank Guide - How Can I Figure Out How Much Water My Fish Tank Holds? your tank is actually a little over seven gallons.If you want to do the research and are going to plant it,it would be a great little tank for some betta albimarginata or betta channoides.You could fit a pair of one or the other,as long as you plant the tank and have a good filter,and do the weekly waterchanges.I have had albis in the past and have channs now and they are some of the most curious little bettas ive ever seen.They are active,colorful and personable.

If your up to the task(and have a lid) definitely look into one or the other,Im sure you will fall head over heels in love with them!


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