# Dorm-room Fish



## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

I'm heading off to college in the fall, leaving my pets at home. However, I recently learned that my dorm allows pet fish. I am the kind of person who needs something to take care of, so this appealed to me.

Now, I have owned fish before. I had a ten gallon aquarium for a number of years and learned the basics of caring for fish. I wouldn't be bringing anything near as big as a ten-gallon tank to school. Think 5-gallon max. -- fish bowl size min. and more of a low maintenance thing.

I'm looking for suggestions on the type and number of freshwater fish I should get. Tank size suggestions would be great too.

Also, would it be crazy to expect fish to survive a three-hour drive from my home to college? Should I try to find a pet store there to buy them?

Thanks!


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I would get the biggest tank you'll be able to fit in the room. If ten is too big, there are some odd-shaped 8 gallon or so tanks, but the next best bet would be a standard 5.5 gallon. 

I'm currently cycling a 5.5 gallon myself and plan on stocking it with two pairs of Endler's livebearers and some cherry shrimp. Livebearers of any kind might a problem for you though unless you got all males. Otherwise, you'd have to deal with a lot of fry.

You could get away with some of the following options:
-A male betta and a snail or a male betta and a couple of Oto catfish
-A school of small fish like harlequin rasboras, dwarf rasboras, galaxy rasboras, neon, cardinal, black neon or ember tetras, or white cloud minnows with a couple of shrimp
-A single dwarf gourami
-A couple of sparkling gouramis
-A couple of African dwarf frogs
-A single (or possibly even a pair) of scarlet badis, although with a pair you'd have to find out what to do with the fry
-A couple of the smaller types of killifish
-One or two dwarf puffers

Other people might have other ideas, as well.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I've heard lots of good things about the Eclipse units:
Eclipse 3, 6, & 12
Eclipse 5 Corner
The 5 gallon corner tank is going to be my next aquarium. I'm going to set it up at work with a betta and maybe some dwarf cories.


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## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

I have a single room, so I could, hypothetically, fit a larger tank without worrying about bothering a roommate. Still, I think a five-gallon will be the maximum I'll be able to deal with, between transporting the tank to and from college and actually maintaining it. 

The suggestions help me out a lot, thanks. I've always been fond of gouramis, so I may end up going with the sparkling gourami idea. Or the scarlet badis (never owned these before, but reading about them, one of these seems like a good option). 

I also wanted to know whether I should go ahead and establish my tank this summer, while I'm at home. Or -- I guess this is really my question -- _can_ I set up my tank and fish at home and transport it later?
I have a reliable pet store here that I'd like to purchase my fish from if at all possible. But I don't know if driving for three hours would kill my fish.


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

You'll have to pull most of the water out, store all the water in buckets or totes (you cannot safely move a tank with water in it unless it's just enough to keep the gravel wet) and save the media in the water as to not lose your bacteria plus transport the fish. Kinda tricky though I've heard of people using those storage totes for the water and putting the fish in there and then using one of those cigarette lighter adaptors that you can plug a regular plug into allowing you to run some kind of internal filter. You can't do it unless you've got a flat area to keep the tote though....and a really steady driver


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

I kept a 10 gallon in my dorm room! It can definitely and easily be done if you're determined. My suggestion is to actually have a second 10G at home with just substrate in it. They're *really* cheap. That way you can have your parents throw a bit of fish food in to start it cycling, and you'll be able to retain the beneficial bacteria in the filter fairly easily.

Moving fish is relatively easy. Moving TANKS is the hard part, and it's a lot easier if you can just break it down in the move and don't have to worry about keeping it cycled.

Maintaining larger tanks is actually easier, because it leaves more room for error. Smaller tanks crash faster, so if you miss a water change it can be fatal. It's nice to not be stressing about water changes during finals!

Transporting fish 3 hours shouldn't kill any healthy fish (think about how your fish store gets all their fish). You basically just need an adequately sized fish bag and make sure the temperature doesn't drop/raise too much in transport. You can keep the bags in a cooler for insulation which will help a lot, and just try to keep the air in your from getting too hot or cold.

As for transporting the tank- empty it entirely. Believe me, it's much, much easier. Then you can keep all the gravel in a 5 gallon bucket with a bit of water in it to stay wet. Same with the filter media and decorations.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I lived in an apartment on campus until just a while ago, and I was running a 20g and some smaller tanks (all in my single bedroom - no way I was leaving my fish in the living room to have who knows what happen to them courtesy of less than sober roomates/friends). My girlfriend also had a 20g in her apartment. Compared to other pets, fish are really unobtrusive. They don't make noise, they don't smell and they won't eat your roomates' homework. I know some colleges have restrictions on tank sizes (although mine didn't) so you might want to consider that as well. Trust me...you'll have to consider it after you've had this tank up and running for a while with healthy fish and you get stricken with MTS (multiple tank syndrome) and start coming up with mixed communities and biotope ideas galore.


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## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

I got the aquarium. It's 5.5 gallons, glass, the standard shape. I also picked up a hood with a light, natural-colored substrate, some water conditioner, and a filter (Aqueon PowerFilter 10). 
I thought about getting one that comes with all the supplies, a set (which would have saved me a lot of money in the long run), but these were all plastic tanks. I'd heard that glass is better. Plastic apparently releases toxins into the water? 
Anyway, it's glass. And I would have gone with 10 gallon after all the advice you guys have offered, but I think I'm pushing my luck with my mum upsizing from the "fish bowl."

I'm now going rinse everything out, set things up, and treat the water. One of the workers at the pet store suggested I start out with some zebra danios or something similar to get the tank balanced before I add the more expensive fish I want to keep. Does that sound right?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, you need to cycle the tank somehow. Zebra danios are probably the most popular choice for cycling with fish because they're so hardy. When you cycle with fish, you subject the fish to ammonia and nitrite poisoning and the cycle can take much longer because you often have to do water changes to keep your fish from dying. If you do a fishless cycle, you don't have to do water changes during the cycle and it can be a quicker process. 

Not to mention that if you cycle with danios you either have to keep them or get rid of them by selling them, giving them away or returning them to the store. I can tell you straight away that it's no fun trying to catch zebra danios in a tank with any amount of decor in it. If you choose a fishless cycle, you can add the fish that you actually want to keep once the cycle is complete.

Here are some links about the aquarium cycle:

http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=343

http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3738

I can't stress how important it is to read up on the aquarium cycle. Most new hobbyists don't know anything about it and just dump their fish in new tanks and pray. It won't work. Stocking an uncycled tank almost always leads to the death of your fish and because they couldn't see any reason for the deaths, people just give up on the hobby.

In order to monitor the progress of the cycle, I recommend getting a good liquid test kit. API's Freshwater Master Test Kit is a good choice. I also recommend buying it online from a place like aquariumguys, that fish place, or drs. foster and smith as their prices are about half of what you'd pay for the kit in a store. Not only will having the kit let you monitor the cycle's progress, it will also allow you to be sure that you've always got a tank that's free of water quality problems that are the root of stress and disease.


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## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

You know, after I posted that, I was fiddling around on google, brushing up on my knowledge of fish and the nitrogen cycle. I actually didn't know you could cycle the tank without fish, but it's been many years since I started a tank. Last time we sorta chucked some fish in, and delt with the problems. No wonder so many died. x.o

But I'll definitely be going with the method that does NOT involve killing zebra danios. I need to get some ammonia and ask the fish store closeby whether I can have some filter water from one of tanks to get the bacteria started. 

One of the sites I found on fishless cycling suggested adding "potted" plants to the water to establish the good bacteria in the tank. Can I use anything for this? Do they have to be potted? I have a bamboo plant that's thriving in a vase of water right now. Suppose I stick that in the tank for a while?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I want to do this right. Thanks for all the help so far.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

Don't bother getting water from the LFS, it's useless. The bacteria you need live in the substrate and filter media. If you wanna help the cycle along ask them for some gravel from an established tank or some pieces of the filter.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Although the gravel and filter media house most of the biological filtration in a mature tank, there are also bacteria growing on most of the other surfaces. Tyyrlym's right; there isn't much going on in the water itself. In addition to the substrate and filter media decorations from an established tank help. A lot of times you can get plants, rocks and even driftwood from other aquarists or even some fish stores. 

The danios are hardy enough that they will likely survive the cycling process, especially if you monitor those water parameters and do water changes when the ammonia and nitrite get to high. Like I said, if you don't want to keep them you'd have to figure out what to do with them after the cycle's complete. Not to mention I imagine even non-fatal long term ammonia poisoning isn't the most pleasant experience for the fish.

Some people say that using the pure ammonia method is the best way to cycle a tank. However, you have to use completely pure ammonia. None of those cleaners with any sort of additives of any kind. I've actually had trouble tracking it down. The prawn method works well, too.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

this is personally what I would do....

cycle it at home before you go
get 2 5 gallon buckets from lowes or home depot
put most of the water and the fish in 1 bucket with the filter media, make sure theres holes in the lid!
the put some water and the gravel and decorations in the other bucket.

2 easy to carry buckets and the tank weighs nothing empty 

I just helped move a 55g with 3 goldfish and 2 plecos into my GFs new apartment (well, old apartment, but thats a different thread lol) and thats how we did it, worked out well.


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## thespiff (Nov 12, 2007)

I moved 2 30 gals a few weeks ago, unassisted. It was a pain in the rear, but the fish were none worse for wear. I put my fish in tupperware containers with water from the tank. I find that those are easier to travel with than baggies with fish, and less leak-prone.

With a 5 gallon tank, there's no reason why you can't just drain the water down to just enough to submerge the gravel, and transport it that way. It won't weigh much. and there isn't enough stuff in there to make a mess.

Get another tupperware with tank water and transport your filter media in there. Hauling the rest of your tank water is really overkill, the benefit is not worth the hassle of transporting the 4 gallons or so left that doesn't end up in one of the aforementioned tupperwares or keeping the gravel submerged.

When you reach your destination, getting the tank up and running again should obviously be as early a priority as you can make it. Put all of your old tank water from the tupperwares in, and fill the rest of the way with local water.

I like the idea of cycling at home personally. It shouldn't be too tough for you to give the fish a smooth transition over to your new home. And then you've already got a nice tank up and running on day 1. The only thing is, it'll be hard to make fish care a high priority when you're first starting out at college.


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## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

*Update*:

Went with danio cycling method for the 5.5 simply because I could not find the right ammonia. The fish store gave me what I thought to be one male and one female. The male bullied the female pretty badly, though, so I removed her a few days after putting them both in. Unfortunately, she still died. =/
The male is doing extremely well. His coloring is good, he eats enthusiastically, and he zips around the tank like he owns the place... which, for now, he does. We're cycling my old ten gallon aquarium to keep at my house (my sibs wanted to start a tank), so I'll be putting him in there with more of his kind later on. 

I've had the 5.5 cycling for 11 days now. I have not been able to test it because I ordered most of my supplies online. Finally got my test kit today. The readings are as follows:

Nitrate: 20 ppm
Nitrite: .5
Hardness: 0/Very soft
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: 180+/Higher than ideal
pH: Er, high. The strip looked closest to the 8.4 color.

Could someone translate this for me? For a tank that's been cycling for 11 days, how are we doing?

I should mention that I added more fake plants today. I don't know if that would throw off readings. I also have a live lucky bamboo plant that's been in there since the beginning. 

Thanks for the tips on moving! I feel a lot better about transporting my tank and fishies to college in a month.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Sounds like you're off to a pretty good start. You might want to do a water change because a lot of people believe that it's the elevated nitrate levels that come near the end of the cycle that prolong the length of the nitrite portion of the cycle. Removing some of those nitrates via a water change might help along the very end of your cycle, which it appears you're reaching. 

Are you using test strips for all of your tests, or just pH? They are notoriously inaccurate but they will at least help give you an estimate of the cycle's progression. Another alternative is to take a sample of your water to a good LFS and have them test it for you. I've heard about stores using the strips themselves, but the better stores will use a liquid kit or even digital probes. Don't let them just tell you that your parameters are "fine," make sure they give you the actual numbers.

It seems pretty strange that you'd have such a high pH with soft water, although it's not completely unheard of. If your test results from the LFS show that your pH is really through the roof, you might want to hold off on stocking your tank with anything sensitive until you get to school and do a couple of water changes. 

Your bamboo will die if you keep it completely submerged, so you should try to get the top of the plant to be above water. Depending on the design of your hood, this may be impossible, so you might want to just take it out and stick it in a vase. 

Have you settled on any ideas for what you're going to stock it with yet?


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

What is your ammonia reading? That's a pretty important one. Also, are you using liquid or test strips? The strips are very inaccurate, so you can't really count on them.

The pH you'll want to bring down. While most fish are pretty tolerant of a range of ph, 8.4 is veeery high.

Also, the zebra danio, while nice, is a very active fish, and wouldn't really be happy in a 5.5 gallon. They need more space to swim around in a big school. Personally, I'd recommend going for something cool/rarer like a pair of non-annual killifish. Many of them are quite small, colorful, and pretty much all of them are ridiculously hardy, so they'll handle the move well. They also don't need a heater, so you won't have to worry about keeping them warm when you move them. I was going to recommend a dwarf puffer, but they are very sensitive, so it would be tricky to keep healthy during a move.


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## mischievouscat (Jul 8, 2008)

I'm using test strips, unfortunately. When they run out, I'll invest in a master kit. But until then, I'll be double-checking readings with my LFS. And no, I don't have a test for ammonia. 

I tested everything again yesterday. pH seems to be closer to 7.8 now, but again, I'm going to visit my LFS soon to get more reliable readings.

My bamboo is indeed sticking out of the back of my tank. The leaves --which have access to indirect sunlight -- and roots are growing pretty rapidly, so I think it's doing okay. I'd like to leave it in there so long as it won't mess with the cycling or harm the fish.

The danio appears pretty pleased in there right now, but I'm preparing to move him into my cycling 10 gallon with members of his own species when I get new fish for the 5.5.
Oh, and I have a question regarding that. Would my zebra danio school with, say, long-fin zebra danios or golden danios? Or do they need to be the exact same variety as he is?

For stock, I've narrowed it down to killifish, scarlet badis, or a betta. Bettas are fascinating fish, but I'd really like to try something a little more unusual. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where to find scarlet badis. Same with killifish (although I know I've seen them somewhere). 
If I did go with killifish, which types would be suitable for an aquarium like mine? I'd need something small, and yes, hardy. 
And what is the usual price range for scarlet badis/killifish, out of curiosity?


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