fish bowl setup?

Hi I was looking at this article the other day http://www.petfish.net/nano_plant.htm and when I was walking through walmart I saw a 1 gallon (I think... it COULD be 1.5) bowl for just a couple dollars and I figured it could be a neat thing to have on my desk at work.

Here are some questions I have:

1. Temperature - will a desk lamp directly over top of the bowl for 8 hours a day keep the water at a suitable temperature for most tropical fish? Water at room temperature seems to be around 70F which is a bit low. Any idea on what effect the lamp would have, if any? Will having the light on enough to keep the tank warm create a bad algae problem?

2. Stocking options - anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I know it's really limited by space. I do like bettas... so that's what I'm leaning towards right now, but I'm definitely open to other suggestions.

3. Plants - am I crazy to try putting a plant or two in? I have absolutely 0 plant experience. From just some basic looking around I'm considering Dwarf Anubias and Java Moss. Suggestions???

4. Tank maintenance - I'm thinking that I'll be doing weekly 20% water changes and scrubbing off any algae as needed. If I go without plants I figured I'd probably wash the gravel once a month or so. If there are plants, how can I keep the gravel clean without having to take everything out?

5. I read that if I put tap water in a sealed bottle and let it sit for a couple days that it becomes safe for use. Is this true? I read somewhere else that I still need to add a dechlorinator to it, so I'm not sure.

I've never once in my life seen a fishbowl that was setup nicely before. The only kind I've ever seen have been just a bowl with some marbles or gravel in the bottom and maybe a little plastic plant. Do any of you have experience with this or know of any good resources? Basically any tips or suggestions would be great.

A fish bowl is not good enough for any fish really. Consider at least a 5 gallon tank, cycled properly.

A one gallon bowl and a one Betta would be fine. I have kept those succesfully. While at Wallyworld, you didn't happen to notice a five gallon aquarium kit that comes with everything you need like filter, light hood, and gravel? That would be better. Small tanks are harder to take care of than larger tanks. The larger the easier. Nitrate and ammonia levels can fluctuate really fast in a 5 gallon aquarium resulting in dead fish. A 30 gallon tank has a buffer time giving you a chance to correct any problems.

Bettas can live in one gallon, but they get more active in a 5 gallons+ tank...they do love to swim around and do crazy stuff!

First, people that tell you fishbowls are cruel when you have so carefully thought out your idea are themselves cruel. They have assumed that you cannot properly care for a fish in a small space but don't be discouraged. Bettas look cool swimming in a large tank but can live a long, healthy life in a gallon and look almost as cool.

The lamp will warm the water but only while it's on. It's better to not warm the water than to let it fluctuate. A betta is a great choice for a bowl, but 70 is on the cool side for bettas. Some folks around here report success at 70, while others say their bettas are lethargic or get sick. Bettas really like it more at 76-82. There are tiny heaters designed for fishbowls that you could try. http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/ smallbowlsupplies/Class/Small...

A couple of white cloud minnows might work too since they stay quite small and like cooler water. If you go to a little 2.5 gallon tank, you could keep a paradise fish. They breathe air similar to bettas, but like cooler water.

I think java moss and dwarf anubias are very good choices. Java moss will grow on ambient light, and the Anubias may not grow much but it will stay alive and green. You won't need expensive Fluorite for these plants either. If you can find a tiny piece of bogwood, tie your anubias to it and it will root to the bogwood.

Weekly 20% is nowhere near enough in a small unfiltered bowl - especially at first. You need to be thinking more like 50% twice a week. That's why everyone yelps about cruelty with fish bowls. Few people are willing to keep up with the water changes. You might find that the bowl cycles in a month or two and you can change less - you will have to be testing nitrates to know for sure. As for the gravel, java moss is easy to remove - it just lifts out in a clump. So will your Anubias if it's tied to something. When you clean your gravel, don't 'wash' it but rather gently rinse the gunk out. Beneficial bacteria will be living there and you want to keep them alive.

First, if your water supply has only chlorine, it will evaporate overnight if you put it in an UNsealed bucket or something with plenty of surface area. If you have chloramine (ask your local fish store - they'll know) you must use a water conditioner like AmQuel.

I don't know of any specific resources. Just change lots of water and your fish should be fine.

<<snipped good advice>>

Excellent advice, Elaine, and I totally agree with what you've said, particularly regarding temperature requirements and water changes.

A dwarf anubias nana anchored to a rock goes really well in a betta bowl, and the fish like to rest on the leaves. You could float a few stems of elodea or hornwort as well.

Vicki PS

Thanks for the advice

Here's a picture of how it looks right now http://img87.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img87& image=resizedbowl6wb.jpg

The place where I got the betta said that they keep theres at room temperature (which is also very close to mine) so I think he'll be ok for now. I'm going to start looking around for a small heater this week just to be on the safe side. I also put in dwarf anubias (planted it into the gravel for now, but I'm in the process of boiling a small piece of driftwood which I'll then put in for it) and some java mass which I just layed on top of a coconut shell cave. I'll be sure to do 50% changes twice weekly... and I'll stick with using the water fixing chems just to be on the safeside.

How often should I clean the gravel?

Thanks again.

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 23:34:06 +1000, 'Vicki PS'

It's beautiful! That's a neat betta. My LFS rarely have crowntails, let alone cambodian crowntails. I like the pale blue backdrop too.

Every tank/bowl is different as far as gravel cleaning. You might be able to find a small gravel vac that will clean a lot of gunk out with the water changes. If you can, then a monthly rinse should do the trick for patches you can't vacuum.

If not, gravel in my 2 gallon betta tank needed a good cleaning every second week when it wasn't covered with plants. You'll get a feel for it after a while. If you go to rinse the gravel and TONS of gunk comes out, you went too long. OTOH, if it's pretty clean, try longer the next time. Feeding live food or floating food like Hikari Betta Bio Gold or Betta Bites that doesn't end up on the gravel helps immensely.

Good luck with it - I think you're going to have a lot of interested and admiring co-workers watching your fish.

If you look carefully, you can see a package of Hikari Gold off to the left. I think he has done some research, asked the right questions, and will do well with this. I would have gone with an Eclipse mini setup myself...

The frequent water changes will add most of what the plants can't get from fish waste. You might want to add (literally) a drop or two of Tetra FloraPride when you change water. That will add iron and potash which are usually lacking in municipal and fishtank water.

I think you'll find a turkey baster challenging to use to gravel-vac. Most of us use a siphon that's bigger on the gravel end. You push it into the gravel and the gravel tumbles but stays down in the bowl and the gunk (and water change water) comes out. There gravel vacs available that are small enough for my 2 gallon tank, so they might work in a bowl.