# New to fish, What to bring to a college dorm



## trepus (Aug 15, 2009)

Hello, I am pretty new to this whole fish thing and I have not had a fish tank in my home for about 7 years.... The only pets I am allowed in my dorm are fish, So I really want to get a fish tank and a few fish(maybe around 5 or more).

The problem is I go to school in New York and the winter is very harsh and the dorms can get very cold in the winter(also very hot in the summer), I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me a hand in recommending what sort of tank and fish I should get...

Here are some more details as to what I am looking for

5 or more fish that have fun personalities, are hearty, and hopefully pretty/neat to look at

Something that doesn't take up too much room, at most I could probably get a tank that is 40"x20" at the base maybe a little more

I have plenty of time and a bathroom so I should be able to deal with any neccessary mainenance... I look forward to hearing your suggestions as to what fish/tank/supplies would be preferable...

Thanks in Advance!

EDIT: I just found out that I am limited to a maximum of a 20 gallon tanks


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

A 20L is 30" x 12".


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

20gal tank, sounds about right for you. make sure to buy a heater.
Depending on the amount of money you spend will determine the type of filtration you are going to buy. listed cheapest to spendy, also kinda works out okay to best filtration also.

$20 dollars about
Sponge Filter w/airlift 
Sponge Filter w/powerhead
Undergravel Filtration w/airlift
Undergravel Filtration w/powerhead
Intank Filteration
HOB Filtration
Canister Filtration
Sump Filtration
Sump Combo filtration (w/ HOB or Canister)
$200 dollars about

Before you start anything tho read the stickies in beginner and general forums about cycling/nitrogen cycle. Also read stuff online about cycling. Make sure you have a good understanding of what Biological Filtration does, and how to get it started, how to maintain it.

If you don't want to wait, purchase a product like Seachem Stability to "jump start" your biological filtration.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Whats the water like at your school. (pH and Hardness)? You might find it online somewhere if you know the name of the town. Picking fish that like the water as it comes out of the tap will make your life easier. 

Now is it 20 gallons, total or one tank of no more than 20 gallons? or (best case) as many 20 gallon tanks as you want?


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## trepus (Aug 15, 2009)

I believe I am allowed one tank at a max of 20 gallons...

I just looked up the PH level
Average tap water PH is 8.75I'm not sure about the hardness but I found the info here http://www.troyny.gov/public_utilities/AWQR2008.pdf


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The traditional dorm pet is a betta. You can put it in bag in your pocket and take it home with you on breaks (you keep a tank in both places).

ok. ~ 50 mg/L of CaCO3 (from your link) or about 1 meq/L = 2.8dH = 50 ppm (50g CaCO3 = ~ 1 eq. weight). 

I think that is pretty soft water if I am converting it right. But its odd to see that with such a high pH. Unless they crank the pH up that high because it falls in the pipes. Hopefully someone who lives out that way will chime in. But you could also pick an LFS out of the phone book and call and ask them what the local water is like.

With soft water you can keep lots of fish.


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## trepus (Aug 15, 2009)

I was looking into getting a betta, but my dorm gets really cold in the winter and from what I have read they need fairly warm water...


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

A heater will take care of any problems you will have will cold. 
And dude I just started a thread just about this like yesterday called nano-tanks lol
Most all of my suggestions there can be used in a 20 as well, all you do is beef up the fish numbers.


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

it's called an intank heater, it keeps the tempurature where it needs to be.


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## trepus (Aug 15, 2009)

Ok, here's another question....

would it be preferable to set the tank and fish up home for two weeks and then move them to my dorm when i go back or buy the fish on campus.... I would rather set it up now and move it.... I just don't know if that would actually be practical, my college is about a 3 hour drive from my house....


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

better to just set it all up at the dorm. + it will keep your fish from being overly stressed from back to back moves. 1 move from LFS to your house. 2 move from your house to your dorm. Just make it LFS to your Dorm. 

let's not forget about the cycle. If you do it old school it will take you about a month to get a tank safe for fish. if you do it new school using a Bacterial colony jump starter like "Seachem Stability" you'll be able to have fish from day one.

Either way you look at it tho if you set up a tank using new school it will take about 1-2weeks for the tank to completly finish the cycle. then you're gonna break it down and set it up in a dorm, you'll have to cycle it again. Stability does allow you to keep fish safely in your tank from the second you say go, but it does this by drastically reducing the fish's expose to ammonia, and NO2. that's 1-2 weeks at low lvls. But if you do the home then dorm thing you're gonna expose the fish to 2-4 weeks of low lvl exposure which might be enough to permanently mess em up, or outright kill em.

Best advice is to be patient. Just take this time to do alot of research in to the requirements of the fish you would like to keep, the "cycling/nitrogen cycle" process, the type of equipment and brands you can afford, the type of plants (if any), type of lighting, and also the decorations you want (rocks, diverdan, etc. etc.)


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

get a bunch of candiru catfish..the wait for you drunk buddies to try and pee in the tank...
that'll learn em.....
most colleges are putting limits on tank sizes...the smaller the tank ; the less potential damage......
take your time..plan out what you will need as far as hardgoods go.tank..stand..hood or lid and striplight..filter..airpump..airline...airstones..gang valves..gravel..heater....thermometer.....plants/decorations and such...
then plan your fish..a community tank is very desirable because it will help you to relax and concentrate on your studies...but i think it would be a good idea to look for fish that are pretty hardy and will better tolerate being moved back and forth a couple of times a year...barbs ; danios and some tetras will work well for you..

good luck at school...and pay attention to the professors instead of the opposite sex....


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## jcharfauros (Aug 13, 2009)

A 2ogal would be great! And for fishies, perhaps some balloon mollies and guppies. Balloon mollies are really cute and fun to watch so are guppies. But balloon mollies are livebearers they have babies often.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2009)

balloon mollies are also deformed mollies that have been bred by farms and have a far lower life expectancy.


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

lohachata said:


> get a bunch of candiru catfish..the wait for you drunk buddies to try and pee in the tank...


I had nightmares when I learned about that fish when I was a little kid.


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

i recommend some platies, guppies and mollies, however they do breed very easily..


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