I purchased a male Beta (blue) in November. Our personalities are just not clicking and I thought maybe he would be a great gift for an older child. They are easy to keep up, only need to be fed three times a week. Can purchase a bowl from the dollar store (if need be) and fill with water. Does anyone want a Beta?? I will drop off !

My kids have a new kitten. She would love the beta.
Drop it off anytime.

yeah, well I'm trying to avoid the toilet tunnel of freedom for this guy...

quote:

Originally posted by Candidate:
My kids have a new kitten. She would love the beta.
Drop it off anytime.

You are sinister! LOL

Will it live well with small turtles? I think the tank temperature is about 78 degrees Farenheit. I'm sure my youngest would enjoy it if that works. We keep the turtles in a fairly large fish tank with about 10 inches of water and a floating island for them to "sun" upon.

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:
Will it live well with small turtles? I think the tank temperature is about 78 degrees Farenheit. I'm sure my youngest would enjoy it if that works. We keep the turtles in a fairly large fish tank with about 10 inches of water and a floating island for them to "sun" upon.

Fish, no offense here but turtles eat fish.

quote:

Originally posted by bitterboy:

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:
Will it live well with small turtles? I think the tank temperature is about 78 degrees Farenheit. I'm sure my youngest would enjoy it if that works. We keep the turtles in a fairly large fish tank with about 10 inches of water and a floating island for them to "sun" upon.

Fish, no offense here but turtles eat fish.

Not these little guys....about the size of a silver dollar. I can't imagine them being able to maneuver fast enough to catch a fish.

Good timing because I have a question on tanks. I am looking to get one for my granddaughter. I haven't had time yet to look at Petco, etc. Any help on where to go? I'm thinking 20 gals max

M,

I think both privately held petshops in GE have closed. That being said, I like Scott's in Westchester. Good selection and very friendly. Petco may be ok, but I have found that it is more likely a tank may be cracked when buying from large retailers. Happened to me 2x. If you're a beginner, a small shop will give you better guidance, but may be tad more expensive. I used to raise Angel Fish, so I am fairly knowledgeable about freshwater fish. I know nothing about saltwater.

quote:

Originally posted by bitterboy:
I used to raise Angel Fish, so I am fairly knowledgeable about freshwater fish. I know nothing about saltwater.

YOU CANNOT JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE AND NOT FOLLOW UP WITH SOME DETAIL?????

What would you like to know? This isn't mine, but this is an angel.

otto and k-k-k-ken love angel fish too.

Fish, you are more than welcome to try Manuel in the turtle tank. if they are small enough it should be fine. BTW, his name is Manuel because we were in Myers getting him, could not get customer service to help us with getting the stupid fish, and had to "manually" get him ourselves. lol...

quote:

Originally posted by huahualover1:
Fish, you are more than welcome to try Manuel in the turtle tank. if they are small enough it should be fine. BTW, his name is Manuel because we were in Myers getting him, could not get customer service to help us with getting the stupid fish, and had to "manually" get him ourselves. lol...

If you have no other more deserving takers I will take him. Is it ok if we change his name to Noriega?

quote:

Originally posted by M:
Good timing because I have a question on tanks. I am looking to get one for my granddaughter. I haven't had time yet to look at Petco, etc. Any help on where to go? I'm thinking 20 gals max

I've always loveed the place in Lobard, Tropi-Quatics Pet Center. However, I haven't been there in quite a while and unsure if they are still open (the way business seem to be closing). But I googled them and they are still there (in cyberspace).

Fish, you can email me at Angtello@aol.com and we can set up the drop off. Thanks !

Message sent. You may want to take down your post now.

not to beat a dead fish, but has anyone ever heard kip addotta's pun-ladened ode to the deep called wet dream?

LFS simply cannot compete against big boxes and the internet in terms of hardware. And PetSmart will allow some price-matching of on-line sales - at least for their own website. It can be hit or miss, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

10s and 20s are very very common - you can find used ones for free on the curb, or as little as a buck a gallon. Of course, the tank itself is one of the cheapest parts of the system, so you might as well buy it new.

You would do well to think of what you want out of your system so that you buy the light, heater, filter you are going to be happy with down the line.
If it is just a community tank for a kid, you'd be fine with a bio-wheel HOB filter and a standard strip light. If you want to grow plants (my preference), you'd do better with more light and a canister filter. Make sure you have a solid stand - filled with gravel, that 20 will weigh around 500 #. And a 30 doesn't really cost more or take more maintenancew than a 20 and you can do a whole lot more. Just saying, it is far more common for folks to trade in their tanks for larger ones, than the other way around.

And decide whether you want it to be the kid's tank or for the family. Just saying, if you let the kid pick you might end up with some clown-puke gravel and a little sea diver in there. Which is fine if that is what you want ...

For filters, heaters, etc., your best bet is on-line with someone like Big Al's or Foster Smith.
For fish and food, there's no better place than these guys during one of the several fish swaps they have every year.

I'm personally not a huge fan of Tropi-quatics, but won't go into that here and now. But a couple of years ago I decided not to give them any more of my business. A few years ago they moved across main and a couple of blocks north.

Scott's has a wider selection of fish than many places, but IMO they are very pricey - especially on equipment and most fish. For example, last time I was there a month ago they had albino bristlenoses for $8. Last weekend I picked up 10 for $15 at the fish swap, which had been scooped out of their breeding tanks that morning. Add in the $3 admission charge, and it is still quite a deal. They always have tons of angels as well.

If you are just setting up a kid's tank, you can probably do okay with cheap fish from PetCo/PetSmart. Realize they differ widely store to store. The one down on Butterfield seems to have pretty healthy fish. But the best thing for equipment is to look for on-line specials.

Do your research ahead of time - don't count on relying on the salesmen in LFS or big boxes. Plan on cycling the tank first. There are plenty of forums on-line with really helpful people. Or you could ask here and bb and I would gladly share whatever little we may know.

Damn Dins! Sounds like you are a lot more serious than I. Since getting married, I've dropped the hobby, but love it nonetheless. Excellent point about buying from swaps. For the last few years, seems like most every store carries diseased fish. Seems most common amongst livebearers. Healthy Angels and Discus are very hard to come by. You have to go private on these. I used to get my stock from either the swaps or a store near 63rd and Pulaski called Frank's Hardware. How many tanks do you have?