Small aquariums (additionally known as nano tanks) permit aquatic hobbyist to maintain their water-breathing pets wholesome with out taking on an excessive amount of area in a house. As an aquatic veterinarian with over a decade of expertise, I am well-versed in what works and the necessities wanted to permit small fish species and crustaceans to thrive in a small tank.
My favourite small aquarium, and the one I like to recommend for most individuals, is the Fluval Flex 9-gallon Aquarium Equipment. The inclusive set offers virtually the whole lot it’s essential preserve your betta, shrimp, or college of small fish (resembling neon tetras) snug for a protracted and steady life. With any fish tank, it is essential to know the restrictions of the aquarium you choose. Overstocking with too many aquatic creatures is not going to solely decrease the standard of life in your pets, however it might additionally deliver a few catastrophic and deadly spike in ammonia.
The suggestions under for small fish tanks are finest suited to small species, and every description contains steering on the kind of inhabitants the respective aquarium can accommodate.
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The Fluval Flex is the perfect small tank in the marketplace as a result of it comes with all built-in options, together with lighting and filtration, and is among the bigger “small” tanks, offering a 9-gallon capability. In terms of fish-keeping, extra water is all the time higher.
The Fluval Flex has a curved entrance, however since it’s glass, cleansing is straightforward offered you progress your algae scraper up and down slightly than facet to facet. The lights are utterly customizable and embrace particular results resembling cloud cowl and storm, making it an acceptable alternative for tropical freshwater and saltwater species.
One of the best half concerning the Fluval Flex is its built-in filtration. It has a really massive sponge (which takes up a good quantity of area) that tucks into the again of the aquarium with pockets for each zeolite and carbon, which you should utilize if you need or take away.
These sponges will final you for years and by no means have to be changed. They’re simply accessed and there may be even room for a heater within the again filter space, permitting your fish extra room to swim.
General, the Fluval Flex is the only option you can also make for a small aquarium. It’s properly suited to many species and can keep a wonderful setting for glad and wholesome fish for years. And if you wish to go slightly greater, there is a 15-gallon Fluval Flex equipment too.
Dimensions: 13 x 14 x 13 inches | Gallon Capability: 9 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Built-in lights, filter media (sponge, zeolite, carbon) | Inhabitants: Betta, small college, shrimp
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Should you don’t have quite a lot of area however need an incredible residence in your betta or different small fish, the Fluval Spec 5-gallon tank is a incredible alternative. It contains a lengthy, rectangular design, which is nice at permitting filter circulation to be dissipated over an extended distance, slightly than crashing into the facet of your tank and inflicting a tough present. It additionally comes with an built-in filter, with a sturdy sponge, zeolite ceramics and carbon, which could be modified up as desired.
This newer design additionally has an improved mild which has been designed particularly for stay crops. Since that is such a small system, your aquatic crops could not be capable of subsist in your fishes’ waste alone, so it’s possible you’ll have to look into some fish-safe plant fertilizer.
Dimensions: 21 x 8 x 12 inches | Gallon Capability: 5 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Built-in lights, filter media (sponge, zeolite, carbon) | Inhabitants: Betta, small college, shrimp
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Totally built-in filtration and heater
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Designed with betta fish in thoughts
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Sturdy filter media
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Water diffuser decreases filter return to place much less stress on bettas
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Bettas love laying in opposition to the consumption
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Has a lid (bettas like to leap!)
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Pre-set heater
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Solely 2.6 gallons
Any nano tank must be very properly deliberate, since quite a bit can go improper in a small area. However in case you are searching for a house in your betta or one other small group of fish and would not have a lot room, you may’t go improper with the Fluval Betta Premium Aquarium equipment. This tank has been particularly designed with bettas in thoughts and has many variations to make your betta really feel proper at residence.
Like its greater cousin, the Fluval Spec 5-gallon tank, this aquarium is absolutely built-in with a sturdy filter and lighting, however there are just a few key options which can be betta-specific. This tank has a diffuser for the return, creating much less of a water present for delicate bettas to need to swim in opposition to.
It additionally has an built-in heater, which isn’t the perfect mannequin, however if you find yourself solely heating 2.6 gallons, this generally is a exhausting job for any heater to perform persistently. We extremely suggest getting a thermometer to make sure correct operate. And like many of those tanks, it comes with a lid, which is essential for jumpy bettas!
Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 15 inches | Gallon Capability: 2.6 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Lights, filter media (sponge, zeolite, carbon), heater | Inhabitants: Betta, shrimp
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Complete equipment with 5-gallon tank
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Filter is straightforward to keep up
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LED mild, gentle web, and bacterial starter included
The Marina LED Aquarium Equipment is an all-in-one equipment that is good for first-time aquarium house owners. It features a five-gallon tank, a filter with cartridges which can be straightforward to vary, a water conditioner, an built-in hood LED mild, a bacterial starter, a gentle web, a start-up information, and even just a few fish meals flakes. This can be a dependable equipment to get began with a small collection of fish, like bleeding coronary heart tetras, goldfish, guppies, or betta (the equipment even has footage of those fishes on the field).
With this equipment you have to so as to add are just a few cleansing instruments, resembling a glass cleaner and a gravel siphon, and a heater in case your fish wants one. Every little thing included within the equipment is helpful and high-quality, although we strongly suggest getting an in-tank thermometer so you already know the water temperature within the aquarium is good in your fish. We additionally counsel bypassing the offered fish meals flakes and as an alternative getting fish or shrimp pellets to feed your aquatic inhabitants.
Dimensions: 16 x 8.5 x 10.5 inches | Gallon Capability: 5 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Filter, mild, micro organism starter, water conditioner, web, fish meals, starter information | Inhabitants: Betta, small college, goldfish
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If you’re prepared for a bigger tank to accommodate extra fish, the Coralife Aquarium Fish Tank Equipment is a perfect resolution. At 16 gallons, you may add greater faculties of fish, from guppies to neon tetras and white clouds. Plus, with the built-in filtration chamber that’s constructed proper into the again of the aquarium and the quiet submersible pump, this tank just isn’t solely straightforward to arrange but additionally straightforward to keep up and preserve clear.
This aquarium boasts a contemporary model with a smooth rounded-edge design. The tank itself is just 15 inches extensive, so it will not take up quite a lot of area both. It has a 24-hour timer and LED lighting, which could be modified to completely different colours, together with blue and white, and an computerized dawn/sundown plus a moonrise/moonset characteristic so your fish and their setting get the additional advantage of a pure day and night time cycle.
This lighting performance additionally permits stay crops and corals to flourish within the tank. You may nonetheless have to buy just a few important equipment individually, resembling a web and a thermometer, in case you do not have already got them readily available, however with all of the options this aquarium has, that is no biggie in our books.
Dimensions: 16.75 x 15 x 17.5 inches | Gallon Capability: 16 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Filtration chamber, LED lights, timer, lid | Inhabitants: Small college, guppies, tetras, goldfish
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Acrylic scratches simply
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Gentle is small
The Tetra Crescent Aquarium Equipment is the one acrylic tank on our listing. This materials comes with some advantages and disadvantages. Acrylic is sturdier than glass and lighter. Nonetheless, it might scratch simply and turn into cloudy over time. Please you’ll want to use solely acrylic-safe scrub brushes when cleansing your tank (not included).
With this tank, the included filter media just isn’t sturdy and can break down comparatively shortly. It’s endorsed to get replaced with a sturdier sponge. Given the lid included with this tank, it may be troublesome to swap out for an additional filter if desired.
Dimensions: 17 x 11 x 13 inches | Gallon Capability: 5 | Materials: Acrylic tank with plastic high | Equipment: Filter, hood with mild, setup information | Inhabitants: Betta, small college
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When coping with a shrimp tank, water circulation is important. Shrimp could be very delicate invertebrates and require a really low water circulation. That’s the reason we suggest the Aquatop Venti Aquarium Equipment which is run completely on an air-lift system.
An air-lift system makes use of the circulation and circulation of bubbles via an air pump to drive its filtration. As you may think about, this creates a tank with a really low filtration capability, which is ideal in your detritus-loving shrimp!
This equipment contains the whole lot your shrimp colonies may wish, together with a sturdy filter sponge, air pump, air line tubing with verify valve, and a lightweight. All you want is a shrimp-appropriate substrate and some stay crops or moss balls after which you may add your shrimp.
Dimensions: 8 x 12 x 12 inches | Gallon Capability: 2 | Materials: Plastic case with glass sides | Equipment: Filter, air pump, air line, verify valve, mild, lid | Inhabitants: Shrimp
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Basic fishbowl aesthetic
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Simple to arrange
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Distant management LED lighting system
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Adjustable day and night time modes
This spherical tank from biOrb affords a design impressed by the traditional fishbowl, however with further options and connectivity that make it secure for fish and straightforward to keep up. The construct of the house for fish as a streamlined base and lid and comes with a low-voltage pump and filtration system. Plus, the tank options multi-colored remote-controlled LED lights with adjustable day and night time modes.
This freshwater acrylic aquarium is on the market with both a black or silver and in three sizes: 4-gallon, 8-gallon, and 16-gallon. Setup is straightforward, however the small opening does make it tougher to scrub and keep—particularly for adults with bigger fingers.
Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 12.5 inches | Gallon Capability: 4, 8, 16 | Materials: Acrylic tank with plastic high and base | Equipment: LED lighting, air pump, transformer, water therapies, air stone, filter cartridge, ceramic media | Inhabitants: Betta, small college, tropical
Last Verdict
If you’re selecting a small fish tank, we suggest the Fluval Flex 9-gallon Aquarium Equipment, which is properly thought out and designed to be an incredible fish residence in a small area. Should you would not have room for even a 9-gallon tank, our favourite nano tank is the Fluval Spec 5-gallon aquarium, which has a small footprint however continues to be appropriate for bettas, shrimp, or extra, so long as you intend rigorously. As with every small tank, consider what kind of fish and what number of you intend to accommodate. Should you can go greater, get a much bigger tank!
What to Search for in Small Fish Tanks
Bioload
In terms of any aquarium, guaranteeing there may be sufficient water and area to go round shall be decided by your bioload. Your bioload is the entire quantity of dwelling issues in your tank, together with fish, invertebrates, and so forth, all the way down to the tiniest micro organism.
Some fish are likely to not convert meals to physique mass properly, resembling goldfish, and produce quite a lot of waste, including extra to your bioload. Additionally they require a ton of area in comparison with a small college of neon tetras. Small tanks could be very difficult in case you attempt to cram too many species right into a small area.
Glass vs. Acrylic
Whether or not it is a tank for betta fish or goldfish, no matter dimension, you have to to pick out a cloth for the perimeters of your tank, relying in your desire. Glass is extra delicate and heavier, however is simpler to scrub and can keep clear for longer. Acrylic is extra sturdy and lighter, however could be simply scratched and can turn into cloudy over time.
Because the aquariums we’re discussing listed here are so small, it is suggested to go together with glass since they maintain much less water (lighter) and are simpler to ship padded (much less breakable). Once we had been doing analysis for this text, I couldn’t discover many acrylic aquariums that had been acceptable in a small dimension.
Extra Tools and Equipment
For any aquarium, it’s best to take into account the next equipment:
- Lid for tank
- Aquarium mild
- Filter
- Substrate (gravel, rocks, sand, and many others.)
- Gravel vacuum
- Decor objects (should be fish secure; for bettas, keep on with objects that won’t snag fins)
- Reside crops
- Dechlorinator/water conditioner to deal with faucet water for chlorine and chloramine
- Scrub brush for decor
- Algae scraper for acrylic or glass tank (ensure to not combine them up, as they’re completely different)
- Heater (for sure species)
- Thermometer
- Water high quality check equipment
FAQ
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Small fish tanks needs to be saved solely for small, tropical fishes, together with neon tetras, bettas, and rasboras. Fish that shouldn’t be saved in small tanks embrace goldfish, guppies/mollies (except you may assure you solely have one intercourse), or cichlids. Small decorative shrimp are additionally good candidates for a small aquarium.
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Like some other fish tank, it’s best to count on to do some upkeep each week. This may occasionally embrace trimming crops, cleansing the facet of your aquarium, or rinsing your filters. You’ll nonetheless want to make use of a gravel siphon to do water modifications. Simply select a dimension acceptable in your tank. Take particular care when utilizing this round shrimp!
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It relies upon completely on the species. For small tropical fish, some could prefer to be in a faculty of eight to 10 people, whereas others prefer to be alone, resembling bettas. Relying on the species you select, it’s possible you’ll look right into a mixed-species tank, selecting people who’re community-minded and can get together with a number of species.
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Completely not. Fish bowls are antiquated and shouldn’t be used for any dwelling factor.
Why Belief The Spruce Pets?
With over 10 years of expertise in pet fish veterinary follow, to not point out proudly owning an aquatic specialty retailer for 3 years, Dr. Jessie Sanders has seen all of it on the subject of fish tanks. She has firsthand expertise with all main pet species and understands what goes into holding them glad and wholesome with all of the tanks and gear obtainable to pet fish house owners. She has private expertise with many of the tanks on this listing, having arrange a number of for her personal follow and helped tons of of pet fish house owners preserve their fish glad and wholesome.