Aquariums

[Synchronized]

I was actually thinking about getting a whole 55 gallon tank for just one male betta>>... a long one so it would me shallower^^

55's are taller or as tall as 30's. I honestly wouldn't do more than 5 for one betta because even in a large tank you're restricted on what else you can put in there as well as the kind of filtration you can use. Larger tanks need larger filters and larger filters mean harder water flow, which bettas don't like.

[PossessedPotato]

It;s not a very good shot but here is my two male betta's named Will and Tanaka

Spoiler

do these look big enough for them?

[Synchronized]

It;s not a very good shot but here is my two male betta's named Will and Tanaka

Spoiler

do these look big enough for them?

I'm not entirely sure what size they are but from my experience with holders like that, they seem about half a gallon or so? You're honestly better off if you do at least a gallon with a filter, preferably more. The only reason all of my bettas don't have 2.5 gallon tanks is because I've been banned from buying new tanks by my grandparents, haha.

[TNHawke]

I've heard of bettas drowning in too big of tanks, but I have no idea if that claim is true or not. I have successfully kept bettas in 55 long and a 50 gal cube shape. Once, I even had 2 males living in the same tank. However, every time these were community tanks, not just a single betta.
I have had bettas chew off their own fins when the current in the tank was too strong and blew them all around. I also had a bunch of betta fry drown because the current was too strong and the tank was too deep- and this was a little half gallon tank with just a bubbler and under gravel filter! Dad couldn't keep up with catching them and putting them back in the bubble nest and they all died.

[Synchronized]

Bettas need to be able to gulp air otherwise they will drown, yes, which is why they do better in much shallower tanks.

Speaking of tailbiting in bettas, my gorgeous halfmoon started this shortly after I got the filter for his gallon tank. I switched him into the 2.5 and moved Columbus(bigger, stronger) into his so hopefully that helps. The 2.5's filter is pretty gentle and plants disrupt the water flow much better, too. He's sharing the space with my bumblebee goby temporarily, since the little guy's gotten a bit too skinny from not being fast enough to catch food in the big tank.

[Piney]

This is probably the right place to ask. I bought a 1 gallon tank (I think, I don't have any size comparisons) at a garage sale. I'm thinking about taking it with me to college and getting a fish for it. What kind of fish would be ok for a 1 gallon tank? I'm thinking a betta fish but I'm afraid it will be too small.

Also I might end up having to buy the fish here and bringing it to the college, which is 2 hours away. What's the best way to transport a fish over such a long drive?

[TxCat]

The general rule of thumb is one fish inch per gallon. You can fudge this if you aerate the tank or purchase fish which are hardy. I had good luck in school with a single betta, two zebra danios, two guppies (make sure they are both the same sex), a single molly, or a feeder goldfish.

For travel, I use the cooler and bag system as others have mentioned. We once made a three hour trip transporting thirty tropical fish and they all survived.

[PossessedPotato]

Hmmm what about buying a tiny comet goldfish and putting it in a 55 gallon tank? i was gonna get em a bunch of little places to hide in and a few cleaner shrimp with em^^

[Piney]

A Danio might be nice. I had a Danio (not sure what kind but it was kinda similar to the Zebra Danio) and it was a fiesty thing. Glofish are just modified danio right? Does anyone know if they're more or less hardier than regular danios?

[Synchronized]

The general rule of thumb is one fish inch per gallon. You can fudge this if you aerate the tank or purchase fish which are hardy. I had good luck in school with a single betta, two zebra danios, two guppies (make sure they are both the same sex), a single molly, or a feeder goldfish.

For travel, I use the cooler and bag system as others have mentioned. We once made a three hour trip transporting thirty tropical fish and they all survived.

The one inch per gallon rule is pretty arbitrary and very prone to bad mistakes-- appropriate tank size is very heavily dependent on fish size per minimum gallons, how much waste the fish produces, what kind of filter you have on the tank, if you have aerators or live plants, etc. A better rule of thumb is basically once you get to the point where ammonia and nitrate become hard to control, you're overstocked.

Feeder goldfish get very, very large and are more suitable for ponds than fish tanks, much like koi.

This is probably the right place to ask. I bought a 1 gallon tank (I think, I don't have any size comparisons) at a garage sale. I'm thinking about taking it with me to college and getting a fish for it. What kind of fish would be ok for a 1 gallon tank? I'm thinking a betta fish but I'm afraid it will be too small.

Also I might end up having to buy the fish here and bringing it to the college, which is 2 hours away. What's the best way to transport a fish over such a long drive?

A betta will be fine in one gallon so long as you keep the water clean which means either a) installing a small filter or b) frequent water changes. They're really the hardiest fish for small tanks and prefer still water. Another decent choice would be an african dwarf frog provided you can keep it warm enough, but they don't do much.

A Danio might be nice. I had a Danio (not sure what kind but it was kinda similar to the Zebra Danio) and it was a fiesty thing. Glofish are just modified danio right? Does anyone know if they're more or less hardier than regular danios?

Glofish are "man-made", yes. They are, however, "bred" that way, to an extent-- they aren't dyed, like the polka-dotted silver mollies and the dyed parrotfish/indian glassfish you see in stores occasionally. They're only slightly less hardy than natural danios, but I find they do a lot better if they have a proper day/night light cycle than if they're kept under blue leds/blacklights constantly like most glofish tanks do.

@Alois: yes, a comet goldfish in a 55 would be fine. You would actually probably be better off with fancy goldfish like orandas, ryukins, pearlscales, and moors/telescope eyes. You could fit about four or five full-sized ones in a 55 comfortably, provided you have a canister filter and some decent aerators running.