ecnaj143

Someone game me a Small 4gal bowl. I was just wondering what kinda fish can I put in there. Its for my desk at work. No gold fish please.

Thanks for the help

smillermom

Bettas are beautiful, hardy fish. 4 Gallons would be a good size for the betta. Or, you could put a Dwarf Gourami and a couple of Otocinclus in the tank. Do not put the Gourami and Betta together, these are 2 different suggestions. They would NOT get along. You could also just keep 1 dwarf puffer in a small tank like that. Personally, Bettas are the best and nice and hardy.

ecnaj143

Thanks for the suggestion. I have another question. One of my work mates is stealing my idea, but his is actually smaller. Its like a 1gal BOWL. What would be a good fish. No gold fish tho.


Thanks again.

Butterfly

unless the bowl is big enough to put a heater and filter in it it's not big enough for a betta. They do need both. The one gal your co-worker has is definately not big enough.
Carol

0morrokh

Please only put a Betta or any fish in the 4 gal bown if it can be heated and filtered. As for the 1 gal bowl, if they could somehow filter the water, they could keep shrimp or a small snail in there (then it wouldn't have to be heated). Please don't let them put a fish in something that tiny... (and it needs to be filtered even for inverts)

Boxermom

Not all fish need a heater. Some are cooler tropical fish that do well in the low 70s, such as White Cloud Mountain Minnows. WCMMs would be good in small tanks, too, as they stay very small.

0morrokh

Yes, White Clouds are good cooler water fish. However I have to disagree a little about keeping them in smaller tanks, even though they are small. They are very active and also need to be kept in shoals. I have to recommend at least 20 gallons for them.

ncje

A snail.

smillermom

I'd add a snail. When you put an algae tablet in, they are fun to watch as they come so far out of their shells for the food! I come out of my shell too for food!HAHAHA!!!

chickadee

No not all fish require heaters, but the ones that are not goldfish and koi are either shoaling fish of around 3" size or quite a lot larger (5" or larger - quite a lot larger) plus being fish that I have never seen or heard of so would probably only be available by special order or in a very large fish store. The list out the Aquarium Fish by Dick Mills of Other Coldwater Freshwater Fishes are: Bitterling, Japanese Loach,Three-Spine Stickleback, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Orange-Spotted Sunfish, Bluegill, Spotted Sunfish, Chinese Sailfin Sucker, Red Shiner, European Minnow, Fathead Minnow, Japanese Rose Bitterling, Bitterling (another one), Oily Gudgeon, Rudd. There are none of these appropriate for a 4 gallon tank either because of size or the need to shoal.

Sorry I cannot be more help. The real minimum for a betta is 5 gallons to give them room to be active. It is okay to use a smaller tank for a quarantine or a hospital tank as you do not really want a sick fish to be terribly active, but to live in full time, it is not big enough.

SunnShadow

Maybe a snail or an African Dwarf Frog. They (AFD) like cooler water and are very amusing to watch. Whatever your friend chooses, it would be nice to put a small live plant or two in the bowl, as they add oxygen to the water, as well as giving a place for the frog /fish to rest while at the surface.
Also.... why no goldfish? There are very pretty ones that stay small. The only downfall of any goldfish would be frequent water changes. Small price to pay for a healthy aquatic pet.
(another idea....... your friend could get a packet of "Sea Monkeys")

S.

poefox

The best pets, I agree, for such a small size are dwarf african frogs, snails and such. A betta possibly but while I've known a couple of people who had bettas to their full lifespan in such a bowl bettas thrive and are more fun in larger tanks where they have space to move around and a heater which makes them healthier and more active. On the other hand if the room is warm the water will be too. You need to do frequent water changes with a bowl. A dwarf gourami might be a little better, they don't seem to enjoy moving around as much as a betta does. Both species need a clean water surface so that they can gulp in air every few minutes or so.

There are a few species of goldfish that stay small but the main problem with a goldfish in a bowl is actually aeration; they need a good flow of oxygen in the water. Also they are a rather dirty fish and need more frequent water changes than most. They also feed in a sloppy fashion and you'll have waste food on the bottom.

I hope you find something enjoyable to keep in your bowl. Have fun.

Amnagrla

So... what did you pick!?!?

BettaBuddy ~ Miley

I pick bettas just because i ♥♥♥♥ LOVE ♥♥♥♥ Bettas!!

Miley

ADF are cute too