5 Gallon Tank 5 gallon stocking?

[flopperfrog]

i have a 5 gallon (not set up rn) and i was wondering what are some easy to care for animals you could put in it?
also; when measuring gallons if the whole thing was 5 doesnt that mean with substrate added, decoration like wood & rock, heater, filter, all that- it would be less than 5?
also if you have a betta in a 5 gallon, what kind of betta is recommended for that? i’ve heard people say longfinend are betta bc apparently they aren’t as active???

 

[grac3]

yes, with all the deco, it will be less than 5, but that's okay. nothing to worry about

easy to care for would definitely be a betta. longfins are less active but that doesn't make them any 'better' than females and plakats.

 

[BruinAquatics]

I would try a Pea puffer (otherwise known as the Malabar Puffer, Dwarf Indian Puffer, and many more). They get really small and you could keep ONE in a 5g. Super smart and personable fish. It can see about 30ft out of the tank, looks at you as if it's your master, and more!! I'd say pretty low mantenince as long as you keep water quality good and you feed small amounts of frozen brine shrimp or frozen bloodworms (or even small live bladder snails or smaller mts snails)

 

[LHAquatics]

I would usually recommend a betta, but if you want something different I would recommend a pea puffer. I don't know much about them, but they are cute and personable fish based on what I saw.

 

[flopperfrog]

yes, with all the deco, it will be less than 5, but that's okay. nothing to worry about

easy to care for would definitely be a betta. longfins are less active but that doesn't make them any 'better' than females and plakats.

oh i just meant- if longfins are generally less active that would mean they require less space right? so it would be good to keep them in a 5

 

[AIvinn]

Bettas do well in a 5, but they thrive in 10s. If you have no other options but to put a betta in a 5, they would still do well with the right maintenance/conditions.

 

[member133559]

For what it's worth and against the usual advice, I ended up with 5 glow light tetras in my 5.5 gallon. So far, they seem happy enough without showing any concerning abnormal behavior, especially no glass surfing or concerning aggression. I tried to mimic their natural habitat as much as possible, and they seem not to be bothered by the size of the tank. ,

Pea puffers are interesting, but their diets would be of my main concern to keep up with.

 

[flopperfrog]

Bettas do well in a 5, but they thrive in 10s. If you have no other options but to put a betta in a 5, they would still do well with the right maintenance/conditions.

would endlers livebearers be suitable for a 5 gallon?

 

[AIvinn]

would endlers livebearers be suitable for a 5 gallon?

Not 100% sure, but I've read that they're schooling fish and need a 10G or larger.

 

[BruinAquatics]

would endlers livebearers be suitable for a 5 gallon?

They in a way probably can. They have a light-medium bioload. If i were you I would only keep like 5 males and 0 females (since you don't want a ton of offspring filling up your tank and being way way overstocked.

 

[Gameynerd23]

I've seen Pea Puffer recommended a lot. I've never kept them myself, but from everything I've seen and read, they'll murder anything that's not a Pea Puffer and they really like being with other Pea Puffers. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I've been told they do better in groups. If you have a bigger tank, you could definitely do a pod of Peas, lol.