# New tank, need some help!



## karys (Aug 29, 2010)

Hey, 
I am getting a fish bowl, now I know there are a lot of people saying bowls are unfair, but this is a 6 gallon bowl, it's pretty big (for a bowl), and I would rather have a bowl shape than a rectangular tank of the same size. I do not have the room or money for a bigger tank!
I know that because of this size I won't be able to have much in it, therefore I was planning to get a betta (if the pet store stocks them) and some shrimps (will the betta eat ghost shrimps?)
Anything else you could suggest for a tank of this size?
I was going to get moss balls for the tank also.
How often am I going to need to change the water?
And should I use tap water? (I read somewhere about bottled water)
Do I need to cycle it before I put a betta/shrimp in? And how do I go about that!
So many questions I know,
hope someone can help! 
Thanks


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## Lionhead ranchu (May 2, 2010)

You could house a betta in the 6 gallon bowl.
when i had my betta it ate ghost shrimp.
so im not to sure about mixing them.
you could consider getting a few minnows.
not much you can put in a 6 gallon tank.
as for water changes.
10-20 % water changes a week should be good.
and yes. you should cycle your tank.
moss balls are good.

hope this helps


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

25% a week, if and only if you have a filter. Here's one that will fit in bowl (cut down the tube if it sticks out. http://www.petdiscounters.com/Aquarium-Sponge-Filter-Small-Round-p8911.html. You need an airpump to go with. The smallest one is fine for 1 airstone. If you go without a filter, do 100% water changes more than once a week. Check on the requirement for mossballs. You don't want a dead plant rotting because there wasn't sufficient light. I say use treated (get a water conditioner like Prime) unless there is a good reason not to (like your tap water kills fish). 

No filter = no cycle. But you can kind of do both. Get the fish, get the filter, change 100% twice or 3 x a week for 10 week, then switch to less often water changes and trust the filter.


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## Peeps (May 24, 2010)

Most likley the betta will eat the shrimp. They are aggressive. Don't use bottled water, use tap and you need a dechlorinator, a lot of people use Prime. The dechlorinator will get rid of the chlorine from the tap water.


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## karys (Aug 29, 2010)

Ok, great! Thanks for all the advice!
Until I started looking into it, I didn't realise keeping fish could be so complicated!
That hasn't put me off though!
So if there is no filter you don't have to cycle it? I didn't know that!
And I will make sure I don't get the shrimp then!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Waitaminute... the lack of a filter simply means that you don't have to cycle a _filter_. The tank itself will still need to grow a system of nitrification.

A six gallon bowl would work well if stuffed with live plants. They would consume all the ammonia directly and save you all the cycling hassles.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

People go through all the trouble to "cycle" a bowl with no filter and they do get a bit of bacteria on the substrate and the walls, but it washes off with the first water change and isn't enough to eat the waste of a single fish. Not worth the bother. With no filter assume the fish will be breathing its own piss and plan accordingly, u need lots of water changes and a chemical to "detoxify" the ammonia.


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## karys (Aug 29, 2010)

I will get a filter, but I need a small one, any recommendation? Would I be able to hide it within plants?
How often would I need to change the water, and how many %?
I'm sorry I have so many questions, I'm really new to this and don't want to kill my fish!
Thanks again to everyone


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

here check out the Repti Clear filters http://exo-terra.com/en/products/watering.php they are small and submersable. The smallest one is just a sponge filter and the larger ones have 3 stage filtration and you can direct the flow.


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## karys (Aug 29, 2010)

Great! Thanks for the link, can't wait to start


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## JimW/Oscar (Jul 4, 2010)

karys said:


> So if there is no filter you don't have to cycle it? I didn't know that!


But you then DO have to do 100% water changes weekly as someone else stated IF you don't have a filter, though this should be doable with just a 6 gallon bowl.


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