After having several small tanks up and running now for a relatively short period of time, I have discovered that I truly need a "back up" or "just in case" plan of action in the event of a sick fish or observation before adding new fish to any of my mini aquariums. At this point, I intend to maintain fish that are smaller; in that, I mean that none of the fish will ever be over 1.5 - 2 (body) inches fully grown. This allows me to keep more activity within many of my pretty little mini tanks.Almost all of the major aquarium sites recommend that a person have a 10-gallon quarantine tank up and running at all times in case of an emergency. ummmmm..... But what if you never want to have to maintain that large of a tank OR don't have room for that large of a tank? I have found a viable solution for a "mini" quarantine tank without needing to expend an additional $75 - $100 for all the mini-aquarium materials.
Hagen & Lee both sell small plastic containers with lids that can be used for terrariums and/or aquariums. Hagen's Small Pet containers range in price from $12 to $18 for the 3.3 and 4.5 gallon containers. Lee's Kritter Keepers are approximately the same size with the X-Large container (approx. 4.5 gal.) with the dimensions being 16" x 8.75" x 12"(h) costing about $15. The next size which is actually a little easier to find is the Large (approx. 3 gal.), 14" x 8.75" x 9.5"(h) costing about $12. Both containers have pop-up lids so that you can feed the fish easily and a pop-out opening for cords/hoses. Another option is to get a 5.5-gallon glass aquarium without a lid for about $12 - $15 available in some pet stores. But then, when you add in the price of the lid, you may be adding about $5 - $10 for a plastic or glass hood (without light). For about $1-$2 you should be able to find a small sheet of plastic canvas for needlepoint. It's a good cover in a pinch, as well.
What about heaters? Hydor has a mini 7.5 watt heater for up to 5 gallon tanks that cost about $15. You can also find a small Tetra Whisper heater for 2-15 gallon tanks costing about $12. These mini-submersible heaters are preset to 75 F degrees. There are also some 25 watt heaters that will work for a small space that allow you to regulate the water's temp., but cost about $25.
Next, you will probably need a filter. Yes, those prepared mini-tank kits have the filter included in the price, but are you really saving all that much for a tank that you will probably store away when not being used? Pricing for filters is what can "get" you in the end here! The most economical filter that I have found is the Hagen Elite Mini Filter for about $10.00 - the draw back is that it only filters tanks up to 3 gallon. The PennPlax Small World box filter will work on tanks up to 5 gallon and costs $20. It is a bit NOISY because it uses a little air pump, but I place the air pump on a thick sponge, and that truly cuts the noise down quite a bit. As a temporary filter, PennPlax works great without blasting fish around in the tank. One more option that I have tried is the Tetra Whisper Internal filter 3i (up to 3 gallon) $13, or the 10i (up to 10 gal) $17. You may want to measure these first to make certain that they will fit inside your small tank. They are about 6" tall, and you should be forewarned; they have a tendency to suck in fish from the bottom. That's why I have a little corral around mine as mentioned in an earlier post.
That's really all you need! I keep extra foam/filter material inside of my main cycled tanks that I can use (insert or attach to the filter) with the mini emergency/quarantine container. I also keep a few small plastic plants inside of my main tanks that I can pull and put into the quickie aquarium. I keep a spare stand alone thermometer ($3) that I can plop into the container. There is no reason to put gravel into the tank, unless you want to pull some from your main tank for added established bacterial content. The main reason for keeping spare foam material and plastic plants in your main tank is to have materials that are filled with "healthy bacteria" that will easily go into the tank and minimize "new tank syndrome." Another possible technique is to keep the small filter running inside of one of the main tanks until it needed in the emergency tank.
For less than $30 you can, conceivably have an emergency 3 gallon tank in place for your fish. If you need a couple of extra gallons, then the emergency kit is going to cost a bit more; probably about $50 for a 5 gallon tank. Yet this nominal expense is to protect all your other fish from disease or to pull a sick fish from your main tanks. I have also used my little emergency kit to remove "bully fish" from my tanks until the other fish become better established. A few days of "time out" has saved my other fish a considerable amount of stress from the bully. If the bully simply cannot be reintroduced without continuing to be a bully, then you know it would be better to take it back to the store than to risk it killing/stressing out your main tank inhabitants.
The photo at the top of this article is a Lee's Kritter Keeper (Large) with a Hagen's Mini Elite Submersible Filter, PennPlax Small World filter/bubbler, Petco 50-watt heater, thermometer, two plants, gravel & Seachem Ammonia Alert. I had four small corydoras in the tank for two weeks, and I wanted to make certain that the little guys' water was well maintained during that time. So far, I've had pretty fair luck with new fish survival by using this little home-made aquarium emergency kit. All four fish survived and are happily swimming in the large community tank.
Remember, this is simply a bare-bones set up. There is no light, no pretty case, and minimal decorations. It is easy to clean up, set up and takes up only a little bit of space on the counter. Pull from what you have up and running already, (plants, substrate, & filter) which actually are more for the avoidance of ammonia poisoning while you medicate the fish or watch a new fish for parasites & bugaboos before introducing the fish into your main aquarium. You certainly can't have a BUNCH of fish in these little emergency tanks, but a single fish under three inches long could survive for a few weeks in one of these little containers. When you are done, you can clean up the container and put it away until needed again in the future.
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