Gina423

My husband wanted this 5 gallon tank and we have it all set up. It has a filter and heater and it looks great. It is currently going through a cycle. What I wanted to know is what fish would be suitable for this tank. I see that neons, white minnows, platys and cherry barbs are all small enough, but how many to get? I see that most are schooling fish and I would hate to get less than 6, but I know that more than two would be too many. Any ideas?

Thank you.

Luniyn

My personal favorite is Cory Cats actually. And I think they would be a neat little addition to a 5 Gal tank. You could get 3 of the False Julii's. Yes they get to 2" and that would equal 6" of fish, however, cory's tend to like to play together very closely. They also are known to sleep in a pile, so they don't mind being close to each other. If you at looking for more color then I think you would be ok with platys as all the others you mentioned prefer schooling. Even at a minimum of 5 you would still be at 7.5" of fish with the neon's which out be a bit much for a 5 Gal tank. It would be doable, but just not ideal. Have you given thought to just putting a betta in there?

bbfeckawitts

I think you could get away with 5 neons. They put out very very little waste.

SHPEPoser

You could go with a couple of guppies. They are very colorful and fun to watch.

Gina423

We already have a betta, so my husband wants to try something different. I like the idea of getting a male and female guppy, although I don't want to see any fry get eaten. I am not interested in breeding fish. Neons are so nice to look at, but I heard they aren't very hardy.

Would two guppies live comfortably in a 5 gallon tank? On their species profile, it says 10 gallon or larger.

SHPEPoser

When I first started I had a couple of male guppies in a 5 gallon. They should do fine as long as there's enough swimming room.

Gina423

So two male guppies won't fight each other?

vin

It's not the guppies you have to worry about fighting each other...it's the betta thinking they're another betta...I wouldn't recommend the guppies....Use caution with fish that have long, flowing fins or tails with bettas.....

Tom

I think they are ogin to have some guppies in a different tank than the betta.
Tom

Gina423

No, I have one male betta and he has his own tank. I have had him for almost three years now and he is happy. I am not giving him any tank mates. He stays upstairs with me .

I think I am going to go ahead and get two male guppies in a 5 gallon, unless someone suggests otherwise. I just want to make sure they will be happy and peaceable with each other.

vin

gotcha.....

COBettaCouple

2 guppies can work, just watch them to see if they develop a relationship where one is always picked on.

Gina423

is that likely to occur?

COBettaCouple

I think it's 50/50 or more.. with just 2, one is likely to become dominant over the other but they might get along fine. 3 works better because it creates a more complex pecking order, but would push the 5g over the limit and make you have to do more water changes, cleaning, etc.

Gina423

So would there be a better type of fish for my 5 gallon?

vin

How about a pair - Male and Female - dwarf gourami?

Gina423

Hey! That sound likes a pretty good idea! I will tell my husband and see what he thinks.

Gina423

but wait, their profile says 10 gallon or larger, would 5 gallons be okay?