Is my tank big enough?

Hi!
I was wondering if my aquarium was big enough for my male Betta fish, with the "gallon calculator" (or something like that) that i found on this site, it turns out that my tank is a 1.58 gallon tank,
however, i heard that my fish needs a 5 gallon tank... (which i believe will be too big for my room, and my parents were against the idea of me buying a fish, so i won't have too much of their support either...).

Here are some pictures of my tank:

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I'm really not the one to give advice as I'm not all that experienced. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. As you know by now most members are in the UK and therefore are in bed. So I'll give a little for now.!

You are correct that 5gl. is considered better, but it sounds like you'll have to make due until (if at all) you can convince your parents to upgrade! Even a 3gl.
would be a big improvement!

You will need to do water changes every couple of days. This schedule has been suggested: Sundays 100%, Wed. 50% and Fri. 50%. Make sure the 3 day interval comes after the 100% w/c. Don't forget to dechlorinate the water if its chlorinated! You could raise the water level a bit since the tank is covered.

A main concern is the water temperature and should be at 27C. You should have a heater. For now find a spot thats warm or cool enough to maintain the temp..
I highly recommend a real small heater. I don't know what you have available. In the US i bought one that was just flat like a heating pad and might work. It only kept my 2.5gl at 25C. There are two sizes and go for the small one if you can. As I stated someone else might have a better suggestion.

You want a siphoning tube so you can remove the waste and any uneaten food off the bottom. This is important since you don't have a filter. When I siphon without a w/c, I return the water to the tank. Please keep up on your w/c's!

I would remove the the figurine with the sword as your Betta could snag and rip his fins. Avoid any thing with sharp edges! A silk plant or two would give him a place to hide.

Welcome to the world of Bettas and I wish you both well!

Okay thanks a lot, I removed that figurine and I'm gonna try to buy some stuff for his aquarium today, however, i don't think I need a heater because i live in Singapore and it's like summer (~34 Celsius) all year long.

Please get a thermometer if possible so you can at least monitor the temp.. I'm sure the temperature drops several degrees at night, but you might be lucky and it will be okay.

It looks fine for a temp home but for your fish to thrive, 5 gallons is considered a minimum. I think you could easily fit a square-ish 5 gallon tank on there
As mentioned above, please get a thermometer to check the temp! I'm sure you don't want to wake up to a dead fishy if you have a cold night
Banks' info all sounds really good!

ok, i got a new tank a few days ago, along with new fish.
it's approx. 2.5 gallons, well thats what i asked (at least it's bigger) :p

Everywhere I've read says 2.5 gallons is minimal, although recommended is one gallon per inch of fish not including fins.....which I hear everywhere in my area (especially the pet stores) and only a few online resources. Naturally the bigger the home the better but I say when you're short on room why do more than what they really need?

^The 1inch per gallon rule is very old, before the nitrogen cycle was really taken note of.

I think that tank will be fine as a temp home - but please fill it up more, that level of water leaves little in the way of swimming space and would let waste build up far quicker.

O.o Why is my post pink??

And what Nitrogen cycle?? I live out in Amish country, most of the rules we go by is old. Does Nitrogen cycle have anything to do with filtering because I don't filter....I do frequent water changes and 1x a week I clean out their rocks to be rid of debris.

IMO 1.5 is to small 3g+ is best but 5+ is best. You could evan try a clear storage box you can get them about 30L for a few £.

Mesatalia wrote:O.o Why is my post pink??

Its because momo thanked you for the post.

Mesatalia wrote:O.o Why is my post pink??

And what Nitrogen cycle?? I live out in Amish country, most of the rules we go by is old. Does Nitrogen cycle have anything to do with filtering because I don't filter....I do frequent water changes and 1x a week I clean out their rocks to be rid of debris.

There is a sticky at the top of Betta Talk that explains the cycle. Trust me its better for you to read than for me to explain!

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this is the page that explains the Nitrogen cycle, pretty much to sum it up. fish wastes and uneaten food rot into ammonia. ammonia burns and hurts the fish. when you have a filter the filter grows beneficial bacteria that eat ammonia turning it into nitrites. then more beneficial bacteria grow that turn nitrites into nitrates which are much less toxic to fish. a properly filtered tank suffers no ammonia spikes and the health and caretaking is easier. a tank can be maintained threw frequent water changes, but is more difficult, time consuming and slightly more stressful to the fish.

Ahhhh. See I knew about the ammonia levels and such, just didn't know the cycle by that term. I used to have a very well-cycled tank, but when my son killed the fish my mom threw everything away. It was 5 gallons too

They make a filter or two that will work for your 2.5gl tank. Next time I'm at the lfs I'll look them over. I think Marineland came out with a new one and they seem to have reputable products.

My tank is bigger now, here's a photo:

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And by the way, I use water conditioner ( "Nutrafin Aqua plus") and I just bought some "Betta Relax" because my Betta's fin is damaged.
Here's a link to e-bay for some info:
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They said to not mix with salt, but is it okay to mix with conditioner?

Ps: the eel and the algae eater died... :'( RIP

the eel and the algae eater cant handle water fluxuations near as well as a betta can, that is unfortunitly why bettas are abused in stores so often, they are tough little buggers and thats why people (out to make a profit) often keep them in cups and such.

Shame they died but i did warn you. Both should have grown to aslong as the tank and are very messy so need big tanks with big filtration.

Thats to bad! RIP!

I've found that you have to sort out information given by the lfs. Don't be so trusting in the future. Run your ideas here first as you will receive sound and caring advice for the most part.

Poor eel and plec I'm sure most of us have made mistakes like that though due to receiving bad advice.

It's a lovely home for your betta now, I think he'd be best on his own or maybe you could add something like cherry shrimp

Also - yes, always use conditioner. I can't think of any medications that would require you to stop using conditioner.

Thanks a lot you guys can be sure I won't listen to the LFS here anymore!! (anyway, the trip to the fish shop was unexpected, the parents wanted to surprise us...).