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The best fish tanks for your aquatic friends

For small apartments or other living quarters with limited space, having large pets is a challenge. However, fish can be an easy way to own a pet without major responsibilities. A betta tank is an excellent solution for animal lovers everywhere, who want to care for a pet but don’t have the time, commitment, or space to own a dog, cat, or caged pet. The compact design of these tank kits are perfect for small spaces without falling short on the joys of pet ownership.

Fish tanks are convenient because they require little work to set up but have a big impact on your home environment. The aquariums on our list include everything you need to start your fish-keepingadventure. All you need to add outside of these fully equipped kits are the fish, which — let’s face it — is the fun part Check out our favorite small fish tanks for your home.

MarineLand Glass LED Aquarium Kit

Best Portrait

If you’re looking for a uniquely shaped fish tank, look no further than the MarineLand Glass LED Aquarium Kit. With a portrait orientation and hidden filtration system, this 5-gallon fish aquarium offers enhanced viewing with an elegant design. The included LED lights have a natural daylight and moonlight setting to create the perfect atmosphere for your fish.

Aqueon Princess Castle Aquarium Kit

Best for Beginners

Mermaids in training love the Aqueon Princess Castle Aquarium Kit to start on their fish adventure. This acrylic, half-gallon aquarium is the perfect palace for your betta fish to reign. It’s easy to clean and will motivate your little princess to take good care of their pet. This kit includes an aquarium plant, decorative gravel, betta food, and water-care samples for a complete beginner’s tank.

GloFish Aquarium Kit Fish Tank

Best LED Lighting

For a brilliant aquatic experience, the GloFish Aquarium Kit Fish Tank is your fun pet habitat. With a capacity of 5 gallons and a blue LED overhead light, this cool tank brings out the beautiful neon colors of your Glofish. This luminous tank creates a fluorescent environment that makes your fish and your home shine.

Fish tanks are known to reduce levels of stress, improve sleep quality, and decrease anxiety. The tanks on our list are perfect for homes of any size. Besides taking up little room, these easy-to-care-for fish homes include everything you need for quick setup. With our favorite fish tanks, you can start enjoying the benefits of fish ownership today.

PawTracks Contributor
PawTracks Contributor
Wondering what to feed a baby bird? Here’s how to take care of an orphaned bird
We'll walk you through the baby bird feeding process step by step
Baby bird standing up

Feeding a baby bird is nothing like feeding a baby human. Since birds aren't mammals, they don't drink or produce milk (and you should never give that to an adult or baby avian). Instead, mama birds chew their food into tiny pieces and spit it into squalling infant mouths. That can make it harder to figure out what to feed a baby bird if you find one in your care.

Because baby birds are dependent on their parents not only for food but also for instructions on how to be a bird, it's best for the little one to stay with its parents. So, if you find a baby bird on the ground, try to bring it back to the nest rather than looking after it yourself. If you cannot return the bird to its nest, contact a rehabilitation center that can take care of it.

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What fish can live with bettas? These are your best bets for fish buddies
Bettas can't live with one another so you should look to other species for friendship
Blue betta fish staring at the camera

Betta fish are known for being territorial, feisty, rather combative, and therefore not great tank mates in general. This reputation, however, only holds true in particular situations and with certain fish friends. Male betta fish are aggressive, but only with other male bettas, so it is important to never put two males in the same tank. It will lead to tail-nipping behavior and other aggressive actions. So, what fish can live with bettas?

Happily, there are several other fish that can keep your betta company in a safe and non-aggressive environment. Many colorful, friendly fish cohabitate well with bettas. This is our guide to finding the perfect fish companion (or companions) for your betta.

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Do fish sleep? It’s complicated
You'll probably find your fish resting periodically — don't panic
Fish resting in an aquarium

You might see your little swimmers still and peaceful in your tank and think that they're sleeping. But do fish sleep? It's complicated because first we have to define what sleep even means. Research says that many animals do rest and that slowing down intermittently helps with all sorts of processes, including things like fighting disease and recharging energy. So while fish don't sleep in the same way humans and most other mammals do, they still rest periodically to help them stay sharp.
How do fish sleep?
First, let's talk about our sleep. You'll notice that when we go down for the night, we almost always close our eyes and our furry friends do as well. That's thanks to our neocortex, which shuts off so we can get some shut-eye every night. Dogs and cats operate much the same, though they sleep at different times than we do (practically all day, in the case of cats).

Fish have neither a neocortex nor eyelids, meaning they can't sleep exactly the same way as humans. Researchers at Stanford studied fish brains and found that they do seem to be sleeping, though aquatic animals likely don't enter REM state (dolphins, too, have slightly different sleep methods). Sharks take this even further by swimming even during sleep — if they stop, they won't be able to keep breathing!
When do fish sleep?
You may be surprised to discover that fish usually sleep at night and spend the day awake. That's great for us to get prime-time aquarium viewing. Still, some fish are up at night, especially a few species of catfish that will do the bulk of their feeding in the wee hours of the morning. Interestingly, a few fish don't sleep at all, including some species of cavefish that live entirely in darkness, and many baby fish, which don't develop this ability until adulthood.
How do I know if my fish are sleeping?
As with all animals, you probably want to leave your tiny sea creatures alone while they get some rest. You don't want to get woken up from a nap, either, after all. Check for signs that they're catching a few z's. Fish are possibly sleeping when they stay motionless for a while, lay down on something in the tank, and don't respond to things going around them. So if you walk up to your fish house and see one snuggled up in the corner, they're probably fine. Come back later to make sure they've moved rather than tapping on their home to rouse them.

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