New to fish....................

Question
Hello, I'm VERY new at aquariums or anything to do with them. I got a SMALL fish tank as a gift, it may hold about a gallon of water it's triangle shaped. It did not come with a filter system (do I need one for a tank this small?) it did come with 1" air stone and hose and the gizmo to push the air in to the stone to make the air. My friend gave it to me after she decided not to do fish any more. I guess what I'm asking is how many fish and what type of fish should I put in this tank? I also have Tetra Aqua Aqua safe water conditoner. Is there anything eles I need for this little tank? I would like something very easy to care for and wont over run me with fish. Please tell me what other things I may need. My 4 yr. old is excited. The tank is "cycling" now.
Thanks in advance, Leesa :)  

Answer
Hi Leesa
First, with no filter on the tank, or no ammonia source, it won't cycle.  And, a tank that small with no filter, you don't want it to cycle.  Since you're brand spanking new :)  Here's a good link that explains the cycling process, it's good to know what it is:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

It has a few articles on there for cycling, and for ammonia and nitrite poisoning.

You want something easy to care for, depends on what you're definition of easy is....you're going to need to be changing out about 50% of the water every other day.  With no filter, and the tank not cycled, and the size of the tank, the ammonia and such will build up very quickly-which can stress or even kill the fish.  That's why it needs to be done so frequently.

The only fish I can think of that would be somewhat suitable for your tank, would be a betta.  I personally think they should have a minimum of a 5 gallon tank, but others say 1 gallon is fine.  That's really the only fish I can think of, even if you had a filter on there, after it cycled you may be able to have one guppy in there, but that would be it.  They're good because they don't need to have a heater, they can handle cooler water temperatures, but do need that filter.

The problem with smaller tanks-5 gallon and under, bettas need a water temperature of at least 76-80 F.  There's no heaters made for that small of a tank.  The tanks that come with the lights that put out heat aren't very good.  They tend to make the water very hot if left on long, but then when they're shut off, the temperature drops pretty significantly-which again stresses the fish.  

Bettas are good because they don't need a filter in the tank, they actually breathe the air at the surface of the water as opposed to other fish that take their oxygen in from the water.  So, with a betta you won't need the airstone running either.  In fact I wouldn't recommend running the airstone with a betta, they tend to stay at the top of the water, and need a calm surface to breathe.

I would recommend NOT having any gravel on the bottom.  The problem will be any uneaten food or fish waste will get trapped down in there and basically rot, making the water quality bad.  A few rocks or marbles for decoration should be good.  With larger tanks with gravel, you use a syphon to clean down in the gravel.  It sucks all the gunk up, but I don't believe a syphon would work in that size tank.  So, unless you want to be removing all the gravel and rinsing it every 2 weeks or so, I'd just leave it out.

Really all you need, is the dechlorinator/water conditioner to use with tap water to remove any chlorine or chloramines from the water.  A small net to net the fish out when needed.  Also pick up some MelaFix or BettaFix(same thing, just BettaFix is geared towards bettas in smaller containers for dosage), good natural remedy to have on hand for problems with fins and such.  Usually when you buy bettas they come in a cup, keep that and use that to put the fish in when you do the water changes.  No sharp objects or decorations in the tank.  That's about all I can think of.  

Hope that helps and let me know if you have more questions!

Christy