Fish Bowl #1: Blond Tiger Endlers in our Small Tank

The two small white fry that we added to this 5 gallon bowl are growing fast.  We now know that we have a pair of them.

The male is just starting to get his colors in.  It looks like he is going to be amazing.

At first appearance they look like they are albino however they have normal eyes.  The female is very light colored and she now has a gravid spot which pink rather than the usual dark grey or black.

The male is just starting to show the vertical stripes found in Tiger Endlers however they are much lighter and look like they will be well defined as the male ages.

The male is also starting to show signs of reflective metallic green coloration.  These look like they are going to grow up to be amazing!

As far as the tank goes it seems to be ideal for raising Endlers so far.

We were able to purchase a couple of 25 watt aquarium heaters for the tank and for the other one we have not set up yet.  

These heaters should help stabilize the water temperature as Endlers prefer warmer water.  These small aquarium heaters cost us less than $5 each with free shipping on eBay.

Fish Bowl #1: Moving the Albino Snakeskin Endlers to a New Home

We have moved our Albino Snakeskin Endlers back to the original tank they were born in because the have grown large enough that they should do well in their original tank.

We did this a little earlier than we had planned because we have been raising some beautiful Tiger Endlers that are much more colorful and have darker stripes than the regular Tiger Endlers that are available.

Recently we had two that look like Albinos except for their eyes.  We are hoping that these will turn out to be a blond form of this special Tiger Endler strain.

We moved the fry to the Fish Bowl #1 to see what they will grow up to look like and to prevent the female from breeding with the other Tiger Endlers.

So far we have found this 5 gallon fish bowl to work great with Endlers.

Fish Bowl #1: Partial Water Change

We did our first partial water change today.  Removed 2 gallons of water and replaced it with 2 gallons of dechlorinated tap water.

The fish seemed excited to have the change and continue to be very active and healthy.

We noticed today that it appears that one of the fry is a much needed male.

Looks like we will be moving these Endlers back to the main tank in a couple of weeks.  We are hoping to have more fry to replace them with.

When the new fry are added we will be switching to the small sponge filter to keep the fry from being sucked up into the filter.

Fish Bowl #1: Filter System Issue

The small filter that seems to have captured 3 of our Small fry.

3 Fry Missing

The small filter we used for this fish bowl seemed perfect for this small tank.

Unfortunately soon after we introduced our young fry to this small tank 3 of our fish quickly disappeared.

We can only assume that the filter was simply too powerful for our small fry and they got sucked up into the filter.

We intend on replacing the filter with a small sponge filter if we decide to introduce more fry to this fish bowl.

A small sponge filter currently being used in one of our Betta tanks.

Choosing the Fish for Fish Bowl #1

Finding a Home for Our Endler Fry

Our first choice for "the best fish for a fish bowl" came out of necessity more than anything.

We have been trying to perfect some rare Albino Hybrid Snake Endlers and have a need to monitor the fry closely to determine if they are male or female as well as isolate them from the larger Endlers so they can be fed a different diet.

This hybrid is not as hardy as some of our pure strain Endlers so we figured this would be an excellent choice for the largest of our fish bowls.

The Advantage of Choosing Fry

Another reason why we thought this would be a good choice is because the bowl would start with tiny fry.  These small fish are so small that they will do very little to add harmful ammonia to the bowl and their waste will contain some of the desirable bacteria that we are hoping to add to the fishbowl.

This will give the tank time to cycle as the fry grow.

About Hybrid Endlers

One of the things that makes hybrid Endlers a good choice is because they are small and relatively hardy.  One of our concerns is that they like their water fairly warm at 75-81°.  That's warmer than most tropical fish.

As it is summertime right now a heater was not critical for our little tank however we bid on 25 Watt heater on eBay for $5 with free shipping and we are awaiting the results.

The larger bowl size will help stabilize the temperature once we start using a heater.

Adding Bacteria to the Bowl

Since these fry came from an existing tank we were able to add a little bacteria to the new bowl by squeezing water out of one of the sponge filters that was in the existing tank into the new tank.

We also added a few small plants to the bowl that we took from another tank.  The plants should help to reduce the amount of Nitrates in the tank as well as give the fry a place to hide.

The finished tank

The finished tank turned out quite nice looking.  There are a few scratches on the used acrylic tank but they are not noticeable with the water added to it.  After letting the tank sit for a week we put a total of 7 fry to the small tank and we are eager to see how the little fry do in this small tank.

Our plan is to allow these fry to grow to a size where we can see which ones are males and which ones are female.

The Fry in the Bowl

After adding the fry to the bowl we noticed that the small filter we added to the bowl produced a little bit more water movement than Endlers really seem to like.  Because of this we turned the outlet pipe upward a little so the water did not have as much force when it hit the water.  We hope this should provide ideal water movement for the Endlers.

The Filtration System: Fish Bowl #1

Preparing the Water

After we finish cleaning the bowl we added water and let it sit for 24 hours.  This is to remove any chlorine that is in the municipal water supply.  As an extra precaution we also added a dechlorinator to our water.

Use caution however using tap water.  If your municipal water supply contains chloramine you will want to use a chloramine remover to prevent excess buildup of ammonia.

The chlorine that is added to tap water is there to prevent algae and bacteria that might make the water unsafe or unpleasant to drink.

If tap water is added directly to a fish bowl without water conditioner the chlorine is not generally harmful enough to kill your fish but it is however harmful to the beneficial bacteria that is needed in order to maintain a good nitrogen cycle.

Without maintaining a healthy nitrogen cycle ammonia and nitrites build up in the bowl poisoning the fish over time.

Choosing a filter

There are three basic types of filtration that can be used in a fish bowl or aquarium; mechanical, biological, and chemical.

Mechanical Filtration

Mechanical filtration is a process where particles in the water both large and small are filtered out of the water giving the water a clean, clear appearance.

While the water may appear clean ammonia and nitrites produced from the waste of the fish can still be present.  Ammonia and nitrites are highly toxic to fish therefor mechanical filtration alone is not enough to keep your fish healthy.

Biological Filtration

Biological filtration is a process where beneficial bacteria break down the ammonia produced by fish into nitrites.  Nitrites are further broken down into much less harmful nitrates.

Chemical Filtration

The most common chemical filtration used in fish bowls and aquariums is activated charcoal.  Activated charcoal helps to remove ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Partial Water Changes

While a good filtration system goes a long way nitrates can still build up to a level that can be harmful or even fatal to fish.  The addition of live plants can help somewhat to control nitrate levels however it is a good idea to do a partial water change every week or two.

Another reason that partial water changes is important is due to evaporation.  Most water that is added to the aquarium contains some salts and minerals.  These salts and minerals are important to the health of the fish in the fishbowl.  As water evaporates the salts and minerals are left behind.

If you were to simply top off the bowl as the water evaporates the water that is added introduces additional salts & minerals to the water.  Over time these salts and minerals can concentrate and eventually can become harmful to your fish.

This effect is similar to what happens at the Great Salt Lake in the State of Utah.  Water goes in but can't go out leaving no place for the salts and minerals to go.

The water in The Great Salt Lake is so salty that the only aquatic life that thrives in it is Brine Shrimp.

The Danger of Full Water Changes!

Doing full water changes can be very harmful to your fish!  Not only does completely changing the water in the fish bowl or aquarium kill the beneficial bacteria that has been created in your tank, it also produces such an extreme water condition for your fish that they are likely to get sick.

One of the most common illnesses your fish may succumb to is Ick which is a small parasite that attaches itself to your fish when it is in a weakened condition.  Ick appears as small white spots on the body of the fish resembling salt.

The Filter We Chose

One of the problems with trying to set up a fish bowl properly  is that good filtration systems for such a small tank is difficult to come by or is too expensive.

We chose a tiny submersible filtration pump for our main filter for this fish bowl.

This tiny filter had a sponge inside it that helps filter the water both biologically and mechanically.  As an added bonus it has a small compartment that holds activated charcoal for chemical filtration.  This small compartment can be opened so that the activated charcoal can be changed periodically.

We also liked this filter because it could be configured to use a spray bar or allow air to be injected into the water outlet.  We chose the spray bar for now.

We found this filter on eBay for under $10.

Our Secondary Filter

Idealy our secondary filter would be a small air powered sponge filter often used in Betta tanks.  These small filters do a great job of both mechanical and biological filtration.  These efficient filters can be found on eBay for around $3.

This is combination of internal power filter and sponge filter is one of our favorites when used on a large aquarium.

We only have one of these at this time so we decided to save this filter for our next project.

Preparing Bowl #1

Cleaning the Tank

Removing the gummy residue from the tape that was on the tank.

One of the biggest is hurdles we had to face when cleaning the used tank was removing the gummy residue that was left from the packing tape.

We didn't want to scratch the used tank any more than it already was so scrubbing of the residue was not really an option.  We also didn't want to use harsh chemicals because we were afraid that anything strong enough to dissolve the residue might also damage the acrylic tank itself.

To prevent any damage we decided to use the gummy side of packing tape to pull the residue off the tank.  This was a long process but it worked well.

Cleaning the Glass (Acrylic)

Because the tank was made of acrylic and not glass we had to be careful not to scratch the surface.  Our first solution was to clean the tank with a dish cloth and a mild soap solution and then fill the tank with water and hydrogen peroxide to clean and sterilize it.

This may have been the best solution however we got a little lazy and decided to clean the tank with a fairly strong solution of water and bleach.

Cleaning the Gravel

Not knowing what diseases might be in the gravel we wanted to make sure it was clean and safe for our fish also.  We considered just throwing it out and replacing it but decided that would be wasteful.  Cleaning the gravel with bleach might work but we were afraid that it would be difficult to get rid of any bleach residue.

Eventually we decided to sterilize the gravel by placing it in a pan and baking it at 400 degrees F. for a half hour.  After that we rinsed the gravel just as we would if it were new gravel from the store.

Selecting Fish Bowl #1

Our Goal While Shopping

"The fish bowl" by Miyuki Kobayashi is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Our number one concern when doing these experiments is to do our best to do thing correctly right from the start.

We don't want to be cruel to any fish by creating an environment that would be unhealthy for the fish.

We shopped online and in our local stores for quite a while trying to decide what bowl would be our first fish bowl.

The Traditional Fish Bowl

Traditional fish bowls seemed to be the least desirable choice.  These bowls had no lids and as we did our research we found that lids for these fish bowls were next to impossible to find.

Finding an Alternative

Next we decided to look at the newer more modern style of fish bowls or nano tanks that were readily available at one of our local stores.  One that really caught our eye was the Aqua Culture 1 Gallon Aquarium Tank Starter Kit available at Walmart for $12.97.

We liked this bowl because it was affordable and came with a lid, light, pump and filter.   We are planning to get one of these in the future for one of our other bowl setups.

We Scored!!!

While we were looking we stopped by one of the local thrift shops and came across two used Mini Bow brand 5 gallon aquariums.  These were perfect for our first bowl or nano tank.  This was really the maximum size we wanted to try as anything bigger would not fit well on an office desk.

Not only were there two nano tanks but inside one was a H.O.T. Magnum filter.  These are excellent canister filters however it is much to big for these tiny tanks.  We use the exact same one in one of our 55 gallon tanks with excellent results.  What a bonus!

The purple tank with the H.O.T. Magnum filter was priced at $4.00.  The blue tank had the stands for both tanks and one of the parts for the H.O.T. Magnum filter in it and it was priced at $5.00.  Of course we decided to purchase both tanks.

The two nano tanks (Mini Bow 2.5) we purchased at our local thrift shop

This is the tank we decided to use for our first experiment.

Bottom portion of the H.O.T. Magnum canister filter that came with the tanks.

Lid of the H.O.T. Magnum canister filter that came with the nano tanks.

We decided to use the purple Mini Bow 5 tank as our Fish bowl #1.

Best Fish For a Fish Bowl: The Purpose of this Blog

The Purpose of our Fish Bowl Blog

The purpose of this blog is to share experiments with commonly used fish bowls to help educate those wishing to have a small desktop size aquarium with little maintenance and relatively healthy fish.

Common Fish Used in a Fish Bowl

The two most common fish used to occupy a fish bowl in the United States are Goldfish and Bettas.  Both of these species of fish have some difficulties living in a fish bowl.  This is one of the reasons many consider the use of a fish bowl to house fish to be inhumane.

Goldfish

Goldfish are by far one of the worst species of fish to consider using in a fish bowl.  Their large size and rapid growth rate cause them to expel far to much waste to be able to keep them healthy.

Many believe that keeping goldfish in such confined quarters helps to control their size by stunting their growth.  While the size of the tank may have some influence on their size it is far more likely that the majority of the lack of growth is caused by poor water conditions.

What Causes Poor Water Conditions for Goldfish?

Due to their relatively large size, fast growth rate and insatiable appetite, goldfish produce a lot of waste.  This waste causes the water to become toxic with high percentages of ammonia and nitrites.

Another common issue with goldfish that are kept in fish bowls is overfeeding.  Goldfish always appear to be hungry.  You should never feed your goldfish more than he will eat in a 2 - 3 minute period.  This prevents food from being left over in the bowl or tank.

Food that is left in the bottom of the tank will quickly cause unhealthy bacteria to overwhelm the tank causing the water to become cloudy and reducing the oxygen level in the tank or bowl to a level that is unhealthy or fatal to the goldfish.

Helping to Maintain Good Water Conditions

One of the best ways to maintain good water conditions in an aquarium or bowl is to understand the nitrogen cycle and applying that understanding to the tank.  This is what is known as cycling the tank.

The nitrogen cycle is a process by which bacteria break down toxic ammonia produced by the fish into nitrites.  These nitrites are also toxic to fish but fortunately other forms of bacteria break down the nitrites into nitrates which are much less toxic to fish.

Nitrates while not nearly as toxic as ammonia or nitrites can still be harmful to your fish in high concentrations.  The amount of nitrates in the tank can be controlled by doing partial water changes every week or two depending on the size, type and number of fish in your tank or bowl.

In order to maintain a healthy nitrogen cycle in your tank it is necessary to introduce beneficial bacteria into the tank.

There are two basic methods to cycle your tank.  The most common way is to start with one small fish and wait 4-6 weeks before adding more fish.  While this method is effective it is also very stressful on the fish that is being used often resulting in the death of the fish.  If the fish does not die it can leave the fish in a weakened state making it susceptible to disease or illness.

The other method of cycling a tank is using a fishless method.  This method uses common household ammonia (pure) to feed the beneficial bacteria needed for a healthy tank.  The fishless method of cycling a tank is usually much faster taking only 2-3 weeks to cycle.  Using the fishless method you should use approximately 4-5 drops of ammonia for every 10 gallons of water every day until the tank is stabilized.

Whichever method you choose to use you should test the ammonia levels in the water before adding fish.

While it is likely that the beneficial bacteria you need to cycle your tank are in the water already you can accelerate the process by adding the bacteria yourself.  This can be done by adding gravel from another already cycled tank, squeezing the water out of a filter from another tank or adding a used filter to the tank for a day or so.  There are also commercial additives that you can use however many hobbyists believe that they are not as effective as the other methods.

Common Mistake for Fish Bowl Owners

One of the most common mistakes that fishbowl owners have is to take the fish out of the bowl, dump out the water and completely and clean everything in the bowl.  This kills the beneficial bacteria in the bowl or tank.  Soon after the fish is added back to the bowl or tank the water becomes cloudy and requires the process to be done again to prevent the fish from dying.

This constant changing of the water causes dramatic changes in water quality making your fish unhealthy and susceptible to diseases like Ick.

Betta Fish: Another Common Fish Bowl Pet

Bettas are also commonly kept in fish bowls.  While Bettas can appear to be doing fairly well in a fish bowl it is not really an ideal environment for them.

Bettas have what is known as a Labyrinth Chamber which helps them to be able to gulp air from the surface of the water.  This gives the Betta the ability to be able to live in very small spaces for short periods of time with little adverse health conditions.

For optimum heath the Betta should be kept in a fairly large tank at least 10 gallon in size to give them enough room to make them feel comfortable and develop a territory.

One of the other reasons that Bettas should be kept in a larger tanks is because they need their water to be fairly warm all the time.  Having a fish bowl with no heater in it may meet the Betta's heating requirements during the day time or in summer months however in the winter or at night the temperatures may drop to a point that they are detrimental or fatal to the Betta.

This blog will focus on fish that should do better in small fish bowls without heaters.  We will be sharing our real time experiences trying to keep fish bowl fish healthy and happy.